2025 Champions Return to Defend Their Titles at the ASICS Los Angeles Marathon

February 27, 2026

Tejinesh Tulu and Matt Richtman, plus 22 other top athletes, will compete on the streets of LA on March 8

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Defending champions Tejinesh Tulu and Matt Richtman will return to the Stadium-to-the-Stars Course to defend their titles at the 2026 ASICS Los Angeles Marathon, produced by The McCourt Foundation, on March 8. Past winners and podium finishers will be headlining both the men’s and women’s divisions, with 24 athletes set to compete in the professional fields during the marathon’s 41st anniversary event.

After becoming the first American man to win the event in more than 30 years, Richtman became one of the most recognizable and fastest U.S. marathoners. His winning time of 2:07:56 was the second fastest time in the history of the marathon on both its previous and current routes.

Just behind Richtman in last year’s event was debutant Athanas Kioko of Kenya, who will also be returning for the 2026 race. The 2024 men’s champion, Dominic Ngeno, also from Kenya, will join them and boasts the fastest personal best among the entire men’s field: 2:06:35.

Other notables from the men’s pro field include Abdela Godana of Ethiopia, Michael Kimani Kamau of Kenya and Marcelo Laguera from Mexico. Toeing the line alongside them is Elkanah Kibet, who placed fourth at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Orlando, just missing earning a spot on the American team.

The ASICS Los Angeles Marathon shares the calendar date with International Women’s Day this year, and women’s athleticism and competitive skills will add to the celebration. Ethiopia’s Tulu is fresh off her fourth-place finish at the 2026 Houston Marathon, where she completed the 26.2-mile distance in a personal best 2:29:13. Kenya’s Antonina Kwambai and American Savannah Berry who stood beside Tulu on last year’s podium (in second and third, respectively) will also be returning.

Other compelling competitors include Vicoty Chepngeno, the fastest woman in the field with a personal best of 2:19:55, Atsede Bayisa, a former Boston Marathon champion and two-time Chicago Marathon champion, and Priscah Cherono, who won The Marathon Project on December 21 in Chandler, Arizona, with a personal best time of 2:25:17 at age 45.

On a day marking women’s empowerment and contributions globally, a fitting competitor is American Makenna Myler, who famously ran a 5:25 mile while 9 months pregnant in 2020 and is now a mother of two. Just 10 months postpartum, she placed seventh in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in a personal best 2:26:14. Kellyn Taylor, also from the U.S., has been winning on the track and on the road for over a decade, and has finished in the top ten at the TCS New York City Marathon four times. Taylor, a mother of four young children, is coming off a win in the Austin Marathon (2:33:29) on February 15.

These top competitors, followed by 27,000 other runners, will travel 26.2 miles beginning at Dodger Stadium and winding through the vibrant neighborhoods and iconic landmarks of Los Angeles, including Downtown L.A., Echo Park, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Brentwood, before finishing along Santa Monica Boulevard at Avenue of the Stars. The Pro Women and Elite Age Group Women will start at 6:40 a.m., followed by the Pro Men and the full field at 7 a.m.

For more information, please visit LAMarathon.com and follow the event on Strava, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.

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 8, 2026, the race will welcome over 27,000 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 7 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 125 nonprofit charity partners. Since its inception, TMF has donated more than $7.2 million to neurology research and generated more than $76M 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.

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