Defending champions Geofry Kipchumba and Aynalem Desta are returning to race the 2026 TCS Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday, October 18.

The men

Kipchumba hopes to better his own personal best and course record of 2:03:30 set last year. The Kenyan also finished second in the 2026 Tokyo earlier this season in 2:03:37. He is up against Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Getachew, the Amsterdam winner in 2022 and 2024, who finished second last year in a personal best of 2:04:18.

Also a threat to Kipchumba winning is Haymanot Alew, who brings a best of 2:03:31. Meanwhile, Lemi Berhanu and Israel’s Maru Teferi add further depth. Uganda’s Stephen Kissa, a 2:04:48 runner, will toe the line. Kenyan half-marathon specialist Isaia Lasoi will make his marathon debut after recording 58:10 over the shorter distance.

Great Britain’s Marc Scott will debut. He has run a 1:00:39 half marathon and holds the national 5000m record at 12:57.08.

The women

Desta leads the women’s entries with the 2:17:37 she won last year. Fellow Ethiopian Meseret Belete, the 2023 Amsterdam champion, returns with a PB of 2:18:21. Fellow Ethiopian Mestawut Fikir, second in Berlin in 2024 with a 2:18:48 performance, is slated to race. And yet another Ethiopian, Buze Diriba, who has run 2:19:34, will make the race interesting.

Other notable women include Bahrain’s Desi Mokonin, Eritrea’s Nazret Weldu and Sweden’s former world 1500m champion Abeba Aregawi, who ran 2:23:12 on her marathon debut in Ottawa this year. Yalemzerf Yehualaw’s course record of 2:16:52, set in 2024, provides the benchmark for the leading contenders. 

Nine men hold personal bests under 2:05. Nine women have run sub-2:22.

Men’s elite field

BibAthleteCountryPB
1Geofry KipchumbaKEN2:03:30
2Haymanot AlewETH2:03:31
3Tsegaye GetachewETH2:04:18
4Lemi BerhanuETH2:04:33
5Maru TeferiISR2:04:44
6Bute GemechuETH2:04:51
7Justus LimoKEN2:04:55
8Bazezew AsmareETH2:04:57
9Patrick MosinKEN2:04:59
10Khalid ChoukoudNED2:07:37
11Noah SchutteNED2:09:28
12Yihunilign AdaneETH2:04:59
14Kalipus LomwaiKEN2:05:06
15Yohei IkedaJPN2:05:12
16Bayelign TeshagerETH2:05:23
17Jonathan KorirKEN2:05:27
18Sila KiptooKEN2:05:28
19Ghirmay GhebreslassieERI2:05:34
20Victor KipchirchirKEN2:05:43
21Mehdi FrèreFRA2:05:43
22Tsedat AbejeETH2:05:47
23Yasin HajiETH2:05:52
24Justus KangogoKEN2:05:57
25Nicholas KipkorirKEN2:06:07
26Henry KichanaKEN2:06:36
27Merhawi KeseteERI2:06:36
28Henok TesfayERI2:07:12
29Gerba BeyataETH2:08:25
30Lahsene BouchikhiBEL2:08:36
31Godwin KatakuraZIM2:08:47
32Alfred BarkachKEN2:08:49
33Bastien AugustoFRA2:09:36
34Marc ScottGBR2:11:19
35Getachew KeneETH2:11:29
36Humnaol HabtamuETH2:11:34
37George KuscheRSA2:13:09
38Jonatan VenemaNED2:13:45
39Bernard GeayTAN2:15:47
40Isaia LasoiKENDebut
41Amos KiruiKENDebut
42Mayko GeayTANDebut
43Stephen KissaUGA2:04:48

Women’s elite field

BibAthleteCountryPB
F1Aynalem DestaETH2:17:37
F3Meseret BeleteETH2:18:21
F4Mestawut FikirETH2:18:48
F5Buze DiribaETH2:19:34
F6Desi MokoninBHR2:20:07
F7Yeshi ChekoleETH2:20:15
F8Nazret WelduERI2:20:29
F9Tiringo MuluETH2:21:12
F10Abeba AregawiSWE2:23:12
F11Stacy NdiwaKEN2:23:42
F12Girmawit GebrzihairETH2:24:20
F14Rabecca ChepkwemoiKEN2:24:52
F15Kena GirmaETH2:25:56
F16Mikky KeetelsNED2:30:42
F17Lindsey BradleyUSA2:31:49
F18Chelsea StokesGBR2:32:31
F20Gete AlemayehuETHDebut
F21Kiara NahenGERDebut
F22Selamawit TeferiISR2:26:58
F23Bregje SmitsNED2:33:36
F24Britt UmmelsNED2:39:18
F25Evaline ChirchirKEN2:20:33
F26Adanech AnbesaETH2:24:07
F27Warkine AbdetaETHDebut
F42Silke van der MeijdenNED2:50:55

Shoestrings…

In other marathon news, Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan has dropped out of the upcoming New York City Marathon. She is a pre-race favourite. She holds the Dutch and European record, which she set at the 2023 Chicago Marathon when she clocked 2:13:44. The race is happening on Sunday, November 2.

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