More than 27,000 participants trekked the 26.2 miles in the 41st Los Angeles Marathon on March 8, which doubled as a fundraising event with 129 charity program partners and raised over $4.5 million.
It was an event that delivered dramatic finishes and standout performances across its professional fields Sunday, with thrilling battles in the elite men’s and women’s races and decisive victories in the wheelchair divisions along the “Stadium-to-the-Stars” course from Dodger Stadium to Century City.
In the elite men’s race, American marathoner Nathan Martin produced a stunning late surge to win one of the closest finishes in the event’s history, winning in 2:11:18. Martin, 36, is a substitute teacher and a high school track and cross country coach from Jackson, Michigan.
With the win, Martin becomes the first U.S.-born Black runner to win a big-city marathon since Ted Corbitt won several in the 1950s and 1960s, according to Tony Reed, founder of the National Black Marathoners Association (NBMA). Martin became the fastest U.S.-born Black runner in 2023 when he clocked his personal-best 2:10:45 at the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota.
Kenya’s Michael Kimani Kamau had controlled much of the final miles of the men’s race and appeared poised to claim victory as the leaders entered the final stretch through Century City. But Martin accelerated over the final meters, drawing even with Kamau before the pair launched into a full sprint toward the finish line. Martin leaned at the tape to secure the victory by the slimmest of margins, separated by less than a hundredth of a second after 26.2 miles of racing. Kenya’s Enyew Nigat was a distant third in 2:14:23.
“I didn’t know if I had it,” Martin said after the race. “I just kept fighting and trying to close the gap. I thought if I could get close over the last mile, I’d have a chance. With a mile to go, I started seeing the pace car and the lead guy, and said, ‘Well, maybe we’ll see what happens.’”
He continued, “Then, with 800 meters to go, I’m like, ‘All right, I have to go for it. I have to at least try,’ and things kind of worked out. I had no idea if I won until they told me.”
In the elite women’s professional race, Kenya’s Priscah Cherono delivered a commanding performance to capture the victory in 2:25:20 over runner-up American Kellyn Taylor (2:27:36). Running with poise and consistency throughout the race, Cherono, a 45-year-old mother of three, gradually separated herself from the lead pack in the second half and maintained a strong pace all the way to the finish.
Cherono also took home an additional prize for winning The Marathon Chase, a special challenge within the pro division at the ASICS LA Marathon. The professional women are challenged to beat the men to the finish line, taking to the course with a head start based on the female field’s recent finishes and best times. This year, they were given a 15:45 lead.
Whichever pro athlete reached the finish line first, male or female, would take home a $10,000 bonus. Cherono’s additional victory was fittingly completed on International Women’s Day, which coincided with the race this year.
Taylor, a 39-year-old mother of four from Flagstaff, Arizona, ran a determined race to finish second, holding a steady pace through the closing miles just four weeks after winning the Austin Marathon in 2:33:29. Antonina Kwambai of Kenya was third in 2:28:50.
For the wheelchair division, American Miguel Jimenez Vergara, a Southern California native (Chula Vista), won the men’s race with a time of 1:42:12. For the women, Nigerian athlete Hannan Babalola won in 1:33:42. It’s her third win in four years, as she previously took the title in 2023 and 2024.
Cal Calamia was the top finisher in the nonbinary division with a time of 2:49:17. This marked the runner’s second win in LA. They also won in 2024.
The 26.2-mile course wound through the historic neighborhoods and recognizable landmarks of LA, including downtown LA, Echo Park, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Brentwood, before finishing along Santa Monica Boulevard at Avenue of the Stars. The course featured start-to-finish entertainment, including more than 100 cheer stations led by charity partners and local running clubs.
Thousands of middle and high school students in the Students Run LA (SRLA) program also ran in the LA Marathon, including those from San Fernando High, Pacoima Middle, Nobel Middle, Van Nuys High and Maclay Middle schools.
The ASICS LA Marathon is set to return on March 7, 2027. For more information, please visit LAMarathon.comand follow the event on Strava, Facebook, Instagram,TikTokand LinkedIn.