LOS ANGELES — The 39th annual Los Angeles Marathon winner earned some extra green on St. Patrick’s Day. Kenya’s Stacy Ndiwa, 31, defended last year’s title and won the women’s race in a personal best time of 2 hours, 25 minutes and 48 seconds and the $10,000 Marathon Chase bonus.
“I defended my title so I’m happy,” Ndiwa said. “Thank you, L.A. for inviting me again.”
Ndiwa was excited to return to the streets of LA after winning last year’s race in 2 hours and 31 minutes. She hinted at returning in 2025 to go for a three-peat.
“I’m so happy about the bonus that I won again this year so I say thank you so much LA Marathon,” Ndiwa continued. “Maybe next year (I’ll also be back).”
The 26.2-mile unsuspectingly hilly course, which began before sunrise at Dodger Stadium and maneuvered through downtown L.A., Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Century City, ended with Ndiwa’s arms raised high along the Avenue of the Stars, as she broke the tape after averaging 5:33 per mile.
“Last year the race was not competitive like this year so that’s why I improved the time this year because it was so competitive,” explained Ndiwa, who did not break away until the last mile.
Kenya’s Stacy Ndiwa on winning back-to-back LA Marathons and a $10,000 Marathon Chase bonus. #LAMarathon pic.twitter.com/66U3NtQVd8
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 17, 2024
However, less than 12 minutes into the race, controversy ensued.
The women’s race started with what was scheduled to be a 17-minute head start against the men’s race at 6:43 a.m. However, race officials at Dodger Stadium mistakenly started the men’s field approximately four minutes and 15 seconds early, which altered the Marathon Chase race-within-a-race competition before it began.
However, 26-year-old Dominic Ngeno’s winning time of 2 hours, 10 minutes and 20 seconds in the men’s race was not faster than Ndiwa’s time when accounting for her 17-minute head start (that race…
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