ING New York City Marathon 2011: Who’s Running?

On the first Sunday of November in 2011, will you be watching from the television the ING NYC Marathon or be in the crowds together with 2 million enthusiastic fans cheering on 45,000 participants, elite athletes, and the following few notables will be towing the line on the Staten Island side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge;

· Stephanie Abrams-I hope she brings nice weather on Sunday.

· Gbenga Akinnagbe-You’ve seen him act in the Taking of Pelham 123, Numb3rs, The Good Wife, and Nurse Jackie. All for Africa will benefit from his run.

· Nate Appleman-Besides supporting Chipotle’s charity arm, he’s been a contestant on the Next Iron Chef and Chopped: All Stars.

· Joe Bastianich-You’ve might have eaten at his restaurants, Babbo, Becco or Del Posto, sipped his Bastianich wines, and watched him judge on MasterChef.

· Dr. Andy Baldwin-This multitasker is a Triathlete, Humanitarian, and is a good looking MD taking on the marathon for World Vision. Note that he will be running in the Nairobi Marathon in Kenya the week before!

· Richard Blais-This CIA graduate took his skills to the top at Top Chef All-Stars and will be running for Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

· Jennie Finch-The Olympic Softball Gold Medallist will be the last official runner and for every person she passes, Timex will donate $1.00 to New York Road Runners Youth Program.

· Mark Messier-Can this 6-time Stanley Cup Champion run, you bet ya on behalf of two causes, the New York Police & Fire Widows' and the Children's Benefit Fund and the Tomorrows Children's Fund.

· Mýa-North Shore Animal League has benefited from her waltz on Dancing with the Stars, act on television and movies and win Grammy Awards.

· Mario Lopez-Yes, AC Slater is running the NYC Marathon, currently he’s hosting at "Extra" and running for Boy’s and Girl’s Club of America.

· Apolo Ohno-He Dances with the Stars after being a highly decorated U.S. Olympian in the short-track speed skating. Subway’s Jared Fogle challenges Ohno to take on the race for Special Olympics.

· Shonda Schilling-Married to the famous Curt “Bloody Sock” Schilling. She’s a New York Times best-selling author and will be running for Asperger’s Syndrome.

· Paul Sparks-You’ve seen him in Boardwalk Empire as Mickey Doyle and will in a few upcoming movies. He’s running for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

· Ryan Sutter-The First Descents fundraiser found love on Television. He had a short-lived football career before this Colorado Firefighter married Trista Rehn from the Bachelorette. He’s supporting First Descents.

· Christy Turlington Burns-This beautiful supermodel will be running on behalf of Every Mother Counts.

· Michael K. Williams-You’ve seen him in Boardwalk Empire, Brooklyn’s Finest, and the Wire. He’s running for Harlem United.

· Edwin van der Sar-This Future Hall of Fame Manchester United Goalie will be running for Shoe4Africa.

· Veronica Webb-She’s famous for her runway modeling and acting. This time she’s running for Harlem United.

· Ethan Zohn and Jenna Morasca-He won a million on Survivor, but can he survive the Streets of NYC and support Team in Training’s Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

It is great that these celebrities are using their fame to raise awareness for these charities. I’ve been support Team for Kids for about 3 years. There is nothing better than running for yourself. When you couple the race with a worthy cause, it really becomes special!