Cynthia Erivo shares her goal for the Lonodn Marathon, plus her favorite running shoes and why she doesn’t stop at water stations.
Cynthia Erivo must start her mornings with a run. On a video call with Runner’s World, she talked about the relatable issue trying to fit in a long run despite her busy schedule. The Wicked star is currently performing in Dracula as the title character—and all 23 roles—at London’s Noël Coward Theatre through May 2026.
A driven, dedicated artist, and runner, Erivo plans to race the London Marathon on April 26—and then take the stage the day after the race.After besting her 2016 New York City Marathon time of 3:57:07 at the 2022 London Marathon with a 3:35:36 finish, she’s set her sights on another PR. Partnering with Brooks for the Shine Under Pressure campaign, she is being coached by pro marathoner Erika Kemp.Here, Erivo shares how she uses positive self-talk as she races and explains why she doesn’t stop at marathon water stations.This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.Runner’s World: How do you make time for marathon training with your schedule? Cynthia Erivo: I put my running first. Is that terrible? Everybody knows that my schedule starts with my workout in the morning. It starts with my running in the morning. And if there isn’t time for me to do the run in the morning, then we’ve not scheduled it properly.I had to do a shoot for something over the weekend. I was like, “Well, this is supposed to be a long run day.” So, we have to figure out how we do this so that I can still get my long run in the week and still get a run that day. Everything starts with the run. The schedule doesn’t happen if the run’s not included. Everyone knows that she’s gonna run in the morning, she’s going to work out in the morning. And so we have to make sure that whatever we do after has made an allowance for that as well.It’s more putting yourself first, which is so important. Why choose running?It sort of happened by accident. When I was doing The Color Purple , I found that running allowed me to process some of the show, to regain who I was in my body, because my body was taking on the character.What the run did for me was allow me to return back to myself. And so, I’ve used it just as a meditation, and it’s really helped in my work. It’s really helped in preparing me for getting ready for things. It’s really helped in centering. So, I guess running for me is my meditation.Some people choose different forms of sports. Some people choose very strict, pure meditation. Running is that for me. It helps with learning things. It helps with remembering things. It helps with processing. So, I’ve just found that that’s the thing I keep returning back to.When you go out on a run do you listen to music or podcasts? Do you go over work or is it more that quiet moment when you head out?All of the above. I remember when I was in Greece, I was shooting something and I listened to podcasts. And then I went through a phase of just listening to books. And then I went through a phase of, I would make a long playlist and just let that play. And it would sort of tell me where I was within the run. And then I went through a phase of just listening to nothing and like listening to the street and listening to my body.It just depends on what I need on a day. Sometimes I need to zero in and find out who I am and like, find out where I am in my body, in my brain, in my mind. And other days I just need to sort of forget everything and just go. And those are the days where I’ll put on a song, I’ll put on a playlist. And there are days where I’m really into a book and I don’t want to let it go. And so I’m listening to the book, you know? And so I combine the two things. It just depends on where I am.What kind of music have you recently listened to on a run?I was listening to Yebba. Her new album just came out called Jean and I have listened to that over and over again. And another artist called Cat Burns.I try not to run to things that keep rhythm so that I don’t force myself into the rhythm of the song. So I tend to listen to things that are almost the opposite of my pace so that I’m not forcing the pace.You took off more than 20 minutes of your 2016 New York City time when you ran London in 2022. How did you do that? And what’s it like being coached by pro runner Erika Kemp? Is this your first time working with a coach?This is my first time working with Erika. The first time I did it in New York City, I ran with a coach. The second time in London, I sort of tapped in with my coach from time to time. I kind of did the training solo and just got some pointers. And this time training with Erika is really, really cool.I’ve been lucky enough to find some amazing coaches. They were just the most amazing pairing. They really helped me, especially since that was the first time I ran a marathon. I really needed help to just figure out what I was going to do.The second time for London, how did I take off the 20 minutes? I think it was, one, determination, because I knew I wanted to run a faster pace than the first time I had done it. Two, I was put with the elite runners whose first mile was basically five minutes and I just followed and didn’t realize that that was what the pace would be. But I felt really good so it didn’t feel like I was running fast.I think in my training, I had run fast miles so that when we ran fast miles on the ground, I felt really comfortable, I was like, oh, we're just moving. This is great. And I tried to keep up and it made my time in that mile come down. I only realized I had run it quite quickly when I saw the clock for the half marathon and realized, “How have I run this in an hour and a half?” I remember seeing 1:21 and I was so confused because I was like, “Is that … that’s not half …”When I finished the race, I looked at the time and realized I was booking it a lot of the way. And I think the adrenaline goes through your system and so you don’t even realize, and a lot of things sort of take over and the atmosphere adds to it as well.If your training has helped then you add on adrenaline and you add on the atmosphere and you add on good nutrition on the day and you just sort of fly. And training with Erika so far has been really, really lovely. She’s really helped me compartmentalize how to lay these runs out in my training, to get the best of them. I feel, I’m feeling really, really strong right now.Do you have a goal in mind going into the race?I really would love to run it at 3:15. If I could run it at 3:15, I’d be very, very happy. If I could shave off failing that, if I could get—because I ran it 3:35 last time—if I can get like a 3:30, 3:25, I’d also be very happy. But 3:15 is like the goal.What is your favorite shoe that you are running in right now?I have to show it to you. I feel like I'm on springs. Let me bring it. This is the best. I feel like a geek. Yay! Hold on. Hold on. I have to get it. It’s these. These are the Brooks Hyperion Max.They’re so comfortable. It’s like walking on a cloud. And, you know, if you end up heel striking, there’s enough support to make sure that you’re not like smashing your heels into the ground. I’m on the balls of my feet, so I’m comfy, but this is so comfortable to run in. I don’t know if these will be the race day shoe, but they’ve been such a good training shoe.I feel so comfortable in them. I’ve run miles and miles and miles in them already. I did 12 miles this morning. This was like comfy, comfy to run in. Super, super comfy. These are my faves.What is the gear that you must have when you head to that starting line?It’s either a waistbelt or a vest with water in it. I don’t want to stop for water. I like to have my water with me and all of my gear with me. So I’ll have my nutrition in my little vest pocket or in my pockets on my side. And I’ll have a sort of water pack with me. I’ll run with my water and my hydration with me. I don’t want to stop because I don’t know how to do that. I can’t stop and drink and run with a cup of water and then throw, I don’t know how to do that. So I just use a straw or a squeezy bottle and I’m good to go.I would tell you about the pinch method with the paper cups, but I think London might use the plastic ones. Are you going to run with themed nails? I don’t know if I can do themes because I’m going to be back on stage the next day. So, can’t get them themed, but I will have these. I’ll be running with these. These will definitely be featuring. This is what we’ll have.I wish I could do themed nails. I mean, maybe I can the night before and then have them changed the same day. I could, maybe I could. Maybe, it might be quite nice. Definitely reconsidering. I’m going to see if I can do it. I’ll do a quick change.How do you channel your confidence when you’re running? Is it the same confidence that you try to bring when you’re on stage or in front of a camera with a performance?I think it’s the idea just start where you are and know that we don’t start at the end. You start at the beginning and we work our way to where we’re going. I have that same sort of understanding when I’m on a stage or when it’s bit by bit. And I think the confidence to move from one thing to the next and just take it as it comes is the thing that helps me. And that’s how I take my runs.I always talk to myself during my runs. I’m always like, “It’s just one mile left. We just do the next mile. And when we finish here, we're gonna take this mile easy. We’re gonna do it.” So I almost talk myself through this, like a running commentary for myself so that by the time I get to mile 10, it feels like those miles have come really, really easy because I’ve been able to work myself through them.It’s not like taking a big bite out of something. It’s like taking tiny little morsels bit by bit. And that is how I tend to work with stage, how I work with film, how I work with a concert. It’s one song at a time and we’ll get to this part of the song and then we’ll grow. Or maybe we’ll take a sip here and we’ll talk or we’ll do this next song and then we’ll take it. It’s just bit by bit. You know you can do a small piece. And then you can do another small piece.It’s why I say, whenever anyone is like, I don’t know if I can run, I’m not a runner. I ask, “Well, did you run for two minutes today? Well then, great. You ran two minutes. Two minutes is a long time.” Two minutes is a long time, especially if you’ve had a long day, that's a long time to move if you haven’t moved. So, well done. And then tomorrow, add another two minutes on it. And then tomorrow, add another two minutes. And that’s, I think, the way I work for myself and how I would help other people work too.I think as runners, and just with everything in general, we’re too hard on ourselves. I like how you’re your own cheerleader when you’re doing this. Like, “You’re going to be okay, we’re going to get through this one.”Yeah, one step at a time. Like you always get there and you’re like, “I did it. Done.” And I think that’s the most wonderful thing. You allow yourself to be surprised by yourself and then you add that to the confidence meter because it’s another thing that you weren’t sure about and now you are. You can do it. So the next time you come to it, well, you did it already. So, just go and do it again.Is London a very meaningful race for you?It’s home. I’m born and raised here too. The first time was really special, but to get to do it a second time around whilst I’m doing this show and I haven’t been on stage here for a long time, it feels like lots of full circle moments are happening. And there’s something really special about the London Marathon. The atmosphere is unlike any.And it really surprised me the last time I did it. You are supported the entire way. Every step of the way there is someone there, there is a crowd there, they are outside of the pubs, they are outside of their houses, people are on the streets. It’s such a wonderful atmosphere. People are on the bridges, people are ... It’s really, really special. And to be here after the last couple of years, the craziness that I’ve been through to sort of top it off by being here and running the marathon is really, really special.
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