Matt Richtman makes history as first American to win Los Angeles Marathon since 1994

Matt Richtman made history Sunday by becoming the first American to win the Los Angeles Marathon since 1994, finishing with an impressive time of 2:07:56. He topped the second-largest field in race history.

Tejinesh Gebisa Tulu of Ethiopia claimed victory in the women's race with a time of 2:30:16, while Antonina Kwambai of Kenya finished second at 2:30:19.

Richtman, a Montana State University alumnus, achieved this victory in just his second marathon.

"It's definitely a surprise," he said shortly after crossing the finish line. "I came in feeling really good, but it's tough to gauge how you compare to the competition. There was a great group out there today, and I was really happy to race with them and ultimately come out on top."

The excitement surrounding the 40th annual LA Marathon was palpable as the first rays of sunshine peeked through the sky. 

The weather along the "Stadium to the Stars" route began with chilly temperatures in the 40s, providing a cool start for participants. However, temperatures rose later in the day into the 60s and 70s as the day went on. For many runners, this race marked the culmination of months, or even years, of training.

Among the thousands of runners was Victoria Barrera, a single mother who had lost her home in the devastating Eaton Fire, but refused to let that tragedy stop her from running the race. 

Barrera had been waiting for this moment since October of last year, and though she had missed some training due to the fire.   

"You have to know why you're doing it, what your purpose is, and keep that at the forefront," she said. "This is so electrifying. All the energy, all the people. I've been waiting for this moment since I decided I was going to train for a marathon in October." 

Barrera joined approximately 26,000 other runners in the 26.2-mile challenge through Los Angeles. 

The route passed through iconic areas, like Dodger Stadium, 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 on Santa Monica Boulevard.

There are significant road closures throughout the city, impacting both streets and highways like the 101 and 405. For a complete list of impacted streets, click here.