Around 50,000 people will run in the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon this Sunday, Nov. 5 — and among the runners taking to the streets of NYC will be a number of celebrities. Famous people from TV shows, movies, music and sports will be running the 26.2 mile course, with celebs like MTV’s Nev Schulmann and former Stanley Cup champion Zdneo Chára participating.
Not only is Marathon Sunday in New York a special celebration of athletic achievement, but it is also a celebration of the millions of dollars raised for charities all over the world. In 2022, New York Road Runners, which organizes the race, reported that runners raised $52.3 million for their official charity partners in the 2021 marathon and the 2022 half-marathon.
Leading up to last year’s New York City Marathon, actor Ashton Kutcher raised over $1 million for his charity, Thorn, which helps fight child sex abuse, according to People magazine.
New York Road Runners lists several notable figures planning to take part in this year’s race. Spectators can even track their favorite stars via the TCS New York City Marathon app. Here are some names to look out for:
Patina Miller
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The Tony and Grammy Award winning singer Patina Miller is not only running the race, she will also be performing the national anthem at the starting line in Staten Island. She will be running to support Komera, an organization that works to encourage success in the lives of young women in Rwanda through education, health and community.
Luke Macfarlane
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Luke Macfarlane, known for his roles in “Brothers & Sisters” and several Hallmark Channel movies, will be running the NYC Marathon for the first time. He will run alongside family members on behalf of Beyond Type 1, which supports diabetes research.
Matt James
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Matt James, the star of season 25 of “The Bachelor,” will be running the race for the second consecutive year. James, an avid runner, played football at Wake Forest University. He finished last year’s race in 3:46:45.
Zdeno Chára
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Road running always attracts athletes from other sports, and for Zdeno Chára, the New York City Marathon is the second of six major marathons he hopes to run, according to Runners World. Chára played 24 seasons in the NHL, and won the 2011 Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins. He ran the Boston Marathon earlier this year in 3:38:23. At 6’9″, he’ll be easy to pick out of a crowd.
Nev Schulman
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Nev Schulman, host and producer of MTV’s “Catfish,” will be competing in his seventh New York City Marathon. For the first time, he will participate as a guide runner for a visually impaired athlete running with Achilles International, an organization that encourages athletes with disabilities to participate in sports.
Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes
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Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes, who co-hosted the third hour of “Good Morning America” until they were sidelined over tabloid reports about their relationship, are running the New York City Marathon together again this year. Robach finished in 4:25:30 last year, with Holmes right behind at 4:25:31. The pair just announced plans to co-host a new podcast, “Amy & T.J.”
More notable names
Other runners with a claim to fame include popular YouTubers Cody Ko and Casey Neistat, who have both completed marathons before. Samantha Judge and Emily Rizzo, wives of New York Yankees stars Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo, will also be running the race.
