# Has a footballer ever run a marathon faster than James Milner? | The Knowledge

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/has-a-footballer-ever-run-a-marathon-faster-than-james-milner-the-knowledge/
- Published: 2026-11-04T08:00:29+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T12:54:19+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/nov/04/footballer-run-marathon-faster-than-james-milner-the-knowledge
- Topics: Football, Sport

## Key points

- Milner ran New York in 3:09:04.
- Five footballers on the list broke three hours.
- Rob Rensenbrink leads at 2:44:52.

## Summary

James Milner ran the New York City Marathon in 3 hours, 9 minutes and 4 seconds, a strong time that puts him ahead of the footballers’ previous leading mark cited in a 2012 list. The article compares his result with other current and former players, showing that several have run faster and five have broken three hours.

Milner averaged 7 minutes 13 seconds per mile and said injuries had hindered his hopes of going under three hours. The fastest time listed is 2:44:52 by former Chelsea player Rob Rensenbrink; other sub-three-hour runners include Raúl González, Aaron Ramsey, Arjen Robben and Luis Enrique. Former US midfielder Lauren Holiday is the fastest female footballer mentioned, at 3:40:30.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.