Do you know it’s harder to get into the Tokyo Marathon than other marathons? The selection process is quite competitive. The obvious qualifiers would be ahead of the rest in terms of stamina and fitness. But here’s the thing. How many of you expected to see pop icon Harry Styles’ name end up on the list? Yes, we are as pleasantly surprised as you are. Not only did he run, he also finished the race in an even more unexpected way!

Running the 26.2-mile (42.165 Km) marathon, the 31-year-old was seen all smiles, being captured on camera during the race. He was sporting bright-yellow Nike Road racers that perfectly complemented his all-black hoodie and shorts. Hey, his perfect hair has to be kept in place while he runs the distance. So, a white headband for that? Check. To top it all off, shades to complete the outfit, protection from the sun, or was he trying to stay incognito? Perhaps that’s what it was! The 31-year-old probably wanted to lay low, but when you finish a marathon holding another person’s hands, you will attract some attention inevitably.

Imagine one of the world’s greatest pop stars finishes a marathon holding hands with another musical talent? Fans would not just let it pass!  Turns out the British pop icon wasn’t the only one from the music industry flexing his muscles in Tokyo. Nikolai Haas of the Haas Brothers was also there with him, and what’s more, the two completed their impressive run almost at the same time, holding hands.

Wearing bib 39163, Nikolai finished the race ranked 6011 among 27000-odd runners, Styles was ranked 6010, crossing the finishing line in 3 hours, 24 minutes and 7 seconds! For those who know a thing or two about the Tokyo marathon, will agree his run was more than impressive. But what about Nikolai Haas’ presence at the same time and same place? mere coincidence? or did the two decide that they are going to love each other’s company during the marathon? It’s a no brainer that having a friend run beside you as a support system makes this otherwise daunting task so much easier. But about the Styles-Haas partnership in Japan, we can’t say anything for sure.

Regardless of whether they had planned it in advance or just happened to find each other on the spot, it was a successful outing. As for Harry Styles, he undertook the arduous task for a bigger cause and let’s just say, we have become bigger fans after learning of it.

Nice guy Harry Styles is always ready to pitch in for a cause

Turns out it wasn’t just a ‘let’s run a marathon to see what it’s like’ kinda thing. The Grammy Award winner participated in it because it was a charity event! As per the official website of Tokyo Marathon 2025, it had a bigger purpose, “The hearts of those who run, support, and cheer on the Tokyo Marathon in support of charity will be delivered to those who are facing various difficulties and those who are working to improve dreams, hopes, and society through the activities of each donor organization“. An initiative that was possible, thanks to the collaboration of 39 donor organizations, it really shows that Harry Styles isn’t just another popstar, he deeply cares about wanting to make a difference. But here’s the catch, had his aim just been to contribute to charity, he could have done that without running at all!

He could have simply donated and called it a day, there is a provision that allows such participation in the Tokyo Marathon, “Those who are not runners but wish to cheer and support the event are also welcome to participate with a donation only.” But Styles wanted to run. He secured a place among the 5,000 charity runners selected by charity organizations. His selection comes as no surprise. As we said before, his runtime was quite impressive. He finished the race in a gross time of 3:37:19 with a finishing time of 3:24:07. To put it in perspective, winner Tadese Takele ran a net time of 2:03:23. For many, the 31-year-old’s performance came as no surprise, given his mile best is 5:13. The way he approached the Tokyo Marathon gave it away that he is a seasoned runner.

Harry Styles split the race quite efficiently, running the first half in 1:42:03 and the second half in 1:42:04. He did try to finish the second half much faster. His fastest 5k came in between the 30 and 35 Km mark. In fact, from 25 to 35 Km, Harry was the fastest and probably wanted to clock under 3 Km. Who knows, maybe in a different universe, the pop legend is a track and field sensation!

Anyway, he had to slow down after the 35 km, and his slowest pace came after that. But it ended up as a balancing act for the 2 halves. Suffice it to say that he ran for a cause and he ran well. If you had any qualms about his popularity, you now know why he is as special to his fans as they consider him to be!