A Runner Went Viral for High-Fiving Ariana Grande at the NYC Marathon. Now He’s Banned for Using a Fake Bib.

Mike Clarke got his viral New York City Marathon moment, getting cheered on by none other than Ariana Grande herself, but his appearance in the November 1 race has now earned him a yearlong ban from New York Road Runners events.The organization confirmed to Runner's World that Clarke used a counterfeit bib to enter the marathon, a violation of its Code of Conduct and Rules of Competition. NYRR said it learned about the incident through multiple sources and has barred him from competing in its races for the next year, although he has the opportunity to appeal."When individuals fraudulently enter our events, they jeopardize everyone's safety," a NYRR spokesperson said in a statement provided to Runner's World. "These acts are egregious and are antithetical to supporting the sport of running and its community."According to reporting by the New York Post, Clarke wore a duplicate of a bib (No. 4207), which had been assigned to Nicolas Bourot, a French banking executive.Bourot had spent a decade trying to secure entry into the NYC Marathon, and finally got his chance this year, finishing in 3:23:23—only to discover that another man appeared in race photos under his name and bib number. Fortunately, it didn’t affect Bourot's official finish time."It's not fair for all the runners," Bourot told the Post, noting how difficult it can be to earn a spot in the race.Clarke's participation in the race attracted plenty of attention online, particularly after footage of him high-fiving the Grammy Award-winning artist near the finish line blew up on social media. One of his Instagram videos has surpassed 6 million views, while another is approaching half a million.Clarke acknowledged to the Post that he wasn't officially registered, claiming the bib number held sentimental significance because of a friend who had died and that he didn't realize it had been assigned to another runner. When explaining the decision to participate anyway, he told the newspaper via text:“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. [And] after [the] race, I received a medal but gave it to a kid afterwards haha!”Find Your Next Running PlaylistSean Abrams was the Senior Editor, Growth and Engagement at Men’s Health. He’s a former hip hop dancer who likes long walks on the beach and large glasses of tequila. You can find his previous work at Maxim, Elite Daily, and AskMen.