Amsterdam Marathon: Geoffrey Toroitich Kipchumba Defies the Odds to Break the Course Record

Geoffrey Toroitich Kipchumba was not the favorite. That much was clear from a quick look through the race organizers’ press pack. The names being touted were Tsegaye Getachew, winner here in 2022 (2:04:49) and 2024 (2:05:38), Gabriel Geay (2:03:00 in Valencia in 2022), and Joshua Cheptegei, who had decided to withdraw from the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September for “personal reasons” (2:05:59 in Tokyo in 2025). From now on, this Kenyan’s name will have to be added to the list for future editions.

As the leaders flirted with the course record at halfway (1:02:15 versus 1:02:11), Gabriel Geay was the first to make a move. Cheptegei, racing the distance for only the third time, was beginning to show signs of fatigue. His repeated surges caught up with him five kilometers from the finish of the World Athletics Platinum Label race, while the eventual winner surged clear, leaving Getachew, Molla and Geay, who had looked solid until then, to fight for the remaining podium places.

The question was no longer who would win, but whether Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola would lose his 2021 course record of 2:03:39. Entering the Olympic Stadium provided a welcome boost for the Kenyan, who had finished the Tokyo Marathon in March in 2:05:46. For 50 years, history has been written in the Dutch capital. Taking 10 seconds off the course record, Geoffrey Toroitich Kipchumba, timed in 2:03:29, has just polished this fine Dutch diamond.

“I felt really good during the first part”, the 2025 Amsterdam Marathon winner told the press room. “From the 30th kilometer, I knew I would have to push to see who was the strongest. At 35K, I told myself I had to do my job. I made my move four kilometers from the finish. ” His performance gave him the fourth-fastest marathon time of the year, behind Sabastian Kimaru Sawe in Berlin (2:02:16), Jacob Kiplimo in Chicago (2:02:23) and Tadese Takele in Tokyo (2:03:23). Tsegaye Getachew (2:04:17) and Getaneh Molla (2:04:17) completed the podium.

Ethiopian sweep in the women’s race

It’s simple. Seven of the top 10 were Ethiopian, and the podium was no exception. Leading at 35K (1:54:27), Anyalem Desta, Bertukan Welde and Mekides Shimeles treated the crowd to a battle worthy of a Hollywood thriller. With only two of them left in contention 2.125 kilometers from the finish, the first-named runner unleashed one final devastating acceleration. Shattering her course record (2:17:34 versus 2:22:21), the 21-year-old Ethiopian unfolded a crumpled piece of paper after crossing the line: “Jesus is Lord”.

“I’m very happy. I learned incredible things. This competition is really important for my life”, she explained. “Until the last kilometer, the two of us were together. I was ready right to the end. ” As it turned out, she too had been left off the athletes mentioned in the press release. Welde (2:17:56) and Shimeles (2:19:55) took silver and bronze, while France’s Margaux Sieracki claimed an impressive eighth place (2:25:47). Race director Rene Wilt and his entire team have been warned: they will need to pay much closer attention to the outsiders in the years to come.

For its 50th anniversary, the Amsterdam Marathon once again provided the stage for fierce battles in both the men’s and women’s races. In 1975, 300 runners took part in the inaugural edition. Half a century later, more than 30,000 runners filled the streets of the European capital.

✔ All the results from the 2025 Amsterdam Marathon