Celebrities make everything look easy, but when it comes to marathon training, they’re just like us…for the most part. Running 26.2 miles is no easy feat, but as Haruki Murakami, marathon runner and novelist put it, “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” Here, stars of all shapes and sizes give pointers on how they train and what motivates them to go the distance. You might not get a chance to work alongside a celeb—but you could get a glimpse of what it’s like to be in their running shoes.
New York Marathon 2009
Time: 3:48:01
Not everyone gets a chance to train with the Maasai warriors. Yet, Edward Norton hopped a plane to Kenya to join the members of the African tribe, known for its speedy runners, to learn a thing or two about long-distance racing. "It's very difficult. It has its plateaus,” he told Huffington Post. “Getting to 12 miles, you're like, this is ridiculous, I'm never going to get to 26. Then you get to 15 and you think you're never going to get to 18. Then you get to 20, and you're kind of in striking distance." The extensive training left the actor with shin and Achilles pain. After a moderate start during the marathon, Norton overcame the hurdles with a jolt around mile 18, finishing without further impediments. In gratitude to his unconventional coaches, Norton helped raised money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, an organization that protects east African grasslands and encourages sustainable development in the area. He described the entire experience as “phenomenal.”
New York Marathon 2008
Time: 3:50:22
“Why in the hell were their nipples bleeding,” asked Ryan Reynolds in his Huffington Post blog entry discussing his marathon training. A few years before signing up for the New York Marathon, Reynolds witnessed the end of the race in all its glory. He may have been inspired but raw emotion, yet swore that he wouldn’t put himself through the ordeal. But after meeting Michael J. Fox, whose battle with Parkinson disease hit close to home, Reynolds committed himself training in homage to his father. “Every other day I train,” he wrote. “I run like a bastard all morning. Not since the discovery of Junior High School has a torture been so effective.” The Safe House star (and his nipples) fared well in the race, clocking in under four hours.
New York Marathon 2010
Time: 5:13:28
Jared Fogle is proof that running a marathon is not a far-fetched dream: the Subway spokesperson had never sweated out a mile prior to the start of his nine-month training program. Fogle eased into distance running by setting smaller goals--- a 5k, a 10k, a half-marathon---and he planned long runs, usually on Monday, to “get it out of the way,” adding two more short runs throughout the rest of the week. “About a month before the marathon I was up to 20 miles on my long run which I did twice,” Fogle told MensFitness.com. “I was running about 30 miles those last couple of weeks.” The easy-does-it program paid off, keeping Fogle injury-free. “Crossing that finish line in Central Park was one of the most emotional moments of my life,” he said. But when asked whether he’ll run another 26.2 miler, Fogle replied, “Heck, no! It was an experience I will never forget and I'm proud of myself for staying focused during my training, but I'll stick to running 5Ks.”
New York Marathon 2011
Time: 4:20:46
Ethan Zohn is a true survivor in every sense of the word—the former soccer player completed his second marathon while battling Hodgkin's lymphoma. “The type of treatment I had, and the buffet of meds I am on, have a debilitating effect on my body,” he told MensFitness.com at the time. “There was a time when I couldn’t even walk one New York City block. Psychologically, this killed my spirits. But the day I could jog a mile [again] was one of the best days of my life.” Zohn loosely followed the traditional 16-week training schedule, incorporating cross training activities like Warrior Fitness Boot Camp, cycling and yoga at least twice a week. The best part about running the race? Guiding friend and blind athlete, Aaron Scheidies. “With every step, I was running on behalf of something that is much bigger than me,” he said. This super athlete has already signed up for the 2013 Boston Marathon, which he’ll run to benefit Grassroot Soccer, a global community that fights against HIV/AIDS. How can you not root for this guy?
New York Marathon 2005
Time: 4:10:17
A novelist may not be the typical prototype for an athlete, but for award-winning author Haruki Murakami, running and writing are two entities that intertwine. Murakami started running in his early thirties, as he transitioned from Jazz club owner to author, and the 64-year-old has made it a habit to finish a marathon every year. You’d be wise to take advice from him: For the 2005 race, Murakami logged slightly more than 550 miles during a three-month summer vacation in Kauai, and he doesn’t take more than two days off in a row. “Through repetition you input into your muscles the message that this is how much work they have to perform,” writes Murakami in a memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. To avoid burnout, he cuts back on mileage a month before the marathon. He also alerts runners of the energy-sapping suspension bridges and the sharp elevation of Central Park slopes that “mercilessly wrest away from you the last drop of energy you’ve been saving up.”
New York Marathon 2010
Time: 7:09:44
What’s Al Roker’s advice when it comes to running the marathon? Take it all in. “Unless you're some world class athlete, relax and enjoy it,” Roker told MensFitness.com. “You'll never see anything like it. It was frightening, exhilarating, humbling and a whole new way to look at the city I grew up in. To have a guy pass you juggling three balls is humiliating, while seeing a double amputee spring past you is inspirational.” America’s favorite weatherman prepped with interval training. Taking one mile at a time, he started by walking a 20-minute mile eight months before the big day. By June, he got down to a 13-minute mile, running three times a week and averaging 15 miles. He also tested the waters by doing two half-marathons before November.
New York Marathon 2003
Time: 4:14:52
Diddy is the Daddy of speed marathon training—he prepped in just six weeks, motivated by raising money for New York City public schools. Although he never trained for a long-distance event, the mogul ran track in high school, focusing on the quarter-miler. According to E!, he got into shape by cutting back on partying and switching to a high-protein, low-carb diet while also building up his running distance to 20 miles before tapering off. He even trained at the New York Rangers facility, running on an underwater treadmill. “It's excruciating to run in water because the lactic acid builds up,” he wrote in the New York Post. “But I wanted to push myself, and then sleep like a baby on the ride back to the city.” Perhaps the biggest challenge was abstaining from sex until after the race. He told USA Today, "Two weeks is a long time for me, because I'm a very healthy Scorpio. My hormones are raging.” But all the sacrifices were worth it: Diddy crossed the five boroughs, sex-starved and limping, to log a respectable time and raise around $2 million for his charity.
New York Marathon 2011
Time: 4:23:29
Known for a diverse fitness routine that includes boxing and swimming, the six-pack-sporting EXTRA host is no novice when it comes to fitness challenges. "Running has become therapeutic for me,” Lopez told ESPN. “I can clear my mind and I can just go through my day and have a lot of clarity. It's become sort of a ritual now.” into Salsa dancing while running through the Bronx. Not surprisingly, the 2011 NYC Marathon—during which he broke into Salsa dancing while running through the Bronx—was his fourth 26.2 mile race; he also ran the Boston Marathon in 2002.
New York Marathon 2011
Time: 3:25:12
You can say that Apolo Ohno pretty much danced his way through the New York course. To finish the race in under four hours, the former Dancing with the Stars champion and Olympic speedskater incorporated short, ballistic-type one-and-a-half minute training with three-hour sessions. Even so, the final stretch was no picnic. “The last 6.2 miles are gruesome,” he told EXTRA. “My body isn't designed for this." Ohno donated over $26,000 to the Special Olympics, thanks to a donation from Subway. We say that beats the mirror-ball trophy.
London Marathon 2012
Time: 4:26:21
For the foul-mouthed chef, training for a marathon is no nightmare—Ramsay has been putting in the miles for over a decade. He trains year-around with his wife Tana (who actually beat him to the finish line by 15 minutes in last year’s London Marathon) and runs several long-distance races each year. So what does the Michelin-starred man eat to get his legs moving? According to an interview with BBC, Ramsay believes it’s crucial to cleanse the body for up to four days before the race. He nixes fatty and cream-laden dishes for risotto (what else?!) with plenty of veggies, like spinach, and poached fish. The former soccer star, who ran a few double marathons in South Africa, also has a soft spot for Special K and skim milk. During the race, Ramsay takes a sip of water at every station. “If you get to a water station and you're thirsty then you have to slow down, because you're going too fast,” he told BBC Sport.
Los Angeles Marathon 2012
Time: 4:25:47
Sean Astin (shown here during the Kaiser Permanente Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon earlier this month) has a thing for trilogies; 2012 was his third Los Angeles marathon. "The new route is awesome," the Lord of the Rings star told The Hollywood Reporter. "You go everywhere now —Olvera Street, City Hall, Hollywood. It's like a big open house for the city." He started running as a teenager, continuing a fitness regime into his 40s. Yet, the training is a bit unorthodox. “I'll go for two months without a single run, and then I'll run 20 miles in a month, and then 100 miles the next month, then 120 the months after that, then work my way back down to nothing again,” Astin told the Los Angeles Times. Sporadic? Yes. But it seems to work.
Marine Corps Marathon 2011
Time: 4:37:11
The pace is right for game-show host Drew Carey, who signed up for the Marine Corp marathon after running the Marine Corps half. As a former reservist, Carey remembers running 14 miles in his mid-twenties. He picked up running as part of his weight loss program that helped him shed 70 pounds. “I was doing mostly the elliptical machine, but I wanted something more,” he told USA Today. “I have to have a reason to work out—it's wasn't enough for me just to keep my weight down.” His training included 30 to 45 minute runs twice a week, alternated with two days of intervals and a long run on Saturday.