Addis Ababa, October 16, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia’s elite distance runners are set to mount a formidable challenge at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday, with a deep contingent in both the men’s and women’s races seeking victory against defending champions and a world-class international field.
The World Athletics Platinum Label race, scheduled for October 18, will bring together leading marathoners at Amsterdam’s historic Olympic Stadium, where Kenya’s Geofry Toroitich Kipchumba and Ethiopia’s Aynalem Desta return to defend their titles.
Ethiopia’s challenge in the men’s race will be spearheaded by Haymanot Alew and Tsegaye Getachew, both carrying strong credentials into a contest expected to be run at an exceptional pace.
Alew arrives with a personal best of 2:03:31, just one second outside the course record of 2:03:30 set by Kipchumba when he won last year. The Ethiopian finished third at the 2024 Berlin Marathon and will be looking to translate his speed and experience into a victory on Dutch soil.
Getachew, meanwhile, returns to a course where he has already triumphed twice, winning in 2022 and 2024. He finished runner-up to Kipchumba last year in a personal-best 2:04:18 and will seek to reclaim the title from the Kenyan champion.
Kipchumba faces the challenge with renewed confidence after an impressive second-place finish at the Tokyo Marathon earlier this year, where he clocked 2:03:37. The Kenyan has made clear his ambition to improve on his Amsterdam course record, setting up a compelling contest with the Ethiopian challengers.
The men’s field also features Ethiopian marathon veteran Lemi Berhanu, the 2016 Boston Marathon champion, alongside other accomplished international runners, including Israel’s Maru Teferi and Uganda’s Stephen Kissa. Eleven athletes on the entry list have run under 2:05, underscoring the depth of competition.
The women’s race presents another major opportunity for Ethiopia, with Desta leading a strong group of compatriots in pursuit of the title.
Desta won last year’s race in 2:17:37, improving her personal best by more than four minutes and recording the third-fastest time ever achieved in Amsterdam. She returns seeking back-to-back victories, but faces a formidable challenge from Ethiopian runners who have also established themselves among the world’s leading marathoners.
Meseret Belete, the 2023 Amsterdam champion, returns with a personal best of 2:18:21. Mestawut Fikir, who clocked 2:18:48 when finishing second at the 2024 Berlin Marathon, is another leading contender. Buze Diriba, whose personal best stands at 2:19:34, adds further strength to Ethiopia’s challenge.
The competition will also feature Eritrea’s Nazret Weldu, Bahrain’s Desi Jisa Mokonin and other international contenders. The women will have the course record of 2:16:52, set by Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw in 2024, as the benchmark for the leading runners.
The concentration of Ethiopian talent in both races highlights the country’s continued presence at the highest level of international distance running. With experienced title-winners, athletes close to the course records and multiple sub-2:20 women in the field, Ethiopia enters the Amsterdam contest with several credible contenders for the podium.
The race starts at 9:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, with the historic Olympic Stadium serving as both the starting point and finish. The course passes through notable parts of the Dutch capital, including the Amstel River and Vondelpark, and is widely regarded as one of the world’s fastest marathon routes.
As the defending champions seek to retain their crowns, Ethiopia’s leading runners will be aiming to turn their depth and experience into victories in one of the major fixtures on the international road-running calendar.