Michigan High School Cross Country Coach Goes Viral After Winning LA Marathon By 0.01 Seconds In Historic Photo Finish

This year's LA Marathon winner takes "by a nose" to a whole new level—and made history for the second time in his running career in the process.

Nathan Martin, a cross country coach from Jackson, Michigan, won the Los Angeles Marathon out of nowhere when he bested Kenyan runner Michael Kamau at the last possible moment by a gasp-inducing margin.

He won by one one-hundredth of a second. Yes, it was a 0.01 second tie breaker.

Martin's time of 2 hours, 11 minutes, 16.50 seconds was the closest race finish in LA Marathon history, and left judges and spectators alike breathless.

Kamau had appeared to be the frontrunner for quite some time, and was presumed to win until the last second, well ahead of Martin just mere feet from the finish line.

But in the final seconds, Martin suddenly surged ahead and bested him in a truly astonishing finish that is heart-pounding to watch.

Asked by media how he did it, he said:

“In any race, I just want to give 100%. I saw an opportunity to race at the end and give one last push. All I wanted to do is push myself.”

Davis also explained that he'd pulled ahead of nearly everyone in the final five miles, telling journalist John W. Davis that when he pushed harder almost no one seemed to come with him.

In the final mile, it seemed clear that he had a real, fighting chance to best Kamau if he dug deep and made it happen. And that's just what he did, at the last possible moment.

This isn't the first time Martin has made history either: His personal best of 2:10:45, set in 2023, made him the fastest U.S.-born Black marathoner ever.

Davis asked Martin how it felt to hold that kind of rarefied status as a Black man. Martin told him:

"Never give up and never assume what you're 'supposed' to be good at."

Sage advice, indeed.

On social media, Martin's win has left pretty much everyone astonished.

Martin is also just the second American to win the LA Marathon over 30 years after last year's winner, Matt Richtman, broke an American losing streak that had been in place since 1994.

Condolences to his students back in Jackson, Michigan, who are never going to get to slack off at practice ever again!

But they're no doubt lucky to have a coach like Martin. In his final remarks to Davis, he stressed the importance of going for a personal best over winning titles and trophies. He's definitely a testament to that important lesson.