Harry Styles surprised fans by secretly running in the Berlin Marathon on Sunday. To stay out of the spotlight, the British singer registered under the name Sted Sarandos and blended in with the crowd.
Despite trying to remain unnoticed, Styles delivered an impressive performance on one of the world’s fastest marathon courses. According to official results, he crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 59 minutes and 13 seconds. Out of nearly 80,000 runners, he secured the 2,242nd spot.
Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe took the men’s title with a winning time of 2:02:16, while fellow Kenyan Rosemary Wanjiru won the women’s race after clocking 2:21:05. The current men’s world record still belongs to Kelvin Kiptum, who ran 2:00:35 in the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
This year’s race was packed with thousands of athletes who filled Berlin’s streets for the 51st annual BMW Berlin Marathon.
For Styles, finishing under three hours is no small feat. In distance running, a sub-three-hour marathon is considered a major benchmark for dedicated amateurs. Fitness brand Polar calls the achievement “a symbol of immense dedication, perseverance, and the pursuit of personal excellence.”
The former One Direction member was spotted wearing professional Nike running gear throughout the race, suggesting he came prepared for a serious performance. Marathon organizers confirmed that the pseudonym registration was legitimate and followed all official race protocols, allowing the singer to participate like any other runner.
Fellow participants only realized the global superstar had been running alongside them when race photos and results surfaced on social media after the event. His sub-three-hour finish time puts him in elite company among amateur runners, with only about 4-5% of marathon participants worldwide achieving this milestone each year.
