Famed actor Ashton Kutcher recently traded the Hollywood set for the streets of NYC for the marathon. Here’s how the actor trained for the gruelling event, and the diet that powered him through his long runs.
Hollywood has produced many a fitness transformation over the years, but while most tend to bulk-up or slim-down for a role only to give up such a lifestyle as soon as filming wraps, Ashton Kutcher is only getting fitter with age. The famed actor and star of That ‘70s Show might boast the kind of physique that speaks to a well-honed gym routine, but more recently he’s discovered the many benefits of running, leading him to take part in his first marathon courtesy of the 2022 New York City Marathon.
Speaking about what drew him to the event, Kutcher explained that the challenge of running such a distance and the uncertainties that would inevitably arise made for an entertaining prospect, albeit a daunting one. “It’s not like anything I’ve done before in my own life,” he told GQ. “And really just kind of just a test of my own mettle to ensure that I sort of regain my own personal physical dominance.”
“I’ve always wanted to run a marathon,” Kutcher added. “In my mind I always said, at some point in my life, I’ll run a marathon. I’m not getting any younger.”
Though Kutcher admits that he’s always enjoyed running as his preferred method of cardio, his maximum distance has been that of 8 kilometres – a far cry from the 42.2km a marathon requires. To ensure he avoided an overuse injury, Kutcher went about the miles slowly, and says he plateaued with six miles, before another plateau at the nine- and 13-mile mark.
But as anyone who has ever taken on the marathon distance will tell you, nutrition is key. When it comes to fuelling for the event, testing different foods to ensure your stomach can handle them is crucial. For Kutcher, his marathon fuel came in the form of Maurten energy gels, with the actor saying he’s a “caffeine junkie.”
Training for the event also saw Kutcher drop a significant amount of weight, but it’s a change he doesn’t exactly love. “I’m not crazy about this. But I’m also not supplementing with weights or anything. I probably am not eating enough. I’m not a big breakfast guy. For years I would do an 18-hour fast and then I would do fuelling windows. I operate better under that, so I had to get myself to take on more calories, and the best source of calories I’ve found is beer,” he said.
As for his typical diet, Kutcher starts his day with a smoothie in the morning. For lunch, he’ll have a potato salad and goulash that wife Mila Kunis’ mother has cooked for dinner. “I usually just heat up some leftovers for lunch. Dinner, my daughter is pescatarian, and so dinner is usually a piece of fish and some grain, and then like a salad, and then a nice beer or two. That’s my diet,” he told the publication.
“I’ve lost all upper body mass, it’s gone. I’m all legs right now. So it feels great, but I’m just so skinny right now, it’s crazy. I just lost all my muscle mass.”
Kutcher succeeded in running his first marathon and all for a good cause too. His non-profit Thorn, which builds software to fight against the sexual exploitation of children and helps companies and law enforcement identify kids that are being sexually abused online, gave out passes for the marathon to help raise awareness, with Kutcher running on their behalf.
As for the advice he’d give those just looking to embark on their fitness journey or lace up a pair of sneakers for their first run, he keeps it simple. “It’s just one step at a time. Running is just a controlled fall. That’s it.”
