3 min readTwo years ago, the whole world was interested in Harry Styles’ spit. (Ah, simpler times.) But now, in the wake of the pop star’s impressive showing at the 2025 Tokyo Marathon, where he finished with a time of 3:24:07, we can’t stop talking about Styles’ splits.
Styles, 31, paced the marathon like a pro. During the race on March 2, he came through the half marathon mark in 1:42:03, then hit 1:42:04 for the second half—a nearly perfect even split.
The Grammy winner averaged a pace of 7:47 per mile, and out of the more than 37,000 people who participated in the race, Harry Styles came in 6,010th place.
Now, you can’t stack Styles’ marathon time against the professional runners who came out on top in Tokyo, including top men’s finisher Tadese Takele (2:03:23) and top women’s finisher Sutume Asefa Kebede (2:16:31). But it’s certainly fair game to compare Styles’ athletic pursuits with those who have equally glamorous day jobs.
One of our favorite stories here at Runner’s World is this list of celebrities who have run marathons, which we update every time a high-profile person finishes a 26.2-miler. It’s fun to parse through this list, spy on the race times of big stars who have gone the distance, and see who’s fastest.
Which is exactly what we’re going to do now.
For example, did you know that, with a time of 3:24:07, Harry Styles has a faster marathon time than Ashton Kutcher, who finished the 2022 NYC marathon with 3:54:01?
Styles is also faster than Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, who ran a charity marathon in 3:41:49 to benefit the Silverlake Conservatory of Music. And that’s surprising, because you’d think Flea would have the advantage: When you’re only wearing a tube sock to cover your private bits and nothing else, that can really help your body’s cooling efficiency.
Meanwhile, Styles clocks in ahead of Diplo, the DJ who ran the 2023 Los Angeles Marathon with a time of 3:55:16 while reportedly under the influence of LSD.
How about former Texas Rangers owner George W. Bush, who was an avid runner in his day? Bush sometimes went on 100-degree runs accompanied by his Secret Service detail. (Oh, fun piece of trivia: Bush was also the President of the United States.) Dubya once finished the Houston Marathon with a time of 3:44:52, which might suggest Styles has him beat, but that decision is being sent up to the Supreme Court to decide who actually wins.
As for the celebs that technically smoke Styles, a pre-Breaking Bad (and Seinfeld) Bryan Cranston finished the 1980 New York City Marathon in 3:20:45; Catfish creator Nev Schulman broke 3 hours at NYC in 2015 (2:58:54); and Joe Strummer, the late frontman for the iconic punk band The Clash, unofficially finished the 1983 Paris Marathon in 3:20.
Strummer’s pre-race ritual certainly made the feat more impressive: In 1999, he offered this piece of advice to Steppin’ Out magazine: “Drink 10 pints of beer the night before the race. Ya got that? And don’t run a single step at least four weeks before the race.”
Of course, the most beautiful thing about running is that all runners—whether famous faces or amateurs—have the same simple goal: put one foot in front of the other. And if comparing the accomplishments of celebrity marathoners has you itching to run your own first or fastest 26.2 ever, great news: Runner’s World came up with an entire training program, How to Master the Marathon, to help you do just that.
To join the ranks of marathon runners like Harry Styles, you’ll need a solid training plan, plus expert advice on how to execute your workouts, boost your nutrition, and conquer race day. Good thing you can find everything in How to Master the Marathon, our 12-part guide that gives you all the tools for navigating your entire marathon training, from picking a race to crushing your long runs. The program is available exclusively to Runner’s World+ members.
We’re not saying Styles used our program to master the Tokyo Marathon last weekend. But we’re also not not saying that. (Return our calls to confirm, Harry!) After all, he ran the kind of strong, disciplined race typical of a knowledgeable, prepared marathoner—which is what we’ll help you become, so you’ll never have to run ... “As It Was” again. (Sorry.)
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Michale Natale is a News Editor for the Hearst Enthusiast Group. As a writer and researcher, he has produced written and audio-visual content for more than fifteen years, spanning historical periods from the dawn of early man to the Golden Age of Hollywood. His stories for the Enthusiast Group have involved coordinating with organizations like the National Parks Service and the Secret Service, and travelling to notable historical sites and archaeological digs, from excavations of America’ earliest colonies to the former homes of Edgar Allan Poe.
