The 41st Los Angeles Marathon delivered high drama Sunday morning (March 7) as American distance runner Nathan Martin sprinted to victory in the race’s closest finish ever.
Martin, a substitute teacher and high school cross-country coach from Jackson, Michigan, overtook Kenya’s Michael Kamau in the final strides of the 26.2-mile race, crossing the line in Century City in 2:11:18. The two men were separated by little more than a step after running shoulder-to-shoulder through the final stretch.
Kamau, who finished with the same official time, collapsed just after the finish line and was taken away on a stretcher. Reports from the course indicated he had not taken fluids during the race.
Martin’s victory marks the second consecutive year an American has won the men’s division in Los Angeles. In 2025, Matt Richtman ended a three-decade drought when he became the first American champion since 1994.
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For Martin, the win adds another highlight to a career already marked by a historic milestone. At the 2023 Grandma’s Marathon, he set a record as the fastest U.S.-born Black marathoner with a personal best time of 2:10:45.
Kenya’s Enyew Nigat finished third Sunday in 2:14:23.
The men’s race offered a nail-biting conclusion, but the women’s competition was a different story entirely.
Kenya’s Priscah Cherono controlled the race from the opening mile, never relinquishing the lead as she cruised to victory in an unofficial time of 2:25:18. Her wire-to-wire performance created a commanding gap between her and the rest of the field, turning the women’s pro race into a runaway win.
The Los Angeles Marathon began at Dodger Stadium and followed its signature route across the city before ending in Century City. Thousands of runners participated in the annual race, which gave competitors six hours and 30 minutes to complete the course once the final participant crossed the starting line.
Race organizers also took extra precautions as temperatures were expected to climb into the 80s by midday. Officials announced that runners who reached the 18-mile mark would still receive medals due to the challenging weather conditions.
Still, for elite runners like Martin and Cherono, the day belonged to those who pushed all the way to the finish line — whether by a commanding lead or by the narrowest margin imaginable.
