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Former champions were recognized for making their marks on the event as part of the 2026 race weekend
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The ASICS Los Angeles Marathon, produced by The McCourt Foundation, honored three individuals from the race’s history as part of its annual Golden Stars program during the 2026 event. Jim Knaub, Wesley Korir and John Korir were showcased with physical gold star decals placed along the marathon course on race day, as well as with remarks during a kickoff event at the Lifestyle Expo.
Knaub was not only a three-time champion of the Los Angeles Marathon (1989, 1991 and 1992), but an inspirational figure who dominated wheelchair racing for more than a decade. A well-rounded athlete growing up in Corona, Calif., Knaub became a national-caliber pole vaulter at Long Beach State and reached the semifinals of the 1976 U.S. Olympic Trials before his trajectory changed forever. In 1978, at the age of 22, Knaub was sitting on his motorcycle waiting for a traffic light when he was hit from behind by a car, a tragic accident that broke his back and left him paralyzed from the waist down.
For many, that would have been the end of a sporting career. For Knaub, it was the beginning of an even greater one. Inspired by wheelchair racers he saw competing in the New York City Marathon on television during his recovery, he began racing competitively just two years after his accident. Knaub secured five victories at the Boston Marathon (1982, 1983, 1991, 1992 and 1993). By the early 1990s, he held the world record in every race distance from 5,000 meters to the marathon. Through his achievements and outreach in the community, Knaub transformed public perception of adaptive athletics.
Wesley Korir is a two-time winner of the Los Angeles Marathon (2009 and 2010) and was the first person in nearly a decade to become a back-to-back champion of the race. Running was a part of daily life for him growing up in Kenya. Miles logged commuting to school and literally running errands for his family laid the early foundation for his path to becoming one of the world’s top marathoners. He competed on scholarship at the University of Louisville, where he was an All American, broke several school records and was a podium finisher in the 5,000 meters at the 2007 NCAA Championships.
In October 2008, he made his marathon debut in Chicago and won the open division race. He would go on to set the course record and run the fastest marathon ever in the state of California with his first win in Los Angeles. In 2012, he was the victor at the Boston Marathon and set his marathon personal best of 2:06:13 at the Chicago Marathon.
Beyond his decorated running career, Wesley Korir has dedicated the platform he’s gained to making a greater impact. In 2013, Korir was elected to Kenya’s National Assembly as an independent candidate representing Cherangany Constituency. He is running for parliament again in 2027. He is also a humanitarian. Together with his wife, Canadian runner Tarah McKay, he founded the Kenyan Kids Foundation to improve education and healthcare in his homeland, and worked to help construct a new hospital in his hometown of Kitale.
John Korir, Wesley’s younger brother, is also a two-time, back-to-back champion of the Los Angeles Marathon (2021 and 2022). They are two of only six runners who achieved the feat of consecutive victories. Following his successes in LA, John Korir has steadily climbed the world rankings while continuing to refine his craft.
He had a breakthrough race at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, winning in a personal best 2:02:44, a time that ranks eighth on the all-time men’s marathon list. Last spring, he replicated another feat of his brother when he charged past rivals on Heartbreak Hill to win the Boston Marathon for the first time.
Mentored by his brother and raised in the same running-focused environment, the Kenyan runner used the streets of LA as a launching pad to announce himself to the global marathon community and later emerge as one of the best marathoners of all-time. He continues to compete, and recently ran a new personal best of 2:02:24 at the Valencia Marathon in December 2025.
Launched in 2022, the Golden Stars program serves as the official precursor to the Los Angeles Marathon Hall of Fame. Knaub and the Korir brothers join previous honorees ranging from event leadership, elite champions, engaged participants and community pillars. Its inaugural class of recipients included event founders Bill Burke and Marie Patrick. During its 40th anniversary year in 2025, Toni Reavis, who has hosted every broadcast of the race since its founding, was inducted as a Golden Star.
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ABOUT THE ASICS LOS ANGELES MARATHON AND LA 5K
The ASICS Los Angeles Marathon is Los Angeles’ largest and longest-running community sporting event. On March 7, 2027, the race will welcome over 26,000 runners starting at Dodger Stadium and finishing the 26.2-mile Stadium-to-the-Stars Course near Avenue of the Stars in Century City. Also included in the Marathon Weekend events are the LA 5K on Saturday, March 6 and the marathon’s two-day Lifestyle Expo held at Dodger Stadium March 6 and 7. The free expo is open to the public, featuring up to 100 exhibitors and annually attracts more than 70,000 attendees. The ASICS Los Angeles Marathon is the final event in the three-race Conquer LA Challenge which begins with the Santa Monica Classic in September, followed by the Rose Bowl Half Marathon & 5K in January.
ABOUT THE MCCOURT FOUNDATION
The McCourt Foundation (TMF) empowers communities to build a healthier world through research, education and events. TMF’s mission is to cure neurological diseases while empowering communities to build a healthier world. TMF makes a difference by donating to neurology research, hosting educational forums and using our events such as the ASICS Los Angeles Marathon, Rose Bowl Half Marathon & 5K, Santa Monica Classic and Boston Waterfront 5K, as platforms to raise funds for over 129 nonprofit charity partners. Since its inception, TMF has donated more than $7.2 million to neurology research and generated more than $80M for our nonprofit charity partners. Established in 1992, TMF is a 501 (c)(3) with offices in Boston, MA and Los Angeles, CA. For more information, visit mccourtfoundation.org.