L.A. Marathon Clarifies Runner’s Shock 2nd Place Finish by .01 Second

The 2026 Los Angeles Marathon is racing to clear up rumors about its unexpected ending.

Kenya’s Michael Kimani Kamau led for most of the race on March 8th, but American Nathan Martin edged him out in the final moments. Martin finished with a time of 2:11:16.50, just .01 seconds ahead of Kamau’s 2:11:16.94.

After a very close finish, many fans believed Kamau didn’t actually lose. They pointed to the race’s support vehicles and a spectator waving a Kenyan flag as distractions that caused him to briefly run the wrong way. He quickly corrected his mistake and headed back towards the finish line, but Martin was able to pass him and win the race.

The L.A. Marathon denied responsibility for the incident in a statement to TopMob News on March 9th.

We learned this morning about a video online showing Michael Kimani Kamau briefly drifting off the planned route as our lead cars left the race course. No official complaints were made, and the race results from Sunday remain the same.

According to a marathon official, the support vehicles left the race route as scheduled near the finish line. They confirmed that no vehicle made a wrong turn at any point during the event.

The spokesperson did note that fans’ interactions with runners may be distracting.

We’re concerned about the behavior of a spectator near the finish line, as shown in the video. We appreciate the large crowds that come to our race, and we’ll be discussing how to prevent similar issues in the future.

The L.A. Marathon celebrated the top finishers, including Enyew Nigat, who placed third in the Men’s Pro race, and Priscah Cherono, the winner of the Women’s Pro race. They also thanked all 27,000+ runners who took part in the event.

Kamau hasn’t spoken publicly about finishing second, but the winner, Martin, was surprised to have won first place.

With a mile left in the race, I spotted the pace car and the leader, and thought, ‘Maybe I have a chance, let’s see what happens.’ Then, with 800 meters to go, I realized I needed to make a move and at least try to win. Luckily, everything fell into place.

For a look at some of your favorite stars who have run the marathon, keep reading.

As a marathon enthusiast, I’ve been following the incredible journey of this singer! They’ve set a fantastic goal: completing both the Tokyo and Berlin Marathons in 2025. It’s amazing to see them focused and pushing towards the finish line in both races!

The former Bachelorette is running the NYC Marathon again! She shared on Instagram that she’s excited for the 2024 race, having previously run it in 2021 with her then-fiancé, Zac Clark. She posted a photo of her race bib, number 38793, and said she’s looking forward to seeing supportive fans along the course.

After completing the 2024 Chicago Marathon, actress Phoebe Tonkin shared her thoughts on the experience. In an Instagram post, she admitted to feeling proud of her accomplishment, despite valuing humility. She explained that she dedicated months to training, waking up at 4 a.m. throughout the summer, and that the process was incredibly challenging, requiring significant support from her family.

I often struggled with self-doubt and worried about disappointing people, Holt shared. But today, I achieved a personal best time of 3:44:14 – a full 19 minutes faster! This was especially meaningful because it happened 11 months after having my third child. I was able to do it thanks to the incredible support of my friends, family, and even strangers who showed such kindness. You believed in me and the cause, and together we raised over $100,000 for Boston Children’s Hospital to help address the mental health crisis. I’m deeply grateful to everyone – thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The Banshees of Inisherin star ran the 2024 Irish Life Dublin Marathon.

The Amy & T.J. podcast hosts flashed their medals after finishing the 2023 New York City Marathon.

The actress, known for her role in Wicked, announced on Instagram that she completed the 2022 London Marathon in 3 hours and 35 minutes. She described the experience as both challenging and rewarding, saying she felt proud, tired, and thankful. She also noted the marathon was a very emotional experience.

Actor Danny Masterson, known for his role in That ’70s Show, successfully completed the New York City Marathon in 2022.

The host of Sunday Today raised over $400,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease by running in the 2021 New York City Marathon.

In 2021, several stars from The Bachelor franchise gathered for a photo at the New York City Marathon finish line, including Matt James’ then-girlfriend, Rachael Kirkconnell.

We’re being genuine. Nev Schulman, the host of the show Catfish, is actually a marathon runner and completed the 2019 New York City Marathon.

The former Bachelorette told People magazine she just wanted to complete the challenging 26.2-mile New York City marathon without setting a specific time goal, explaining she didn’t want to be let down. However, the reality star surprised everyone by finishing the 2019 marathon in under four hours.

One year after completing the New York City Marathon, the comedian ran the 2018 Chicago Marathon to raise money for college funds. He explained on Instagram that he wanted to achieve a personal goal while also supporting a cause he cared about, emphasizing the importance of “Education!”

The model described running the 2017 New York City Marathon as the most challenging experience of her life. Despite this, she completed the race in an impressive four hours and forty-one minutes.

I was so inspired by Alicia’s post about completing the 2015 marathon in New York City! She said her motto during the race was simply putting one foot in front of the other, and she finished with a fantastic time of 5:50:52. As a huge fan, I loved hearing how the race wasn’t just physically challenging for her, but a mental one too. She shared in a blog post that she sees marathon training as a way to push her mental limits – basically, Jedi mind training! It’s amazing to see how she approaches challenges, and it really motivates me.

The Game of Thrones star said she wasn’t overly focused on her personal performance in the 2016 London Marathon, emphasizing that raising over $7,000 for the ChildLine service was the priority. However, she confessed to reporters she was slightly annoyed her time of three hours and 54 minutes was 24 seconds slower than her first marathon in 2014.

While running the 2015 Boston Marathon to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the actress from Orange Is the New Black listened to Sara Bareilles’ song “Brave.” She did this to honor a friend who had passed away from cancer. The song had been a source of strength for her friend during treatment, playing constantly through every chemo session. Now, the actress listens to it while training and feels like her friend is encouraging her to keep pushing forward.

Ryan Reynolds, known for his role as Deadpool, was motivated to run the 2008 New York City Marathon by his father’s struggle with Parkinson’s disease. He completed the marathon in three hours and fifty minutes and also raised funds for Parkinson’s research through Team Fox, an initiative founded by Michael J. Fox.

Following her completion of the 2007 NYC marathon, the actress surprised everyone by attending the premiere of then-husband Tom Cruise’s film, Lions for Lambs, while still wearing heels!

The actor, after completing his third marathon—Boston in 2003 with a time under four hours—explained that running a marathon isn’t about if you’ll hurt, but when. He later told Podium Runner that people are surprisingly unimpressed when they see him running, noting it’s usually met with silence and a lot of discomfort.

Before turning 40, the popular talk show host promised herself she’d run a marathon. In 1994, she completed the 26.2-mile race in Washington, D.C., despite the heavy rain. Two reporters from the National Enquirer followed her throughout the race, and she finished in a remarkable four hours and 29 minutes.

Even after completing the Houston marathon in 1993, President George H.W. Bush didn’t accept excuses from people who claimed they were too busy to exercise. He famously told Runner’s World magazine during his presidency, “If the President of the United States can find the time to run, anyone can.” He firmly believed, and knew, that everyone is capable of making time for fitness.

2026-03-10 05:18

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