A high school track coach from Michigan won the LA Marathon by 0.01 Seconds

Nathan Martin is a 36-year-old substitute teacher and high school cross-country coach from Jackson, Michigan. On Sunday morning he ran 26.2 miles through Los Angeles and crossed the finish line in Century City ahead of Kenya’s Michael Kamau by the length of a single stride, posting a time of 2:11:16.50 in the closest finish in LA Marathon history.

Zero point zero one seconds. That is the margin.

Nathan Martin wins the 2026 LA Marathon

Nathan Martin, a 36-year-old high school cross-country coach from Jackson, Michigan, won the 2026 Los Angeles Marathon by running past Kenya’s Michael Kamau in the final second.
pic.twitter.com/QMuRWHfq00

— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) March 9, 2026

Doesn’t get much closer than that. Martin and Kamau ran shoulder to shoulder through the final stretch of the race.

Nathan Martin surged at the tape, got his chest across first, and that was the difference. Kamau, who had not taken fluids during the race, collapsed immediately after crossing the finish line and was taken away on a stretcher.

He is listed with the same official time of 2:11:18. The race was that close.

Nathan Martin has been building toward winning the LA Marathon for years.

In 2023 at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth he set a record as the fastest U.S.-born Black marathoner with a personal best of 2:10:45. Sunday’s victory makes him the second consecutive American to win the men’s division in Los Angeles, following Matt Richtman who ended a 31-year drought in 2025.

Nathan Martin Post LA Marathon Interview:

Exclusive: American Nathan Martin, a 36-year-old high school cross county coach from Jackson, Michigan, is the personification of never giving up.

He won the 2026 Los Angeles Marathon in 2:11:16.50, capturing the title in the final stride of the 26.2 mile race Sunday. pic.twitter.com/A2a3kBsqdB

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 8, 2026

A substitute teacher and high school cross-country coach winning one of the most dramatic finishes in LA Marathon history. You cannot write a better story than that. The kids he coaches are going to hear about this one for a very long time.

Nathan Martin is an American hero in every sense of the word. Cheers.

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