Famous People Who've Run Marathons

Posted on the Runningroom web site by Canadian_canuck:

Actors

* Sean Astin, Los Angeles Marathon 2010 (5:16:12)
* Meredith Baxter, Family Ties, New York City Marathon 1982 (4:08:30)
* Scott Bakula, Rock 'n' Roll Marathon 2004 (4:08:34) Los Angeles Marathon 2005 (4:10:21)
* William Baldwin, New York City Marathon 1992 (3:24:29)
* Valerie Bertinelli, Boston Marathon 2010 (5:14:37)
* Anthony Edwards, Chicago Marathon 2003 (3:55:40)
* David James Elliott, JAG, Boston Marathon 2000 (4:57:23)
* Will Ferrell, Boston Marathon 2003 (3:56:12)
* Katie Holmes, New York City Marathon 2007 (5:29:5
* John Keston, Twin Cities Marathon 1996 (3:00:5
* Shia LaBeouf, Los Angeles Marathon 2010 (4:35:31)
* Mario López, Saved by the Bell, Boston Marathon 2002 (5:41:41)
* Edward Norton, New York City Marathon 2009 (3:48:01)
* Ryan Reynolds, New York City Marathon 2008 (3:50:22)
* Joan Van Ark, Santa Ana/Orange Marathon 1979 (3:35:00)
* Peter Weller, New York City Marathon 1988 (3:51:26)

[edit] Television personalities

* Andy Baldwin, Marine Corps Marathon 2008 (3:47:1
* Danni Boatwright, Winner: Survivor: Guatemala, Nashville Country Music Marathon 2003 (4:23:24)
* Dana Carvey, Ocean to Bay Marathon 1972 (3:04:21)
* Charlie Gibson, Marine Corps Marathon 1983 (3:43:24)
* Amanda Holden, London Marathon 2008 (4:13:22)
* Ted Koppel, Marine Corps Marathon
* Lisa Ling, formerly of The View, Boston Marathon 2002 (4:34:1
* Freddie Prinze, Jr., Los Angeles Marathon 2006 (5:50:49)
* Gordon Ramsay, London Marathon 2009 (4:05:02) and several more
* Bill Rancic, Winner: The Apprentice (Season 1), Chicago Marathon 2001 (4:31:31)
* Eddie Izzard, comedian and actor (The Riches, Velvet Goldmine), a series of 43 marathons around the United Kingdom in 51 days in 2009 (personal best time was in the 43rd marathon, 5:00:30)
* Oprah Winfrey, Marine Corps Marathon 1994 (4:29:20)

[edit] Musicians

* Sean Combs, New York City Marathon 2002 (4:14:54)
* Nick Hexum, Vocalist from 311, Los Angeles Marathon 2006 (5:29:44) and 2007 (5:39:?)
* Dexter Holland, Vocalist from The Offspring, Los Angeles Marathon (5:09:?)
* Ronan Keating, Pop artist who had hits with Boyzone and as a solo artist, London Marathon 2008 (3:59:33)
* Kirka, popular Finnish singer, Stockholm Marathon 2004 (4:43:42)
* Mike Malinin, Goo Goo Dolls, Rock 'n' Roll Marathon 2004 (5:07:53) Mike stopped and briefly played drums with all 26 bands on the course. His best time is actually 3:23:56 posted at the 2000 Chronicle Marathon in San Francisco.
* Alanis Morissette, Canadian singer, songwriter, and actress, Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon 2009 (4:17:03) and New York City Marathon 2009 (4:28:45)[1]
* Joe Strummer, guitarist and singer of The Clash, London Marathon 1981, 1983; Paris Marathon 1982 (allegedly 3:20:?)
* Jake Shimabukuro, Ukulele virtuoso, Honolulu Marathon 2006 (5:24:29)
* Björn Ulvaeus, former member of Swedish band ABBA, Stockholm Marathon 1980, (3:23:54)

[edit] Athletes

* Rolf Aldag, former professional road bicycle racer, Hamburg Marathon 2006 (2:42:54)
* Lance Armstrong, Seven-time Tour de France champion and triathlete, New York City Marathon 2006 (2:59:36) and 2007 (2:46:42). Boston Marathon 2008 2:50:58.
* Chris Boardman, former professional cyclist, London Marathon 2009 (3:19:27)
* James Cracknell, Former British Olympic rower, London Marathon 2008 (2:59)
* Roger Craig, Former San Francisco 49ers Running Back, Chicago 2004 (3:54:00)
* Laurent Jalabert, former professional cyclist, New York Marathon 2005 (2:55:39), Barcelona Marathon 2007 (2:45:52)
* Justin Leonard, Golfer, White Rock/Dallas 2001 (3:54:40)
* Leontien van Moorsel, former professional road bicycle racer and 4 times Olympic Champion, Rotterdam Marathon 2008 (3:28:57)
* Abraham Olano, former professional road bicycle racer, San Sebastian Marathon 2006 (2:39:19)
* Kerri Strug, Gymnast, Houston Marathon 1999 (4:12:06)
* Lynn Swann, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, New York City 1993 (4:26:21)
* Pat Tillman, Former Arizona Cardinals safety, Avenue of The Giants Marathon 2000 (3:4

[edit] Politicians

* George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, Houston Marathon 1993 (3:44:52)
* Dominique de Villepin (French Prime Minister 2005-2007), Marathon de l'Essonne 1980 (2:57:06)
* Michael Dukakis, Former Governor of Massachusetts, Boston Marathon 1951 (3:31:00)
* L. Paul Bremer, Former head of the Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority, Boston Marathon (3:00:34)
* Mikuláš Dzurinda, Prime Minister of Slovakia, Malokarpatsky Marathon 1986 (2:54:57)
* John Edwards, Former United States Senator, Marine Corps Marathon 1983 (3:30:1
* Joschka Fischer, Former German Foreign Minister, Berlin Marathon 2000 (3:41:36) and New York Marathon (1999)
* Bill Frist, Former United States Senate Majority Leader, Marine Corps Marathon 1997 (4:54:36)
* Al Gore, Vice President of the United States at the time, Marine Corps Marathon 1997 (4:58:25)
* Mike Huckabee, Governor of Arkansas, Little Rock Marathon 2005 (4:39:04)
* Jörg Haider, Austrian politician and leader of Freedom Party, New York Marathon 1999 (3:52:??)
* Eduardo Maruri, Ecuadorian Assembly Member and leader of A New Option, Guayaquil Marathon 2005 (3:59:03)
* Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, Humpy's Marathon 2005 (3:59:36)
* Matthew Parris, Former UK Conservative Politician, London Marathon (2:32:57)
* Tom Vilsack, Governor of Iowa, Little Rock Marathon 2005 (5:28:39)
* Willem Alexander, Crown Prince of The Netherlands, New York Marathon 1992 (4:27:00)

[edit] Writers

* Abdelkader Benali, Moroccan-Dutch writer, Rotterdam Marathon 2006 (2:52:19). He wrote one of his literary works (the novel "Marathon Walker") about his failed attempt to beat this PB at the 2006 Amsterdam Marathon (3:02:40).
* Benjamin Cheever, American writer.
* Haruki Murakami, Japanese Author, New York City Marathon 1991 (3:31:26), and also 1998, 2000 and 2005, and has also completed an ultramarathon (100 kms).
* Günter Wallraff, German writer and undercover journalist, Frankfurt Marathon 1983 (2:50:14) [1].

[edit] Other

* Kim Alexis, model, New York City Marathon 1992 (3:52:00)
* Beth Ostrosky, model, New York City Marathon 2008 (4:15:39)
* Hamish Blake, Australian comedian, who set out to beat the time of fellow marathoner Katie Holmes, and succeeded with a time of 5:25:00.[2]
* Alastair Campbell, Communications Director to Tony Blair, London Marathon 2003 (3:53:45)
* Christer Fuglesang, astronaut, Stockholm Marathon 1987 (3:15:05), and also 1985, 1986 and 2007.
* Joshua Holmes, founder/publisher Bumpshack.com, international model, Tucson Marathon 2005 (3:22:39) (Ran the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in 2004 as well.)
* Paul Kligerman, participant in the 7 Up series (???)
* Heikki Kovalainen, ING Renault F1 driver, ING New York City Marathon, 2007 (3:36:56)
* Ali Landry, model, Boston Marathon 2002 (5:41:41)
* Kyle Petty, NASCAR Nextel Cup driver, Las Vegas Marathon January 2005 (4:18:34)
* Volker Schlöndorff, German film-maker, Paris Marathon 2008 (4:33:22)
* Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Marine Corps Marathon (3:11:xx) 1979
* Jarno Trulli, Formula One Driver, New York City Marathon 2000 (4:02:21)
* Alan Turing, mathematician and cryptologist, Leicestershire Amateur Athletic Championships Marathon 1947 (2:46:03) [3]
* Michael Waltrip, 2001 and 2003 Daytona 500 champion, fastest career Las Vegas Marathon January 2005 (3:59:23) (Has run the Kiawah Island Marathon in 1999 and Boston Marathon in 2000.)
* Dimitrion Yordanidis, Guinness World record holder for being the oldest man (age 9 to participate in a marathon

LSD 30:1 (x6)

Been a hot and humid week. Original plan was to be out of the house by 7 AM to begin the LSD; turned out I was out of the house at 7:30 AM since I couldn't get out of bed (alarm clock rings, turn it off, eyes close again). Ran north on the Lower Don Valley trail since there are some shades (no point running west of the Martin Goodman Trail only to run east when the sign is directly in my eyes again). Quite a few runners and bikers on the trail. Made the trek to Sunnybrook Park and then ran south on Bayview until south of Eglinton; then west to Mount Pleasant; south on Mount Pleasant until Davisville, then west to Yonge Street, and south on Yonge. 24.30 K; YTD = 717.21 K.

Good news: left calf didn't feel tight at the start! Have reduced the running to 2 runs a week but will need to up it back to 3 runs soon. 140 days until the Toronto Marathon.

Tomorrow is the Ottawa Marathon. There's a forum discussion on Runningmania.com about the potential hot and humid weather. Almost signed up for this race but opted to stay close to home with the Mississauga Marathon. Weather is going to be hot but not as bad as anticipated.

yesterday's 30:1 (x2)

Had a meeting at 9 AM so got in an early morning run yesterday. Hot and humid day -- 31.4C record at the Toronto airport. Parked near my school and there's a wooded area that is scenic and mostly in shade :-) Got in 7.69 K. YTD = 692.91 K.

I'm using the "Stick" to loosen the tight calf. Seems to be working :-)

First run after marathon: 30:1(x2)

Been a week since the Mississauga Marathon. Had a message Friday after work and had the RMT give the left calf a massage as well as the usual upper back and neck. Calf still tight and I do exercises to loosen it up as well as apply a heating pack (when I remember).

Hot and humid morning. Have upped the intervals to 30:1 (i.e., 30 minutes running and 1 minute walk). Amazed at how the 10:1s used to be challenging and even the thought of 30:1 would seem like an impossibility. Come so far... Left calf tight and not sure it really loosened up during the run. Got in 7.63 K. YTD = 685.22 K.

Today's the Whitby International Marathon. Glad I ran the Mississauga last week with the excellent weather. Running the Whitby race would have been tough with the humidity, not to mention the numerous out-and-backs and turns.

Finish Line Cam -- Mississauga Marathon

http://finishcam.com/Canada/Mississauga-Marathon-2010/WatchVideo.aspx?Id=lfB96I7FttKgO7wszZIPmdC2V4m5Rj2A

Mississauga Marathon Race Report

Slept a lot yesterday to try to get rid of the light-headedness. What's frustrating is no sneezing, running nose, just if I rotate my head I get dizzy. During the night, I thought of the Whitby International Marathon next week and gave considerable thought to running it instead. When I got out of bed, I had to make an executive decision and went for it, with the back-up plan being to run the 21.1 K instead (although this could mean not getting an official time since I entered in the full marathon - but just want the medal).

Usual stuff -- ate Vector cereal, gave Bud his quick 5 minute walk and fed him. Had the tech shirt ready to go (from last year's Mississauga marathon). Put the time chip on the right shoe (used the more sturdy ties from the Dollar Store) -- I know, should have been done last night -- but I was sleeping! Found the pair of running shoes to donate at the start line for Malawi (also got another pair sitting in the car trunk -- so 2 pairs of used shoes for those less fortunate in Malawi :-)

Left the house at 6 AM and remembered the Gardner Expressway was closed so travelled on the Lakeshore -- no issue since who would be travelling that early on a Sunday? Saw a van with a "26.2" sticker so I know where she was headed. I should have gotten off at Hurontario and then trevel west to Mavis Drive to enter Square One Mall. Instead, I left the QEW at the Mississauga Road exit. As I was heading north, I saw the K markers and got an opposite view of the route. Arrived safely to the mall at 6:40 AM and then had to find one of the designated parking spots (as one can no longer park anywhere in the mall). Parked with others at #6, in front of the movie theatre and then walked for several minutes. Donated the 2 pairs of shoes and then it was time for stretching the left calf and a potty break. Could feel the left calf and hoped it would cooperate. Actually, my mind hasn't been on the calf as it's been on feeling under the weather the few days, in particular. What I noticed yesterday is the morning is fine and as the day goes on, I don't feel as good. So, the run being in the morning when I am "fresh" could be a good thing!

Heard the O'Canada being sung so it was time to get to the start line and "squeeze" in to the proper anticipated finishing time. I jogged to the start line and that would have to be the warm-up run :-| I saw the 4:00 pace bunny so situated myself there. On the web site, they posted revised route change (especially at the end). In past years, the start dispersed quickly; didn't happen this year as there must be more runners. The weather was excellent - sunny and no humidity.

My goal, as always, was to keep the pacing under 6:00/K. Getting to Burhnamthorpe was interesting as it was crowded and had to run over "islands". Once over a bridge (don't know the name) but super scenic, it continued that way, with a slight downhill. Once running 5 K, then it was south on Mississauga Road and into University of Toronto Mississauga campus. Love the downhill! Close to the 15 K mark, the half and full marathoners diverged into separate routes. A peaceful run on Indian Road and Iroquois Drive. Once reaching Southdown Road, it was a major road heading south. Timing mats at 8 K and 21.1 K. At the 22 K mark, there was a small turnaround (not sure why). This is the place which is different from last year as I recall quite a bit of running north (i.e., up-incline) so no complaints here. The first half of the route is excellent; the second half has lots of uphills and turns :-| Went through Jack Darling Park from 26 K to 28 K, Richard Memorial Park at 29 K, and Lakeshore Promenade Park from 35 to 38 K. The route has a nice view of Lake Ontario and is an improvement of the lonely industrial setting from before. Then it was heading west on Lakeshore until the finish line -- too many twists and turns...

What I appreciate about this race is the fluid stations every 2 K (used all 20 stations!). 3 gels stations, took 6 gels, and consumed 4 gels -- do these really work? Lots of volunteers and police. Always a pleasure to see how the community has embraced this race, with households setting their own stations with bananas and oranges -- one lady even had Advil! I did feel bad to see the traffic at a stand-still -- fortunately nobody booing like in a Toronto race.

Not good...a man blew his nose and some of his "contents" landed on my left index finger and bib. It is now permanent on my bib :-(

What I am thrilled about is I actually ran the race today. It could have gone either way and I could have stayed home. Glad I didn't! The first half of the race was great -- mainly downhill and on track for a finishing time of slightly less than 4:00. I passed the 4:15 pace bunny and then the 4:00 pace bunny. Things didn't go well in the 2nd half with the frequent uphills -- this is not an easy route. Love the half marathon route. Also, with the left calf being strained, that didn't help with the training as I did not fulfill what I wanted to do in training -- work on speed. I did get 32 K runs but that happened before the ATB 30 K race. All this proved to take its toll as the final 10 K were extremely difficuly. My Garmin was set for 25:1 intervals and here's what my pacing looked like:

first 25 minutes = 5:43/K
at 51 minutes = 5:22/K
at 1:17 = 5:17/K
at 1:43 = 5:27/K
at 2:09 = 5:40/K
at 2:35 = 5:55/K
at 3:01 = 6:27/K
at 3:27 = 6:50/K
at 3:53 = 7:08/K
at end = 7:06/K

Basically, for the final 10 K, I would walk whenever I saw an uphill incline, although I even walked when there was slight downhill incline. The final 3 K were particularly tough as I could run for about a minute and then had to walk. I am always grateful for the wonderful spectators whose encouragement kept me going. With 400 m remaining, I promised myself I would run to the finish line.

Gun Time = 4:22:01.6
Chip Time = 4:17:09.9
Place = 976 out of 1711
Age = 108 out of 143
Gender = 671 out of 993
Splits: 8 K = 41:48; 21.1 K = 1:51:27; 38 K = 3:42:04

Walked the dog when I arrived home to help with the post-recovery. After dinner, sat in the bathtub with cold water. Not looking forward to the next 48 hours...here's to a speedy recovery! Won't be running for perhaps 2 weeks to allow for some down-time. Oh...during the run saw some people wearing compression socks and thought if I should have gotten a pair.

During the final 10 K this morning, I was reminded to respect the distance. My worse nightmare of not feeling well came true (but thankfully I was well during the race and feel okay as I write this blog). The injury didn't help at all as it was frustrating. Just glad no long term damage. With some luck, I won't have these challenges as it's 5 months tomorrow until the Toronto Marathon! It'll be the first time I'll go 42.2 K in this race and missed the half marathon last fall due to my convocation.

Bib PickUp

Left work at 4:15 PM and made the trek to the expo for Sunday's Mississauga Marathon. Fortunately, unlike previous years, the traffic was good on Highway 427 South, the 401 West, etc. Arrived an hour later and only got there without delay as I saw a sign of the direction to the comunity centre for bib pickup.

Was a bit "shocked" when I saw my bib number of 113 but quickly was okay with it since I taught in room 113 10 years ago in Belleville and it was a great classroom. Thrilled to get a "green" bag (and was very tempted to line up again and get another one but opted not to since that wouldn't be right). I forgot that this race does not ask for tech shirt size when registering. What I do like is being allowed to try on the shirts -- not sure why I asked to try on the medium as I've gotten a large size for other races. The medium definitely was tight so I tried on the large and liked it. Chip activiation and done!


Walked through the expo twice; this race always has a small expo. Spun the RR wheel twice and was eyeing the gift prize. Got 20% and 10% coupons (although not in need of anything). Picked up a few magnets promoting the ATB 30 K race (like to put them on the frig). Not much at the expo. Did get in the spur-of-the-moment buying as I bought some bluster pads (5 for $10). Hmm...did I really need them as I already bought a box of bluster band-aids the week before. Was tempted to buy a $20 t-shirt (price too steep) from the race organizers with 42.2 K and a runner with his hands up. Opted not to due to price as well the tech shirt is the official piece.

As I write this blog, going to try to "sleep it off" this afternoon as I felt light-headed and dizzy. Did a google search and it might be due to diarreha (or an upcoming cold). Frustrating!!! Have to contend with the calf strain and now this :-( I remain optimistic the months of training will all come together :-) Hope...

Wednesday 6.67 K

Was at a conference Wednesday and then went on my final run before the Mississauga Marathon. Got in 6.67 K. Like the past few weeks after an LSD, I could feel the calf muscles as they continue to be tight. On Thursday, my work colleague who used to be a kinesiologist, worked on the calf muscle. We'll see what happens at the marathon -- keeping positive (although as I write on the day before the big race, I'm feeling under the weather -- what a time of the year to feel not good -- considering I have perfect attendance at work so far this school year). YTD = 634 K.

Week in Review

Tuesday, May 4th

Went to final session of physio. Afterwards, went on a slow run and the left chalf was tight (even after the physio, in which I didn't feel any "pain"). 6.21 K. YTD = 605.95 K


Thursday, May 6th

A teacher was a kinesiologist 10 years ago and saved me a physio appointment by massaging the "pressure point". Pain galore but it helped :-)


Sunday, May 9th

Mother's Day :-) Debated on whether or not to do a run this morning. Was thinking of 25:1 (x2) but ended up doing 25:1 (x7). The calf felt good (thank goodness! as the Mississauga marathon is 1 week away). Kept monitoring the calf and went all the way for 22.25 K (totally shocked!). Route was scenic along the Lower Don River. Went all the way north -- frequently saw runners and bikers. The waterfall made the run peaceful. Have to keep this route in mind for the future -- as long as there is no rain this is a wonderful route -- in the city but doesn't feel like running in the city! Oh, it was cool today and I had to wear a toque. YTD = 628.20 K.

Sporting Life 10 K Race Report

Left the house slightly after 7 AM after giving the dog his washroom break and breakfast. The 90% showers/rain/thunderstorms forcasted for the morning didn't happen :-) Cloudy and a bit humid. Made the trek to the start line on Yonge north of Eglinton by slowly running (part of my LSD for the weekend). Should have left the house a bit earlier as I didn't reach the start line for the first wave. The good news is I got to see the elite runners. The second wave started 3 minutes after the first wave, and that gave me time to put on the bib. Fortunately, I put on the time-chip at home (using a plastic fastener I bought in a package of 60 from the dollar star). Close to the start line on Yonge Street, I saw 2 time-chips on the sidewalk -- not good.

Once the second wave went, it was running mainly downhill Yonge Street from Eglinton all the way to Richmond. The roads weren't the greatest and in need of repair. A bit crowded but scenic route. Eglington, then St. Clair, then Davenport, then Bloor,... 2 gatorade/water stations -- at the 4 K and 6.7 K marks. Had 2 servings of Gatorade at each stop, which also served as my brief walk break. I looked at my Garmin frequently to ensure the pacing wasn't too slow or too fast. Most of the time, we were going downhill, with 2 uphills. Initially, I was at 5:30 and then strived to keep it around 5:00. It was indeed humid and that didn't help. Headed west on Richmond Street with about 3 K to go. Opted to run on the side of the road (i.e., not on the streetcars pavement as it was hard). South on Peter Street, west on Front Street, south on Bathurst, and then to the finish line. The downhill on Bathurst welcomed as it gave me renewed energy to finish the race strong. Did the best I could -- opted to race it since the calf has not been giving me any issue :-)


Chip Time = 51:45.6 [PB]
#3372 out of 11 913 (top 28.3%)
Pace = 5:11
Age Category = 353/752
Gender Category = 2442/5214

Overall, a well-organized race in all regards. I like the results being ranked by chip time (due to the corral waves). The finish line was great this year -- not congested and lots of room to walk. Although this race is a bit pricey, I guess you pay what you get. Just glad the weather behaved.

Ate a couple of bananas and took a couple of juice boxes. Then continued with an LSD 25:1 (x3). In total, 27.42 K, for YTD = 599.73 K (so close to 600 K).

2 weeks today will have run my 3rd marathon :-)

Sporting Life 10 K Bib Pick-Up

After work on Thursday, I made the trek to the Sporting Life to pick up tech shirt, bib, and time chip. I was impressed with the police officer hired by the Sporting Life as traffic was jammed with the single lanes due to construction. The police officer stopped the traffic to allow me to turn into the parking lot. Life past years, the organization was great and the line moved rapidly. Didn't use the 10% coupon.




There was a clearance shoe sale at the Sporting Life. I saw a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS9 but it was size 8 (I need size 10). It was priced at $84.99, I believe. In the store, the GTS was priced at $109.99 but with a 10% off coupon, it was tempting. I opted to wait. On the Running Room web site, the shoes are on clearance for $89.99 https://www.shop.runningroom.com/product_info.php?cPath=242_594_243_247&products_id=4247&languages_id=1 (no coupons allowed).

Leaving the Sporting Life was easy as the police officer directed traffic to allow me to head south (that would have been a very difficult turn). Got in my 25:1 (x2) run, for 7.34 K. YTD = 572.32 K. Continue to stretch the left calf.

2 more weeks until the Mississauga Marathon! Race report tomorrow. Just hope the rain stays away. Cloudy is great!