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The 2023 TCS New York City Marathon will take over the Big Apple Sunday as runners from around the world descend on it for a 26.2-mile race through the five boroughs.
The field is made up of everyday citizens looking to cross an item off their bucket lists and competitive runners testing themselves in one of the most recognizable events in the sport.
It also features celebrities from the world of sport and entertainment who will look to tackle the course for one reason or another.
Celebrities In This Year’s Race
- Steve Mesler, Olympic gold medalist bobsledder
- Sheinelle Jones, TODAY show correspondent
- Nev Schulman, MTV’s Catfish: The TV Show host
- Laura Dreyfuss, actress and singer
- Luke MacFarlane, actor
- Zdeno Chara, NHL legend with the Boston Bruins
- Patina Miller, Grammy and Tony Award-winning singer and actress
- Amy Robach, TV personality
- TJ Holmes, TV personality
Chara is no stranger to marathon running.
The 6-foot-9-inch NHL legend and Stanley Cup-winning captain of the Bruins competed in the Boston Marathon this past April, finishing in 3:38:23.
Boston Bruins @NHLBruins
3:38:23 for 3️⃣3️⃣
Congrats, Zee! 👏 pic.twitter.com/BACTpcsxWK
Chara is a seven-time NHL All-Star, a Norris Trophy winner, was part of the league’s 2010’s All-Decade Team, and in 2011, was presented the Mark Messier Leadership Award. He played for 24 season in the NHL and was one of the grittiest, hardest-hitting defenders in the league.
The toll that took on his body would suggest he would be content to go home, rest up, and enjoy the fruits of his labors. Instead, he has taken to big city streets as part of the most prestigious marathons in the country.
“What brought me to marathons was challenging myself but also the curiosity. I was always a fan of endurance sports, where people push their limits and try to prove that it’s possible,” he told The US Sun.
Mesler echoed those sentiments, telling Olympics.com of his participation in the race, “I think the thing I miss the most of being an Olympic athlete is the process: I miss the grind, getting up every day and having a goal and pursuing it and pushing myself. I re-discovered that with marathon training. I was getting up at 5 in the morning for my runs.”
Kenya’s Evan Chebet won the men’s 2022 marathon at 2:08:41 while his fellow countrywoman Sharon Lokedi took the top spot in the women’s race at 2:23:23. Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair race at 1:25:26 and Susannah Scaroni outpaced her opponents in the women’s race at 1:42:43.
The race kicks off Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. on Staten Island and concludes at Central Park at 67th Street.