Quick summary: Musician Harry Styles has topped a new celebrity marathon ranking by finishing the Berlin race in under three hours, achieving a personal best that is 34% faster than the global average and placing him in the top 5% of runners worldwide. The data highlights outstanding athletic performances from other prominent figures like Kirk Acevedo and Harry Judd, all of whom rank within the top 25% of global marathon participants. For public health policy and community well- being, highlighting these high-profile achievements serves as a powerful tool to promote physical fitness, demonstrating that balancing demanding careers with rigorous endurance training can inspire the public towards active lifestyles that significantly improve long-term cardiovascular health and mental resilience.
Harry Styles has topped a new ranking of the fastest celebrities based on official marathon finish times, becoming the only person on the list to break the three-hour mark.
Experts at Japanese iGaming hub eSportstars.io compiled and compared the quickest recorded marathon finish times for a selection of celebrities, using each star’s personal best where multiple races had been completed.
The top 10 fastest celebrity marathon runners
| Rank | Celebrity | Occupation | Marathon | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Styles | Musician | Berlin 2025 | 02:59:13 |
| 2 | Kirk Acevedo | Actor | New York City 2010 | 03:00:34 |
| 3 | Dana Carvey | Comedian | Ocean to Bay 1972 | 03:04:21 |
| 4 | Harry Judd | Musician | London 2026 | 03:05:25 |
| 5 | George Rainsford | Actor | London 2026 | 03:15:57 |
| 6 | Bryan Cranston | Actor | New York City 1985 | 03:20:45 |
| 7 | Cynthia Erivo | Actor/Singer | London 2026 | 03:21:40 |
| 8 | Ellie Goulding | Musician | Washington D.C. 2013 | 03:25:21 |
| 9 | Sophie Raworth | BBC Newsreader | London 2017 | 03:27:01 |
| 10 | Gordon Ramsay | Chef | London 2004 | 03:30:37 |
Styles set his personal record of 2:59:13 at the Berlin Marathon in 2025, one of two marathons he has completed. His time places him in the top 5% of runners worldwide and is 34% faster than the global average finish time of 4:32:49, according to research by RunRepeat.
Actor Kirk Acevedo, known for TV roles in Oz and Fringe, is second with a time of 3:00:34 set at the 2010 New York City Marathon. Comedian Dana Carvey is third after completing the Ocean to Bay marathon in 3:04:21 in 1972.
McFly drummer Harry Judd comes fourth with a time of 3:05:25 at the 2026 London Marathon, followed by Casualty and Call the Midwife actor George Rainsford, who ran the same race in 3:15:57.
Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston, who has completed four marathons, all under four hours, is sixth with a time of 3:20:45 set at the 1985 New York City Marathon. Singer and actress Cynthia Erivo is seventh after setting a personal record of 3:21:40 at the 2026 London Marathon, her second marathon.
Ellie Goulding is eighth after recording a time of 3:25:21 in Washington, DC, in 2013. BBC newsreader Sophie Raworth is ninth with a 3:27:01 in London in 2017, and chef Gordon Ramsay rounds out the top10 with a time of 3:30:37 from the 2004 London Marathon.
Hana Suzuki, content manager at eSportstars.io, said: “Running a marathon is a huge achievement, regardless of finish time, with less than 1% of the world’s population estimated to have run a marathon in the past 20 years. The average marathon finish time worldwide is 4:32:49, according to research by RunRepeat, which means all of these celebrities are not only part of the small percentage of people who have run a marathon, but they are also among the fastest.
“Styles is the only celebrity on the list with a sub-three-hour finish time 2:59:13, which is 34% less time than the average marathon finish time. This time places Styles in the top five of marathon runners worldwide.
“Kirk Acevedo, Dana Carvey, and Harry Judd are all within the top 10 bracket of marathon runners worldwide, running their marathons in under 3:15, while all of the celebrities in the top ten are within the top 25 bracket of marathon runners, with times below 3:45 minutes.”