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How The Originals Star Claire Holt Is Preparing to Run Her 1st Marathon
Fans don’t have to run around in circles trying to find out which celebrities are lacing up their sneakers for the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon.
As usual, at least a few stars are participating in the 26.2-mile race on Nov. 3, some for the first time. Take Randall Park, for instance.
“I've been running for a good part of my life, but never marathon running,” the Fresh Off the Boat actor told GQ Nov. 1. “I would just do a few miles at a time, so it was something that I was used to.”
As for what led him to set out on this new course (literally), Park said he was inspired after joining the board of KultureCity—a nonprofit that works to create environments that are more inclusive of individuals’ sensory needs.
“It was a very personal charity for me,” the father to preteen Ruby continued, “because my daughter is on the autism spectrum and she herself has a lot of sensory needs.”
Not to mention, he wanted to cross the starting line of his new decade in a big way.
“I also turned 50 this year and I was like, well, on my 50th, I should do something monumental,” he added. “And so the marathon seemed like a good thing to attempt. And then my father passed away this year. So it felt like something I wanted to do for him as well.”
John Nacion/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival, Jason Mendez/Getty Images
Others, like Nev Schulman, have competed before. This is his eighth New York City Marathon and his second as a guide for Francesco Magisano, who is blind, with Achilles International, a nonprofit that advocates for people with disabilities through athletic and social programs.
Still, it’s been a journey for the Catfish host, who broke his neck and had to undergo emergency surgery after a bike accident in August.
“Didn’t know if I would walk again, certainly didn’t think I’d ever run again,” Schulman shared in a video posted to his Instagram Oct. 27. “But very quickly it became clear to me that in order for me to feel good and be happy and maintain my mental health, I had to move. And for me, moving is running. Two months later, here I am: I’m training for the New York City Marathon, and honestly, I’m feeling stronger than ever. It’s just from consistency. Find something you love, commit to it and don’t give up no matter what.”
He isn’t the only one who’s had a few setbacks. Just three weeks ago, T.J. Holmes, who is running the NYC race with his girlfriend and former GMA3 co-host Amy Robach, left the Chicago Marathon in an ambulance due to a right leg injury after he already had an issue with his Achilles tendon in his left leg. However, he’s ready for redemption.
“Before we even got back to the hotel, my thought was all about, ‘Man, I gotta get healthy for the New York City Marathon in three weeks,’” Holmes said on the Oct. 14 episode of their Amy & T.J. podcast. “That’s happening. I’m running that marathon in three weeks. I can’t wait.'"
Other celebrities trekking through the five boroughs include Jennifer Connelly and Claire Holt. Spectators will be able to watch some of their favorite Bachelor Nation stars on their journey to the finish line—including Matt James, Peter Weber, Zac Clark, Joe Amabile and Tayshia Adams—and fist pump Jersey Shore’s Vinny Guadagnino to victory.
To see more stars who’ve run marathons over the years, keep reading.
Instagram / Tayshia Adams
Tayshia Adams
"NYC Marathon, round 2!!" the former Bachelorette wrote on Instagram ahead of the 2024 race after having run it three years prior with her former fiancé Zac Clark. "Bib #38793 in hand and ready for the big day! Can’t wait to see you all cheering out there — I’ll need every bit of that energy!"
Instagram / Claire Holt
Claire Holt
After finishing the 2024 Chicago Marathon, The Originals star reflected on her journey.
"I think one of the most important traits in life is humility, but I’m going to let myself feel proud," she wrote on Instagram. "I woke up at 4am all summer to train for this race. It was really f*cking hard and I asked a lot of my family during those 4 months."
"I doubted myself more often than not, and I was sick to my stomach at the thought of letting anyone down," Holt added. "But today I ran a personal best by 19 minutes (3:44:14), 11 months after having my 3rd kid. I did it because of the unbelievable generosity of friends, family and kind-hearted strangers. I did it because you believed in me, and the cause. Together we raised over $100,000 to help Boston Children’s Hospital tackle the mental health crisis. I am so beyond grateful to you all. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."
Damien Storan/PA Images via Getty Images
Colin Farrell
The Banshees of Inisherin star ran the 2024 Irish Life Dublin Marathon.
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Amy Robach & T. J. Holmes
The Amy & T.J. podcast hosts flashed their medals after finishing the 2023 New York City Marathon.
Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
Cynthia Erivo
"So I did a thing….26.2miles of a thing…. In 3hrs35 minutes," the Wicked star shared on Instagram after finishing the 2022 London Marathon. "I’m proud and I’m exhausted and I’m grateful!! X. @londonmarathon was emotional."
Bryan Bedder/New York Road Runners via Getty Images
Ashton Kutcher
Hello Wisconsin, er, New York! The That '70s Show alum celebrated after finishing the NYC Marathon in 2022.
Willie Geist
The Sunday Today host helped raise more than $400,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease while participating in the 2021 New York City Marathon.
Bryan Bedder/New York Road Runners via Getty Images
Matt James & Tyler Cameron
The Bachelor Nation stars posed for a pic at the finish line of the New York City Marathon with Matt James' girlfriend Rachael Kirkconnell in 2021.
Bryan Bedder/NYRR via Getty Images
Nev Schulman
We're not catfishing you. The Catfish host has run several marathons, including the 2019 New York City Marathon.
Noam Galai/NYRR via Getty Images
Andi Dorfman
Though the former Bachelorette told People her goal was simply to finish the hilly 26.2-mile course in New York City ("I don't want to be disappointed," she explained of getting her heart set on a specific time) the reality star walked away from the 2019 event with an impressive sub-four-hour finish time.
Gotham/GC Images
Kevin Hart
A year after he tackled his first marathon in NYC, the comedian participated in the 2018 Chicago Marathon to raise funds to help send kids to college. "The reason behind this run is simply first and foremost personal greatness, personal achievement but also what I can bring awareness to, what I can raise money for," he shared on Instagram, shouting, "Education!"
Gotham/GC Images
Karlie Kloss
For the model, the 2017 New York City Marathon was, "Singlehandedly the hardest thing I've ever done." Still, she crushed the course in four hours, 41 minutes.
Michael Stewart/Getty Images
Alicia Keys
"One foot in front of the other was my mantra," Keys posted about finishing the 2015 marathon in the concrete jungle where dreams are made of. (She notched a time of 5:50:52.) And for the Grammy winner, the race was an energizing challenge. "I'm all about breaking mental boundaries," she wrote in a Refinery29 blog post, "and training for a marathon falls right into the Jedi mind-training I need."
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images
Natalie Dormer
Though the Game of Thrones star insisted she didn't care much about her time in the 2016 London Marathon—noting raising upwards of $7,000 for The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children's ChildLine service was more important—she admitted to reporters she was "a tiny bit peeved," about her three-hour, 54-minute finish considering it was 24 seconds slower than her 2014 debut.
Paul Marotta/Getty Images for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Uzo Aduba
Running the Boston Marathon in 2015 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Orange Is the New Black star listened to Sara Bareilles' "Brave" in tribute to a friend she lost to the disease. "That was her motivator getting through every single day of treatment, every single round of chemo, that was what she was listening to constantly," she explained. "And I listen to that when I'm training now, and I can hear her telling me, 'Keep going.'"
Andrew Savulich/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
Ryan Reynolds
Seeing his dad battle Parkinson's disease inspired the Deadpool actor to run the New York City Marathon in 2008. Finishing in three hours, 50 minutes, he also raised money to help fight the disease by teaming up with Michael J. Fox's Team Fox.
Greg Allen/Shutterstock
Katie Holmes
After finishing the NYC marathon in 2007, the actress turned up (in heels!) alongside then-husband Tom Cruise for his Lions for Lambs premiere.
David Goldman/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images
Will Ferrell
"Running a marathon is not a question of whether it will be painful, but when it will be painful," the actor said after finishing his third marathon—Boston's 2003 race—in less than four hours. He later noted to Podium Runner that people "are terribly underwhelmed when they recognize me in a race. There's nothing funny going on. It's just a lot of silence and pain."
Steve Granitz/WireImage
Oprah Winfrey
After vowing to take on a marathon before she turned 40, the queen of daytime television ran 26.2 miles in Washington, D.C. in 1994. In the pouring rain. As two National Enquirer reporters tagged along tracking her every move. She finished in an impressive four hours, 29 minutes.
TIM SLOAN/AFP via Getty Images
George W. Bush
Having kept up with the sport long after he ran the Houston course in 1993, Bush accepted few excuses from people who said they simply couldn't squeeze a workout in.
"I believe anyone can make the time [to run]," he told Runner's World during his term. "As a matter of fact, I don't believe it—I know it. If the President of the United States can make the time, anyone can."
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