An American wins the L.A. Marathon for the first time in 31 years
- Share via
Matt Richtman won the 2025 L.A. Marathon on Sunday, marking the first time an American has won the race in 31 years.
The former Montana State University star finished with a time of 2:07:56 — nearly three minutes faster than runner-up Athanas Kioko and more than five minutes faster than third-place finisher Moses Kiptoo Kurgat.
A native of Elburn, Ill., Richtman is the first American to win the event since Paul Pilkington in 1994. Kenyans have dominated the men’s race in the decades since, winning 21 times since 1999, according to NBC Los Angeles.
“It’s definitely a surprise,” Richtman said moments after crossing the finish line. “You know, I came in feeling really good. It’s really hard to judge where you stack up against competition, but it was a really good group out there today, and I was really happy to run with those guys and then ultimately win it.”
Richtman said he drew inspiration from the atmosphere in Los Angeles.
“It’s such a great day for it, you know, the 40th anniversary, there’s so many legacy runners out here, and the crowd out here was amazing. There were people throughout the whole course and it really helps. It’s amazing how much a crowd can change the course of what you’re doing.”
Tejinesh Gebisa Tulu of Ethiopia won the women’s portion of the race with a time of 2:30:16.
More than 26,000 people competed in the marathon, which started at 7 a.m. Runners started at Dodger Stadium, winding their way through Los Feliz, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Brentwood before finishing in Century City.
City News Service contributed to this report.
