A brief history of celebs running the NYC Marathon

With the New York City Marathon set for Sunday, a lot of runners will be testing their fitness against friends, but it’s always nice to know where you stand against some of the biggest names there are.

For those of you actually racing in New York this weekend, you can keep your eyes open for a few famous Canadians to try and out-kick at the finish. Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and former NHL hockey player Nick Kypreos will both be making their marathon debuts on Sunday.

If you can’t find any in the crowd there are some other celebrities who have raced marathons, many the historic NYC Marathon, who you can measure yourself against.

In 2003, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs raced to a 4:14 on the streets of New York. Katie Holmes ran the NYC Marathon in 2007, finishing in 5:29. Ryan Reynolds finished in 3:50 in 2008, but Edward Norton seems to take the top-spot of actors in the Big Apple with his 3:48 the following year.

Before any of these current crop of celebrities ran the streets of New York, David Lee Roth ran to a 6:04 finishing time in 1987.

Also of note, Oprah ran the 1994 Marine Corps Marathon in 4:29.

Other recognizable names in other races include a host of politicians and political figures. Al Gore ran a 4:58 in 1997 while he was acting Vice President, and George W. Bush once ran 3:44:52. Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin ran an impressive 2:57:06. Former director of the CIA David Petraeus ran 2:50 back in 1982.

For a large list of celebrity marathon results check this Wikipedia page.