Lemi Berhanu Wins Amsterdam Marathon as 11 Men Break 2:06
Ethiopia’s Lemi Berhanu produced a decisive late attack to win the 2026 TCS Amsterdam Marathon in 2:03:33 on Sunday, October 18, leading an exceptionally deep men’s race in which the first 11 finishers broke 2:06. Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir finished six seconds behind in 2:03:39, with Patrick Mosin completing the podium in 2:03:58.
The winning time was just three seconds outside Geofry Kipchumba’s course record of 2:03:30, set last year. Berhanu also improved his previous personal best of 2:04:33 by exactly one minute, adding an Amsterdam victory to a career that includes the 2016 Boston Marathon title.
Rain, wet roads and wind complicated the early kilometres. The leaders passed 5 km in approximately 15:01 before the pacemakers increased the tempo. By 20 km, they were only 12 seconds behind the corresponding course-record split, although that deficit widened again during the next section. Defending champion Kipchumba struggled around halfway and lost contact with the leading group.
Despite the conditions, a substantial pack remained in contention deep into the race. France’s Mehdi Frère and Japan’s Yohei Ikeda stayed with the front runners until around 32 km, while six men were still together approaching 38 km. The contest then changed sharply when Kipkorir accelerated near the final drinks station, with only Berhanu able to follow.
Kipkorir, the world half marathon silver medallist racing his second marathon, pushed hard through the closing kilometres. Berhanu initially sheltered behind the Kenyan before making his own move near the exit of Vondelpark. He opened a decisive gap and entered the Olympic Stadium alone, maintaining his advantage to the finish.
Behind the podium finishers, Kalipus Lomwai placed fourth in 2:04:09, followed by Sila Kiptoo in 2:04:13 and Justus Kangogo in 2:04:24. Jonathan Korir clocked 2:04:53 and marathon debutant Isaia Lasoi ran 2:04:57, bringing the number of sub-2:05 finishers to eight. Ikeda and Ethiopia’s Yihunilign Adane both finished in 2:05:16, before Victor Kipchirchir secured 11th in 2:05:40.
Three men under 2:04, eight under 2:05 and 11 under 2:06 underline Amsterdam’s extraordinary quality. With just 2:07 separating the winner from 11th place, the results make a compelling case for this edition as one of the deepest elite men’s marathon races in history—even as the course record narrowly survived.
