It was warm. It was wild. And, for scores of athletes and the throngs that lined a route packed with familiar photo ops to cheer them on, it was wonderful.
Befitting its glitzy reputation, Sunday morning’s 41st Los Angeles Marathon was packed with even more show-biz moments than usual.
More than 27,000 racers — the race sold out weeks ago — rose before dawn and took off through the iconic streets of La La Land with temperatures already tipping past 60 degrees at 7 a.m. A couple of hours later, a mother of three in her mid-40s snagged the top prize and two men tumbled dramatically into the tape in the closest finish in Los Angeles Marathon history. Hollywood moments indeed.
Higher-than-usual temperatures, meanwhile, prompted organizers to announce runners need to only complete 18 miles of the 26-mile, 385-yard-course from Dodger Stadium to Century City to receive a finisher’s medal.
One attendee standing along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, hoisting a sign that read “You Look So Hot,” summed up the moment — in more ways than one — as temperatures climbed into the 70s turned the the race’s final stretch into a sun-steeped endurance test.
And that was all before 10 a.m.
The event, one of the four largest marathons in the U.S. and among the top 10 globally, provided myriad crossroads moments — for the winners, for scores of participants for for an evolving running culture.
Organizers reported that 79 percent of participants were Millennials or Gen Z, with more than 200 run clubs represented and hundreds of runners taking part in honor of loved ones or through charity fundraising efforts.
One of the most powerful stories unfolding on the course was the growing presence of adaptive athletes, many of whom have turned personal adversity into extraordinary athletic achievement.
Deborah Carabet, parathlete coordinator for the ASICS L.A. Marathon, said this year marked one of the largest adaptive fields in the race’s history. “We have close to 90 para athletes competing this year, including our professional race chair athletes, hand cyclists, and runners supported through organizations like Achilles,” Carabet explained. “It’s one of the divisions I’m most excited about.”
For many participants, the race has become one of the most welcoming events in the world for athletes with disabilities. “LA is becoming known for its para division,” Carabet said. “It’s a great race to do. You start downtown and run through all these different neighborhoods, and you feel the energy in every one of them. It’s a very para-friendly race.”
The growing adaptive division reflects the marathon’s broader commitment to inclusion and access, a message that resonated strongly on International Women’s Day, when many participants also highlighted the importance of encouraging more women to participate in endurance sports.
For Tabby Elias, who has run the race multiple times, the race carries a deeply personal meaning as she and her husband, Ted, run for World Vision. “This is our fifth LA Marathon,” she said. “We started running it during COVID, when there were almost no spectators. But every year since then, it’s become something really special for our family.”
Elias suffered a traumatic brain injury after being struck by a car two decades ago, leaving her in a wheelchair. Yet the marathon has become a celebration of resilience for their entire family. Their daughter, who was just five months old at the time of the accident and miraculously unharmed, is now old enough to take part in the event herself running the half marathon.
The family also uses the marathon as a platform for philanthropy, raising money for charitable causes including organizations focused on providing clean water to communities around the world. “Our charity raised about $25,000 this year to help build wells for clean water,” she said.
For Ted Elias, participating in the marathon represents something far greater than simply crossing a finish line.
“It brings my life so much greater meaning than just running the LA Marathon,” he said. “Everyone here is so encouraging. The way people cheer for her, it’s amazing. It almost feels like church.”
Another athlete redefining what is possible was Beth Sanden, a 72-year-old adaptive athlete whose marathon career spans the globe and hoping to qualify for Boston. “I’ve run on all seven continents, in 48 countries, and completed 149 marathons and triathlons,” Sanden said.
Sunday’s race marked her 18th LA Marathon, an achievement that speaks to a lifetime of dedication to endurance sports. “When you’re 72 and still actively doing this, it means a lot,” she said with a smile.
Sanden’s path to becoming an adaptive athlete came after a devastating cycling accident during a race. While descending a hill, she hit broken asphalt and crashed, shattering her T6 and T7 vertebrae and becoming a paraplegic. “I fell off my bike going downhill around a right hand turn,” she recalled. “The bike slipped on broken asphalt in water and I shattered my T6 and T7.”
Yet her recovery defied expectations. “Eighteen months later, my right leg came back,” she said. “God willing and thank you Jesus, I got my leg back and was able to get out of the chair and walk again.”
While she can no longer run, Sanden has continued competing as an adaptive athlete, traveling the world and completing marathons across continents.Her goal at this year’s race was as ambitious as ever. “I’m hoping to qualify for Boston again,” she said. “This would be my 16th Boston.”
For Sanden, the LA Marathon has always held a special place among the races she has completed. “We’ve had different courses over the years, and I loved the old downhill finish into Santa Monica,” she said. “But honestly, the best moment is always coming into the finish line. That feeling never gets old.”
On a day that also celebrated women’s achievements around the world, the stories of athletes like Sanden, Tabby, and the dozens of para competitors on the course served as a reminder that resilience, strength, and determination come in many forms.
For Carabet, seeing that spirit unfold each year is what makes the event special. “This race is about possibility,” she said. “Every one of these athletes is showing what the human spirit can do.”
Father-son duo Shaun and Shamus Evans, ASICS ambassadors who have become global advocates for inclusion in endurance sports completed more than 50 marathons.
Shamus was born with cerebral palsy and uses a power wheelchair. Since beginning their racing journey in 2013, the duo has run thousands of miles, including a remarkable 3,205 mile run across America in just 60 days to raise awareness for cerebral palsy and inspire athletes of all abilities.
“For as long as I can remember, my dad was a marathon runner,” Shamus said. “He started running with me when I was a baby in my jogging chair during his training runs. When I outgrew that, we got a new set of wheels and decided to start racing together. I loved being part of the running community.”
For Shaun, running has always been about making sure his son experiences life fully.
“Despite Shamus being born with cerebral palsy, my wife Nichole and I always wanted him to be included in whatever he wanted to try. Running together lets him experience the wind in his face, and his smile always leads the way.”
Each year, runners help raise millions for charity.
In 2026, more than 1,600 charity runners representing more than 125 official charities are expected to raise more than $4 million across the 5K, half marathon and marathon events.
The McCourt Foundation, which organizes the marathon, has more than 650 runners in its Team TMF, who have raised money for the foundation.
The more than 125 charities benefiting from the race include the Live Like Braun Foundation, which describes itself as celebrating “the enduring spirit and legacy of Braun Levi,” an 18-year-old tennis star who was struck and killed by a vehicle in Manhattan Beach driven by a suspected drunken driver May 4, less than two months after he ran the LA Marathon.
The foundation seeks to raise awareness about impaired driving risks and makes grants for scholarships to graduating high school students who embody Levi’s drive, passion and enthusiasm and repairing and building public tennis centers.
A 65-member “Run Like Braun” team entered the marathon, seeking to raise money and awareness for the foundation.
“To run like Braun means to push your body to its limits, just as Braun did,” according to the foundation. “It’s not about running for the result, but running for a purpose.”
Levi completed the 2025 marathon in 4:39:03, after what the foundation called “little to no training.”
Jenia Resha Belt pleaded not guilty on Jan. 13 to murder, gross vehicular murder while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license in connection with Levi’s death.
For many runners, the event was more than a race — it was a moment where personal purpose met the shared energy of a city. This year, that meaning took many forms across the starting line.
British Consul General Paul Rennie ran his first marathon ever in Los Angeles, representing The King’s Trust as the organization celebrates fifty years supporting young people around the world. Rennie says the race carries special meaning as he takes on the distance for the very first time while supporting a global cause.
“It’s not just my first time running the LA Marathon, but my first time running any marathon,” he said. “But I’m delighted to be doing it in support of a great charity, The King’s Trust, who for fifty years have done incredible work supporting young people in the UK, in the US and around the world.”
The race also launches the charity’s “50 by 50” challenge, placing fifty runners across five global marathons to raise $50,000 for youth opportunity programs. What excites him most about Sunday is experiencing the city in a new way. “I’m most looking forward to a chance to see the streets of L.A .from a whole different perspective without the traffic.”
For L.A. artist Ruben Rojas, a Santa Monica creator who has created more than ten murals across the city through his “Live Through Love” series, the marathon represented personal discovery. He was especially excited to run past one of his most recent works located at H&H Bagels on Sunset along the course. Just a year ago he wasn’t sure he could complete the distance.
Now, running past neighborhoods where his artwork lives, the race has become a new way to experience the city he helps inspire. “Running gives me the chance to disconnect from everything,” he said. “No phone, no messages. Just me, my body, and the road.”
And for cancer survivor Kate Bracco, the marathon remained something deeply personal as her 11th Los Angeles Marathon, running not only in remembrance of her father, but in celebration of resilience, survival, and the power of returning to the road after cancer.
In July 2024, despite a lifetime of health and athleticism, Bracco was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at just 38-years-old. Doctors later told her she had likely been living with the cancer for more than six years before it was properly detected. “Being diagnosed with cancer at 38, when I was so healthy my entire life, was completely shocking. It’s something that is very difficult to digest. It’s scary, and requires patience while your body is going through recovery.”
As Vice President of Brand Partnerships at Complex, Bracco has been running consistently for more than 25 years. What began as an outlet in her teenage years became a lifelong discipline. She wakes up every morning at 5 a.m. to run seven to eight miles before starting her demanding workday. “Running is my form of meditation,” she said. “My job is performance based and always on. Running sets the tone for a positive, focused day.”
A lifelong runner who returned to the course after thyroid cancer surgery, she calls race day the most special day on the city’s calendar.
“It’s the best day in Los Angeles all year.”
City News Service contributed to this report