The good, bad, and ugly of creators running marathons [Video]

The stars were out during the 2024 New York City Marathon, and many of the celebs who toed the starting line on November 3 are known for their online presence. Creators like Casey Neistat and Haley Kalil were among the 55,646 entrants who embarked on a 26.2-mile journey through New York’s five boroughs, and they are part of a growing — and controversial — movement that empowers influencer voices within the running community.

Both Neistat and Kalil accomplished their NYC Marathon goals in 2024, though their respective missions were quite different. Neistat, who arguably kicked off the creator distance running trend with his marathon vlogs, finished in under three hours for the first time. Kalil’s time was not as fast, but as the creator/model put it, her goal was just to finish (so that she could stick it to the haughty runners in her life).

Influencer participation in marathons is part of broader growth in the running world. During the first six months …