Elite fields set for 2025 Los Angeles Marathon
The 2025 Los Angeles Marathon presented by ASICS will celebrate its 40th running on Sunday, March 16 with a competitive field of world-class athletes. More than 25,000 runners will take on the iconic “Stadium to the Stars” course, spanning from Dodger Stadium to Century City, in an event that will serve as a symbol of resilience following the region’s devastating wildfires.
Founded in 1986, the Los Angeles Marathon was born from the momentum of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and has since become one of the nation’s premier distance-running events. This year’s race is dedicated to first responders of the Los Angeles wildfires and has launched the Together LA initiative, rallying runners and the community to support those affected by the fires.
At the front of the pack, top elite athletes will battle in the Marathon Chase, a unique race-within-a-race competition designed to create an all-out duel to the finish line at the Avenue of the Stars on Santa Monica Boulevard.
Leading the field are emerging American standouts Savannah Berry (2:29:13) and Matthew Richtman (2:10:47), alongside a deep international lineup that includes Ethiopia’s Gizealew Ayana (2:07:15), the 2023 Paris Marathon champion; Asefa Tefera (2:07:47), the 2019 Osaka Marathon champion; Kenya’s Antonina Kwambai (2:23:20), who placed fourth in the 2024 Seville Marathon; and Tejinesh Gebisa (2:24:37), who finished second in the 2023 Marrakech Marathon.
Richtman, a 25-year-old from Bozeman, Montana, impressed with a fourth-place finish at the Twin Cities Marathon in 2:10:47, just 28 seconds behind the winner. Berry, a California native, is a two-time U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon competitor who will have a strong contingent of family and friends supporting her along the course.
“I think it’s going to be a really exciting environment,” Richtman said. “It’s the 40th year of the race, a major milestone, and with the entire city coming together after the wildfires, I think this event will help rebuild a sense of community.”
The Marathon Chase will feature a winner-take-all competition among elite runners, broadcast live on KTLA Channel 5 and streamed worldwide on KTLA.com and KTLA+. To create a thrilling head-to-head finish, the women’s elite start time will be adjusted based on projected winning times, with a 16-minute, 5-second head start over the men’s field. The first runner—male or female—to cross the finish line will earn a $10,000 bonus.
“The Marathon Chase is an innovative race format that delivers two and a half hours of electrifying, gamified race coverage during our live KTLA broadcast,” said Murphy Reinschreiber, Chief Operating Officer of The McCourt Foundation. “With expert commentary and real-time data analysis, viewers can track the battle between the men’s and women’s leaders, predicting if—and when—the catch will happen. This format ensures a thrilling split-screen showdown all the way to the finish line, keeping fans engaged and eliminating the possibility of a runaway solo victory.”
Since its inception in 2004, the Marathon Chase format has resulted in a 10-4 advantage for women, including an exciting finish last year, when Kenya’s Stacy Ndiwa (2:25:29) held off men’s champion Dominic Ngeno (2:11:01) to win the bonus for the second consecutive year.
The Los Angeles Marathon’s wheelchair division will kick off race day at 6:30 a.m., featuring some of the world’s most accomplished Paralympians, record holders, and past champions. Leading the men’s field is Colombia’s Francisco Sanclemente, the two-time defending push-rim champion, who is aiming for a historic three-peat. On the women’s side, Japan’s Wakako Tsuchida, a five-time Boston Marathon champion (2007-2011), an 11-time Honolulu Marathon winner (2000-2017), and a Paralympic gold medalist in both the Winter and Summer Games, will lead the field. Also competing are Krige Schabort (South Africa), a veteran of more than 12 Los Angeles Marathons, and Rafa Botello (Spain), a two-time Paralympian and holder of multiple Spanish records in wheelchair racing, including the marathon and 10K road race.
The Los Angeles Marathon presented by ASICS is operated by The McCourt Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to curing neurological diseases while empowering communities to build a healthier world. This year’s marathon features 93 Legacy Runners who have completed all previous editions and 40% of the field will be running in their first ever marathon. For more information, visit LAMarathon.com