AEW star Darby Allin to run first marathon: ‘I kinda wanna just wing it’
After successfully climbing Mount Everest in 2025, AEW star Darby Allin has locked in on a new outside-the-ring pursuit.
Allin told The Takedown on SI that he is planning to run the 2026 New York City Marathon, which is scheduled for Sunday, November 1. In typical Darby Allin fashion, he has not started training yet and might not end up doing much preparation for the 26-mile race.
“I don’t even have running shoes yet,” Allin said. “I kind of want to just go into it fully blind. Everyone’s like, ‘you gotta know what you’re getting yourself into.’ I was like, I kinda wanna just wing it, and it sounds so fun.
“So I don’t know if I’ll actually train for it. Yeah. I kinda wanna just wing it and push myself.”
Allin will be running the marathon to support KultureCity, a sensory-inclusive nonprofit organization that AEW has worked with since the early days of the promotion. KultureCity’s goal is to “make the nevers possible” by promoting sensory inclusion and accessibility at places like large entertainment events where sounds, lights, and crowds might be overwhelming to individuals with PTSD, autism, dementia, or those who have suffered from strokes.
Though he might not do much training, Allin thinks his wrestling experience might provide a solid cardio foundation. He’s been in matches where he’s had to dig deep and find something extra to get through the end.
“Who knows, those last few miles, what my body’s gonna feel like, especially if I don’t train for it? So it’s gonna be fun to just see what I’ve learned from wrestling, what I can apply to running,” Allin said. “So I’m really excited.”
Darby Allin at AEW Forbidden Door 2026 —
This Sunday, Allin will be part of the main event at AEW’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view in San Jose, California. It’s a 12-man steel cage match where Mark Briscoe and MJF are leading the respective teams. The babyfaces have Briscoe, Allin, Konosuke Takeshita, Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly going up against the heel team of MJF, Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher, Andrade El Idolo, Kevin Knight & Jake Doyle.
Allin is coming off a 39-day reign as AEW World Champion where he won the title from MJF in April before dropping it back the following month.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.