Harry Styles on March 11 in New York. The pop star shaved nearly a half-hour off his time in his second marathon.XNY/Star Max/Getty Images
Harry Styles’s fourth album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally dropped earlier this month. The highly anticipated record comes four years after Harry’s House, a multi-platinum juggernaut that cemented Styles as one of the world’s top artists.
Promoting Disco, Styles made a stop to Saturday Night Live, serving as both the host and musical guest. Photos for the album were styled by Calvin Klein. But the musician’s first major print interview came in a less expected outlet. Styles chatted with acclaimed novelist Haruki Murakami for Runner’s World.
In addition to being an elite level pop star, Styles proved he was a serious athlete last September by completing a sub-three hour marathon in Berlin. Speaking with Murakami – whose memoir What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is considered a must read for all endurance competitors – the musician talked about about how running and marathon training gave him both the discipline and solitude necessary to take the next creative steps in his career.
We chatted with some experts about how to run a marathon like Harry Styles, examining his training, gear and music choices.
Running all the time. Disco, occasionally.
Harry Styles has run two marathons. He finished his first race in Tokyo with a time of 3:24:07. At the aforementioned Berlin run, he shaved nearly half an hour off his finish, completing the race in 2:59:13. According to race data collected by Sub-3 marathon, less than five percent of participants run a marathon in less than three hours. To achieve that time takes some natural ability, some specialized training, and a lot of effort.
“I work with a lot of runners who broke a sub-three marathon. It took them five, six, even seven attempts to achieve that time,” said Bojan Hasanagic, a physiotherapist with the Runner’s Academy. “When we have somebody that’s a high-level actor or an entertainer, they’re usually very coachable. They understand the structure, the hours, and perseverance it takes to achieve their goals.”
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While Styles hasn’t laid out the exact training program he used to help prepare for his races, Hasanagic notes that it’s likely a combination of speed runs, longer jogs, and some additional strength/mobility training. Nutrition would also play a factor during and around his workouts. The physiotherapist expects Styles had a team helping him out.
“Even with support it’s a huge commitment,” said Hasanagic. “He’d be running at least five times a week for sure. Likely a training block of about 16 weeks.”
What gear Styles wears for running
There have been conflicting reports about the type of shoes Styles chose for each Marathon. Some reported that he wore Nike’s Alphafly 3 design. Others said it was the Vomero Plus. During casual jogs around New York City he’s been spotted in New Balance 1080 v15s. Choosing the footwear appropriate to the goal of each run can be a game changer for serious runners.
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“Once you start getting into those bigger mileage weeks, we always recommend something called the shoe rotation – basically, using different shoes for different runs,” said Caitlyn Kusnierczyk.
Kusnierczyk works as an event planner for Black Toe Running, a specialty running-shoe store with locations in Toronto and Ottawa. She is also a member of their run club. For faster runs, she recommends trying something with a carbon plate to help increase pace and reduce impact on your body. For everyday runs, it might be better to pick something with more cushioning.
“If you’re wearing something that’s not working for you, you’re not going to be comfortable. If the shoes aren’t fitting properly, you also run the risk of injury.”
Styles’s go-to running shorts from Tracksmith are fashionably short, but they also serve a functional purpose. Running shorts can help with mobility and moisture management if things get sweaty.
Music and marathons
Running a race that lasts for over 42 kilometres takes a lot of mental fortitude. Having the right soundtrack can be a huge help. A study from 2020 showed that listening to your preferred music can actually improve running performance.
For Styles, that meant listening to electronic music like Floating Points and Jamie XX while training and starting to put together early ideas for Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. Further into the process, he’d occasionally listen to his own demos, according to The Runner’s World profile.
If you’re thinking about training for your own marathon, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally has a run time of just over 42 minutes: a nice length for a decent jog.
