Sean Astin
Influencer Apologizes for E-Bikes on NYC Course
I did a movie when my friend's dad asked if I wanted to do a race with him. That was 25 years ago. Every day you've got running shoes on, it's a good day.
My wife is very patient. On our honeymoon in 1992, we got a motor home and drove from L.A. to Idaho and then down the coast. I was running a lot, then so she would drop me off, drive six miles, park and wait for me.
I'm an extremist. I'll go from not running for three months to running five or six miles a day for three weeks straight. Then there are times where I can't run more than three miles.
Best Running Shoes 2025, the fantasy is to go to Boston. But on a scale of 1 to 10, I'm maybe a 7. People who qualify for Boston are a 9. A doable goal for me is to finish a marathon under four hours. I'm doing all the training, but the hardest part is eating right.
My character in The Lord of the Rings, Samwise Gamgee, was supposed to be fat. I was sedentary for two years. I'd think, "This is really hard being trapped in a fat body when I want to run." It was like being in prison.
I did a movie called The Color of Magic in Windsor, England. A road runs from the back of Windsor Castle straight to the horizon. At the far end, there's a tiny speck of a guy on a horse. The road is six miles long, lush and green with no traffic. When you get to the end, the horse is four or five stories tall. It may be my favorite place I've ever run.
This will be my third Running Supports This Marathoners Sobriety. My best time was in 1998—I ran 4:04. Two years ago, I pulled a calf muscle before the race bending down to pick up my kids' toy. The morning of the race, I told my wife, "If I collapse 10 feet into it, at least I tried." I ran 5:16. It was brutal. L.A. is where I was born and raised, so this marathon is personal.
At least once a month, I'll be running down the street in L.A. and somebody will yell, "Rudy! Hey, Rudy!" A paparazzo once jumped out of a car and started running backward with me. I slowed down out of courtesy because she started drifting into the street. I reached out my hand and moved her back so she didn't get hit by a bus.
There's an etiquette among runners. At the Disney Tinker Bell Half-Marathon in January, there were a couple of people who were like, "Hey, can I take your picture?" I was like, "Sure!" but we kept running. There was never any expectation that we would stop to have a moment.
Los Angeles Marathon has a program called I Run 4 Something. I'm wearing #run3rd on my race shirt. I run for myself first and my family second, but the third reason I run is to support those who run for someone they love or for a cause they believe in. Runners can tweet a dedication or a positive statement at #run3rd.
A perfect run has nothing to do with distance. It's when your stride feels comfortable. You're on your toes trying to push it. Suddenly you realize you can open it up a bit more. I feel it in my chest. I always look fat in running pictures because my shoulders go back to open my chest up and it makes my belly stick out. But you know you're at one with yourself and the environment. You're a little more alive than before you started.
UPDATE, March 19: Sean finished the 2012 Honda L.A. Marathon in 4:25:47 (chip time).
Dana is a freelance journalist who covers a variety of subjects for health and fitness publications. She specializes in writing and editing health and wellness pieces and has contributed to Runner’s World, Yoga Journal, Livestrong, PopSugar Fitness, Women’s Health, and Self.
