Buze Diriba breaks the Amsterdam course record as Lemi Berhanu wins in 2:03:33

Buze Diriba of Ethiopia set a women’s course record of 2:16:12 at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon on 18 October, and her compatriot Lemi Berhanu won the men’s race in 2:03:33, three seconds outside the course record.

Both ran in wet conditions and both finished faster over the second half than the first, World Athletics reported. Diriba’s time beat the course record and Dutch all-comers’ record of 2:16:52 set by Yalemzerf Yehualaw in 2024. She came to Amsterdam with a best of 2:19:34.

Diriba goes clear at 40 km

Four Ethiopians led the women’s race for much of the distance: the defending champion Aynalem Desta, Diriba, Mestawut Fikir and Meseret Belete. They went through halfway in 1:08:34 and 30 km in 1:37:23, after which Fikir was dropped.

Desta and Diriba then moved away from Belete. According to the organisers, Diriba accelerated at the 40 km mark in the Vondelpark. World Athletics said she was half a minute clear by 40 km and won by almost a minute.

Desta ran a personal best of 2:17:06 for second and Belete was third in 2:18:06, also a personal best, completing an all-Ethiopian podium. (The organisers’ release gives Belete’s time as 2:18:02; World Athletics and the published results tables give 2:18:06.)

“I’m used to running races with elevation changes, and this was one of my first flat marathons. That’s why I was able to run so fast. It was tough today, but I’m extremely happy,” Diriba said in the organisers’ release.

It was her first race in Amsterdam. The 32-year-old has now broken 2:20 in three marathons in 12 months, World Athletics noted: she won Frankfurt in 2:19:34 in October 2025 and was second in Daegu in 2:19:54 in February. Her new time moves her to 16th on the world all-time list.

Berhanu wins the duel in the Vondelpark

A large group reached halfway in the men’s race in 1:02:24 behind the pacemakers. The defending champion and course record holder, Geofry Toroitich Kipchumba of Kenya, was eight seconds back at that point and dropped out shortly afterwards, World Athletics reported.

Kenya’s Justus Kangogo pushed on when the pacemakers stepped off at 30 km (1:28:48). Approaching the Vondelpark, Nicholas Kipkorir kicked and Berhanu went with him. They passed 40 km together in 1:57:25, 11 seconds ahead of Patrick Mosin, before Berhanu edged clear.

The crowd in the Olympic Stadium watched to see whether he would beat Kipchumba’s record of 2:03:30 from 2025. He crossed the line in 2:03:33. Kipkorir, who won silver at the World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen in September, was second in 2:03:39 in only his second marathon, improving on the 2:06:07 he ran on debut in Boston in April. Mosin was third in a personal best of 2:03:58.

The organisers said it was the first time all three men on the Amsterdam podium had run under 2:04. The first eight men finished inside 2:05, which World Athletics said has happened in only two races before. Isaia Kipkoech Lasoi was eighth in 2:04:57 on his marathon debut.

Berhanu won the Boston Marathon in 2016. His time took a minute off the 2:04:33 personal best he had set a decade earlier.

“I’ve trained incredibly hard for this for five months, and I’ve always been strong in tough conditions, but today I was also really fast. It’s fantastic to run the fastest time of my career in this city,” he said in the organisers’ release.

Scott inside 2:11

Britain’s Marc Scott finished 27th in 2:10:14, according to the published results tables. That is more than a minute quicker than the 2:11:19 best listed for him in the elite field. Jonathan Escalante-Phillips, listed as British in one results table, was 30th in 2:13:20.

Noah Schutte was the fastest Dutch man in 2:09:35, ahead of Khalid Choukoud (2:14:10). Mikky Keetels was the leading Dutch woman, narrowly missing her target of 2:30 but running a personal best. Bregje Smits ran 2:30:57, taking almost 20 minutes off her previous best, the organisers said.

“I’m happy with my personal best, but with better weather conditions, I think I could have gone even faster,” Keetels said.

The organisers said 32,000 runners took part in the marathon. The next edition is scheduled for 31 October 2027.

Elsewhere on 18 October

At the Beijing Marathon, the Olympic champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia won in 2:03:10, a Chinese all-comers’ record, according to World Athletics. The previous all-comers’ record was 2:05:35. Ethiopia’s Anchinalu Dessie retained the women’s title in 2:20:36.