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How celebrities, notable figures finished at the 2023 Boston Marathon
A Bruins legend and several World Series-winning Red Sox players were among the celebrities to run the 2023 Boston Marathon.
If you looked carefully amidst the swirling sea of 30,000+ rain-soaked athletes running the 2023 Boston Marathon on Monday, you may have spotted the familiar faces of a few celebrities running this year’s race.
Famous participants in the 127th Boston Marathon included a Bruins legend, several former Red Sox World Series champions, and more.
Here are the finishing times (courtesy the B.A.A. racing app) for the bold-faced names running the 2023 Boston Marathon.
(Note: This list will be updated with as racers finish.)
Des Linden (2:27:18) and Sara Hall (2:25:48)
Des Linden and Sara Hall, two elite women’s runners who have become crowd favorites, both finished in the top 20 of the elite women’s division in the 2023 Boston Marathon. Though they both finished a few minutes off the pace of the leaders, Hall and Linden (who won the women’s race at the 2018 Boston Marathon) notched finishes of 2:25:48 (17th place) and 2:27:18 (18th place), respectively.
Daniel Humm (2:58:53)
Daniel Humm, a highly decorated celebrity chef who runs the triple Michelin Star-winning Eleven Madison Park in New York City, ran the 2023 Boston Marathon in an impressive 2:58:53. An avid runner and cyclist, Humm has run a number of marathons over the years.
Monica Puig (3:49:47)
Tennis player Monica Puig, who made history in 2016 as the first tennis player to win an Olympic gold medal while representing Puerto Rico in the sport, is attempting to run all six major world Marathons. After finishing Boston with a time of 3:49:47, Puig will head to the U.K. to compete in the London Marathon on Sunday.
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“That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Puig said in a video posted after the race on her Instagram. “The toughest course. But under four hours, and I’m super super happy mentally. Physically, I’m feeling great, other than my legs, which are destroyed. What an experience.”
Zdeno Chara (3:38:23)
Sporting bib number 3333 (a nod to his No. 33 jersey), the legendary Bruins defender, who spent 14 seasons with the team and won a Stanley Cup in 2011, finished the 2023 Boston Marathon with a time of 3:38:23, towering over fellow racers on the course.
Chara ran the race in support of the Thomas E. Smith Foundation and the Hoyt Foundation. Father and son duo Dick and Rick Hoyt were Boston Marathon fixtures for years, with Dick (who passed away in 2021) pushing Rick in a wheelchair. The Smith Foundation supports those living with paralysis, while the Hoyt Foundation aims to “build the individual character, self-confidence and self-esteem of America’s disabled young people.”
After the race, Chara told WCVB’s Duke Castiglione that the anniversary of the bombings was in his thoughts as he finished the race.
“What this city and the people showed, how they came together and supported each other at the time, it was incredibly motivational and inspiring for all of us,” he said. “Running 10 years later, I always had it in the back of my mind. I just tried to obviously give my best those last few miles. I was thinking of all the people who were affected, and all the families.”
Matt Reed (4:16:24)
The Boston Marathon has switched stations locally for the first time in awhile, with coverage airing on WCVB Channel 5 instead of WBZ Channel 4. With that switch in mind, WCVB reporter Matt Reed ran the race for the presenting channel, finishing with a time of 4:16:24.
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Reed ran the race in support of Boston Children’s Hospital.
Ryan Dempster (4:42:11)
Ten years after Ryan Dempster was the starting pitched for the Red Sox on Patriots Day, the right-hander finished the 2023 Boston Marathon with a time of 4:42:11.
“I only played one season in Boston, but it feels like 10 with everything that happened that season,” Dempster told The Boston Globe. “I’ll never forget that day.”
Dempster ran in support of the Lingzi Foundation, created by the family of Lingzi Lu, one of the victims of the bombing.
Marichka Padalko (4:53:04)
Ukranian journalist Marichka Padalko trained for the 2023 Boston Marathon in between reporting on the war between Russia and Ukraine, and finished with a time of 4:53:04. Padalko is running for Sunflower of Peace, a nonprofit started by a Ukrainian immigrant living in Newton that “provides life-saving medical and humanitarian aid to Ukrainians affected by the Russian military invasion.”
“If Ukrainians sometimes feel exhausted, I can understand how people in other countries get tired of hearing about the war that is so far away,” Padalko told The Boston Globe. “I so appreciate how the world helps us. I’m running not just to ask for more help, but also as a way to say thank you.”
Kourtney Turner (5:25:28)
On Sunday, Justin Turner hit his first home run as a member of the Boston Red Sox. On Monday, his wife, Kourtney, got into the swing of things, finishing the 2023 Boston Marathon in a time of 5:25:28. Kourtney told WCVB that as soon as Turner signed with the team in January, she began looking into how she could run the race. She ran in support of the Boston Red Sox Foundation, which aims to “make a difference in the lives of children, families, veterans, and our communities in need by improving their health, education, and recreational opportunities.”
Doug Flutie (5:28:34)
From his playing days at Natick High School and Boston College to wrapping up his pro career with the Patriots, former quarterback Doug Flutie has always been a hometown favorite, and he upheld that legacy with a 5:28:34 finish at the 2023 Boston Marathon.
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Flutie ran in support of his nonprofit, The Flutie Foundation, which supports individuals and families impacted by autism. The foundation is also this year’s sponsor for the Boston Marathon’s adaptive program, which helps people with developmental, intellectual, and physical impairments (including autism) participate in athletic events like the marathon.
“It is so darn emotional, when you turn the corner and come down Boylston and you know you’re going to finish,” Flutie told WCVB. “It just comes over you.”
Brock Holt (5:46:57)
Former Red Sox utilityman Brock Holt, who won two World Series (in 2013 and 2018) during his seven seasons with the team, ran with his wife, Lakyn (who ran a 5:51:13), in support of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Holt, who dryly told WCVB that this would be his “first and last” Boston Marathon, said he felt honored to have been a small part of the 2013 Red Sox team.
“I was fortunate to be a part of that team — a small part — during the year,” Holt said. “I spent a lot of time in AAA. But I was very fortunate to get to experience what those guys meant to the city.”
Mike Myers (5:59:31)
No, not that Mike Myers. The former Red Sox relief pitcher (not the “Wayne’s World” and “Austin Powers” actor) finished the 2023 Boston Marathon in just under six hours with a time of 5:59:31. Myers ran his second Boston Marathon in support of The Angel Fund for ALS Research.
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