Time to have some fun. This post is mostly for entertainment – after all, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
There have been a lot of celebrities who’ve run marathons. What can we learn from them? What funny things have they said about the marathon? Let’s find out!
The ten actors, politicians, musicians, and celebrity figures below have run marathons at one point or another in their lives. Surprisingly, some of them have run pretty fast! You wouldn’t normally think that some of these people are runners – but they may surprise you.
George Bush, Jr. – Houston Marathon
Say what you will about George Bush as a President, but the man can run a marathon! Way back in 1993 he ran the Houston Marathon in an impressive 3:44. He did it to blow off steam because he was pissed that his dad lost the Presidency to Bill Clinton.
He said running “can make you feel 10 years younger the day of the race and 10 years older the day after the race.” True that, Dubbya!
Lance Armstrong – New York Marathon
It might be unfair to put Lance Armstrong in this round-up considering he’s won the Tour de France a record seven times and has been called the greatest athlete of all time. But his marathon teaches a lot of valuable lessons.
I remember back when he was preparing to run his first marathon. Many runners and cyclists predicted his finish time to be among the elite – around 2:10. He does, after all, have a VO2 Max of about 85 (non-runners are in the 40’s – last year mine was measured at 69).
But Lance “only” ran 2:59 in his first marathon, a time that thousands of other competitive marathoners can run. The lesson here is threefold:
- You can’t predict running performance on VO2 Max alone
- Specificity of training is key – being a world class cyclist doesn’t mean you’re going to be an elite runner (or even a very competitive marathoner)
- Don’t underestimate the humbling nature of a 26.2 mile race
When he finished, Lance called the marathon “the hardest physical thing I’ve ever done.” Respect.
Ryan Reynolds – New York Marathon
Ryan Reynolds, who probably should have won an Oscar for his role in Van Wilder, ran an impressive 3:50 in the New York marathon. He’s an overall athletic guy but far from what a fast marathoner looks like. He was definitely in shape when he ran the race, but wasn’t as cut as he was during Blade Trinity when his body fat percentage was a reported 3.5% (that’s not a typo – three point five percent!).
He doesn’t think too highly of his performance, saing “I’m not a runner – I’m a running joke.” But with a 3:50 finishing time, he ran alright in my book.
I think the lesson with him is that you can carry over non-specific fitness to the marathon. Like Lance Armstrong, athleticism in other sports can help you become a good marathoner. But only marathon-specific training will enable you to bring it to the next level
David Lee Roth – New York Marathon
Yes, the lead singer of Van Halen actually ran a marathon! But here’s where it gets ugly: his time was 6:04.
That’s almost 14 minutes per mile! Most people can speed walk that fast. Perhaps years of living the rock star lifestyle of booze, drugs, and little sleep wrecked his body’s ability to run. Who knows.
This quote from David Lee Roth best sums up his marathon experience: “I used to run, but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass.” Stick to music, David.
Mario Lopez – Boston Marathon
Here’s another painful marathon. Mario Lopez ran 5:41 at the Boston Marathon. His body type is the opposite of how most marathoners look: he’s bulky and probably spends too much time in the weight room.
Alas, that’s not why he ran so slow. It turns out that he ran with his girlfriend, on a bad ankle, and even stopped for lunch. I won’t judge Mario Lopez too much after that.
Maybe he danced part of the way, too. Either way, it serves a good reminder that you don’t always have to take running so seriously. Have some fun sometimes!
Oprah Winfrey – Marine Corps Marathon
Most people know that Oprah ran a marathon because she seemed like the first celebrity to finish the distance. There were plenty of other celebs running before her, but I think she was the best at popularizing the feat and encouraging millions to get in shape. Good for her – I think she did the sport a lot of good.
And she’s not that slow either! Oprah ran an impressive 4:29 for her first marathon. Oprah taught millions that you can lose weight, get in shape, and tackle a seemingly impossible goal. After all, it’s only impossible until you do it.
Who’s with me and thinks she should run another marathon and try to break four hours?!
Anthony Edwards – Chicago Marathon
Anthony Edwards is the guy from ER – no, not George Clooney, the skinnier balder guy. He completed the Chicago Marathon in 3:55 – not bad at all.
That’s not all either – Edwards has run Chicago three times and has also run the New York Marathon while raising money for Shoes 4 Africa, a nonprofit that raises funds to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa, provide education, empower women, and promote health.
He’s run four marathons (three more than I have) while raising a lot of money and awareness for a great charity. I wish more celebrities would do the same.
Will Ferrell – Boston Marathon
We’re going streaking! To the quad…through the gymnasium… everyone’s doing it!
Ferrell ran clothed (thank God) and ran a respectable 3:56, which actually impresses me a lot considering he was pretty overweight in the latter years of his Saturday Night Live career.
One thing is for sure, you can definitely turn your fitness around and go from chubby to marathoner in a relatively short amount of time.
Freddie Prinze, Jr. – LA Marathon
I haven’t seen much of Freddie these days, which is a shame since I am a proud fan of She’s All That (don’t make fun of me). His marathon time is…well, awful: 5:50.
Yikes. It’s probably a good thing that he used the psuedonym “Freddie James” to register for the race. Not too many lesson to be learned from Freddie, except train more.
P Diddy – New York Marathon
Oh P Diddy. This is one of my favorite celebrity marathons for two reasons. First, Diddy’s goal was to beat Oprah. He narrowly succeeded by running 4:14, less than 15 minutes faster than Oprah. He must have been sweating during that last 10k!
Next, he had some great things to say about his training program:
I’m avoiding alcohol and sex right now. To indulge, I take a bath, do some aromatherapy, with some lavender scent. I get a massage once a week.
The discipline! The self-sacrifice! The complete misunderstanding of what actually constitutes effective training and recovery! As I type this I’m drinking a glass of wine.
Now if these celebrities can run marathons, so can you! And if you’re a Strength Running reader, you can definitely run a lot faster (and are probably more good looking) than most of these celebs.
The next time you’re struggling to finish a marathon workout, just remember: if Mario Lopez can do it, so can you!
