Marathon runners and spectators fill up Amsterdam ahead of 9 a.m. start
A total of 45,000 runners will participate in events connected to the 47th edition of the Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday morning. Thousands of others will gather along the full 42 kilometer route to view the marathon, which frequently ranks among the ten best in the world. Given that the marathon largely takes place within the city, traffic disruptions are expected.
Some 15,000 runners will start from inside the Olympic Stadium, and another 5,000 participants will begin just outside the stadium. All finishes will take place at the stadium on the southwest side of the capital. Another 20,000 people will participate in the half-marathon, with 5,000 others trying to complete an eight-kilometer course instead.
The Vondelpark is one of the favorite viewing points apart from the stadium, as runners pass it at the 2-kilometer mark and the 40-kilometer mark. The athletes will also pass through the Rijksmuseum, the Zuidas, and along the Amstel River.
Ethiopian athletes Birhanu Legese and Lemi Berhanu were expected to participate in the elite men’s group along with Kenyan runner Bernard Koech and Dutch athlete Khalid Choukoud. Nienke Brinkman was going to try to win the women’s title in her home country, but the 29-year-old said on Thursday that she was going to pull out of the event because of an injury. Ethiopians Degitu Azimeraw and Tiruye Mesfin are among the favorites. Azimeraw already won the women's title in Amsterdam four years ago.
On the men’s side, Tsegaye Getachew from Ethiopia won the 2022 edition with a time of 2:04.49. His time was 70 seconds longer than the record set by his countryman, 2021 winner Tamirat Tola. Their fellow national, Almaz Ayana, won the women’s race last year in 2 hours 17 minutes and 20 seconds, which also set a course record.
The event will be broadcast live in English on Eurosport from 8:50 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and in Dutch on NOS. Additional live coverage in the Netherlands will follow on AT5 and NH starting at noon.
