Broadways Stars, Athletes, and Artists Take on the 2026 New York City Marathon
When roughly 60,000 runners line up on November 1 to tackle 26.2 miles from Staten Island to Central Park, they will be sharing the asphalt with a familiar mix of actors, musicians, former professional athletes, reality stars, and a contingent of Peloton instructors, Runner’s World reported. This year’s race marks a major milestone for New York City, commemorating 50 years since the iconic course first expanded to span all five boroughs.
Among the notable figures returning to the course is former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber. Since hanging up his cleats, Barber has turned distance running into a second athletic career, completing more than 15 marathons since his debut in New York back in 2014. He heads into this weekend’s race following a 1:51:34 finish at the United Airlines NYC Half this past March.
Familiar Faces and Stage-to-Street Schedules
The entertainment world is well-represented by performers balancing grueling training schedules with active stage careers. Jordan Litz is returning to New York with a specific sub-three-hour goal. His appearance follows a 2025 marathon where he clocked a 3:40:53 race before returning to the Gershwin Theatre to perform twice as Fiyero in Wicked that very same day. Now starring in the show on London’s West End, Litz returns to the five-borough course with the luxury of no two-show day waiting at the finish line.
Fellow Tony winner Patina Miller is also back on the roster. Miller finished in 4:00:36 in 2023—the same year she sang the national anthem before the starting gun—and improved her time to 3:52:44 last November.
On the cinematic side, Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly returns to support Fred’s Team. Connelly previously ran a 3:45:47 at the 2024 NYC Marathon while raising funds for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Media Personalities, Musicians, and First-Timers
Journalist and media personality T.J. Holmes is taking on his fourth NYC Marathon. Holmes made his debut in 2022 with a 4:25:31 finish, shaved his time down to 4:14:39 alongside Amy Robach in 2023, and crossed the finish line in 4:41:41 the following year.
Meanwhile, The Bachelor alumnus and ABC Food Tours co-founder Matt James is lacing up for his sixth trip through the boroughs. James has steadily improved his times, logging his fastest finish yet in 2024 at 3:00:20—just shy of breaking the three-hour mark.
Comedian, actor, and New York Times bestselling author Zarna Garg is tackling her first marathon with Team Maybelline in partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Garg has been documenting her training on Instagram while participating in the brand’s “Miles of Maybes” campaign.
Musicians joining the field include S. Holden Jaffe, the singer-songwriter known as Del Water Gap. Following months on his Chasing the Chimera world tour, Jaffe trades his microphone for running shoes after previously completing the 2025 Los Angeles Marathon. Filipino American rapper and producer P-Lo is also stepping up to his first New York race, having already finished marathons in San Francisco and Oakland.
Endurance Athletes and Peloton Instructors Enter the Field
The field also features seasoned endurance athletes like plant-based ultra-endurance athlete and podcaster Rich Roll, whose resumé includes the Ultraman World Championships and the 2010 EPIC5 challenge, which involved five Ironman-distance triathlons across five Hawaiian islands in under a week.
A strong contingent of Peloton instructors will also run through the five boroughs, led by Robin Arzón, who is gunning for marathon No. 28 and her ninth NYC finish. They are joined by Mariana Fernández, Hannah Frankson, Alex Karwoski, Zacharias Niedzwiecki, Ash Pryor, Camila Ramón, and Matt Wilpers. Wilpers and Fernández bring competitive speed to the group, having clocked 1:25:27 and 1:46:22 respectively at this year’s NYC Half, while Frankson completed the London Marathon in 2024.
