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.
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.
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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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