For Matt James, marathon training has become a way to make room for the food he loves. That’s the thread running through his New York race plans: he’s trained for the distance, but this year he’s also treating marathon weekend as a chance to eat his way around the city.
“I don’t think it’s a secret that I love food,” James says. Running more, he explains, meant he could explore restaurants with less guilt. “It’s part of the job.” His appetite is familiar to followers who’ve watched him eat a $225 bagel, take on a five-pound hot dog, and spend a month eating pasta and gelato. Though many first knew him from The Bachelor and Dancing With the Stars, he’s gathered a following among people who share his interests in running and eating.
A marathon built around food
James ran his first marathon in Chicago in 2019, before his celebrity career, and has completed 12 since. On November 1, he plans to run the New York City Marathon for the sixth year in a row. This time, he’s paying more attention to the meals than the clock.
His schedule includes a family-style dinner at Little Ruby’s on Thursday, a favorite he visits often, followed by pasta at Lavagna on Friday. He’s also worked with Yelp on a marathon weekend dining guide for visitors. It points runners toward places including Melba’s Restaurant, Chrissy’s Pizza, and Winson Bakery, offering a broader taste of New York than a standard Manhattan tourist itinerary.
The focus on food has a practical side: runners need fuel, and marathon training can make eating part of the work. James’s interest in carb-loading also goes back years. His first marathon came well before the public persona built around big meals.
Learning to respect the distance
James’s early marathon ambitions ran ahead of his preparation. At the 2022 New York City Marathon, his second, he told former winner Shalane Flanagan he was aiming to break three hours, despite not having trained properly for that pace.
“I just hit the wall,” he recalls. As they walked up First Avenue, he realized he still had 10 miles ahead alongside a former champion. He offered to let Flanagan go on, but she stayed and coached him to a 3:46:45 finish.
That race changed how he approached the sport. “Running with her inspired me to take the sport seriously,” he says. He began putting in the miles and workouts; race day, he says, became a celebration instead of a “death march.” When he and Flanagan reunited at the 2023 race, he finished in 3:04:50. The improvement says more than the original sub-three-hour ambition did: consistent preparation mattered.
The soundtrack for race day
Training and fueling are central to James’s plan, but so is music. He made a playlist for the New York City Marathon and builds his running mixes as a progression: upbeat pop punk first, then R&B, followed by higher-energy tracks to carry him through the finish.
The Runner’s World playlist includes blink-182, Wale, and Gucci Mane. James doesn’t advise wearing headphones for an entire marathon, but he sees music as useful when the miles get rough and Flanagan isn’t there to pace you. “If you see me and I have my headphones on during a race, know I’m battling demons to keep my legs moving,” he jokes.
He’s got his training, his dining itinerary, and his soundtrack ready. For James, the city itself is part of the draw: “It’s the best day of the year in the city. I’d have too much FOMO if I didn’t run.”
Listen to the playlist
Spotify
Listen to Matt James’s playlist on Spotify
Apple Music
Listen to Matt James’s playlist on Apple Music
