“I came in feeling really good,” said Matt Richtman after the 2025 LA Marathon. Although that didn’t mean he was sure he would win. For him, it is “definitely a surprise” that he has won one of the most iconic marathons in the US and the world. But that Richtman has won is making a major headline for a different reason. He has just ended a 30-year drought.

The US long-distance runner has become the first American to win the prestigious race since 1994. Not just breaking the long drought, Matt Richtman just did it in record time, too. Running the LA Marathon in 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 56 seconds, Richtman has claimed victory in what is only his 2nd marathon. So, how did he achieve this?

How did Matt Richman become the first American to win a marathon in 31 Years?

After the win, for which he got $10000, in addition to the $10000 bonus he got for winning the Marathon Chase, he spoke to the reporters to share how he planned the run. Talking to My News LA on March 16, the runner said, “I didn’t have too much of a strategy. “The first half I just wanted to stay in that group, didn’t really want to push the pace or lead or anything like that, just kind of stay, feel it out, ’cause it’s a challenging course.”

Continuing, he elaborated on his thought process: “I told myself, `Once you get the hour mark then you can start to feel it out, do any moves if you want to do that, so that’s what I did…” It worked quite well. He became the 1st American to win this race after Paul Pilkington. Richtman also felt the occasion worked in his favor. “The 40th anniversary, there’s so many legacy runners out here, and the crowd out here was amazing. There were people throughout the whole course and it really helps.”

He did credit “good training and good support group around me” for this success. But he also shared how the home crowd’s support gave him the right push to achieve this feat: “It’s amazing how much a crowd can change the course of what you’re doing.” But still, Matt Richtmann was definitely responsible for this. After all, the crowd was always there. But since 1999, Kenyans have won the race 22 times and Ethiopians 4 times. This time, however, it’s an American bringing it home in an emphatic fashion – beating the 2nd-largest field in LA Marathon history.

He is firmly on the map now. Although he has been an accomplished long-distance runner for a while now.

All about his achievements, records, & More

25-year-old Matt Richtman is from Illinois and started his ‘long-distance’ path since he was in high school. He was in the cross country and track teams at Kaneland High School where he went from 2014-18. He won the Illinois Cross Country 2A Championship in 2017 and holds the school record for the state cross country meet with a time of 14:21.

As far as his collegiate period is concerned, he is only the second Montana State Bobcat in program history to be a 2-time All-American in cross country. In his senior year in 2023-24, Richtman ran the third-fastest 10k in school history at the Stanford Invitational (28:21.79). Besides that, he also ran the fifth-fastest 5k in school history (13:45.10).

That’s not all. Richtman won the silver medal in the 10,000 meters at the 2024 Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Add to this the bronze in the 5,000 meters at the same conference championship. He contributed 14 points as Montana State scored an upset win over Northern Arizona, that too by a single point – 186-185. Richtman has been a vital performer for Montana, and now he is making a name in the professional setup.