The Amsterdam Marathon is a road race of 42.195 km (26 mi 385 yd) across the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, contested by men and women annually since 1975. The race was initially held in the spring (April or May), but since 1991, it has been held in the autumn (September to November). In its 50-year existence, the event has been cancelled twice: in 1978, after the sponsor withdrew, and in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands.
In the inaugural edition of 1975, Jørgen Jensen was the men's winner, in a time of 2:16:51 (h : m : s), and Plonie Scheringa was the women's winner, finishing in 3:13:38. Gerard Nijboer won the 1980 race in 2:09:01, which was recognized as a world-best marathon performance by the Association of Road Racing Statisticians until 1981[1] and remained a Dutch marathon record until 2003.[2] The current men's course record (CR) is 2:03:39, set by Tamirat Tola in 2021, and the current women's course record is 2:16:52, set by Yalemzerf Yehualaw in 2024.
Nijboer won the race four times, more than any other runner, in 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1989. Wilson Chebet won three times consecutively, from 2011 to 2013. The two-time winners in the men's category are Ferenc Szekeres, Cor Vriend, Sammy Korir, Bernard Kipyego, Lawrence Cherono, and Tsegaye Getachew. In the women's category Scheringa, Marja Wokke, and Tadelech Bekele have each won twice. Runners representing Kenya, Ethiopia, and the Netherlands have been the most successful in winning the marathon, with 21 victories by Kenyan male runners, 16 victories by Ethiopian female runners, and 12 victories by Dutch female runners.
- ^ Hill, Ian; Milroy, Andy; Gasparovic, Juraj (3 May 2016). "World Best Progressions – Road". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ Stouwdam, Henk (20 October 2003). "Maase geeft 'Amsterdam' glans met record". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 October 2023.