LOS ANGELES — Former Montana State runner Matt Richtman became the first American in 31 years to win the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday.
Richtman, who was a two-time All-American cross country runner at Montana State, won the marathon with a time of 2:07:56, outpacing second-place Athanas Kioko of Kenya, who had a time of 2:10:55.
"I didn't really have a super big plan coming into this. It's always so tough to marathon just because so much can happen," Richtman said afterward. "But really, I just told myself just to stay in that pack until about the halfway mark, that hour mark, and then if I felt good, I could make a move or something like that.
"(I) ended up going a little bit to the lead and no one really came with me, so I figured let's make it honest and go for it."
𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗡 ⚡️
— Montana State TF/XC (@MSUBobcatsTFXC) March 16, 2025
Matt Richtman (‘24) wins the Los Angeles Marathon in just his SECOND ever marathon race, recording the seventh-fastest time by an American in any marathon 😱#GoCatsGo pic.twitter.com/h8l27z4v0m
It was just the second marathon Richtman had run, and his time is the seventh-fastest among Americans.
The last American to win the event was Paul Pilkington in 1994.
Richtman is an Elburn, Ill., native, and competed at Montana State from 2020 through the 2024. As a senior, he placed 26th in the 10K at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, which is the fourth-best finish by a Bobcat in program history.
