TCS to organize the 2013 Amsterdam Marathon

The Amsterdam Marathon, held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, has quite a history stringed to it which goes way back in time. Rated among the 10 best marathons in the world, here are some highlights from the past Amsterdam marathon :

The first marathon in Amsterdam was held on August 5, 1928, during the 1928 Summer Olympics. It was won by Boughera El Ouafi in 2:32:57.[2]

After the Olympics there were no marathons in Amsterdam until 1975. Since that year the marathon was held annually, with the exception of 1978.[2]

The 1980 course record of 2:09:01 ran by Dutchman Gerard Nijboer could be considered an unofficial world record as the generally recognized record at that time, 2:08:34 in Antwerp, had been run on a course that was 500 meters short.

In 2005, the former world record holder on the marathon, Haile Gebrselassie, earned his first win in the Amsterdam Marathon in the fastest marathon time in the world for the 2006 season (2:06.20).

In 2010, Getu Feleke finished in 2:05:44 and improved the course record from 2009 by 34 seconds.[3]

In 2012, the Kenyan Wilson Chebet won the race by a time of 2:05:41 and broke the previous course record by 3 seconds. In the same year, Ethiopian Meseret Hailu broke the women’s course record with a time of 2:21:09.

Sponsored by Indian Business giants Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the TCS Amsterdam Marathon is down to its 38th edition, which is to be held on Sunday, 20th October, 2013.

The TCS Amsterdam Marathon Expo will bring together thousands of runners from all over the world. Over 40,000 visitors will attend the Marathon Expo this year. Every year, more than 80 nationalities travel to Amsterdam to take part in the TCS Amsterdam Marathon. There is no event in the Netherlands that brings so many different groups of people together. It is a unique experience for runners to compete with such a diverse field of participants. At present, 55 nations have entered into the competition.

There is remarkable interest from all around the world – 290 Brazilians, 1200 participants from Great Britain, 670 Frenchmen and 275 Germans. Striking is the fact that there already are 12 entries from Guatemala, a country that has never participated before!In addition, in 2013, runners from Zimbabwe, Peru, Canada, Argentina, Lithuania, Israel, India and Portugal are also taking part.

In a statement from the event organisers, it has been revealed that;

“At this moment already 5,500 runners have registered for the TCS Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday 20 October 2013. The currently registered participants represent 55 different countries and 4,000 of them are from another country than Holland.

The marathon runner is looking forward to the 38th TCS Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday, 20 October. 4,200 runners have already entered for the various sections and already 2,800 participants have chosen for the classic distance of 42.195 kilometres..”

Facts:

A number of facts (up to date on 15 February)- Explosive growth in the marathon: already 1,000 more entries than at this time last year- There are almost as many British participants as there are Dutch- Brazil present in large numbers. Stand today: 260 entries- Noticeable number of “Amsterdammers” have decided to join in already- Currently 54 different nationalities have entered

Records to be broken:

Men:Wilson Chebet (Kenia) 2.05.41 2012Women:Meseret Hailu (Ethiopia) 2.21.09 2012

Dutch records:Men:Kamiel Maase 2.08.21 Amsterdam 2007Women:Lornah Kiplagat 2.23.43 New York 2003

World records:Men:Patrick Makau (Kenia) 2.03.38 Berlin 2011Women:Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain) 2.15.25 London 2004

European records:Men:Antonio Pinto (Portugal) 2.06.36 London 2000Benoit Zwierzchiewski (France) 2.06.36 Paris 2003Women:Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain) 2.15.25 London 2004

Fun at Marathon:

The organizers have planned a Pasta Party on Saturday, 19 October which guarantees an excellent meal! A total number of 750 tickets will be available. The Pasta Party will be held at VAKZUID, a restaurant next to the Olympic Stadium.

Also, there would be music playing all along the route to the 42 kilometer marathon. Various DJ’s and bands have been called upon for the event.