Tsegaye Getachew has won the 46th edition of the Amsterdam Marathon. He recorded a finishing time of 2 hours 4 minutes and 48 seconds. Tamirat Tola’s course record (2.03.39) was out of reach. Khalid Choukoud extended his national title in a new personal best time (2.09.36). Zaankanter Richard Douma got out prematurely.
The fastest Dutchman Abdi Nageeye was missing in the capital. The Olympic silver winner prepares for the New York Marathon. After the starting gun was given by Mayor Femke Halsema at nine o’clock, as expected, a large leading group of African athletes arose. In the second group were Dutch champion Khalid Choukoud and Zaankanter Richard Douma.
At the crossing of Churchillaan at ten kilometers, the leading group recorded a time of 29 minutes and eleven seconds. With that, they were on track to improve the course record that Tamirat Tola set last year. The Ethiopian then clocked a finishing time of 2.03.39. Halfway through, the leading group with all favorites had an advantageous margin of 16 seconds on that course record.
Douma lost
The group Choukoud-Douma clocked after 21.1 kilometers and a time of 1.04.57. That was slower than Choukoud had announced beforehand. After just 28 kilometers, Douma, busy with his second marathon, had to let the group go. He got out shortly after. After the thirty kilometer mark, the last two hares left the leading group, after which the runners lost ground. The course record turned out to be too high. The leading group thinned out from ten to five runners in the Vondelpark, after which Getachew also released the other competitors in the last kilometers, so that he crossed the line solo.