It was a chilly, but clear, day in Boston for the 130th running of the Boston Marathon on Monday, and, as usual, a number of famous people took part. Former Boston Bruin Zdeno Chara and 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des Linden had special duties, firing the starter pistols for the professional men’s and professional women’s divisions, respectively, before jumping into the open division corrals to start their own races. Here (in no particular order) are some of the famous people who undoubtedly caused some spectators to do a double-take as they flew by.
Laura Green, comedian
Green is known for her sardonic Instagram posts about runners and running. Green is in her early 40s, and finished in 3:50:17 on Marathon Monday.
Jeff DaRosa, musician
The Dropkick Murphys musician (DaRosa is a multi-instrtumentalist who plays rhythm guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass, piano, tin whistle and bouzouki) is from the suburbs of Boston and ran in support of the Claddagh Fund, a charity started by the band, which raises funds for a variety of causes including veterans, children and addiction recovery. Like Green, DaRosa is also in his early 40s, and finished in 3:40:32.
Chelsea Clinton, former “first daughter”
Clinton is the daughter of former U.S. president Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and host of the That Can’t Be True podcast. Clinton is an experienced runner and has run the New York City Marathon (four times); we believe this was her first appearance at Boston. Some media report Clinton sometimes runs under a pseudonym to avoid publicity, but her name was right there in the results on Monday; she is in her late 40s and finished in 3:40:52.
Suni Williams, former astronaut
Williams retired from the space business in December 2025; she had most recently spent nine months on the International Space Station before returning to Earth in March 2025. Williams completed a virtual version of the Falmouth Road Race in space in 2024; she was also the first woman to run a marathon in space, back in 2007. Williams is in the W60-64 category and finished in 5:52:49 on Monday.
NEWS 🚨: Legendary astronaut Suni Williams has officially retired from NASA after 27 years of service
• Spent 608 total days in orbit
• First person to run a full marathon in space
• Record holder for most spacewalking time by a woman (62+ hours!!) pic.twitter.com/95HEZfFeRw
— Latest in space (@latestinspace) January 21, 2026
Zdeno Chara, former NHL defenceman
Chara, a longtime defender for the Boston Bruins (and who also played for the Ottawa Senators for a time) has run all six Abbott World Marathon Majors; this was his third appearance at the Boston Marathon. Chara is in the M45-49 age category and ran 3:18:00 on Monday.
Des Linden, 2018 Boston Marathon champion
Linden, who is 42, was fresh off a third-place finish at this year’s Marathon des Sables, where runners cover roughly 250 to 270 kilometres over six stages in the Sahara desert, carrying their own food and gear. (Linden has made a very successful transition from professional road running to ultra-trail; she also raced the Black Canyon 50K in Arizona in February.) She finished in 2:35:49 at Boston on Monday.
Bryan Arenales, Love Island winner (Season 7)
Arenales is the reality star who won Season 7 of Love Island; he’s 29, and finished in 4:06:49.
Chris Herren, former Boston Celtics star
Herren, 50, now tours as a motivational speaker. His time on Monday was 5:12:13; results indicate he crossed the finish line with his wife, Heather.
Amby Burfoot, 1968 Boston Marathon champion
Burfoot, now 79, is a former editor of Runner’s World and has run the Boston Marathon 28 times, earning the laurel wreath in 1968. Burfoot ran 5:11:29 on Monday.
And a couple of “Canadian Running celebs”
Former elite runner Rob Watson of Vancouver, who is now a coach with Mile2Marathon, returned to Boston for the first time in 13 years; those who remember the 2013 race (who could forget? it was the year of the bombings) may recall that he led the men’s field for a good portion of the race, before fading to 11th (his time was 2:15:33). Now 42, on Monday, Watson ran a little more conservatively, in the “open” division, and finished in 2:59:45.
Our March & April 2026 print issue cover model and Rubik’s Cube whiz kid George Scholey, ran 2:35:08.