Los Angeles Marathon sees stunning finish in men's race; 45-year-old champion in women's

An American man won the Los Angeles Marathon for the second-straight year after Nathan Martin pulled off a miraculous comeback for an epic finish.

Kenyan Michael Kimani Kamau led for a vast majority of the 26.2-mile race, but as the finish line was in sight, Martin conducted an improbable chase down to win in a split-second finish. According to the LA Marathon, Martin edged out Kamau by less than one second.

"Just after I crossed, I was like, 'Ooh, it was super close. Maybe I got it, I think I did.' But I didn't want to jinx myself," Martin said while speaking with CBS LA.

He said that he started to notice Kamau and the lead pace car towards the end of the race. 

"I was like, 'Hey, you know what, maybe I still have a shot,'" Martin said. "Started pushing and was able to pull it off."

Kamau collapsed at the finish line and was treated by medical professionals.

Last year, Matthew Richtman became the first American to win the marathon since 1994. Martin finished the race in just 2 hours, 11 minutes and 16 seconds.

In the women's race, Priscah Cherono of Kenya dominated from start to finish. She posted an impressive 2:25:19.

Cherono, 45, won in just the second professional marathon she's ever run, after shifting to long-distance running. She represented Kenya in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, running in the 5,000-meter race.

For the wheelchair division, American Miguel Jimenez Vergara, a Chula Vista native, won on the men's side with a time of 1:42:12. For the women, Nigerian athlete Hannan Babalola won in 1:33:42. It's her third win, as she previously took the title in 2023 and 2024.

More than 27,000 runners took to the streets of LA for its most iconic race on Sunday.