LOS ANGELES — The 2025 Los Angeles Marathon will be an opportunity for world-class distance runners to emerge as first-time champions.
The 40th running of the LA Marathon with be led by an international field. The women’s and men’s races will begin at Dodger Stadium around 6:45 a.m. and 7:01 a.m. Sunday, respectively, followed by 26,000 community runners.
The course winds through iconic neighborhoods and landmarks like Chinatown, Little Toyko, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and ends in Century City.
In 2024, Kenya’s Dominic Ngeno won the men’s race in 2 hours and 11 minutes. Kenya’s Stacy Ndiwa won the women’s race in 2:25:28. Neither Ngeno or Ndiwa are running in this year’s race.
This year’s top contender in the men’s race includes Ethiopia’s Gizealew Ayana, who has a personal best of 2:07:15. Ayana, 22, won the 2023 Paris Marathon in 2:09:04.
Other contenders include Kenya’s Moses Kiptoo (2:09:35), Boniface Kibiwott (2:10:06) and Sammy Rotich (2:10:08).
The top American in the field is 25-year-old Matthew Richtman with a personal best time of 2:10:47. Richtman ran collegiately at Montana State. He has a long term goal of representing the United States as one of three marathoners in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“It will be nice just to be in the same city and really get that experience and see what it’s all about,” Richtman said. “That’s something that’s definitely on the horizon that I’m sure everyone is looking at as well.”
However, the sixth-place finisher at the 2025 U.S. Half Marathon championship on March 1 in Atlanta said instead of trying to run a specific time, he’s going to focus on competition.
“I think it’s always a good idea to go in with an open mindset, Richtman continued. “There’s good competition but it could be my day, who knows, so you always want to have that opportunity to be in that front group.”
Another newcomer is Athanas Kioko. The 30-year-old from Kenya will make his marathon debut on Sunday.
“Because this is my marathon debut, my first goal is to finish the race and break 2:10 depending on how the guys go, so that is my goal,” Kioko said.
Kioko ran collegiately at Campbell University in North Carolina. He is aiming to run faster than 2 hours and 10 minutes. He believes that if he runs that pace, he will have an opportunity to win the race.
“I’m trying to see if the marathon works for me so if I’m able to finish it and feel good, break 2:10 and win the race that would be amazing,” Kioko continued. “I’m just ready for that.”
The course record in the men’s race is held by Ethiopia’s Markos Geneti, who ran 2:06:35 in 2011.
In the women’s race, the top contender is Kenya’s Antonina Kwambai with a 2:23:20 personal best. Kwambai has raced well at the LA Marathon before but said her training leading up to this year’s race has been better than when she finished second in 2:30:13 in 2022.
“I’m going to do my best,” Kwambai said. “I came here three years ago. I want to improve my time like 2:25.”
Other contenders on the women’s side include Ethiopia’s Tejinesh Gebisa (2:24:37) and American Savannah Berry (2:29:13), who grew up in Bakersfield and lives in Orem, Utah.
The course record in women’s race is held by Ethiopia’s Askale Merachi, who ran 2:24:11 in 2019.
Meanwhile, the Marathon Chase time differential will be 16 minutes and 5 seconds, 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 $10,000 bonus.
The women are 10-4 all-time in the Marathon Chase, including six straight victories.
Organizers said Sunday’s race will be dedicated to the first responders who worked for weeks to put out January’s wildfires in Los Angeles County.
“It’s the healing of the city,” LA Marathon television broadcaster Toni Reavis said. “The marathon has always shown up on the calendar at just the right time to help bind the city when it’s had floods, public uprising after the Rodney King incident in 1992, the fires this year. This is a chance for LA to come together and dispose of all the differences that people have and be drawn together by our common humanity. The marathon does that like nothing else.”