Who Are Our Speediest Celebrities?
You know what they say. New York City: if you can complete a marathon here, you can do it anywhere. The celebs were running for their lives at the New York City Marathon. Also for charity.
On the non-celeb side of things, Hellen Obiri won the professional women’s race. According to CBS, she set a record of 2:19:51 — 16 seconds ahead of the runner-up, Sharon Lodeki. On the men’s side, Benson Kipruto beat Alexander Mutiso by less than a second. It was a photo finish, with both men’s final recorded times being 2:8:9.
Before the race began, there was much speculation as to whether Harry Styles would be competing. He’s run both the Tokyo and Berlin Marathons this year. If he did run the NYC Marathon, it was in disguise. Below are the famouses who showed their faces, and how well they did at the 2025 New York City Marathon (as recorded by Runner’s World).
Matt James
Former Bachelor Matt James has been near the top of these stats for as long as we’ve been recording them at Vulture. This year his time was 3:31:10, just a little more than his 2024 time. And that was a little more than his 2023 time. But still, a solid performance for Bach nation.
Ben Gibbard
We saw the Postal Service frontman waving from such great speeds! Gibbard raced alongside his Death Cab/Postal Service bandmate Dave Depper in support of climate justice nonprofit Protect Our Winters. Gibbard finished the race at 3:36:07, with Depper close behind at 3:54:21.
Claire Holt
Like Matt James, Originals star Claire Holt is a frequent flyer of the NYC Marathon. This year, she beat her 2024 time by three minutes, coming in at 3:39:03. Blame The Vampire Diaries for putting the idea into her head that she should run at superhuman speed.
Carl Radke
Summer House star and Soft Bar proprietor Carl Radke stayed on-brand, running for Release Recovery Foundation. The organization helps the underprivileged gain access to recovery and mental health programs. Radke finished the race just after the 4-hour mark, coming in at 4:04:25.
Bryan Arenales
Bryan Arenales just one of the Love Island season 7 cohort of runners. Elan Bibas may have lost in the Villa, but he beat Arenales at the Marathon, finishing almost an hour before Amaya Papaya’s former bae. Arenales finished the NYC Marathon at 4:31:31, just weeks after finishing the Chicago Marathon with a time of 4:18:40.
Nic Vansteenberghe
Slow and steady does indeed win the race. Vansteenberghe was the slowest Love Island USA runner, at 4:42:46, but he’s also the only one still half of a ship name. And you know Olandria was there to greet her man with roses at the finish line.
Anthony Ramos
This was Anthony Ramos’ first marathon. “I wanted to do it because I just think I had never done a marathon before, and I don’t remember the last time I pushed myself this hard,” he told Men’s Health. “I’ve trained for movies and stuff, but I haven’t had to push myself like the way I have to for this.” Ramos finished at 4:44:31, not bad for a first outing.
Oliver Phelps
The former Harry Potter actor and current Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking host finished the NYC Marathon at 5:06:50. The man formerly known as George Weasley was racing for the Matt Hampson Foundation, which helps young athletes recover from serious sports injuries.
N.O.R.E.
Noreaga may be a Drinks Champ, but he’s merely a marathon finisher. The rapper and podcast host completed the NYC Marathon with a time of 5:10:41. But he did it with friends, running alongside the Run Champs crew.
Merle Dandridge
Broadway star Marlene Dandridge finished the NYC marathon with a time of 5:41:06. Having just finished a run as Persephone in Hadestown, Dandridge knows all about long, endurance-testing journeys.
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