Mike Clarke

Introduction

Mike Clarke is an online personality and content creator who sneaked into the 2026 New York City Marathon by running the full 26.2 miles on a counterfeit copy of another runner’s bib — No. 4207, belonging to Nicolas Bourot, a French banking executive — and crossing the finish line unnoticed before high-fiving Ariana Grande in a clip that went viral. The New York Road Runners, the marathon’s organizers, have banned Clarke from next year’s race after receiving multiple reports of his counterfeit bib, and Clarke, confronted by The New York Post, refused to apologize: “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 for this goal and have fun while doing it,” he said in a text.

Background Information

Clarke built his following on race content, posting videos across social media channels about the marathon — including, per The Post, a now-deleted YouTube video in which he admitted he “wasn’t officially registered.” The bib he copied belongs to Bourot, the Chief Security Officer for Groupe BPCE, France’s second-largest banking group, who waited ten years to get into the New York race through the lottery, is a member of the 139-year-old SAM Paris 12 running club, and finally ran it as a 50th-birthday trip his wife and friends surprised him with — plane tickets, hotel stays and all. The theft came to light because the marathon’s official photo gallery listed Clarke’s finish-line pictures under Bourot’s name, which is how the Frenchman discovered his bib number had been stolen.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Ban, not criminal charge. Nothing in this section is criminally charged or adjudicated — no prosecutor is involved, and running a marathon unregistered is not a crime. The conduct itself is admitted: Clarke boasted about it in his own posts and defended it in statements to The Post. The consequence is a private one — a ban from next year’s race imposed by the organizers after multiple reports of his counterfeit bib.

Clarke made a fake version of Bourot’s No. 4207 bib, used it to jump into the course, and says his counterfeit was good enough to carry him through the entire race despite beefed-up security at the start lines. Near the finish he high-fived Ariana Grande, a moment that went viral when a popular account shared it, and he appeared in the official marathon gallery photos — under Bourot’s name. He says he chose the number 4207 because of a deceased friend who had hoped to run New York in 2028 — “Did it in honor of him … obviously for fun” — and that he had no idea it was connected to Bourot or Groupe BPCE.

After multiple reports of the counterfeit bib, the organizing body told The Post it banned Clarke from next year’s race for jumping in illegally, adding in a statement: “When individuals fraudulently enter our events, they jeopardize everyone’s safety. These acts are egregious and are antithetical to supporting the sport of running and its community.” The organizers have not staffed “bandit catchers” — the crew that once intercepted unregistered runners — in years, relying instead on security at the start, which is how Clarke reached the finish line without being intercepted.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Bourot, speaking to The Post from Paris, called the theft unfair to every runner who waited for a place: “It’s not fair for all the runners because it’s very hard to get entrance to this marathon. I waited for 10 years before I was able to. Every year I try, I try, I try.” He initially rushed to check the race results fearing the duplicate bib had corrupted his time — it read accurately, a 3:23:23 — but said he still could not understand how Clarke crossed the finish without being caught. Clarke, meanwhile, declined to apologize in his messages to The Post and even bragged about the spoils: “After race, I received a medal but gave it to a kid afterwards haha!” The viral Grande high-five that made him a story also became the record of the story — the clip circulated alongside reporting that the man in it had no legitimate entry.

Current Status

Clarke is banned from the 2027 New York City Marathon, the only concrete consequence announced so far; no criminal charge or legal action has been reported, and the matter sits entirely with the race organizer. His post-race brags remain up across his social channels, though the YouTube video in which he admitted he “wasn’t officially registered” has been deleted. Bourot kept his finishing time and his first New York marathon — “I wanted to enjoy every minute of the marathon. I took bottles from people on the street, I take some [confetti] from the floor, I eat some food, it’s amazing. I ran 10 marathons before, but none is like New York” — and said he refused to let the theft ruin the trip.

Impact on Their Career/Life

For an online personality whose following runs on race content, the ban is a direct professional consequence: the race that produced his most viral clip is now the race he is formally barred from entering, with his own videos and texts to The Post serving as the admission of record. The case also put a spotlight on how the marathon polices its field — a decade-long lottery waitlist, no bandit catchers on the course, and start-line security that one counterfeit bib got past for 26.2 miles — and on the safety framing the organizers themselves chose: that fraudulent entries “jeopardize everyone’s safety.” Bourot’s ten-year wait and birthday trip gave the story its sharpest edge for runners, and coverage of the ban has now attached Clarke’s name to the theft permanently.

Sources

• “Exclusive | Wannabe influencer sneaks into NYC marathon by stealing French banking exec’s bib — New York Post” source
• “@nypost on X: NYC marathon runner who high-fived Ariana Grande in viral video is faker who stole French exec’s race number” source
• “NYC marathon runner who high-fived Ariana Grande in viral video is faker who stole French exec’s race number — AmeriLedger” source