By Victoria Gill
Boston University News Service
On Sept. 21, Harry Styles proved that singing is not his only talent when he competed in the Berlin Marathon. He finished in a time that only less than five percent of marathoners achieve: 2:59:13.
Out of 48,000 participants in the race, Styles finished in 2,245th place, putting him in the top 4.7%. According to RunnersWorld, the average male finishing time for the marathon distance is 4:21:03, which makes the pop singer’s performance extremely impressive.
Styles ran under the name of “Sted Sarandos,” presumably to fly under the radar and focus on the race itself. This allowed him to compete without media and fan interference impairing his ability to perform his best. This was his second marathon following his completion of the Tokyo Marathon in March.
This time around, Styles broke his previous personal best in an impressive fashion, decreasing his time by around 25 minutes from his previous marathon. This is a major improvement, cutting nearly a minute off each mile. Running a sub-three-hour marathon is an achievement few reach in the marathon world.
His average pace for this race was six minutes and 50 seconds per mile, which is a pace that many non-professional runners struggle to hold for all 26.2 miles. That is an average speed of 8.77 miles per hour.
Styles is also close to qualifying for the Boston Marathon, which is a very prestigious accomplishment as the race is known for its difficult qualifying times. The qualifying time for the 2026 Boston Marathon is 2:55:00, meaning Styles is only four minutes and 13 seconds off. Not too bad for a side hustle.
Styles’ time may be an inspiration for other runners and watchers, regardless of whether they’re a fan. Styles displayed hard work, motivation and focus as he balances running with his career.
