Big-name races like the New York City Marathon draw participants from all walks of life. Over the race’s five decades, the New York City Marathon has seen hundreds of celebrities trek over the Verrazano Bridge in Staten Island and cross the finish in Central Park.
As we head into Sunday’s race, which will see celebs, including Ashton Kutcher, former New York Giant Tiki Barber, and actress Ellie Kemper, let’s take a look back at the famous runners before them.
Ryan Reynolds (2008)
Before he was Deadpool, the Hollywood star turned out an impressive marathon of 3:50!
Sean “Diddy” Combs (2003)
The hip-hop legend ran on a bad knee, but still finished in 4:14.
Bryan Cranston (1985, 1986)
Before he was Hal Wilkerson and Walter White, Bryan Cranston ran two respectable New York City Marathons. In 1985, at 29 years old, he ran a 3:20 and then slowed a little the following year with a 3:41. (We all start to slow down in our 30s, right?)
Pamela Anderson (2013)
In her first marathon, the Baywatch star finished in 5:41 and raised $288,492 on Crowdrise for Sean Penn’s J/P Haitian Relief Organization.
Kevin Hart (2017)
We’ve always been impressed with Hart’s running goals. After completing NYC in just a bit over 4 hours, he went on to run the Chicago Marathon.
Katie Holmes (2007)
She completed the course in 5:29. Husband (at the time) Tom Cruise and their daughter, Suri, were at the finish line.
Haruki Murakami (1991, 1998, 2000, 2005)
Novelist Haruki Murakami penned What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, and ran the New York City Marathon four times, with a best of 3:31.
Will Ferrell (2001)
Just two months after the September 11 terrorist attacks, Will Ferrell ran a 5:04 marathon in New York. After crossing the finish line, he told reporters: “Running a marathon is not a question of whether it will be painful, but when it will be painful.” The following March he graced the cover of Runner’s World, and a month later, he ran the Boston Marathon in 3:56, taking more than an hour off of his New York time.
Kerri Strug (2008)
Gymnast Kerri Strug, an Olympic gold medalist, might be best known for her performance at the 1996 Olympic Games. In order to help Team USA take home gold, she competed through a broken ankle, a moment that has been ridiculed in recent years. Twelve years after her medal-winning routine, Strug ran the New York City marathon in 3:56.
Peter Sagal (2009)
Long-time host of NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and former Runner’s World columnist, Peter Sagal, finished the 2009 New York City Marathon in 3:27. He’s also, ahem, a self-confessed race bandit.
Al Roker (2010)
Famed weatherman Al Roker finished the New York City Marathon in 7:09. Earlier this year he power-walked the Brooklyn Half Marathon in 3:19—that’s a 15:14 pace! He worked with Hiruni Wijayaratne, who was a virtual coach. It was later revealed on The Today Show that Wijayaratne didn’t realize it was the Al Roker when she took him on as a client.
Yasir Salem (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)
Competitive speed-eater (yes), cyclist, triathlete, and runner Yasir Salem has run the New York City Marathon every year the race has been held since 2010, with a best time of 4:01.
Alicia Keys (2015)
In 2015, singer and songwriter Alicia Keys ran through the concrete jungle (where dreams are made of), finishing in 5:50. She raised money for the Keep A Child Alive charity, a group which she co-founded.
Cynthia Ervio (2016)
The Tony award-winning actress ran the 2016 New York City Marathon in 3:57. Last month, she ran the London Marathon in 3:35, and the next day flew to Paris for the Louis Vutton spring 2023 show.
Karli Kloss (2017)
The supermodel used to hate running, but found herself hooked on the sport after she ran a half marathon in Paris in 2013 (stars, they’re just like us!). Four years later, Kloss ran the New York City Marathon in 4:14.
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a seven-time marathoner with a best of 3:31—but she is most proud of her 1:32 half, 19:44 5K, and 5:33 mile. Her work has been published in The Boston Globe, Popular Mechanics, The Wall Street Journal Buy Side, Cooking Light, CNN, Glamour, The Associated Press, and Livestrong.com.
