Queens-born rap veteran N.O.R.E. is including a brand new milestone to his multifaceted profession—marathon runner. Best identified for his function in Capone-N-Noreaga, his solo music profession, and as co-host of the Drink Champs podcast, the 46-year-old hip-hop icon is coaching to run the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon.

N.O.R.E., born Victor Santiago Jr., shared his health journey on the primary video episode of NYRR’s Set the Pace podcast, offered by Peloton. Recorded at Peloton Studios in Manhattan, the episode revealed how a spontaneous winter jog by way of the snow sparked his surprising ardour for working.

“I didn’t wait for next month,” N.O.R.E. recalled. “I started right then.”

Wearing Timberlands and with none formal coaching, his first five-mile run turned a turning level. Since then, N.O.R.E. has developed a constant working routine and fashioned a crew of fellow runners, aptly named Run Champs. He has logged miles in cities like Naples, Maui, Tampa, and Puerto Rico—locations that after hosted his music excursions however now provide new which means by way of motion and reflection.

“I’ve done platinum records, performed worldwide, but nothing compares to this,” he mentioned. “When you hit your goal—whether it’s five or ten miles—it’s a high that can’t be explained.”

Running, he defined, has given him peace, perspective, and a way of equality he not often discovered within the leisure trade. “You could be rich or broke. But when the race starts, we’re all equal at the line,” he mentioned.

Even hip-hop friends have taken discover. When Busta Rhymes requested what he hoped to realize from long-distance working, N.O.R.E. replied, “To be a better version of me. There’s no check at the end. I’m not doing it for money—I’m investing in myself.”

On November 2, 2025, N.O.R.E. will be a part of hundreds of runners tackling 26.2 miles throughout all 5 boroughs. For the veteran rapper, the street forward isn’t about accolades—it’s about discovering readability and chasing peace as an alternative of charts.