Celebrities were among the thousands of runners who crossed the finish line at the London Marathon on Sunday, with Wicked actress Cynthia Erivo and former England cricketer Sir Alastair Cook both completing the 26.2-mile course.
Erivo Achieves Personal Best
Erivo finished the race in approximately three hours and 21 minutes, setting a new personal best and beating her previous time of three hours and 35 minutes from 2022. After crossing the finish line on the Mall, the exhausted star was helped to a seat where she rested before speaking to the media.
The Oscar-nominated actress said: “There was a little rough moment where I thought it was never going to make it, but then I found a little bit of strength. I’m here, and I feel really proud.”
Erivo, who woke up at 5am on Sunday, is set to perform at the Noel Coward Theatre in London on Monday, where she plays all 23 roles in Dracula. “It’s at 7.30pm, so I should be fine,” she said, adding: “I may be a little slower than usual.”
When asked about the possibility of the London Marathon being held across two days next year, Erivo remarked: “It would be amazing. I may be just watching next year though.” She explained her love for running, saying it allows her to “zone out” and “just be me,” adding: “You just get to centre… I get to think about the things that I want to think about, zone out for a second, meditate for a second.”
Cook Reflects on the Race
Speaking after completing the marathon, Sir Alastair Cook said his favourite part was the finish. “Apart from that, just seeing the number of people that come out. I just say, seeing my little boy (Jack) and my family at around about the 20-mile mark, it didn’t inspire me to run any faster, because I was done, but it was nice to see his face.”
When asked how running a marathon compares to playing cricket, Cook said: “Cricket’s easy. When you’ve finished, when you’re not very good, you cash out and sit down. There’s no hiding place here.”
Temperatures reached the high teens on Sunday as runners crossed the finish line, many punching the air and high-fiving in excitement. Other notable finishers included BBC broadcaster Sophie Raworth and former British women’s tennis No 1 Laura Robson.
