The New York City Marathon is not for the faint of heart. The race, which covers through the five boroughs of the city, can be a literal uphill battle for competitors. But some people can’t resist a challenge, including the many celebrities who’ve run the New York City Marathon.
From movie stars to supermodels, some of the biggest A-listers have taken on the challenge – some of whom have endured the 26.2 miles for a good cause. Here are all the celebrities who’ve run the New York City Marathon, including the three who will run it in 2018.
Bryan Cranston
In an interview with The New Yorker, Cranston said he decided to run the New York City Marathon after being inspired by the competition a year earlier.
The actor told the publication that he stumbled across the race after sulking over a job loss. He saw, “old people, children, people in bunny costumes, people who’d lost their legs, this amazing menagerie of humanity,” and began training the next day for the 1985 race.
Will Ferrell
According to Competitor, Ferrell ran the 2011 New York Marathon in 5:01. He followed that up by running the Stockholm Marathon in 2002 and the Boston Marathon in 2003.
Diddy
Sean "Diddy" Combs ran the New York Marathon in 2003, which was document on the MTV special 'Diddy Runs The City.'
"I've never experienced mental or physical pain like that," Diddy told MTV after the race, which he finished in 4:14. The rapper used the race to raise more than $2 million for various charities, including New York's public schools, the Children's Hope Foundation, and Daddy's House youth organization.
Natalie Morales
The 'Today Show' host wrote about her marathon experience for Runner's World. According to the article, Morales has run the New York Marathon three times: in 1995, 1996, and 2006. She's also run the Hartford Marathon twice and the Boston Marathon once.
Katie Holmes
Holmes ran the New York Marathon in 2007, but it came with some controversy.
According to Access Hollywood, people were upset that Holmes received admission to the race after the deadline passed and others were denied entry. Sarah Hunninghacke, manager of media relations with the New York Road Runners Club, told Access Hollywood that the actress was given a VIP entry that is often granted to people with, "compelling stories, who are not admitted in the traditional way."
Ryan Reynolds
Reynolds ran the New York Marathon in 2008 to raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, according to an essay he wrote for HuffPost. In the essay, the actor wrote that he was doing so to honor his father Jim, who suffers from Parkinson's Disease.
Edward Norton
According to CNN, Norton ran the 2009 New York Marathon to raise money for Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, an organization that promotes sustainable development while protecting the east African grasslands.
Al Roker
Roker ran the New York Marathon in 2010, but that didn't turn hi into a fan of the sport.
"I don't enjoy running," he told People prior to race day. But something must have changed because, according to Runner's World, Roker has run several races since, including the Disney Half Marathon.
Apolo Ohno
According to Runner's World, Ohno finished the New York Marathon in 3:25:12.
Mario Lopez
Lopez ran the New York Marathon in 2011, and running quickly became a passion.
"Running has become therapeutic for me," Lopez told ESPN. "I can clear my mind and I can just go through my day and have a lot of clarity." He has also complete the Boston Marathon, Rock and Roll Las Vegas marathon, and several other races.
Christy Turlington
According to Runner's World, the supermodel ran the 2012 New York Marathon to raise money for the organization, Every Mother Counts.
Pamela Anderson
Anderson ran the 2013 marathon without any formal training, according to New York Daily News.
Uzo Aduba
Aduba ran the New York Marathon in 2013, during which she had an awkward fan encounter.
"When I ran the New York Marathon, I had fans yelling out 'Go Crazy Eyes,'" the actress said during an appearance on 'Conan.' "Then there was a guy who came into the race [...] and he's like, 'I know who you are. I ain't gonna bother you, but we gonna take a selfie."
Bill Rancic
The former "Apprentice" winner ran the New York City marathon in 2013. According to CBS News, Rancic ran the race to raise money for breast cancer charity Fab-U-Wish.
Patrick Wilson
The "Conjuring" actor finished the 2013 race in three hours and 32 minutes, according to Runner's World. He's also run the Philadelphia Marathon.
Katrina Bowden
The former "30 Rock" star ran the marathon for the first time in 2014. She ran the race again in 2015, where things took a dramatic turn. With less than half a mile left in the race, Bowden felt a snap in her leg and didn't think she could finish the race. Luckily, as the actress wrote in her blog, two strangers helped her cross the finish line.
"I was so happy that I was able to finish, and I was so thankful for the kindness of these two people who stopped their own race to help someone they owed nothing to," she wrote. "My finishing the race had nothing to do with their personal journey- but they chose to put their own goals aside for the sake of someone else. It was truly incredible, and I am so grateful."
Ethan Hawke
According to the New York Times, Hawke finished the 2015 marathon in 4:25 - pretty impressive for a newbie.
Alicia Keys
According to People, Keys ran the 2015 New York Marathon in honor of her charity, Keep a Child Alive.
Following the race, the singer posted a photo to Instagram to thank all the fans who supporter her through the journey.
"Thank you for every scream, every cheer, every piece of good energy you sent my way," she wrote. "You helped me so much today!"
Nev Schulman
First running the New York City Marathon in 2015, Schulman was the first celebrity to cross the finish line with a time of 3 hours and 34 minutes, according to Sports Illustrated. The "Catfish" host will hit the New York streets again this year.
Sean Astin
The "Goonies" and "Stranger Things" actor ran the 2016 New York City Marathon in 2016. But that was far from his first 26.2 mile race. As of April 2018, Astin has run 13 marathons, according to Runner's World.
Lee Pace
The "Halt and Catch Fire" star ran the race in 2016 to raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.
Theo Rossi
A Staten Island-native and lifelong runner, Rossi was never able to run the New York City Marathon due to filming conflicts with "Sons of Anarchy." He was finally able to run the race in 2016, two years after the show finished filming.
Candice Huffine
Huffine ran the 2017 New York Marathon - something she never expected to do. In the week leading up to the race, the model shared her motivation for running the race.
"Last year I was a brand new runner with zero intention of ever running a race of this distance," she wrote. "But that's the funny things about life, and goals, and drive...they all step in and step up and have you surprising yourself."
Carole Radzwill
Radzwill has never been a runner, and that's one of the reasons she took on the New York Marathon in 2017.
"I never so much as ran across the street, so people think me running the NYC Marathon is crazy. But you have to take chances and risks in life," she told Runner's World. "New York City has given me every opportunity to create and reinvent myself, so the marathon is my way of honoring it."
Karlie Kloss
Kloss ran the 2017 New York Marathon, and tracked her training on Instagram.
The model announced in May that she'd be running the race with a photo of her near the Brooklyn Bridge captioned, "So this morning was Day 1 of marathon training. Suffice it to say I'm going to be sore tomorrow."
Kevin Hart
Hart announced his plans to run the 2017 New York Marathon via Twitter.
"That's right people, I'm running the #NYCmarathon," the actor tweeted along with a video montage.
I have a HUGE announcement. That’s right people, I’m running the #NYCmarathon. That’s my #moonshot. What’s yours? pic.twitter.com/gVUtvBVDpq
— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) July 29, 2017
Tiki Barber
The former athlete is no stranger to the New York Marathon. According to Runner's World, Barber first ran the New York Marathon in 2014 and has run every year since. This year will mark his fifth time running the race.
Teri Hatcher
In order to prepare for the race, Hatcher told Parade she used the Couch to 26.2 training app.
It's unclear if she used it to train for the 2018 race, which she will run with her daughter, according to Runner's World.
Brian D’Arcy James
The "13 Reasons Why" actor will run the New York Marathon for the first time in 2018, a little over a year after running the Chicago Marathon.
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