Influencer runs the Brooklyn Half Marathon without registering — then infuriates runners by bragging about her pace

A personal brand entrepreneur is backtracking after her post about crossing the finish line of Sunday’s NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon without signing up for the race drew swift criticism on social media.

“I did not realize I would offend so many people,” Alexa Curtis, 26, wrote Monday on X . “The post was meant to be inspirational and I had no intention to take anything from anyone or the race: I was running for myself for my mental health. In the future I’ll be sure to look up the rules if I decide to run again.”

Banditing — running a race without registering — is highly controversial in the running world because entry fees are used to pay for course support such as security, medical responders, water and Gatorade on the route, and medals at the finish line.

A portion of the registration costs typically goes to charity, as well.

The NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half — which traveled under the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges before ending in Prospect Park — counts NYU Langone Health as its “signature charity partner” to help in the fight to end cancer disparities in Brooklyn.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars are expected to be raised from the sold-out event — where registration cost $125 and up.

More than 21,700 runners ran the 13.1-mile race Sunday, according to the race results .

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“We had a record number of runners at Sunday’s NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon with over 21,000 official finishers,” NYCRUNS said in a Monday statement to The Post.

“Our top priority is the safety and well-being of every one of those runners, and the bib that every runner wears is their lifeline if a medical issue arises on the course,” the statement continued. “It’s dangerous to run in a race without a bib, and it’s also not fair to the thousands of runners who are.”

In a Monday statement to The Post, Curtis’ publicist said she “decided very last-minute to participate in the Brooklyn Half.”

“It was not intentional that she did not sign up, rather she thought it would be a nice way to help spread the word via her platform about the importance of moving your body/working out and the mind-body connection as well as share some nice awareness for the Brooklyn Half,” read the statement, which noted that Curtis is visiting from overseas.

“Her participation was meant to be a positive move, and it’s very unfortunate that she is now receiving such negative backlash about something that was to be uplifting for her followers,” the statement went on. “She did not take a medal, nor did she engage in any of the amenities provided. She ran on the side of the group, independently, and was happy to spread good news in the spirit of positivity.”

Late Monday , Curtis announced she made a $150 donation to Tucks Travels, a nonprofit “cause partner” for the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half.

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In Sunday’s X post, which has been viewed more than 3.4 million times, Curtis said she ran the race without training.

“I just ran 13.1 miles for the Brooklyn half marathon at a 7.43 minute pace. I didn’t walk at all. I cried during a lot of it. I went to bed at 10 PM,” she penned.

“I didn’t sign up for this race. I just asked the security where it started and where it ended and jumped in,” she added.

A Connecticut native, Curtis founded Be Fearless Inc. , a “reinvented career brand” devoted to “helping you be fearless & the boss of your own life.”

She has 13,100 followers on X and 23,300 followers on Instagram , and she responded to a few of her detractors.

“Bit unfair on the others who have paid for the police support, road closures and first aiders…,” one X user wrote.

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“Life’s not fair :(,” Curtis replied.

“You are a bandit and you stole from this race and this community. these things are expensive and for charity. shame on you,” another person tweeted.

Curtis wrote back that last week she refunded a client $17,000 because she was “an idiot, didn’t have a contract and [the client] decided she wasn’t ‘happy and desperately needed the money back’ but the last thing I wanted was an American Express dispute to then deal,” which would affect the invoice processing for other clients.

“I worked for free for 2 weeks while running a second business (be fearless) where I constantly lose money yet show up to inspire young women to be fearless who rely on me to,” she added.

“So get back to me about stealing — google the definition of it cause that’s what happened to me in business this month not running a half marathon. Hbu? Any wins and losses you wanna mention on twitter?”

In her initial X post, Curtis recalled enduring “the worst heartbreak in business and my personal life” over the past year.

“When people ask me what being fearless is, it’s like asking security where the race starts and where it ends,” her post read. “Everything in the middle, all the bull***, the pain, the trauma you’re gonna experience in your life is nothing because you started running and you’re not going to stop just because you cross that finish line.”

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