Has a footballer ever run a marathon faster than James Milner? | The Knowledge

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It came as no surprise to the Knowledge that James Milner had spent the early months of his retirement training for – and then running in – the New York City Marathon. Yes, the bleep test-loving former Brighton, Liverpool and Manchester City player recorded an excellent time of 3hr 9min 4sec, an average of 7min 13sec per mile. Not bad for a 40-year-old whose physique is more like that of a wrestler than a whippet. “A few years ago, I feel like I could have definitely done sub-3:00,” he said, lamenting his late-career injuries for hindering him.

In 2012 we ran a column listing footballers’ fastest marathon times, with the former Leicester playmaker Muzzy Izzet leading the pack on 3hr 22min 36sec at the 2011 London Marathon. That very respectable time has now been surpassed by the Premier League’s record appearance maker, so we thought we had better take a gulp of our isotonic energy drink and run through a few more tales of football’s marathon men and women.

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