Kenyan returns to defend his title as Ethiopian quartet lead strong women’s field at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday (Oct 18).

Geofry Kipchumba is back in Amsterdam with a clear goal: to improve on the 2:03:30 course record he set last year, which was also the fastest marathon ever run on Dutch soil.

The 26-year-old Kenyan was aggressive in 2025, making his decisive move at around 35km on the Zeeburgerdijk, and he showed he is in excellent form this year with a 2:03:37 runner-up performance in Tokyo. He heads a men’s field at the World Athletics Platinum Label race that includes 11 athletes with PBs inside 2:05:00.

Chief among his rivals is Tsegaye Getachew. The 29-year-old Ethiopian won in 2022 and 2024 and was second last year in a PB of 2:04:18, unable to respond when Kipchumba kicked clear. He will be looking for revenge.

Kipchumba’s one-second faster compatriot on paper, Ethiopia’s Haymanot Alew, is another major threat. The 28-year-old clocked 2:03:31 when finishing third in Berlin in 2024. Also in the mix are Ethiopia’s Lemi Berhanu, the 2025 Prague winner with a best of 2:04:33, and Israel’s Maru Teferi, who ran 2:04:44 in Valencia in 2024.

Further names include Patrik Mosin of Kenya and Eritrea’s Ghirmay Ghebreslassie, the former world champion, while Khalid Choukoud leads the domestic entries.

Many eyes will be on Isaia Kipkoech Lasoi, too. The 26-year-old Kenyan makes his marathon debut after running 58:10 for the half-marathon and the question is how that speed will translate over the full 42.195km.

Women’s race

The women’s race looks just as intriguing, with four Ethiopians boasting PBs inside 2:20:00.

The fastest is defending champion Aynalem Desta. The 22-year-old won last year’s 50th edition in a PB of 2:17:37, which was just 45 seconds shy of the course record of 2:16:52 set by Yalemzerf Yehualaw in 2024.

Meseret Belete Tola, 27, won in 2023 in 2:18:21 and knows what it is like to enter the Olympic Stadium in first place. Mestawut Fikir Truneh was runner-up in Berlin in 2024 when she ran her PB of 2:18:48, while 32-year-old Buze Diriba (2:19:34) trains in the same group as Tigst Assefa, whose best is 2:11:04.

Sweden’s Abeba Aregawi adds interest. The former world 1500m champion made her marathon debut in Ottawa in May with a Swedish record of 2:23:12 and now faces the best field she has encountered over the distance.

Behind the Ethiopian four, the depth is considerable. Bahrain’s Desi Jisa Mokonin has run 2:20:07, Ethiopia’s Yeshi Kalayu Chekole 2:20:15 and Eritrea’s Nazret Weldu Gebrehiwet 2:20:29.

There is more at stake than prize money, with the race an important opportunity to qualify for next year’s World Championships in Beijing. A top-five finish at a Platinum Label marathon is a qualification pathway, alongside the entry standard of 2:23:20 or qualifying through the world rankings.