Here Are the 14 Celebrities Who Run Marathons

Completing a marathon is a tremendous feat. Racers train for months coming up to the event, completely transforming their diets and exercise habits. Find out which fourteen celebrities who run marathons were able to finish with impressive times, and which other stars were just happy to complete the grueling 26.2 mile course.

1. Mario Lopez

There’s no question about it, Mario Lopez has a phenomenal physique. So, how does the television host and father of two keep his body in such great shape? He exercises daily by running, boxing and swimming. Lopez has competed in four marathons. He even broke out in Salsa dancing while running the NYC Marathon in 2011.

2. Ryan Reynolds

Besides spending time with his beautiful wife Blake Lively, Reynolds enjoys staying in shape. But his inspiration behind running 26.2 miles came after meeting actor Michael J. Fox, whose battle with Parkinson’s disease hit close to home. Ryan’s father has suffered from the debilitating disorder for over 20 years. Reynolds trained for the 2008 NYC Marathon in homage to his father. The marathon newbie clocked in under four hours, which is pretty impressive.

3. Pamela Anderson

Forty-seven year old former Playboy playmate Pamela Anderson ran the 2013 NYC Marathon. When Anderson spoke to Ellen DeGeneres about the race, she said, “Those last five miles. It was like giving birth and then being told to run as you’re giving birth. It was so much pain in my hips. I don’t know if women are meant to run, especially after having kids.” Well, at least she did it. Anderson finished with a time of five hours and 41 minutes. We wonder how many sports bras she wore.

4. Al Roker

The famed NBC weatherman underwent a very public gastric bypass surgery in 2002 to shed unwanted pounds, after a number of diet failures. Roker has since maintained a healthy lifestyle in which he eats properly and exercises regularly. He even competed in the 2010 New York Marathon. Roker commented about the experience saying, “You’ll never see anything like it. It was frightening, exhilarating, humbling and a whole new way to look at the city I grew up in.”

5. Katie Holmes

The Days and Nights actress ran the 2007 New York Marathon. There was a bit of a conspiracy theory saying that Holmes did not actually run the entire marathon because she was wearing a camisole without a sports bra, and long black leggings and other runners commented that it would have been an extremely uncomfortable outfit. We’ll give Katie the benefit of the doubt. She finished with a time of five hours and thirty minutes.

6. Sean “Diddy” Combs

The rapper, record producer and entrepreneur ran the 2003 New York Marathon after only training for six weeks. Diddy, who was a track star in high school, switched to a high-protein, low-carb diet diet, trained on an underwater treadmill and gave up sex prior to the big race. Diddy crossed the five boroughs in good time and raised over $2 million for New York City public schools.

7. Jennifer Carpenter

The Dexter actress competed in the 2010 New York City Marathon and trained to run in the 2012 marathon as well, but Mother Nature had other plans (Hurricane Sandy). Carpenter ran for her charity, Every Mother Counts, and finished with a time of 3:34.28.

8. Gordon Ramsay

The foul-mouthed Michelin-starred man trains year round with his wife in England. Ramsay claims that to prepare for a race he eliminates fatty and cream-laden dishes for risotto with plenty of veggies like spinach, and poached fish. He finished the 2012 London Marathon in just under four and a half hours.

9. Drew Carey

The Price is Right host competed in the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon. Carey says that he included running in his 70 lb. weight-loss program. His training included 30 to 45 minute runs twice a week, alternated with two days of intervals and a long run on Saturday. Carey finished with a time of 4:37.11 in his first 26.2 miler.

10. Alanis Morissette

The Canadian rocker has spoken publicly about her battle with various eating disorders throughout her teenage years and into her 20’s. To promote awareness, Morissette ran the 2009 Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon for the National Eating Disorders Association. The seven-time Grammy award winning artist finished with a time of 4:17:03.

11. Sean Astin

The Lord of the Rings actor ran in the 2012 Los Angeles Marathon. Astin’s training regimen was a bit unorthodox, the actor said, “I’ll go for two months without a single run, and then I’ll run 20 miles in a month, and then 100 miles the next month, then 120 the months after that, then work my way back down to nothing again.” Well, it seemed to work. Sean finished with a strong time of 4:25:47.

12. Shia LaBeouf

Shia ran one of the most bizarre marathons to date, in September 2014. The Fury star participated in a performance art piece in Amsterdam by running around the Stedelijk museum 144 times dressed in Day-Glo spandex. Hendrik Folkerts, the Stedelijk museum’s public curator said, “As we are having a ‘marathon’ conference inside the Stedelijk, we also wanted a reflection of that outside.” Just add it to the list of Shia’s odd antics.

13. Teri Hatcher

The Golden Globe Award-winning actress, best know for her role on Desperate Housewives, ran in the 2014 New York City Marathon. Hatcher, who turned 50 just one month after competing, ran for the J/P Haitian Relief Organization and finished with a time 05:06:42.

14. Edward Norton

The Birdman star actually trained for the marathon with the Maasai warriors, a Kenyan tribe known for their speedy runners. Norton said of his training, “It’s very difficult. It has its plateaus. Getting to 12 miles, you’re like, this is ridiculous, I’m never going to get to 26. Then you get to 15 and you think you’re never going to get to 18. Then you get to 20, and you’re kind of in striking distance.” Norton ran the 2009 New York Marathon in 3:48.01. Wow.