Harry Styles secretly crushes Berlin marathon under a fake name, finishes in under three hours

Pop superstar Harry Styles proved he’s got more than just musical talent this weekend when he secretly participated in the Berlin Marathon and absolutely crushed it with an impressive sub-three-hour finish time.

The 31-year-old former One Direction member joined approximately 55,000 other runners on Sunday, September 21, tackling the grueling 26.2-mile course through Germany’s capital city. However, instead of running under his famous moniker, Styles registered for the marathon using the clever alias “Sted Sarandos” – apparently a playful nod to Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos.

To keep things low-key, the Grammy winner donned sunglasses and a headband during the race, sporting a blue Adidas jacket, black shorts, and eye-catching hot pink Nike ZoomX AlphaFly 3 running sneakers. Despite his disguise, eagle-eyed fans managed to spot the “Watermelon Sugar” singer along the route.

Styles crossed the finish line with an impressive time of 2:59:13, placing him in the exclusive sub-three-hour club – a major achievement that only about 5% of marathon runners accomplish. The Berlin course, known for being one of the world’s fastest and flattest marathon tracks, certainly helped, but his performance was still outstanding.

What makes this achievement even more remarkable is how much Styles has improved since his last marathon. Back in March, he completed the Tokyo Marathon in 3:24:07, meaning he shaved an incredible 25 minutes off his personal record in just six months.

The celebration didn’t end at the finish line. Paralympic gold medalist Richard Whitehead snapped a photo with Styles after the race, posting it on Instagram with the cheeky caption: “2.58 in Berlin with my mate!! Anyone know him!!” complete with a laughing emoji.

Marathon organizers later confirmed Styles’ participation after the story broke in local German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel. The news sent fans into a frenzy on social media, with many celebrating his athletic achievement alongside his musical success.

“Sub 3 hours is a brilliant time for an amateur runner,” one impressed fan wrote on Reddit. Another added: “This is FAST. He’s a very good runner,” while someone else joked about his rapid improvement: “I don’t know the sport enough to comment on the time, but improving yourself by 25 minutes sounds impressive.”

The Berlin Marathon marks Styles’ second major marathon this year, adding to his growing reputation as a serious runner. Between touring, recording music, and now marathon running, it’s clear the multi-talented artist knows how to stay busy – and stay in incredible shape.

With two marathons under his belt and such dramatic improvement in his times, fans are already speculating which major marathon Styles might tackle next. Whatever he chooses, one thing’s certain: he’ll probably need another creative pseudonym.