Banned for Using a Fake Bib at the New York City Marathon

The organisers of the New York City Marathon, cited as Road Runners, have banned Mike Clarke from next year’s edition. Clarke is the viral runner who high-fived Ariana Grande, and the organiser says he took part with a forged bib: a copy of French runner Nicolas Bourot’s number 4207.

Clarke, a social media content creator, went viral with a video in which he high-fives the singer near the finish line. The video spread after a popular account shared it, and he posted footage of his race on several channels. According to the published reports, he ran with a fake version of 4207.

What the organisers say about the forged bib

The organisation explains that the ban is because Clarke entered the race illegally, after receiving multiple warnings about his forged bib. A Road Runners spokesperson said:

“When someone fraudulently enters our events, they put everyone’s safety at risk. These acts are appalling and go against supporting the sport of running and its community.”

According to the published reports, Clarke said in a YouTube video, since deleted, that he was not “officially registered”, and boasted on social media about sneaking in. He claims his fake bib was so good that he was able to complete the 26.2 miles, the full marathon distance, despite tighter security at the start areas.

Clarke’s version: a number chosen in honour of a late friend

Clarke replied by text message on Wednesday 11 November and, according to the published reports, refused to apologise. He says he did not know the number belonged to Bourot and that he chose it because of its link to a friend who has died. He says that friend wanted to run all the World Majors marathons and hoped to run New York in 2028.

“My friend who passed away wanted to run all the World Majors and was hoping to do New York in 2028. I did it in his honour… obviously for fun.”

He also says he received a medal at the finish and later gave it to a child. On the criticism, he said:

“At the end of the day they can call it unfair or cheating the system, but for me it was to push my limits while running towards this goal and have fun doing it.”

Who is Nicolas Bourot, the owner of bib 4207

Bourot is Chief Security Officer at Groupe BPCE, described as France’s second-largest banking group, and a member of the 139-year-old club SAM Paris 12. He spoke from Paris. It was his first New York City Marathon, after ten previous marathons, and he waited ten years to get a place, something he tried for every year.

His wife and friends surprised him with plane tickets, a hotel stay and more as a gift for his 50th birthday. Bourot regrets what happened:

“It’s not fair to all the runners because it’s very hard to get a place in this marathon. I waited 10 years to be able to do it. Every year I try, I try, I try.”

How he found out his bib had been used and what happened to his time

The Frenchman learned his number had been used when he saw Clarke appear in the official marathon photo gallery under Bourot’s name. He feared that duplicate numbers would affect his result and checked the statistics: his time, 3:23:23, was correct. He wonders how Clarke was able to cross the finish line without being detected.

Security at the start and the bandit catchers

Before the race, representatives of the organisation said they have not assigned bandit catchers, the team that intercepts unregistered runners, for years, and that they rely on security at the start.

A first New York City Marathon after a ten-year wait

Bourot enjoyed the race.

“It was very special to run for that. I was sending photos every five kilometres saying: ‘Hey, I’m in the race. I’m here, the weather is nice!’”

“I wanted to enjoy every minute of the marathon. I took bottles from people on the street, I picked something [confetti] up from the ground, I ate some food, it’s incredible. I’ve run 10 marathons before, but none is like New York.”

“It’s a very, very special event.”