Being A Celeb Is Not Just About Partying - These 14 Celebs Are Marathon Runners

Many celebs run marathons. Yes, it may come as a surprise.

You might think that by achieving fame, they've accomplished all they wanted in life. But their example shows that there is more to life than money and fame.

By setting high goals, we continue to improve ourselves, and that's what truly matters. These celebrities mingle with the crowds and run alongside them, all striving to achieve the ultimate goal of beating their previous best time.

Some of them have even higher aspirations—to raise awareness about significant social issues or illnesses. Here's some additional motivation to cross running a marathon off your fitness to-do list: It's possible that you'll be able to beat your goal time while hanging out with your favorite celebrities.

Every year, celebrities are spotted in the starting corrals of major marathons around the world, proving that some of your favorite celebs are just as impressive in real life as they are on TV. Here's a list of famous marathon runners who might be in your pace group.

Keep an eye out for a few of these familiar faces the next time you're trying to beat your marathon time. This should serve as inspiration for your next run.

1. Will Ferrell

"Running a marathon is not a question of whether it will be painful, but when it will be painful," he said after finishing his third marathon—Boston's 2003. He later added 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."Dean/NPG.com

2. Willie Geist

While running the New York City Marathon in 2021, the Sunday Today anchor raised over $400,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease.

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3. George W. Bush

Bush doesn't accept excuses from anyone who complains they can't fit a workout in because he has stayed committed to the sport long after completing the Houston course in 1993. During his term, he told Runner's World,

"I believe everybody can create the time to run. In fact, I don't just believe it—I'm certain of it. Anyone can make the time if the President of the United States can."TIM SLOAN/AFP via Getty Images

4. Tyler Cameron & Matt James

The Bachelor stars ran the New York City Marathon on Nov. 7, 2021.

Christopher Peterson / SplashNews.com

5. Karlie Kloss

The model described the race in New York as "singlehandedly the hardest thing I've ever done." She completed the 2017 race in four hours and 41 minutes and then prepared for a week to walk the Victoria's Secret runway in Shanghai.

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6. Kevin Hart

A year after completing his first marathon in New York City, the comedian ran the 2018 Chicago Marathon to raise money for college scholarships.

"The reason behind this run is simply, first and foremost, personal greatness and 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

7. Katie Holmes

The actress ran the NYC marathon in 2007 with the support of Kanye West's "Stronger," and then showed up beside her then-husband Tom Cruise for the premiere of Lions for Lambs.

Greg Allen/Shutterstock

8. Alicia Keys

"One foot in front of the other was my mantra," she says. For her, it 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."

Michael Stewart/Getty Images

9. Uzo Aduba

The Orange Is the New Black star listened to Sara Bareilles' "Brave" while running the Boston Marathon in 2015 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in honor of a friend who died of cancer. "That was her drive for going through every single day of treatment, every single round of chemo," she explained. "And now while I'm training, I can hear her encouraging me, 'Keep going,'" she says.

Paul Marotta/Getty Images for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

10. Andi Dorfman

Despite telling People that her objective was merely to finish the challenging 26.2-mile race in New York City ("I don't want to be disappointed"), the former Bachelorette walked away with an astounding sub-four-hour finish time at the 2019 event.

Noam Galai/NYRR via Getty Images

11. Ryan Reynolds

Seeing his father struggle with Parkinson's disease prompted the actor to run the New York City Marathon in 2008. He finished in three hours and 50 minutes and donated money for the cause.

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12. Cynthia Erivo

Before running the 2016 New York City Marathon in three hours and 57 minutes, the Tony winner accomplished another feat of endurance by singing the National Anthem at the start of the marathon.

Jemal Countess/Getty Images

13. Natalie Dormer

Though the Game of Thrones star claimed she didn't mind her time in the 2016 London event because she raised over $7,000 for The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children's ChildLine service, she admitted to reporters she was "a little bit peeved" about her three-hour, 54-minute finish, which was 24 seconds slower than her 2014 debut.

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14. Oprah Winfrey

The queen of daytime television raced 26.2 miles in Washington, D.C., in 1994 after vowing to run a marathon before turning 40. This was in the midst of a torrential downpour. Two National Enquirer reporters followed her around, documenting her every move.

She completed the race in a time of four hours and 29 minutes.

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These celebs are all different. Some of them are singers, while others are actors.

We even have some reality show stars on the list. But they all have one thing in common: these celebrities have trained for and completed a 26.2-mile race.

And some of them are doing it every year, trying to beat last year’s time. As one athlete says—it’s not important to be better than others; it’s important to be better than your previous score.