Ethiopia Sends Deep Field to Defend Amsterdam Marathon Titles

What changed

Ethiopia is sending a deep group of contenders into the TCS Amsterdam Marathon on October 18, where defending champions Geofry Toroitich Kipchumba and Aynalem Desta will try to keep their titles. Haymanot Alew, Tsegaye Getachew, Meseret Belete and Mestawut Fikir headline the Ethiopian challenge across the two races.

Why it matters

This is less a single-star showcase than a test of Ethiopia’s depth. Alew’s 2:03:31 is one second slower than Kipchumba’s men’s course record, while Getachew has already won in Amsterdam twice, in 2022 and 2024. Kipchumba, meanwhile, arrives after running 2:03:37 in Tokyo and wants to lower his own mark.

The women’s race is just as crowded. Desta won last year in 2:17:37, Belete claimed the 2023 title, and Fikir ran 2:18:48 in Berlin in 2024. The target ahead of them is Yalemzerf Yehualaw’s 2:16:52 course record.

The men’s field includes 11 runners who have broken 2:05, so even a strong Ethiopian showing may not produce an Ethiopian winner. The race begins at 9 a.m. local time at Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium, with the Amstel River and Vondelpark on a course built for fast times.