Boston Marathon 2026: From reality stars and elite athletes to a former First Daughter, all the celebrities running the race

Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former presdient Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, will make her Boston Marathon debut after earning a qualifying time at the 2025 NYC Marathon (Getty Images for National Alliance for Eating Disorders)

Former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton, 46, is no stranger to marathons, having run multiple New York City races. On Monday, Clinton, the only child of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will run her first Boston Marathon after earning a qualifying time of 3:44:22 at the 2025 NYC Marathon — 38 seconds under the qualifying standard for her age group.

Matt James

'The Bachelor' star Matt James will return for his third Boston Marathon (Getty Images for Amazon)

Matt James, The Bachelor’s first Black male lead, is continuing his yearly marathon streak. The 34-year-old, who led season 25 of the hit dating show in 2021, ran his first New York City marathon later that year. He has since run the challenging course three more times and added the Boston Marathon to his list of running accomplishments in 2022 and 2025.

Bryan Arenales

'Love Island' champion Bryan Arenales will make his Boston Marathon debut after running his first marathon in November (Getty Images for EA Sports)

Fellow reality star Bryan Arenales, who won season seven of Love Island USA last summer, is preparing to make his Boston Marathon debut this year. He ran his first marathon in Miami in February 2025, followed by both the Jersey City and New York City marathons later that fall.

Zdeno Chára

Former Boston Bruins hockey player Zdeno Chara will run his third Boston Marathon in four years (Getty Images)

Former NHL defenceman and Boston Bruins legend Zdeno Chára will make his third Boston Marathon appearance in three years. The Slovakian hockey player, 49, first ran Boston in 2023 and 2024. He was signed up for the 2025 race as well, but was forced to withdraw after sustaining an undisclosed injury.

Suni Williams

Retired NASA astronaut Suni Williams has participated in the Boston Marathon four times, including one run in space (Getty Images)

Months after retiring as a NASA astronaut, Suni Williams will run her first Boston Marathon (on Earth). The 60-year-old former Navy captain previously participated in the 2007 event on a treadmill in space. She also ran a portion of the course barefoot as an unofficial participant in the 1980s when she was just 17.

Jeff DaRosa

Dropkick Murphys' multi-instrumentalist Jeff DaRosa will run in support of the Claddagh Fund (Getty)

Multi-instrumentalist Jeff DaRosa of the Boston-founded Celtic punk band the Dropkick Murphys will run his first Boston Marathon on Monday. The musician, 43, turned to running after getting sober. He ran his first marathon in 2024 in Arizona. He will run his second marathon in support of his bandmate Ken Casey’s charity, the Claddagh Fund.

Chris Herren

Former NBA player Chris Herren will make his second Boston Marathon appearance in support of his non-profit, Herren Project (Getty Images)

More than 10 years after his Boston Marathon debut in 2014, former Boston Celtics player Chris Herren will make his return to the course, alongside his wife, Heather. This time around, the former NBA player and recovering addict, 50, will be running on behalf of his non-profit, the Herren Project, which provides recovery addiction resources.

Kristine Lilly

Retired soccer star Kristine Lilly made her Boston Marathon debut in 2012 (WireImage)

Retired soccer star Kristine Lilly will once again run the Boston Marathon on behalf of Mia Hamm Foundation, a charity founded by one of her former teammates to help raise funds for families in need of marrow or cord blood transplants. The 54-year-old athlete, widely considered to be one of the greatest women’s soccer players of all time, first ran the marathon in 2012 for the Children’s Hospital Boston.