There were two very different stories at yesterday's Amsterdam Marathon, where Ethiopia's Buze Diriba smashed the women's course record while compatriot Lemi Berhanu came agonisingly close to doing the same in the men's race.
Competing in wet and difficult conditions on October 18th, Diriba produced a remarkable late surge to win in 2:16:12, taking 40 seconds off the previous women's course record of 2:16:52, set by Yalemzerf Yehualaw in 2024.
The 32 year old was making her Amsterdam Marathon debut, having arrived with a personal best of 2:19:34. By the time she crossed the finish line inside the Olympic Stadium, she had improved that mark by three minutes and 22 seconds.
It was a particularly impressive performance given how the race unfolded.
Four Ethiopian athletes had controlled much of the women's contest, with defending champion Aynalem Desta, Meseret Belete and Mestawut Fikir all remaining in contention alongside Diriba during the opening stages.
Fikir began losing contact after 30 kilometres, leaving three athletes battling for victory.
However, it was only at the 40 kilometre mark, as the leaders passed through Amsterdam's Vondelpark, that Diriba made her decisive move.
With just over two kilometres remaining, she accelerated away from her rivals, turning what had been a closely contested race into a record breaking performance.
Desta eventually finished second in 2:17:06, with Belete completing an Ethiopian clean sweep of the podium.
Diriba later explained that Amsterdam's relatively flat course had suited her particularly well, having previously competed on more challenging marathon routes.
Berhanu Falls Just Three Seconds Short
While Diriba was celebrating a new course record, the men's race produced an almost equally remarkable performance, although without quite the same ending.
Ethiopia's Lemi Berhanu claimed victory in 2:03:33, missing the course record by just three seconds.
The 2016 Boston Marathon champion was involved in a fierce battle with Kenya's Nicholas Kipkorir, who had finished runner up at the World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen last month.
Kipkorir attempted to apply pressure during the closing kilometres, but Berhanu had enough left to pull clear in Vondelpark before making his way towards the Olympic Stadium.
It was a personal best for Berhanu and his first victory in Amsterdam after two previous attempts.
Kipkorir followed him home in 2:03:39, with fellow Kenyan Patrick Mosin taking third in 2:03:58.
Remarkably, it was the first time in the event's history that all three men's podium finishers had broken the 2:04 barrier.
Berhanu's winning time was just outside the 2:03:30 course record held by Kenya's Geofry Kipchumba.
For Diriba, Amsterdam provided the biggest marathon performance of her career so far. For Berhanu, it was a victory that came within three seconds of being even more memorable.
On a day when the weather was hardly ideal for fast marathon running, the Dutch capital still managed to produce one course record, another desperately close attempt and some outstanding performances.
