{"id":632037,"date":"2026-04-26T12:54:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T12:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/632037\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T12:54:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T12:54:20","slug":"8-pro-cyclists-who-blitzed-running-a-marathon-but-whos-fastest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/632037\/","title":{"rendered":"8 pro cyclists who blitzed running a marathon (but who’s fastest?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This weekend sees the return of the London Marathon \u2013 the daddy of all running events.<\/p>\n

The 2025 edition of the annual jog through England\u2019s capital saw it break its own world record for the biggest annual one-day fundraising total.<\/p>\n

The \u00a387.3m raised was \u00a313.8m higher than 2024\u2019s figure (which was also a record) and such are the staggering amounts raised \u2013 and the always over-subscribed ballot for entry \u2013 that organisers are looking to make the 2027 event a double-header.<\/p>\n

The London Marathon, and indeed marathons generally, are bucket-list events for so many people \u2013 runners and non-runners alike.<\/p>\n

That includes pro cyclists, and there are many examples of active and retired riders pinning on a number, in London and elsewhere, to test themselves in a very different benchmark of endurance fitness.<\/p>\n

Geraint Thomas<\/a>, the newly retired 2018 Tour de France champion looked set to add to this list, but pulled out last month after a leg injury disrupted his training.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d get round a marathon but I\u2019d end up in a box,\u201d he told listeners to his Watts Occurring podcast that he hosts with former team-mate Luke Rowe.<\/p>\n

\"\"Geraint Thomas, among runners at least, during his farewell race at the 2025 Tour of Britain. Getty Images<\/p>\n

But, as this article shows, the list of pro cyclists who have run a marathon is long \u2013 and the times are impressive. While there is some crossover for a cyclist\u2019s physiological and indeed psychological capabilities when they pull on a pair of running trainers (the body\u2019s ability to utilise oxygen and the capacity to tolerate pain, for example), there\u2019s also a huge separation.<\/p>\n

Pro cyclists, when they\u2019re not pedalling their bike, are hard-wired to spend as little time as possible on their feet, so the impact forces of running can be a shock.<\/p>\n

Adaptation is necessary \u2013 jumping from a bike tour to a marathon would be folly without a slow build-up.<\/p>\n

Many of the best times recorded by cyclists have come post-career or during an extended time-out. But that’s not always the case.<\/p>\n

Tom Dumoulin, Amsterdam 2025
\n2hrs 29mins
\n\"\"Tom Dumoulin posted a marathon time that many elite runners would be happy with. Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Dutch former pro certainly had the pedigree for a fast marathon time. The winner of the 2017 Giro d\u2019Italia and runner-up at the Tour de France used his prowess in time trials to power his stage-racing success \u2013 an asset with obvious parallels for an event such as the marathon.<\/p>\n

At last year\u2019s Amsterdam marathon, he demonstrated just that<\/a>, coming home in a deeply impressive 2hrs 29mins.<\/p>\n

For much of the race, he was able to run in the group of the women\u2019s winner, Ethiopian Aynalem Desta (2hrs 17mins), but around halfway had to stop with cramp. Still, though, it’s the fastest marathon time from a current or former pro cyclist we can find.<\/p>\n

Adam Yates, Barcelona 2021
\n2hrs 58mins
\n\"\"Adam Yates’ diminutive stature burnishes his profile for running. Getty Images<\/p>\n

An active pro cyclist running a marathon during the cycling season would be a no-no up there with a skiing holiday or a cage fight, but during the off-season \u2013 between October and December \u2013 would be a more palatable proposition for nervous team management. <\/p>\n

And so it was in the winter of 2021 when British rider Adam Yates, then riding for Ineos Grenadiers and only a few weeks from a place on the podium at Il Lombardia, ran the Barcelona marathon.<\/p>\n

He did so in a very impressive time, too, the 2hrs 58mins meaning he squeaked under the fabled three-hour mark so prized by amateur runners.<\/p>\n

“I think I’ll stick to bike riding,” Yates said on social media afterwards, adding that two weeks on the beach hadn\u2019t been the best prep.<\/p>\n

Tiffany Cromwell, Budapest 2017
\n3hrs 21mins
\n\"\"Tiffany Cromwell searches out sports that keep her interest, whatever they might be. Getty Images<\/p>\n

This Australian veteran, still active in the pro peloton in a career that began in 2010, has never been one to sit still during the European winter.<\/p>\n

Recently, Cromwell’s career has expanded away from the road and she is a prolific gravel racer, but she\u2019s also been fond of getting away from the bike altogether, particularly with running.<\/p>\n

She has completed several marathons, notably the 2017 Budapest marathon during a city break there at the end of the season.<\/p>\n

Her 3hrs 21mins, no mean feat, came during her peaks years as a road pro. \u201cI flew in the day before the marathon, did that, and then had two days to hobble around. I was broken,\u201d she told Rouleur in the aftermath.<\/p>\n

Nacer Bouhanni, Valencia 2025
\n2hrs 31mins
\n\"\"The enigmatic Bouhanni once again ruffled feathers with a searing marathon performance. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Pro cycling \u2018sprinters\u2019 such as France\u2019s Nacer Bouhanni need to have far more in their locker than an ability to finish a race fast.<\/p>\n

Endurance is just as important to their cause in the Tour de France as those riders chasing the yellow jersey, because being dropped in the mountains can see them eliminated from the race before they\u2019ve had chance to contend for a stage victory.<\/p>\n

So, it should come as no surprise to see Bouhanni flying in the marathon, despite the different demands of the sports.<\/p>\n

The two years that have passed since his cycling career ended have clearly enabled Bouhanni\u2019s body to adapt to long-distance running, and several marathon attempts peaked in Valencia late last year when he recorded a stunning 2hrs 31mins for the 26.2-mile distance.<\/p>\n

Freddy Ovett, New York 2023
\n2hrs 37mins<\/p>\n

No cyclist on this list has a better pedigree for running than Australian Freddy Ovett, son of British 800m 1980 Olympic gold medal winner Steve Ovett.<\/p>\n

Freddy\u2019s emergence as a professional road cyclist in the mid-2010s gained him column inches for his endurance sport heritage and he has since returned to his running roots with impressive marathon times \u2013 notably at the 2023 New York City marathon, where he recorded a then-PB of 2hrs 37mins.<\/p>\n

Michal Kwiatkowski, New York 2023
\n4hrs 11mins<\/p>\n

In the same NYC marathon, some way back in the field, was the current Ineos Grenadiers pro and two-time Tour de France stage winner, who completed the run in 4hrs 11mins, alongside his wife, Agata. \u201cOne from the bucket list!\u201d he exclaimed on social media.<\/p>\n

Emma Pooley, Lausanne 2013
\n2hrs 44mins
\n\"\"Emma Pooley was a distinguished runner before she took up cycling. Getty Images<\/p>\n

British 2010 World Time Trial Champion Pooley enjoyed a successful road-racing career either side of a professional stint in duathlon (cycling and running).<\/p>\n

Her running abilities were on full display at the 2013 Lausanne marathon, which she won in 2hrs 44mins \u2013 a top-20 run by a female British athlete that year.<\/p>\n

Running had been Pooley\u2019s first love, as a youth and through university, but she had to quit because of persistent injuries.<\/p>\n

She fell into cycling, where she was able to wield her considerable endurance base, and it became particularly useful in the time-trial discipline.<\/p>\n

Lance Armstrong, New York City 2007
\n2hr 46mins
\n\"\"Armstrong pounds the pavement. Getty Images<\/p>\n

The polarising Texan threw himself into running \u2013 and fitness generally \u2013 in between two bouts of pro cycling (from 2005 to 2009).<\/p>\n

Given the complete reputational collapse that came with his doping admission circa 2012, at one point he\u2019d have wished he\u2019d stayed focused on running (although he appears to be doing just fine these days.)<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because he\u2019s pretty good at it; like Pooley, Armstrong had a background in running, and was a champion pro triathlete in the earliest part of his career. <\/p>\n

In New York in 2007, he ran a superb 2hr 46mins to finish comfortably in the top 1,000 (of almost 40,000) \u2013 besting his time from the previous year by 13 minutes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This weekend sees the return of the London Marathon \u2013 the daddy of all running events. The 2025…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":632038,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-632037","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/632038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}