LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Matt Richtman of Illinois became the first American to win the Los Angeles Marathon since 1994 Sunday, topping the second- largest field in race history in a blistering time of 2:07:56.

Tejinesh Gebisa Tulu of Ethiopia won the women's portion of the race with a time of 2:30:16. Antonina Kwambai of Kenya was second at 2:30:19.

Richtman, who attended Montana State University, triumphed despite running in just his second marathon.

"It's definitely a surprise," he said moments after crossing the finish line. "You know I came in feeling really good; it's really hard to judge where you stack up against competition, but it was a really good group out there today, and I was really happy to run with those guys and then ultimately win it.

"I didn't have too much of a strategy," he continued. "The first half I just wanted to stay in that group, didn't really want to push the pace or lead or anything like that, just kind of stay, feel it out, 'cause it's a challenging course. ... I told myself, `Once you get the hour mark then you can start to feel it out, do any moves if you want to do that, so that's what I did. ... The whole race I was running with a little bit of fear. It's tough when you can't see what's going on behind you."

Richtman said he drew inspiration from the atmosphere in Los Angeles.

"It's such a great day for it, you know, the 40th anniversary, there's so many legacy runners out here, and the crowd out here was amazing. There were people throughout the whole course and it really helps. It's amazing how much a crowd can change the course of what you're doing."

Athanas Kioko of Kenya was second for the men with a time of 2:10:55. Moses Kiptoo of Kenya was third in 2:13:13.

Savannah Berry of Bakersfield finished third for the women with a time of 2:30:31.

"I'm beyond thrilled," Berry said. "It was fun racing against this group of girls, and then honestly seeing Matt by me ... I was like, `OK, yes, we got this. I wanted to represent for the state, and I wanted to represent for our country."

Paul Pilkington was the last American to win the LA Marathon in 1994 in a time of 2:12:13. American Olga Appell won the women's race that year in a time of 2:28:12.

The capacity field for the 40th Los Angeles Marathon numbered more than 26,000.

The wheelchair racers took off from Dodger Stadium promptly at 6:30 a.m., followed by the hand crank racers at 6:35 a.m. and the women's elite field at 6:44 a.m. The elite men's field hit the pavement at 7 a.m.

Several firefighters who fought January's devastating wildfires were among those participating in the 26-mile, 385-yard race.

U.S. Forest Service Capt. Jerry Garcia, who helped battle the Eaton Fire, will co-pace the group of runners who hope to complete the marathon in two hours, 55 minutes.

"I guarantee that 90% of the runners in the marathon probably know somebody who lost their home or was personally impacted," Garcia said in a statement. "When they asked me to pace, I knew it could be about helping runners and being part of an event that will be about the Los Angeles community. I'm grateful for the opportunity."

The 47-year-old Palmdale resident was the top runner in the 45-49 age group in the 2024 Los Angeles Marathon with a personal best time of 2:40:13. He won the 2017 Angeles Crest 100 trail running race.

Another firefighter in the field was Los Angeles Fire Department Firefighter Greg Balandran, who is running on behalf of the Widows, Orphans and Disabled Firefighters Fund, the official charity of the Los Angeles Firemen's Relief Association.

Shortly after the wildfires erupted, the fund began providing long- term support for the more than two dozen LAFD firefighters and their families who lost homes or were displaced

The Los Angeles Marathon, New York Road Runners, the nonprofit organization that produces the New York City Marathon, the Chicago Marathon, and the Boston Athletic Association, organizers of the Boston Marathon, have come together to support Together LA, an initiative spearheaded by The McCourt Foundation, which owns and operates the Los Angeles Marathon, to aid those affected by the Los Angeles County wildfires.

The four organizations have co-branded limited-edition Together LA merchandise, with all net proceeds benefiting Community Organized Relief Effort and the California Fire Foundation. These funds will provide emergency relief, assist displaced families and support long-term recovery efforts.

Only the 2020 field of 27,150 entrants has had a larger field than Sunday's. Dan Cruz, the head of communications for The McCourt Foundation, told City News Service the capacity field could be attributed to the marathon's growing reputation, "its scenic and iconic course, strong community support and a robust charity partner program."

The field consisted of runners from all 50 states and more than 70 nations. It included 93 legacy runners who have run all 39 previous editions of the race while 40% are first-time marathoners. Cruz said the large number of first-time marathoners "could be due to the explosion in popularity of social run clubs throughout the region."

"We've also seen growth in the younger 20-29 year-old demographic and Students Run LA," the after-school mentoring and physical fitness program for at-risk middle and high school students, "has returned to pre-pandemic numbers with 3,500 participants," Cruz said.

Mayor Karen Bass was the honorary starter.

It was 49 degrees with winds of 4-5 mph at Dodger Stadium as the race began, National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Rorke told City News Service.

Temperatures on the course will "warm up pretty quickly," rising to 60 by noon, Rorke said.

From Dodger Stadium, runners headed through Chinatown, downtown Los Angeles, Echo Park, Thai Town, Little Armenia, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood and Brentwood then back through Westwood to Century City, with the finish line for the "Stadium to the Stars" course on Santa Monica Boulevard, just past Century Park East.

The elite women started 16 minutes, 5 seconds ahead of the elite men for the Marathon Chase, with the overall first finisher receiving a $10,000 bonus. The time difference was determined by projected winning times

The chase was part of the marathon from 2004 to 2014, with women winning seven times and men four. It was discontinued in 2015 when the race served as the USA Marathon Championships. It was revived in 2022 with women winning each time since its revival.

The men's and women's winners will each receive $10,000, the second- place finishers $5,000 and third-place finishers $3,500. The men's and women's wheelchair winners will each receive $2,500.

The men's race has been won by a Kenyan 22 times since 1999, including 2024 when Dominic Ngeno won. Ethiopians won the other four times. A U.S. runner last won in 1994.

African women have won 12 of the last 15 races, including in 2024 when Kenyan Stacy Ndiwa won for the second consecutive year. Like with the men, a U.S. runner last won in 1994.

Francisco Sanclemente of Colombia won Sunday's wheelchair race with a time of 1:38:10, his third straight LA Marathon triumph. American Miguel Vergara was second in 1:43:32.

Gary and Shannon

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