Here Are the Celebrities and Notables Running the 2023 Boston Marathon
Find out which A-listers, sports stars, and history-makers are lining up on Monday.
The 127th running of the Boston Marathon will kick off on Monday morning. It’s the first year that a nonbinary division will be included. It also marks 10 years since the Boston Marathon bombing, and in recognition of the lives that were lost in the terror attack bib 2013 will not be awarded. The famous race is a dream and a goal for countless runners, including celebrities.
Here are some of the household names to look for on the legendary 26.2-mile course.
Zdeno Chára
The Slovak former professional ice hockey defenseman will be making his marathon debut on Monday, wearing bib number 3333 in honor of his recently retired Bruins jersey number (33). He spent 14 of his 24 NHL seasons in Boston, and last September signed a one-day contract allowing him to retire in Beantown. Chára will be running in support of the Thomas E. Smith Foundation and the Hoyt Foundation, which works towards inclusivity for people with disabilities in all facets of daily life.
Brock Holt
Running with his wife to raise money and awareness for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund Clinic, ex-Red Sox utility player Brock Holt will tackle Boston with bib number 1212 in honor of the Red Sox No. 12 uniform he wore in 2013. Holt says, “Never thought I would voluntarily choose to run 26.2 miles but could not be more excited to do so.”
Ryan Dempster
Former Red Sox pitcher Ryan Dempster spent his only major league season in Boston in 2013. That year and its aftermath inspired the Canadian baseball player to run 26.2 miles this Patriot’s Day. His first day as the winning pitcher for the Red Sox coincided with the day of the bombing, “and our team was part of something really special afterward with the city to rally around and trying to turn a tragedy around into triumph,” he told WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche. He’s running for the Lingzi Foundation, in honor of Lu Lingzi, a Boston University graduate student who was killed in the 2013 attack.
Monica Rakitt (nee Puig)
Just months after the Olympic tennis gold medalist announced her retirement from the sport, she took up running. Now, hoping to improve on her 4:32:39 in New York, Rakitt is heading to Boylston Street. It’ll just be her warmup, though. The Puerto Rican tennis star will be heading to London a week later, notching two World Marathon Majors back to back. Her goal is to complete all six majors. The multi-sport talent has said of her newfound love of running, “Running has given me a sense of purpose and plenty of goals to work towards. It’s the hobby I never knew I needed.”
Daniel Humm
The chef behind New York City’s Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park is a former pro cyclist who’s run the New York Marathon so many times he’s lost count. The Swiss native is capable of seven-minute miles, so it’ll be fun to see what he’s got in the tank for Boston this year.
Amby Burfoot
The marathon great turned running journalist and author (and former Runner’s World editor-in-chief) returns to the race he won in 1968 and has completed more than 20 times since. The 76-year-old ran a personal best of 2:14:28 in his heyday, but he now loves running in the middle of the pack.
Henry and Bill Richard
Martin Richard tragically lost his life at age 8 in 2013 during the Boston Marathon bombings. Now, 10 years later, his brother, Henry, and father, Bill, will both race the Boston Marathon on Monday. Henry ran Boston last year, posting a time of 4:02:45.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Like the Wind Magazine, The New York Times, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
