Meet the cover star: Milly Pickles?
From Pamela Anderson to Pippa Middleton, see which stars have taken on the marathon and the times they’ve clocked over the years.
On March 2, Harry Styles swapped the sequins for running trainers (specifically, Most recently, Sinfield completed his &lsquo) to clock an impressive finish time of 3:24:07 at the 2025 Tokyo Marathon. What’s more, the pop sensation paced the whole race nearly perfectly, clocking 1:42:03 at the halfway mark, followed by a 1:42:04 split for the second half.
Although his sub-3:30 performance in Tokyo puts him among the faster celebrity marathoners, Styles is far from the first famous face to take on the distance. Here are some of the other stars who have crossed a marathon finish line…
Harry Judd, 3:14:37
McFly drummer and Strictly Come Dancing Winner Harry Judd has several things in common with Styles: his name, UK pop stardom and being a keen (and quick) runner. Judd has run the London Marathon four times, clocking some very respectable times, including a PB of 3:14:37 in 2022.
Cynthia Erivo, 3:35:36
Another musical talent with some impressive running performances under her belt is Wicked star Cynthia Erivo. The multi-award-winning British actress has enjoyed running since her student days at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has completed both the New York City Marathon and the London Marathon.
She ran the former in 2016 in a time of 3:57:07 and the latter in 2022 in 3:35:36. Achieving two sub-4:00 How to use the Norwegian 4x4 workout Five-minute activities that bring maximum results.
Marcus Mumford, 3:51:25
Singer-songwriter and Mumford and Sons frontman Marcus Mumford ran the London Marathon in 2023 to raise money for Runners World US, on which he sits as a Chairman of the board of trustees. The Grammy winner crossed the line in 3:51:25.
Pamela Anderson, 5:41:03
In 2013, Baywatch star and SAG-nominated actress Pamela Anderson swapped the sand for the streets of New York to run her first marathon. Fundraising for the J/P Haitian Relief Organization, the ‘90s icon was well clear of the sub-6:00 mark, with a time of 5:41:03.
Ethan Hawke, 4:25:30
Actor Ethan Hawke is another famous face to have run the New York City Marathon. The Glass Onion actor ran the famous 2015 race alongside his wife, Ryan, to raise money for charity, finishing in 4:25:30.
Oprah Winfrey, 4:29:15
After vowing to complete the Marine Corps marathon – the largest marathon in the world that doesn’t offer prize money – before turning 40, Winfrey took on the race in 1994. The host and TV producer completed the course in a very respectable time of 4:29:15. Not only that, Winfrey is also credited with inspiring lots of amateur runners to take on the marathon – a distance which many had previously deemed unattainable.
Diplo, 3:55:16
One of those people Winfrey inspired is American DJ and music producer Diplo – real name Thomas Wesley Pentz. Although he was only 16 years old at the time, Winfrey’s marathon effort clearly had a lasting effect on Pentz because his goal for the 2023 Los Angeles Marathon was to beat her time. Finishing in 3:55:16, Pentz was well clear. Oh, and one other thing – crossing the line in a time of 4:26:04 that he had run the race while on the psychedelic drug LSD. What happened to trying nothing new on race day?
Pippa Middleton, 3:56:33
The Princess of Wales’s younger sister, Pippa Middleton, has competed in several sports, including swimming, cycling and skiing, but she’s also completed two impressive marathons. In 2015, Middleton finished the Safaricom Marathon in Kenya – an ambitious choice for a first marathon – in 3:56:33, placing her as the seventh woman overall.
Then, in 2016, Middleton ran the Great Wall of China Marathon in 4:54:51 – a time made all the more impressive by the course’s challenging conditions, including 85-degree heat and an 820-foot climb.
Karlie Kloss, 4:41:49
Supermodel Karlie Kloss took on the New York City Marathon in 2017, which she completed in 4:41:49. At the time, she told her Instagram followers it was the hardest thing she had ever done, which makes her sub-5:00 finish even more impressive.
Alicia Keys, 5:50:52
Alicia Keys joined nearly 50,000 runners through the "concrete jungle where dreams are made of" for the 2015 New York City Marathon. The race was the second attempt at 26.2 miles for the Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and actress. Keys wrote in a blog post on Refinery29, "I'm all about breaking mental boundaries, and training for a marathon falls right into the Jedi mind-training I need." Stuart C. Wilson for an organization she cofounded called Keep a Child Alive, which works to get HIV medications to children and families in Africa.
Phil Dunster, 4:03:11
Meet the cover star: Milly Pickles Another star we’ve seen take on incredible marathon challenges in recent years is – the charity which supported Dunster’s family after his cousin Rory was diagnosed with a brain tumour aged just four months old. Dunster, who played football heartthrob, Jamie Tartt, in the much-loved sports-comedy Ted Lasso, crossed the line in 4:03:11.
Emma Barton and Jamie Borthwick, 6:37:05 and 6:37:07
We’re listing these two together because Eastenders stars Emma Barton and Jamie Borthwick ran the 2024 London Marathon together in a rather unique context. As well as being a personal challenge and accomplishment for the actors, they also ran the iconic race as part of an Eastenders storyline about Borthwick’s on-screen girlfriend Lola, who had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
It involved Barton and Borthwick being in character for parts of the race – as if running it wasn’t enough. Their times were 6:37:05 and 6:37:07 respectively.
Romesh Ranganathan, 6:35:21
Being a fat runner Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), comedian and TV presenter Romesh Ranganathan ran the 2024 London Marathon to raise money for and awareness of the mental health helpline charity. Ranganathan managed to cross the line in 6:35:21 – but says he wants to try and take a whopping three and a bit hours off his time for this year’s London Marathon, which he’s running in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust.
Eddie Izzard, 5:34
finishes while navigating international musical stardom? Impressive a lot of marathons. In 2009, there were the 43 marathons in 51 days, and in 2016, Izzard ran 27 marathons in 27 days across South Africa for Sport Relief. Then, in 2021 – obviously a fan of back-to-back marathons – she ran 32 marathons in 31 days on a treadmill, raising more than £200,000.
As part of the 2016 challenge, Izzard ran her quickest marathon in a very respectable time of 5:34, and she also managed to complete two marathons in under 12 hours to reach the end of the challenge. However, when you’re running this many marathons, we think PBs are probably the least of your concerns.
Josh Patterson, Unknown
Another star we’ve seen take on incredible marathon challenges in recent years is mental health campaigner and former Made in Chelsea cast member Josh Patterson. In 2023, Patterson completed his ‘Run for 1 Million’ challenge in support of the charity Samaritans, which saw him run 76 marathons in 76 cities on consecutive days.
Kevin Sinfield, Unknown
Joining Izzard and Patterson in the consecutive marathon running is rugby union coach and former Leeds Rhinos rugby player Kevin Sinfield CBE. Ever since his good friend and former teammate Rob Burrow – who died in 2024 – was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), Sinfield has been running marathons to raise awareness of the condition.
Most recently, Sinfield completed his ‘Alsu Kurmasheva: Behind Bars, running was freedom’ challenge, which saw him run from Liverpool to Wrexham – covering more than 50K each day – in seven days to raise £777,777 for MND charities. We aren’t even sure what his marathon PB is at this point, but like with Patterson and Izzard, we’re not sure it really matters.
Gordon Ramsay, 3:30:37
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is a seasoned (no pun intended) marathoner. As well as having more than 15 marathons under his belt, Ramsay has completed three ultra-marathons, three half-Ironmans and two Ironman World Championships. His marathon PB appears to be from 2004 – when he ran the London Marathon in 3:30:37.
Joel Dommett, 5:19:19
Comedian and Masked Singer host Joel Dommett is a keen amateur runner and boasts a recent 5K PB of 18:27. He’s run multiple marathons and even taken on an ultra in Mexico, but Dommett says the focus right now is still to run a sub-3:00 marathon before turning 40.
In 2024, Dommett ran the London Marathon in 5:19:19 – but that was dressed in a piranha costume, which had been worn by Masked Singer winner Danny Jones. So, we can’t wait to see what he can achieve this year in regular running attire.
Natalie Pinkham, 4:52:22
In 2024, Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham made her marathon debut at none other than the London Marathon, fundraising for Samaritans with her run. Pinkham, who co-founded the Flackstock festival in memory of her good friend Caroline Flack, covered the 26.2 miles around the capital in a time of 4:52:22.
Chloe Meadows, 4:26:04
Another celebrity who made their marathon debut at the 2024 London Marathon was The Only Way Is Essex star Chloe Meadows. Having been diagnosed with Colitis six years prior, she ran the marathon in support of Crohn’s and Colitis UK, crossing the line in a time of 4:26:04.
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