NYC Marathon 2011: Celebrities in the Race [PHOTOS]

The 2011 NYC Marathon participants -- more than 45,000 this year -- will be joined by some celebrities, athletes and reality TV stars.

Model Christy Turlington Burns, Olympic champion Apolo Ohno and actor-turned-"Extra" host Mario Lopez are some of the famous faces running this year's 26.2 mile race, scheduled for Sunday.

With more than 200 participating charities in the NYC Marathon this year, most of the celebrities are running to raise money for various organizations.

At the 2010 NYC Marathon, celebrities and other participants raised more than $30 million for more than 190 organizations.

This year, Grammy Award winning singer Mya is running for the North Shore Animal League America, the largest no-kill animal adoption agency in the world.

Michael Kenneth Williams, most famous for his roles in "The Wire" and "Boardwalk Empire," is running for Harlem United, a community-based organization.

While he is not in the race this year, actor Edward Norton's organization, the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Fund will be represented by a team member.

Norton ran the NYC Marathon in 2009 to raise money for the Fund.

Also in the race this year is "Survivor" season three (Africa) winner Ethan Zohn.

After 20 months of remission from Hodgkin's lymphoma, the 37-year-old recently confirmed that his cancer returned in September. The cancer, localized in his lung area, is currently being treated with a new "smart" form of chemotherapy known as SGN-35.

"The doctors think I'm crazy but they gave me the okay [to run] . . . cancer isn't going to slow me down. I want people to know that you can still live a fulfilled life and move forward," he told People on Tuesday.

Former NHL player Mark Messier, who played for the New York Rangers for 10 seasons, will also be running the marathon.

"I am truly honored to represent two charities I am deeply committed to . . . by running in this year's New York City Marathon," the 50-year-old said in a statement in October.

Messier will be running for the Tomorrow's Children Fund and Answer the Call, charities that provide support to families affected by children's cancer and New York families of officers killed in the line of duty, respectively.

For more information on the NYC Marathon, visit nycmarathon.org.

Click through the slide show for some of celebrities participating in the race this year. 

Also Read: Celebrity Runners: A Look Back at Famous Faces of the NYC Marathon [PHOTOS]

The model and actress will be running for advocacy group Every Mother Counts. For more information, visit everymothercounts.org

The "Survivor: Africa" winner, who is currently battling cancer, will be running for Grassroot Soccer, an organization he co-founded.

The "Saved By The Bell" alum and "Extra" host will be running with a MOTOACTV fitness tracker, a new product from Motorola.

The Olympic champion's place in the NYC Marathon came by way of a challenge from Subway celebrity spokesperson Jared Fogle. Fogle is also running this year's 26.2 mile race.

Singer Mya hopes to raise more than $200,000 for North Shore Animal League America with the marathon.

Messier, who played for the New York Rangers from 1991-1997 and again from 2000-2004, will be running for two family-based organizations.

The reality TV star (of "The Bachelorette" fame) teamed up with Gatorade for the marathon this year.

Known for his roles in "The Wire" and most recently, "Boardwalk Empire," Williams will be running the marathon for community organization Harlem United.

Shonda Schilling, the wife of former Boston Red Sox player Curt Schilling, will be running for Autism Speaks.

Retired Manchester United goalie Edwin van der Sar will be running for shoe company ASICS.