American Nathan Martin wins the 2026 Los Angeles Marathon in a photo finish

LOS ANGELES — After 26.2 miles, the 2026 Los Angeles Marathon still came down to a photo finish Sunday.

American Nathan Martin, a 36-year-old high school cross country coach from Jackson, Michigan, ran 2 hours, 11 minutes and 16 seconds (5:00 minutes per mile) to claim victory with a ferocious kick that came down to his final stride.

He trailed from the start at Dodger Stadium and past landmarks like the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, before storming down the home stretch for the win along Santa Monica Boulevard in Century City.

• Also see: A sizzling LA Marathon: Hot weather meets Hollywood ending for truly memorable day

“I was digging pretty deep,” said Martin, who is the fastest U.S.-born African American marathoner ever with a personal best time of 2:10:45 from 2023. “I was in the hurt locker for sure.”

Martin’s exact winning time of 2:11:16.50 seconds narrowly edged out Kenya’s Michael Kamau’s time of 2:11.16.94 for second place by a hundredth of a second. Ethiopia’s Enyew Nigat, 24, finished third in 2:14.22.

“It’s one of those things where you have to believe, but until you manifest it, it’s just kind of an idea,” Martin said. “It’s surreal because I thought I could win and I did it.”

Breaking: American Nathan Martin wins the 2026 Los Angeles Marathon in 2 hours and 11 minutes in a photo finish over Kenya’s Michael Kamau. pic.twitter.com/SdfXmR76gn

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 8, 2026

However, Kamau, who faded at the finish, started to pull away from the rest of the field at Mile 10 and led all challengers by more than a minute, including the hard-charging Martin, until the final mile.

“I always challenge myself to push,” Martin said, “regardless of whether there’s somebody to chase or I’m all by myself because I want to know I finished giving everything that I had.

“I know I can always do that. You can’t always win but you can always push. I’m just super fortunate that effort gave me the win.”

As a Black American distance runner, Martin’s message is one of perseverance. He is the second American to win the race since 1994.

“Never give up,” Martin said. “Never assume what you’re supposed to be good at. Always test yourself. Always find new opportunities because it’s not necessarily about what you like to do or what feels fun. It’s what you’re good at and what you’re willing to challenge yourself to achieve and accomplish a lot of amazing things.”

Exclusive: American Nathan Martin, a 36-year-old high school cross county coach from Jackson, Michigan, is the personification of never giving up.

He won the 2026 Los Angeles Marathon in 2:11:16.50, capturing the title in the final stride of the 26.2 mile race Sunday. pic.twitter.com/A2a3kBsqdB

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 8, 2026

WOMEN’S RACE

Meanwhile, an unexpected wire-to-wire run by a 45-year-old mother of three captured victory in the women’s race.

Kenya’s Priscah Cherono won the women’s marathon in a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes and 19 seconds (5:33 per mile) and the $10,000 Marathon Chase bonus.

“The race was so good,” Cherono said. “I was feeling OK to start. I start alone. I was waiting to see some ladies, but I didn’t, and then I decided I could go all the way.”

Kenya’s Priscah Cherono, a 45-year-old mother of three children, won the 2026 Los Angeles Marathon in 2:25:19.

Chereno led from Mile 1 all the way to the finish. #lamarathon2026 #lamarathon pic.twitter.com/fUviITdP7I

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 8, 2026

Cherono challenged the previous course record of 2:24:11, which was set by Ethiopia’s Askale Merachi in 2019.

American Kellyn Taylor, a 39-year-old mother of four, finished second in 2:27.36.

“I think it’s like anything,” Taylor said, “you put your mind to something and you do it. I think that’s something that you always want to show your kids that if they work hard for something, they’re going to be able to obtain it.”

American Kellyn Taylor on her second place finish in 2:27:36 at the 2026 Los Angeles Marathon.

Taylor, 39, is a mother of four children. #LAMarathon #lamarathon2026 pic.twitter.com/e80tI0nLsJ

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 8, 2026

Kenya’s Antonina Kwabai finished third in 2:28:50. Ethiopia’s Tejinesh Gebisa Tulu, the defending women’s champion dropped out in the later stages of the race.

Cherono made an early move before sunrise to lead the women’s race after Mile 1. She came into the race with a 2:25:17 personal best from The Marathon Project race in Chandler, Arizona, in December 2025, and opened up a 42-second advantage after three miles, running a blistering 16:16 through 5K.

“I was OK because normally I train alone,” Cherono said.

Cherono crossed 10K in 33:07 and widened her margin to nearly two minutes ahead of the chase pack at Mile 6, which included 33-year-old American Makenna Myler, a mother of two, who finished ninth in 2:35.

MARATHON NOTES

American Matthew Richtman, the defending men’s champion who won last year’s race in 2:07:56, was among the leaders early, running 31:36 at the 10K mark in the men’s race.

Richtman, who has been limited by injury in his training cycle leading up to this race, dropped out before the halfway point.

The Marathon Chase challenge gave the elite women’s field a 15:45 head start over the men, which meant making up an average deficit of 36 seconds per mile.

A $10,000 bonus was awarded to the first runner to cross the finish line, which Cherono claimed with a big smile.

“I am so happy,” Cherono said. “I can do anything with money.”

The top three finishers in Sunday’s men’s wheelchair race were Miguel Jiminez Vergara of Chula Vista in a time of 1:42:13.28, Luis Franco Sanclemente of Colombia in 1:45:33.01, and Joshua Cassidy of Canada in 1:45:53.60.

The top three female finishers in the wheelchair race were Hannah Babalola of Nigeria in 2:17:48.86, Luca Montenegro of Argentina in 2:20:02.28, and Yeni Aide Hernandez Mendieta of Mexico in 2:27:22.22.