The 41st LA Marathon kicked off on a brilliant Sunday morning with the anticipation of the crowd weaving from Dodger Stadium to Century City. And by the time the leaders reached the final stretch on Santa Monica Boulevard, it was clear that the audience was witnessing something to remember for the rest of their lives.

As reported by Collin Rugg on X, the 2026 race delivered the closest finish in its history, with American Nathan Martin surging past Kenya’s Michael Kimani Kamau by a margin of just 0.01 seconds to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Martin, a 36-year-old substitute teacher and track coach from Jackson, Michigan, crossed the line in 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 16.50 seconds. And the social media footage says it all. It was the American who leaned into the tape with perfect timing, and for Kamau, his body gave up around the same time as he watched his competitor win the LA Marathon with a razor-thin margin.

Talking about the effort that went into securing the historic win, Martin confessed, stating, “I made an actual move five miles out… when I saw no one else was picking up the pace. I decided I needed to push. At a mile and a half to go, I could see the leader and with 800 meters to go, I was thinking, ‘I’m catching him.’”

That thought became reality in a furious dash to the finish line, making him the second consecutive American man to win the LA Marathon, following Matt Richtman’s victory last year. However, for other Kenyan athletes, the marathon was eventful.

Enyew Nigat came in third, with a time of 2 hours, 14 minutes, and 23 seconds. Looking at the women’s race, Kenya’s Priscah Cherono crossed the finish line first in 2 hours, 25 minutes, and 20 seconds, and she was followed by Arizona’s Kellyn Taylor in second with a time of 2:27:37, and Kenya’s Antonina Kwambai in third (2:28:50).

So, Martin’s 0.01-second victory at the LA Marathon will be remembered as one of the most dramatic finishes in the sport’s history. Indeed, it joins a rich tradition of photo finishes.

The LA Marathon isn’t the only venue to witness such a close race

The 2005 New York City Marathon showcased Kenya’s Paul Tergat surging past South Africa’s Hendrick Ramaala in the final strides, winning by a mere 0.33 seconds in a finish so close that Ramaala collapsed across the line, unaware he had lost.

Upon learning the results, Ramaala wasn’t very delighted but maintained sportsmanship between him and his rival, stating, “I don’t remember. You know, coming in second is not nice. The last hundred meters, who wants to go the last hundred meters with Paul? I gave it everything. Paul didn’t want to lose, I didn’t want to lose.”

At the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu produced a stunning finish, narrowly defeating Germany’s Amanal Petros at the finish line to secure the closest world championship marathon in history, with both men recording the same official time of 2:09:48.

Well, such moments just describe the thrilling nature of the sport, as glory and heartbreak are forever separated by the length of a single stride.