Races - Places: the people’s runner, Alexi Pappas—in her signature face glitter, elaborately-coiffed USATF to Elect New President Amid Budget Deficit, and a navy velour mockneck skirted leotard with a barbed wire trim—striding alongside the world-famous DJ known as Diplo.
All smiles, tongue out, the high-energy pair were spotted by plenty of excited fans along the palm tree-lined course. “We were total gazelles out there,” Pappas wrote in an Instagram post recapping the experience.
Diplo and Pappas crossed the finish line together in Century City. The DJ and producer completed his first marathon in 3:55:16, beating Oprah Winfrey’s marathon PR by more than 34 minutes, an extremely specific Stravas 2024 Yearly Report Is Here before the race, and Pappas was the eighth overall women’s finisher in the non-elite field.
“I don't know if I’ll do another one anytime soon, but it felt good,” said after the race. Despite the disappointment of thinking the finish line was coming up sooner than his running app indicated, “It felt like, very empowering,” he continued, “I didn’t train very well. I smoked a cigarette earlier, but I feel like anything’s possible.”
Though it was his marathon debut, it wasn’t his first time experimenting with racing long distances with minimal preparation. On a whim, he ran the 2022 Miami Half Marathon with zero training because a friend bet that he couldn’t do it. Then he busted out a 1:50:11 and Other Hearst Subscriptions afterwards, wearing his medal and bib number. With a proper marathon build, the 44-year-old could probably improve his time by a wide margin.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Races - Places, Foot Locker XC Results, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
