LOS ANGELES — American Matt Richtman’s life unexpectedly changed when he ran a personal best time of 2 hours, 7 minutes and 56 seconds to win the 2025 Los Angeles Marathon.
“Everything really changed after that,” Richtman said. “A little bit more attention from everything and looking forward to future races and what I was capable of doing. It definitely altered the training I was doing and just made me hungry for what’s to come.”
By covering the course at a blistering pace of 4:53 per mile for 26.2 miles, he instantly catapulted himself into the conversation as a legitimate, yet too-early, contender to make the 2028 Summer Games and race for Olympic gold in the streets of Los Angeles.
“It is difficult because it came upon me as it did everyone else,” Richtman continued, “so just juggling that and still trying to stay centered and stay with what got me there, right.”
Richtman is toeing the line to continue making history at this year’s 41st running of the ASICS Los Angeles Marathon.
He’s going for two in a row.
However, the 26-year-old, who trains in Montana, admitted he’s not at the same fitness level due to an injury. But that’s not stopping him from giving it a go in hopes of defending his 2025 LA Marathon title.
“It hasn’t been the greatest training or smooth sailing, so I’ve been navigating that and trying to figure out how I can get what I need done on any day,” Richtman explained.
Last year, his time of 2:07:56 was the second-fastest time in course history. He does not expect a breakaway performance, especially since he knows he will have a target on his back as the reigning champion.
“The opportunity to double back is super important to me,” said Richtman, who made a decisive move at Mile 15 to become the first American to win the race in more than 30 years. “That’s why I came back.”
The 2026 Los Angeles Marathon will start at Dodger Stadium on Sunday around 6:45 a.m. and 7:01 a.m. for the elite women’s and men’s fields, respectively, followed by 27,0000 community runners.
The 26.2-mile course twists through Downtown LA, Hollywood, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, before ending along the Avenue of the Stars in Century City.
LA Marathon television broadcaster Toni Reavis said Richtman’s status as the race favorite is in question.
“This sport is all about what you’ve got in the tank for this race on Sunday morning,” Reavis said, “and there are certain people coming into this on top form.”
Other contenders on the men’s side include Kenya’s Athanas Kioko, who finished second in last year’s race in 2:10:55, and 2024 LA Marathon champion, Dominic Ngeno, also from Kenya. Ngeno holds the fastest personal best in the men’s field at 2:06.35.
Coincidentally, the course record in the men’s race is held by Ethiopia’s Markos Geneti, who ran 2:06:35 in 2011.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s Tejinesh Tulu won last year’s women’s race in 2 hours, 30 minutes and 16 seconds and has returned to defend her title. Since then, Tulu has improved and run a personal best 2:29:13 for a fourth-place finish at the 2026 Houston Marathon.
Other contenders on the women’s side include Kenya’s Antonina Kwambai (2:30:19) and American Savannah Berry (2:30:31), who finished second and third, respectively, in last year’s race. Berry led for the majority of her L.A. Marathon debut in 2025.
“It is not necessarily the fastest runner, it’s the smartest runner who wins these races,” Reavis continued.
Kenya’s Vicoty Chepngeno is the fastest woman in the field with a personal best of 2:19:55.
American Makenna Myler, who has a personal best marathon time of 2:26:14, said she has drawn inspiration from Richtman’s unexpected victory last year.
“I’ve asked him about the energy he was feeling,” Myler said before her fifth career marathon and first in LA. “I was very inspired by Matt. I feel like he just blew things out of the water.”
Myler said the women’s field is talented, but she is ready to compete for the win or at least a top three finish.
“It’s kind of fun when it’s a hilly marathon,” Myler continued. “It’s not always about who is the fittest. Things are unexpected and it’s fun to compete in that type of environment.”
Meanwhile, the Marathon Chase time differential will be 15 minutes and 45 seconds (approximately 36 seconds per mile), which will be the head start for the women’s race before the men’s race. The first runner to cross the finish line will win a bonus.
The women are 10-5 all-time in the Marathon Chase, including six of the last seven victories. Richtman won last year’s challenge by more than six minutes.
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