“The marathon day is great energy, but everything leading up to that point is what’s the most enjoyable.”
There are tons of celebrities who love running — but there are only a handful of stars that you’ll actually catch at the starting line of a major marathon more than one time. While there are celebs who make it a bucket list item to take on the 26.2-mile challenge once in their lives, there are actually stars who have gone the distance on multiple occasions. These passionate celebs have hit their stride and love running marathons, whether it’s in New York, Boston, Chicago or even Paris — and they typically do it for a good cause!
Read on to discover which stars you can find at the starting line…
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1. Claire Holt
Claire Holt is an avid runner but it wasn’t until 2022 that she decided to run her first marathon. That year, she prepared for the New York City Marathon with 20 weeks of intense training. By the time she crossed the finish line, she had helped raise $162,000 dollars for Boston Children’s Hospital. Since then, she’s run several other marathons to continue to raise money — but as of now, she says she’s retired.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to run…never in my wildest dreams did I think that I’d willingly sign up to run a marathon — and what’s even more wild is how dedicated I became to it,” she wrote on her website in 2023. “Hundreds of miles, billions of bagels, and many tears later, I’m really glad I did it — mostly because my beautiful family, friends, and wonderfully generous strangers helped me raise $162,000 dollars for Boston Children’s Hospital.”
2. Nev Schulman
Nev Schulman loves to run and has taken part in the New York City Marathon on many occasions since 2015. He’s typically one of the fastest celebrities to participate, once achieving a time of 2:58. Looking back, Nev says he realized in his 30s that running is the “best medicine” for his happiness — which ended up giving him major inspiration when he broke his neck in a near-fatal bike crash in 2024.
Despite being hospitalized and undergoing intense surgery, Nev says he was motivated to keep moving forward because of his desire to run in the New York City Marathon as a guide to a blind runner, Francesco Magisano. Nev ended up making a miraculous recovery and just months after his accident, he was given the all clear to start running again. The pair packed three months worth of training into eight weeks.
“My body really bounced back,” he told People. “The first few runs were obviously tough, I was going at a much slower pace than I would normally go and working much harder than I would normally work. But once I got some momentum going, by the third or fourth run I really felt strong again. I’m not 100%, but I feel great, honestly.”
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3. Kevin Hart
Kevin Hart is an active runner who has taken part in a handful of marathons. Prior to his first big race, he hosted pop-up 5Ks as part of one of his comedy tours and would hit the pavement with hundreds of fans. Then in 2017, he made it a goal to complete the New York City Marathon, his first major race. He trained whenever he could, even if that meant waking up at 4 am to run 11 miles. Since then, he’s managed to squeeze in training for several other races, including the Chicago Marathon.
“During a long run, there is no thinking. I’m zoned out in a good space with great music,” he told Runner’s World. “Some of my greatest ideas happen during my runs. The peace that comes from running is the perfect time to be creative…I am doing this to be an example that you can be anything that you put your mind to. I put my mind to it, and I am going to get it done. That simple.”
4. Casey Neistat
YouTuber Casey Neistat is consistently one of the fastest celebrities to run in the New York City Marathon. His journey began back in 2007 when he was injured in a scooter accident and he underwent surgery in which his femur was replaced with a steel rod. Doctors said he would never run again but he set out to prove them wrong, hoping to eventually accomplish a sub-3 marathon. He’s now completed over 25 marathons and in 2023, he finally accomplished his goal.
“You do a lot of meaningless, purposeless stupid things,” he says. “You get obsessed, you spend years focused on them, and literally no one cares but you. But you persevere anyway. You keep running. You don’t quit. You die trying because when you add up all those stupid, meaningless obsessions and accomplishments, what they equal, what they add up to, is your life,” he told Runner’s World.
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5. Karlie Kloss
Karlie Kloss has always been athletic but running wasn’t her favorite pastime. She excelled at running short distances for sports but decided to truly challenge herself in 2015 by attempting a half marathon. She began training for a race in Paris and after its successful completion, she turned her attention to the New York City Marathon. She ran that in 2017 — and has since taken part in several more half marathons.
“I like to do things that take me out of my comfort zone, and the idea of running a half marathon was beyond scary and definitely took me out of my comfort zone,” she told Runner’s World. “Running a marathon is something I never dreamed I would do.”
6. Mario Lopez
Mario Lopez grew up as an athlete but it wasn’t until he was an adult that he truly began to love running. He started doing just a few miles with a friend when he could and worked his way up to running five to seven days a week, sometimes over 10 miles. In 2002, he ran his first race, the Boston Marathon, in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Since then, he’s taken part in numerous marathons, including the New York City Marathon.
“I began running only a couple miles a day with my buddy, who was a cross-country runner who taught me how to do track workouts. Now usually I run five to seven days a week, usually 3 or 4 miles each time but longer runs on the weekend, say, 10 or 12 miles. I like how it makes my body feel, giving me energy and endurance,” Mario told Runner’s World.
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7. Christy Turlington
When Christy Turlington ran her first marathon in 2012, she didn’t consider herself a runner and simply wanted to do something to support her nonprofit, Every Mother Counts. Since then, she’s found a passion for running and has done all six world marathons: Tokyo, Berlin, Chicago, Boston, London, and New York. She’s even taken part in the New York City Marathon 10 times.
“With any race, I just try to be as prepared as possible and not get attached to an outcome. I just try to enjoy being in the moment,” she told The Cut. “People are in really good spirits, and you see some really heroic efforts out there. I recommend people [run for] a charity. Running for yourself is great and feels good. But sometimes when you’re out there for that long, you need another motivation. Having a charity or a team can really make a difference.”
8. Matt James
For former Bachelor Matt James, running has been a lifelong passion but it wasn’t until the past few years that he became truly invested in long distance races. In 2019, he ran in the Chicago Marathon and then in 2021, he took part in the New York City Marathon — which he has now completed four times. He’s even run in the London Marathon.
“I love exercising. I love competing. I love the community of it, a lot of my friends are doing it. Especially the training aspect of it. The marathon day is great energy, but everything leading up to that point is what’s the most enjoyable. The whole process is a reminder that I — we — we’re all capable of doing so much more than we think we can,” he told GQ.
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9. Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys has run several marathons — the first of which she completed during a trip to Greece. Looking back, Alicia explained that Greece is the home of the marathon so it only made sense for her to do it there. Although she figured it was going to be the only marathon she ever ran, she did it again in 2015 at the New York City Marathon in support of Keep a Child Alive.
“I thought, ‘This is my city, so why not?’” Alicia shared in a blog for Refinery 29. “I thought about all the times I rode a train through the boroughs or drove through the boroughs, and it occurred to me that I’ve never run through the five boroughs. So why not? In fact, this is my new slogan: AND WHY NOT? I’m all about breaking mental boundaries, and training for a marathon falls right into the Jedi mind-training I need.”
10. Zac Clark
The Bachelorette alum Zac Clark has been an avid marathon runner for years. In 2024, he took part in the New York City Marathon for the 10th time, raising money for his foundation Release Recovery. He’s been taking part in the marathon since he first moved to New York years ago.
“I moved to NYC in 2012. The marathon was canceled that year due to Sandy. I watched the 2013 race, sobbed tears of inspiration and vowed to myself that I would run the marathon in 2014 and every year after, so long as I could raise money for drug addiction and mental health,” he wrote on Instagram.
He continued, “I have kept that promise. Each year has a story that goes well beyond the time on the watch. It is the one day that the city of New York comes together and stands united. It is a day about love, not hate. Humans will laugh and cry and encourage and cheer and feel like we were born to do. Some years have been harder than others but I have chosen this day as my anchor for each year and I am proud of myself that I keep showing up and keep going.”
11. Peter Weber
Former Bachelor Peter Weber is yet another member of Bachelor Nation who has become invested in marathon running. He’s now joined other Bachelor alumni to take part in the race on several occasions.
“Running the NYC Marathon was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” Peter shared on Instagram. “I had no idea what to expect but I am so damn happy I did it. There is literally nothing you can’t accomplish in this life if you put your mind to it and decide to never give up. New York, you are truly one of a kind. The energy you fed us runners all 26.2 miles was pure magic. Thank you.”
