At the Berlin BMW Marathon, Pop sensation Harry Styles stepped down from the stage and into running shoes, stunning his fans. Harry Styles, a former One Direction member, ran alongside 55,000 runners at what is considered one of the fastest courses in the world.
According to The Guardian, Styles ran with a pseudonym of ‘Sted Sarandos’. As stated by The Daily Beast, the pop stars’ chosen fake name for the race appears to be a reference to Ted Sarandos, the CEO of Netflix. He has previously worked with him on Netflix for his music career. Styles was also seen to be wearing sunglasses and a headband with his mustache to disguise himself.
He ran the course with the staggering results of 2 hours, 59 minutes, and 13 seconds. This time is a huge accomplishment for many runners, and Mr. Taylor of Tracksmith portrayed Styles’ time as the ‘golden standard’ for amateurs. Styles previously ran the Tokyo Marathon in 3:24:07. According to Mr. Taylor, he subtracted 25 minutes from his time in his last race, seven months ago.
Harry Styles has developed a liking for running, as he also ran the Tokyo Marathon several months prior with a time of 3:24:07. Harry hasn’t written anything since his world tour on Love on Tour ended in 2023. Harry’s House, Grammy-winning album included. Understandably, he is taking a break from the music industry for now and is indulging in something else he loves.
But the real question is, why did he disguise himself? Well, although there are no records of him making any comments, the most reasonable guess is that he wanted to pursue a hobby without being crowded by fans. It is well known that fans or paparazzi often follow celebrities.
Celebrities often find paparazzi swarming them with cameras as they go out, whether they like it or not. Styles most likely was attempting to “ finish the race in peace without (likely) being mobbed by fans and paparazzi alike” (Zeglinski), according to the ‘for the win’ website. His attempt included sunglasses, a headband, and his fake name, which, of course, failed to disguise him, as many fans recognized him.
Harry’s new hobby is something he is good at, as well as singing and music-writing—a deserved break from paparazzi and fans. Celebrities are constantly faced with the issue of privacy invasion by paparazzi and fans alike. They honestly never seem to get a break; sometimes it seems as if their lives are controlled by publicity. Styles desired to run a race and beat his old time in peace, so he had to change his name and disguise his face. According to the UCLA review, “Many people believe that celebrities display their entire lives to the public, and therefore they have decreased privacy rights”(Zent). It appears that paparazzi disregard celebrity privacy as nonexistent in pursuit of their own publicity. However, many celebrities attempt to make the best of the situation.
Harry’s disguise was a failed attempt, but it was worth a shot to run and finish peacefully without any commotion from fans or others. A race to remember; Ted Sarandos runs a Marathon under three hours. A success, but now assuming he is training for another marathon: an unbelievable performer and an incredible athlete, the talented Harry Styles.
