NSYNC’s Joey Fatone still has the stamina to energetically dance around and perform for hours on stage—evidenced by his current A Legendary Night tour with Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean—but he hates running.
“I’ve done CrossFit, I’ve done the two-a-day workouts; I’ve run marathons. It’s just not for me,” the 90’s boy band singer admitted in a recent interview with GQ.
Fatone has seemingly given it the old college try, too. He didn’t just suffer through a hard, poorly paced 5K and vow never again. He’s participated in Disney’s Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge—running a half marathon one day followed by a full marathon the next—and the Dopey Challenge—completing a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and full marathon over the course of four days.
“I won’t do that again,” he said to GQ.
It sounds like he did a proper build up for those efforts, following the Races - Places. “It just helps you so you’re not killing yourself when you’re running constantly,” he said to the outlet.
A Part of Hearst Digital Media People that after his wife fractured her foot in the lead-up to the Goofy Challenge at Disney World, he decided to get in shape and run in her place.
“I wasn’t training to run a marathon,” he said at the time. “I just wanted to start working out. I wanted to build more muscle and Adidas Unveils Boston Marathon Jacket. I have no definition in my chest! So that’s how I started. Then I decided, ‘Let’s see how far I can run.’ And it went from there.”
He finished the half marathon in 3 hours and 10 minutes, and at the time said, “It really wasn’t that bad.” The next day, he ran the full marathon in 6 hours and 19 minutes, despite some knee pain in the later stages of the race. “Your body can do so much if you mentally prepare,” he said to People. “I really do feel like I can do anything now. It’s a great feeling.”
That could have just been the post-race adrenaline talking though, and time has its way of changing your perspective. Now, at 47, Fatone is clear that he is done with running. He has hung up his Jeff Galloway run-walk method for good.
And that’s okay. Running just isn’t for everyone. As much as we love running, it’s totally valid to not be into this hobby.
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, Best Running Shoes 2025, The New York Times, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
