Forty-eight thousand participants lined up for yesterday’s London Marathon. And while the vast majority of them were everyday runners, a few famous faces stood out from the crowd.
2023’s list of celebrity 26.2 participants included a prestige T.V. actor, a Grammy-winning musician, and famous athletes galore. Keep reading to learn who lined up in Greenwich last weekend.
Marcus Mumford
The lead singer of Mumford and Sons (“I Will Wait,” “Little Lion Man”) has collected two Grammy wins and nine nominations. Yesterday, he went for something else shiny, gold, and hard-earned: a London Marathon medal. On March 21, Mumford shared on Instagram that he would run the streets of London to raise money for The Grenfell Foundation, where he serves as a Chairman of the board of trustees. In 2017, the Grenfell fire raged through a 24-story London high-rise and became the deadliest fire England suffered in over 100 years. “We support the extraordinary group of bereaved and survivors from Grenfell Tower, and the wider community still impacted by this tragedy in West London, where I’m from,” wrote Mumford in an Instagram caption.
Mumford finished the race in 3:51:25.
Monica Rakitt (née Puig)
Two weeks ago, Olympic Gold Medal Tennis Player Monica Rakitt (née Puig) ran Boston and earned a 42-minute marathon PR. She then immediately headed across the pond for another 26.2 lap in London, where she crossed the finish line in 3:42:04. Rakitt shared a post-race picture with her husband, Nathan Rakitt, on her Instagram.
Josh O’Connor
Golden Globe-winning actor Josh O’Conner—best known for his performances in The Crown, Emma, and God’s Own Country—took the stage in London last weekend. “O’Connor passed his on-screen home of Buckingham Palace on his way to the famous Finish Line of the TCS London Marathon on The Mall,” noted the official London Marathon website.
O’Conner completed his race in 3:50:10.
Eve Muirhead
A Scottish former curler, Muirhead is a 2022 Olympic champion and an avid runner. Muirhead took on the London Landmarks Half Marathon at the beginning of April, and followed it up with an amazing performance in last weekend’s full 26.2 distance with a time of 3:25:13.
Chris Robshaw
Robshaw, a former player for the Harlequins, San Diego Legion, and England Rugby teams, retired from his sport last year. Robshaw decided to run the London Marathon for the Kerslake Robshaw Foundation, which “provides music and sport to young people to promote both trauma recovery in youth,” according to the website. He hoped to skate in under the four-hour mark at the London race last weekend, a goal he crushed with a 3:51:48 finish time. Although he was “delighted” with his performance in the race, he shared that covering the mileage was no easy feat. “That hurt so much. Definitely one and done.”
Alex Dowsett
British professional road cyclist Dowsett ditched his bike last weekend for the London Marathon. At 18 months old, Dowsett was diagnosed with Alex hemophilia, a disorder that causes blood not to clot correctly. He ran last weekend’s race to benefit Little Bleeders and The Haemophilia Society. Both foundations help kids with hemophilia receive the support they need to continue playing sports.
Dowsett earned a time of 3:23:02.
Kells McPhillips is a health and wellness journalist living in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Runner's World, The New York Times, Well+Good, Fortune, Shape, and others.
