This archive report was first published on 21 October 2019.
On a memorable Sunday, October 20, 2019, Vincent Kipchumba from Kenya made a stunning comeback to win the Amsterdam Marathon title with a time of 2:05:09.
After going through 35km in 1:44:07, Kipchumba, along with compatriot Elisha Rotich and Ethiopians Solomon Deksisa and debutant Betesfa Getahun, took the initiative.
However, just before entering Vondelpark at 39km, Rotich and Deksisa accelerated and built up a small lead. But Kipchumba came back under their leadership and eventually took the lead.
After leaving the park at the 41-kilometre point, Kipchumba ran away from the others to finally finish in Amsterdam's Olympic Stadium.
"We had a very strong group and the pace at the entrance to Vondelpark was very fast," said Kipchumba, who improved on his PB of 2:06:56. "I started to close the gap with the two front runners. I was hoping for a time of 2:05:50, so I'm very satisfied with 2:05:09."
— Vincent Kipchumba Meanwhile, Ethiopia's Degitu Azmeraw smashed the women's course record with 2:19:26, the second-fastest debut in history for the distance.
