Summer House star Carl Radke has his eye on the 2026 New York City Marathon amid his sobriety journey.
“I mean, first and foremost, I wanted to run a marathon,” Radke, 41, exclusively told Us while promoting his partnership with ChatGPT. “I want to raise money to support people that struggle with addiction and substance abuse and mental health challenges. A big part of my sobriety story — you know, I’ve been very lucky — but I want to help other people. And a big part of staying sober is helping other people.”
Radke explained that he makes a conscious effort to work out and stay in shape to “try to take better care” of his physical health since it helps with his mental health.
“It was a challenge and something I never thought I could do,” he said. “But then to raise money for a good cause and to challenge myself with something that’s really healthy for me, it was a no-brainer. But I also started to really like it and enjoy the running journey because I’ve met a lot of great people. It’s kept me very happy and sober. I’m raising money for an amazing cause. I’m traveling to run. I’m doing really cool things as a result. But the real why is, I run for people that can’t.”
Radke, who has been on Summer House since its 2017 premiere, has been candid about the ups and downs of his sobriety journey. After initially getting sober in spring 2020, he started drinking again that summer. When Radke’s brother Curtis died of a drug overdose in 2021, the reality TV star got sober for good.
Radke has since run the 2025 New York City Marathon, 2026 London Marathon and 2026 Berlin Marathon supporting Release Recovery Foundation. The organization was started by Bachelor Nation’s Zac Clark, who is also sober, and helps individuals with financial barriers to addiction recovery and treatment.
“Sobriety really gave me this whole new viewpoint of running and the community that is involved in that,” Radke told Us. “When people get sober, you have a lot of energy. You got a lot of things inside of you, and to direct my energy to something healthy like running and raising money for charity, it was a no-brainer. I’m still crazy. I’m just sober now. I still have my ups and downs. I’m just still sober, but the running kind of balances the highs and the lows. I think if anything, I don’t have the same roller-coaster I used to be on. It’s more just like a little bit of a wave that I ride, right? Which is a better wave than the roller-coaster.”
Days out from the 2026 New York City Marathon, Radke is leaning on ChatGPT to help him pick training routes and curate music playlists.
“I love listening to music in the neighborhood that I’m in,” Radke explained. “That kind of playlist request, there’s no other way to create it without the support of an AI tool like ChatGPT. It’s a unique thing that I’ve done on my own, running in New York City the last year and a half, two years, where I kind of will just be like, ‘Oh, I’m Queens.’ I’ll throw on Nas, but I’ve actually now built playlists with the help of ChatGPT.”
He’s also leaning on the AI tool to build a fueling routine and give nutrition guidance while he trains for his fourth go at 26.2 miles.
“It’s an instant response to help support the program I’m already on,” he said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
