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See How Fast These Celebrities Ran the 2021 NYC Marathon

Celebrities run—just like us!

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2021 new york city marathon
Bryan Bedder

The 50th anniversary edition of the New York City Marathon—and the first running of the event since the start of the pandemic—featured a smaller field overall, with approximately 33,000 runners crossing the finish line.

But just like every year, there were many high-profile personalities among them. Notable runners included former pro athletes and Olympic medalists in other sports, TV stars, musicians, and more. Here’s how they fared on the bridges and hills.

Shalane Flanagan — 2:33:32

shalane flanagan running the nyc marathon 2021
Johnny Zhang (@jzsnapz)

Flanagan returned to run the New York City Marathon for the first time since her victory in 2017. But this time, she wasn’t going for the win—she was capping off Project Eclipse, her effort to run all six major marathons in 42 days this fall.

She finished in 2:33:32, the fastest of her six efforts this fall by about a minute and a half (her second-fastest time was 2:35:04 in London). Elyse Kopecky, Flanagan’s co-author on three cookbooks, also ran her first marathon in New York City today, and finished in 3:33:31.

Nev Schulman — 3:22:43

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Noam Galai//Getty Images

Schulman, host of MTV’s Catfish: The TV Show, has long been one of the fastest celebrities on the NYC Marathon course—he ran 3:34 in 2015, and has only gotten speedier since. This year, he finished in 3:22:43, in support of NYRR Team for Kids.

Abby Wambach — 3:44:25

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Pier Marco Tacca//Getty Images

Two-time Olympic gold-winning soccer forward and FIFA Women's World Cup champion Abby Wambach—who’s registered under her first name, Mary—crossed the finish line in 3:44:25. To top off her experience, Flanagan placed Wambach’s medal around her neck.

Wambach, 41, was cheered on by her wife, best-selling author Glennon Doyle, who tweeted beforehand, “My wife is running a marathon this weekend. Marathoners: Life is too easy. I must find a way to make it much much harder.”

Several of Wambach’s former teammates from the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team joined her in the race, including Lauren Holiday, 34 (3:40:30) and Leslie Osborne, 38 (3:41:33). All of them raised money for the JLH Fund, a social impact fund started by Holiday and her husband Jrue that supports Black-led nonprofits and Black-owned businesses.

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Marcus Mumford — 3:53:22

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Bryan Bedder

Musician Marcus Mumford, of the band Mumford and Sons, ran his first marathon to raise funds for Children in Conflict. He crossed the finish line in 3:53:22 in an impressive negative split—he hit the halfway point in 2 hours and 12 seconds, then picked it up from there, ending up with a pace of 8:54 overall.

Robin Arzón — 3:57:19

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Neilson Barnard//Getty Images

As vice president and head instructor of Peloton, Arzón motivates millions of people around the world to move their bodies. The author of the book Shut Up & Run ran her first marathon in New York in 2010. Today, she crossed her 27th finish line—her first as a mom—in 3:57:19, in support of Every Mother Counts.

Willie Geist — 3:58:23

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NBC//Getty Images

Before 2020, Geist found a one-mile Turkey Trot to be a challenge. But today, the host of Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist and Morning Joe, completed 26.2 of them, finishing the NYC Marathon in 3:58:23.

Geist, 46, raised money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, in honor of his father, who’s had Parkinson’s Disease for 30 years.

“If any one of these miles or these steps can get us a little closer to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease … that’s enough motivation to sweep me across that finish line,” he said before the race.

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Chelsea Clinton—3:59:09

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Elsa//Getty Images

The former first daughter didn’t appear in the official results—she ran under an alias—but according to the New York Road Runners, she dipped below the four-hour mark, finishing in 3:59:09. Her parents, former president Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, greeted her at the finish line.

As she shared on Twitter afterward, completing the race was "a longtime goal;" she raised money for City Harvest, a food rescue program.

Christy Turlington Burns — 4:01:20

new york city marathon
Bryan Bedder

Ten years after her NYC Marathon debut, Supermodel Christy Turlington Burns, 52, completed her ninth marathon on behalf of her maternal health organization, Every Mother Counts. She crossed the line in 4:01:20, a 9:12 pace.

Burns launched the organization when she developed complications following the birth of her daughter, Grace, in 2003. And this year, Grace joined her mom on the course. She finished in 5:31:14.

Will Reeve — 4:11:51

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Bryan Bedder

The ABC News correspondent, who’s the son of the late actor Christoper Reeve, doesn’t really think of himself as a runner, he told People magazine. But today, he crossed the finish line of his second NYC marathon in a time of 4:11:51.

Just as he did in 2016, Reeve ran in support of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which funds cures and treatments for paralysis.

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Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark — 4:40:24

2021 tcs new york city marathon
Bryan Bedder

Long before she was a contestant on, or co-host of, The Bachelorette, Adams was a high school cross country runner. A car accident fractured her pelvis and prevented her from running collegiately. Now, though, she’s a marathoner, having finished NYC in 4:40:24.

Adams got engaged to Zac Clark in The Bachelorette’s season 16 finale, and he helped reignite her passion for the sport. Clark completed the NYC Marathon with Adams in 4:40:24, just four weeks after he ran 3:43:08 in the London Marathon.

Adams raised money for World Vision, a humanitarian organization committed to fighting poverty and helping the world’s most vulnerable children. Clark, meanwhile, supported Release Recovery, which supports substance abuse and mental health treatment.

Tiki Barber — 4:47:49

2021 tcs new york city marathon
Noam Galai//Getty Images

Sports media personality and former Giants running back Barber is a familiar sight on the streets of NYC—this year, he was back for his seventh New York City Marathon, and crossed the line in 4:47:49. He also ran in support of NYRR Team for Kids.

Matt James — 5:02:23; Tyler Cameron — 5:02:16

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Bryan Bedder

Tyler Cameron, the former star of The Bachelorette, who’d been known to run with a crowd in New York City, crossed the finish line of the marathon in 5:02:16.

Matt James, the former lead on The Bachelor, finished the marathon in 5:02:23, shortly after Cameron. The two rain the race together.

Both members of Bachelor Nation ran in support of the Andrea Cameron Foundation; Cameron and his siblings started the organization to honor his mother after she passed away from a brain aneurysm last year. The organization offers scholarships—along with mentorship, networking, and other benefits—to students in financial need.

Headshot of Cindy Kuzma
Cindy Kuzma
Contributing Writer

Cindy is a freelance health and fitness writer, author, and podcaster who’s contributed regularly to Runner’s World since 2013. She’s the coauthor of both Breakthrough Women’s Running: Dream Big and Train Smart and Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries, a book about the psychology of sports injury from Bloomsbury Sport. Cindy specializes in covering injury prevention and recovery, everyday athletes accomplishing extraordinary things, and the active community in her beloved Chicago, where winter forges deep bonds between those brave enough to train through it.

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