The New York City Marathon is always good for some celebrity spotting, and this year there will be plenty happening between Staten Island and Central Park. On November 1, roughly 60,000 runners will take on the course as New York marks 50 years since the marathon first expanded to all five boroughs, with actors, musicians, former professional athletes, reality stars, and a small army of Peloton instructors mixed into the field.
Here are some of the noteworthy people taking on 26.2 miles this year.
Tiki Barber
The former New York Giants running back has become much more than an occasional celebrity entrant since retiring from football. Barber first ran New York in 2014, and has completed more than 15 marathons since taking up the distance. He ran 1:51:34 at the United Airlines NYC Half this March.
Jennifer Connelly
Connelly already knows this course pretty well. The Academy Award winner ran 3:45:47 at the 2024 NYC Marathon while raising money for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and she’s returning this year in support of Fred’s Team.
Del Water Gap
S. Holden Jaffe, the singer-songwriter better known as Del Water Gap, ran the Los Angeles Marathon in 2025 and later said the four or five months he spent training were some of his best in years. After spending much of 2026 on his Chasing the Chimera world tour, he’s got another New York date on the calendar, only this one won’t involve a microphone.
Zarna Garg
The comedian, actor, and New York Times bestselling author is taking on her first marathon with Team Maybelline in partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Garg is also featured in the brand’s “Miles of Maybes” campaign and has been documenting her training on Instagram, finding plenty to joke about as she prepares to tackle 26.2 miles for the first time.
Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes running together at the 2024 New York City Half Marathon.
T.J. Holmes
Holmes is returning for his fourth NYC Marathon. The journalist and media personality made his debut in 2022 with a 4:25:31 finish, improved to 4:14:39 alongside Amy Robach in 2023, and came back the following year to finish in 4:41:41.
Matt James, shown here in his best finish yet at the New York City Marathon, on November 3, 2024.
Matt James
The Bachelor alum and ABC Food Tours co-founder is practically an NYC Marathon regular, with five finishes already under his belt. His fastest came in 2024, when he clocked an impressive 3:00:20, just shy of sub-3. He’ll return Sunday for his sixth trip through the five boroughs.
Jordan Litz poses at the finish line during the New York City Marathon on November 2, 2025.
Jordan Litz
Litz’s 2025 marathon Sunday was ridiculous, even by Broadway standards: He ran 3:40:53, then made it back to the Gershwin Theatre to perform as Fiyero in Wicked twice that same day. Now starring in the show on London’s West End, he’s returning to New York with a sub-three-hour goal—and, mercifully, no two-show day waiting at the finish.
Patina Miller is seen at the finish line during the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half Marathon on March 16, 2025.
Patina Miller
The Tony-winning Broadway star is another repeat New York runner, and she keeps getting quicker. Miller finished in 4:00:36 in 2023—the same year she had an extra assignment of singing the national anthem before the race—and improved to 3:52:44 last November.
Robin Arzon
Peloton Instructors
Eight Peloton instructors are running New York this year: Robin Arzón, Mariana Fernández, Hannah Frankson, Alex Karwoski, Zacharias Niedzwiecki, Ash Pryor, Camila Ramón, and Matt Wilpers. Arzón is going for marathon No. 28 and her ninth NYC finish. Wilpers and Fernández also have some serious speed, clocking 1:25:27 and 1:46:22, respectively, at this year’s NYC Half, while Frankson completed the London Marathon in 2024.
P-Lo
The Filipino American rapper and producer isn’t jumping straight from the recording studio into his first 26.2. P-Lo has already completed the San Francisco and Oakland marathons, and he told Men’s Journal that New York has been on his bucket list for years.
Rich Roll
Roll’s endurance resumé stretches well beyond traditional road racing. The plant-based ultra-endurance athlete and podcaster has posted top finishes at the Ultraman World Championships and, in 2010, completed the EPIC5 challenge—five Ironman-distance triathlons on five Hawaiian islands in under a week.
Sean Abrams was the Senior Editor, Growth and Engagement at Men’s Health. He’s a former hip hop dancer who likes long walks on the beach and large glasses of tequila. You can find his previous work at Maxim, Elite Daily, and AskMen.
