This morning, 45,000 runners would take to the streets of Amsterdam, Netherlands, to take on the 47th edition of the Amsterdam Marathon. The TCS Amsterdam Marathon is consistently ranked among the ten best in the world, so a thrilling race was expected from the start.
The weather conditions were challenging for even more experienced runners. Typical for a Dutch autumn, the temperature was between 8 and 10 degrees Celsius, with light rain showers in the morning and winds blowing around 15-20 km/h.
Among the stacked men’s elite field were Ethiopian runners Birhanu Legese and Lemi Berhanu, alongside Bernard Koech of Kenyan and Dutchman Khalid Choukoud.
The women’s race fielded some big names, including Degitu Azimeraw and Tiruye Mesfin of Ethiopia as the favorites.
In the men’s race, 25-year-old Joshua Belet of Kenya took a surprise victory over the favorites this morning at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon. Belet, who withdrew from the World Championships earlier this year, came into the race with a personal best time of 2:04:33.
Running with a small selection of runners who broke away early in the race, Belet launched a surge in pace at the 30k mark, which none of his opponents could match.
His solo effort brought him across the line victorious, with a personal best time of 2:04:18.
Belet would lead a Kenyan podium sweep in the men’s elite field. His compatriot Cybrian Kotut would finish behind Belet in a time of 2:04:32. Bethwel Chumba of Kenya would complete the podium, finishing in third with a time of 2:04:35.
Race favorite Birhanun Legese of Ethiopia came into the race with the fastest marathon time among the field of 2:02:28. However, he would finish just outside the podium after crossing the line in 2:04:43 to place fourth.
In the women’s race, it would be Meseret Belete of Ethiopia with a dominant performance that would see her closest competitor trailing by over one minute.
The Ethiopian secured a convincing victory at the Amsterdam Marathon, crossing the line in 2:18:21.
Her compatriot, Meseret Abebayehu, would make it an Ethiopian 1-2 by completing the course in 2:19:50. Dorcas Tuitoek of Kenya would round out the podium after crossing the line in 2:20:02.
Among the Dutch runners, Anne Luijten punched her ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic marathon by completing the race today in a time of 2:26:36, where the time needed was 2:26:50.
With aggressive paces set from the start of the race, the TCS Amsterdam Marathon provided many of the elite runners a good stepping stone as many prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games marathon in Paris this coming August.
