Ever wonder how fast Oprah ran a marathon? Or which famous actors or even presidents have ran marathons? This blog post is a must read for all runners as you’ll surely be fascinated to see who has run marathons and how many have broke the four hour mark.

Katie Holmes, 5:29:58

After stopping to greet then-husband Tom Cruise and daughter Suri at Mile 23, Katie Holmes went on to cross the finish line of the 2007 New York City Marathon looking so strong and photogenic it launched an elaborate conspiracy theory as to whether she had run the race at all. Her split times should lay speculation to rest, but the mystery of how she managed 26.2 miles in boot-cut yoga pants lives on.

Photo by Mike Segar / Reuters

Eddie Izzard, 5:00:30

In 2009, actor and comedian Eddie Izzard not only ran a marathon, he ran 43 marathons in 51 days (after just five weeks of training!) to raise money for Sport Relief. He recorded his best time—5:00:30—on his last marathon, completing a 1,100-mile journey around Britain. He blogs about his epic running adventures here.

 

Al Gore, 4:58:25

Want to run 26.2, but feel like you don’t have enough time to train? That’s a hard excuse to sell considering Al Gore ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 1997 while he was still Vice President of the United States (which means a few Secret Service officers probably had to get in long-distance shape, too). Gore reportedly ran the race on a dare from his daughters and finished in just under five hours.

 

Shia LaBeouf, 4:35:31

Transformers star Shia LaBeouf ran the 2010 Los Angeles Marathon—his first—on behalf of the nonprofit U.S. Vets, which provides services to veterans in need. LaBeouf said he was inspired to run for the cause in support of his father, a Vietnam veteran, and his grandfather, who was a Green Beret.

Photo by Lucas Jackson / Reuters

Sean Astin, 4:25:47

The 2012 Los Angeles Marathon was actually “Lord of the Rings” star Astin’s third L.A. 26.2—he ran a 4:04 PR in 1998, and finished the 2010 marathon in 5:16 on a pulled calf muscle. Astin shared his thoughts on marathoning with Runner’s World in our March 2012 issue: “A perfect run has nothing to do with distance. It’s when your stride feels comfortable. You’re on your toes trying to push it. Suddenly you realize you can open it up a bit more. I feel it in my chest. I always look fat in running pictures because my shoulders go back to open my chest up, and it makes my belly stick out. But you know you’re at one with yourself and the environment. You’re a little more alive than before you started.”

Oprah, 4:29:15

It should come as no surprise Oprah ran a marathon, considering she helped kick off the “Anyone can do it!” mentality back in 1994, but her Marine Corps Marathon time is worth including because it has since developed special significance as one of those benchmark goals for many runners. Boston-qualifying time out of reach? Consider shooting for your Oprah qualifier, AKA the “Oprah line,” first.

 

Sean Combs, 4:14:54

Rapper and entrepreneur Sean “P. Diddy” Combs entered the New York City Marathon in 2003 with one expressed goal: crushing Oprah’s marathon time. After only two months of training and on an injured knee, Combs not only finished the race in 4:14:54—well under his time goal—but he also raised over $2 million for children’s charities and New York City public schools.

Photo by Reuters

Will Ferrell, 3:56:12

While the 2003 Boston Marathon wasn’t Will Ferrell’s first marathon, the comedian and former Runner’s World cover model got serious about training for the big race. “Running a marathon is not a question of whether it will be painful, but when it will be painful,” he told reporters after crossing the finish line. “It does help to have a sense of humor, but I’m also respectful of the race.”

 

Ryan Reynolds, 3:50:22

Actor Ryan Reynolds ran the 2008 New York City Marathon to raise money for Parkinson’s in honor of his father, who suffered from the disease. In an eloquent blog entry on the Huffington Post, he pledged to “join thousands of other men and women to march in lockstep solidarity toward searing psychic pain and physical humilation.” Not a bad race time for someone who claims to be more of a “running joke” than a runner.

 

 

Edward Norton, 3:48:01

How did actor Edward Norton get so far up this list? Well, for one, he trained in Kenya. Norton ran the 2009 New York City Marathon to raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, an organization promoting sustainable development and protecting the Maasai tribe’s home and way of life.

Photo by Eric Thayer / Reuters

George W. Bush, 3:44:52

“I ran the first mile in 8:30 and the last mile in 8:30,” Bush told Runner’s World about his experience carefully pacing the 1993 Houston Marathon. “It was one of the great experiences of my life. I learned that running can make you feel 10 years younger the day of the race and 10 years older the day after the race.”

Photo by Reuters

 

Joe Strummer, 3:20

Strummer, frontman of seminal British punk band The Clash, actually ran three marathons during the band’s early-’80s heyday, including the 1982 Paris Marathon and 1983 London Marathon. When asked about his training program in a U.S. magazine interview, Strummer laid out this typically rock-star advice (which is not necessarily endorsed by any of Runner’s World’s training plans): “Drink 10 pints of beer the night before the race. Ya got that? And don’t run a single step at least four weeks before the race. …But make sure you put a warning in this article, ‘Do not try this at home.’ I mean, it works for me and Hunter Thompson, but it might not work for others. I can only tell you what I do.” Strummer, pictured here in 1999, passed away in 2002 at age 50.

 

Text by Caitlin Giddings

Photo by Reuters

The above information and photographs are borrowed from RunnersWorld.com

Athletic Planet
SAVE 10% on your next purchase with coupon code: APLAUNCH.

Reebok Girls Rivet Grey ZigLite Rush – Children Running Shoe

Reebok Men’s Black RealFlex Flight ATC Running Shoe

Biofreeze Pain Reliever