James Milner completed the New York City Marathon in 3 hours, 9 minutes and 4 seconds, averaging 7 minutes and 13 seconds per mile. The former Brighton, Liverpool and Manchester City player ran the event during the early months of his retirement, aged 40. He said he had once felt capable of finishing under three hours, but late-career injuries had affected his prospects.
Milner’s time beats the 3:22:36 recorded by former Leicester midfielder Muzzy Izzet at the 2011 London Marathon, which led a list of footballers’ marathon results published in 2012. However, more recent performances place Milner eighth among the times identified in the latest review.
Former Dundee United and West Ham defender Christian Dailly ran the London Marathon in 3:06:26 in 2013. Former Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Lee Grant went faster, completing the London course in 3:00:33 this year. Five former footballers on the list have broken the three-hour mark.
Among them are Raúl González, who ran a marathon in 2:59:22 in 2019; Aaron Ramsey, who finished the Stockholm Marathon in exactly 2:59 this summer; and Arjen Robben, whose 2023 Rotterdam time was 2:58:33. Luis Enrique recorded 2:58:08 at the Florence Marathon.
The fastest time belongs to former Chelsea and Russia player Alexei Smertin, who ran 2:48:17 at the Kazan Marathon in 2020, aged 45. He has since turned his attention toward ultra-distance events, but has said he hopes to improve his marathon personal best.
The list also includes former USA midfielder Lauren Holiday, whose 3:40:30 is the fastest time identified for a female footballer. Leslie Osborne and Abby Wambach followed with times of 3:41:33 and 3:44:25, respectively. Former Leicester midfielder André Schürrle ran 3:21:25 in Berlin before completing the 167.7-mile, six-stage Marathon des Sables in 51:41:16.
Sources: The Guardian Sport.