Top finishers from Kenya and Ethiopia lead the race, with U.S. representation among the leaders
The 39th Annual Los Angeles Marathon has been completed. The annual race takes a course that winds its way through most of the city, starting at Dodger Stadium and Downtown Los Angeles, through Hollywood, West Hollywood, and Brentwood, and ending at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Avenue of the Stars in Century City.
Many of the top five runners who finished the course first are from Africa, including three of the top male runners, Dominic Ngeno, who finished first, from Kenya; Cosmas Kiplimo, who finished in second place; and Belay Tilahun, who finished third, from Ethiopia. The men who finished first through third place finished the race in just over two hours.
The results of the top women runners were similar: Stacy Ndiwa of Kenya finished first, Volha Mazuronak of Belarus finished second, and Atsede Baysa Tesema of Ethiopia finished third. Of the top five in both runner categories, two were from the United States: Makena Morley, who placed fifth in the women’s category, and Tesfu Tewelde, who is from Eritrea and the United States.
Women
- Stacy Ndiwa, Kenya, 2:25:28
- Volha Mazuronak, Belarus/U.S.., 2:25:48
- Atsede Baysa Tesema, Ethiopia, 2:25:57
- Kumeshi Sichala, Ethiopia, 2:27:06
- Makena Morley, U.S.., 2:30:24.11
Men
- Dominic Ngeno, Kenya, 2:11:00
- Cosmas Kiplimo, Kenya, 2:11:05
- Belay Tilahun, Ethiopia, 2:13:25
- Sammy Rotich Kenya, 2:16:31
- Tesfu Tewelde, Eritrea/U.S. 2:20:17.
According to ABC 7 News, the McCourt Foundation reported that this year’s marathon had 26,000 entrants on Friday, one of the highest numbers of marathoners in recent years, with the exception of the 2020 race, which had a total of 27,150 entrants.
But it is not just runners; wheelchair and handcycle athletes also competed with the following results:
Wheelchair Division:
Women
Hannah Babaloa, Champaign, IL 2:19:23
Ivonne Reyes Gomez, Mexico, 2:19:59
Veronica Gonzalez Guerrero, Mexico, 3:33:50
Men
Francisco Sanclemente, Colombia, 1:37:14
John Cassidy, Canada, 1:40:55
Gonzalo Valdovinos, Mexico, 1:48:03
Handcycle Division:
Women
Ryen Reed, Riverside, CA, 1:51:08
Jessican Hayon, New York, NYC, 2:16:07
Beth Sanden, San Clemente, CA, 2:49:39
Men
Josue Barron, Temecula, CA, 1:34:58
Owen Daniels, Fontana, CA, 1:35:00
Micael Reardon, Modesto, CA, 1:35:21
Along with its achievements in sports history, the Los Angeles Marathon is a charity event. The McCourt Foundation’s website describes the Marathon by saying, “Each year, The Los Angeles Marathon hosts thousands of runners who choose to make their experience more meaningful by running on behalf of a charity. With 90+ Nonprofit Partners, our Nonprofit Partner Program connects the philanthropic community to the passionate race participants willing to raise funds and create awareness for meaningful causes. Since its inception, the Nonprofit Partnership Program has raised more than $66 million to benefit our partner organizations.”