By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
(16-Mar) — On Sunday, 25 year-old Matthew Richtman became the first American man to win the Los Angeles Marathon presented by ASICS since pacemaker-turned-champion Paul Pilkington in 1994. Richtman, who represents Asics, ran an excellent personal best of 2:07:56 to not only win the men’s title but also the race’s gender battle where the elite women were given a 16-minute, 5-second head start. It was only Richtman’s second marathon.
“I didn’t really have a specific plan coming into this—so much can happen in a marathon,” Richtman told the race’s media team. “I wanted to stay in the pack the first hour and make a move if I was feeling good.”
Richtman was in a pack of eight men through 10-K (31:04) and 20-K (1:01:42). In the next five-kilometer segment, four men got away: Richtman, and Kenyans Sammy Rotich, Boniface Kibiwot and Athanas Kioko. The quartet were on pace for a 2:09 finish. Richtman saw his chance, and surged ahead. He ran the next 5 km in a brisk 14:37 and slipped away.
“No one came with me,” Richtman recounted. “So I figured, let’s make it an honest effort and go for it. The crowd was amazing.”
With every stride, Richtman increased his gap until it had grown to a yawning three minutes at the finish over Kioko (2:10:55). He won a total of $20,000: $10,000 for the win and another $10,000 for the gender battle.
“This is the future of American distance running we saw on display here in L.A.,” said 2004 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor on the race broadcast. “For Matt to run 2:07:56—that’s some serious running for someone so young in their marathon career.”
Ethiopia’s Tejinesh Gebisa Tulu won the women’s race in a modest 2:30:16, also winning $10,000. She finished four seconds ahead of Kenya’s Antonina Kwambai (2:30:20), while third place went to American Savannah Berry, another Asics athlete, in 2:30:32.
In what was the 40th edition of the event –a race which was never cancelled for the COVID pandemic– 21,029 runners crossed the finish line in Century City.
“An awesome feeling today celebrating the vitality of Los Angeles,” said Murphy Reinschreiber, Chief Operating Officer of The McCourt Foundation, the race organizer. “Today was a great example of how marathons bring cities together.”
PHOTO: Matt Richtman celebrates after winning the 2025 LA Marathon presented by ASICS (Photo by Andrew McClanahan / McCourt Foundation; used with permission)
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