When most people think about running the New York City Marathon, they picture thousands of determined athletes crossing bridges, dodging spectators and battling the final uphill push into Central Park. For Terence Hartnett, however, this year’s race isn’t just about finishing; it’s about making history, rewriting his life story and raising awareness.
The 35-year-old Brooklyn comedian, a two-time cancer survivor who lost his left lung to stage‐three lung cancer in 2023, has proposed a new category for the Guinness World Records: fastest marathon by a person with one lung.
Hartnett wasn’t content with simply crossing the finish line. He wants to finish in under four hours. Hartnett has persuaded Guinness that if he demonstrates a legitimate marathon under those conditions with one lung, he will become the first to hold that title.
Having previously completed the Chicago marathon in 3 hours 49 minutes in 2017–with two lungs intact–he now defies a more challenging physical reality. Training restarted from scratch after his lung removal in April 2023, and he gradually rebuilt his stamina to recently post a 20-mile time of 3.5 hours.
“It’s a very rare thing, and I thought it would be cool if I could get a world record,” Hartnett said.
Comedy, Cancer and One Lung: Hartnett’s Journey
It’s impossible to separate Hartnett’s upcoming marathon attempt from the personal trials that set the stage. He first battled testicular cancer in 2021, a diagnosis that required the removal of one testicle; he even spun stand-up material out of it, with shows titled “1 Ball Show”.
Then came the devastating lung cancer diagnosis: a 5.5-inch tumor that forced the removal of his left lung in 2023. At the time, doctors told him things were far from certain. He said: “They told me later that they were just guessing, that none of this was for sure.”
In the midst of chemotherapy and recovery, Hartnett found an outlet in comedy: turning pain into jokes, vulnerability into connection. “Humor is vital in these situations,” he said. “You have to laugh about this stuff. Otherwise, everyone’s going to get really upset.”
Now he is running not just for himself but for a broader cause: his race backs Fred’s Team, the charity arm for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, raising funds for cancer research and awareness. His upcoming documentary titled Cancer Free will feature this marathon as its final chapter.
“The marathon will be the very last shot of this documentary about my cancer, because it really feels like it’s the end,” Hartnett said.
The Challenge on the Course
Setting a world record is never easy, but doing so with one lung in a major marathon is a feat few have even attempted. Hartnett acknowledges the physical realities: “At first, I wasn’t sure. I thought that stairs would be a problem, just walking around my house would be a problem. But once I learned I could actually run, I was excited about it.”
Training for a marathon is grueling for anyone, but Hartnett’s version includes breath-control drills, lung capacity adaptation and a mental reset. His recent 20-mile time of 3.5 hours shows he’s on track.
But his goal isn’t solely time-based. It’s symbolic. “It feels like a whole different category that I’m doing this year,” he said. By creating a specific category–“person with one lung”–he elevates the achievement beyond the sport. It becomes a statement of resilience, survival and redefining normal.
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