Amsterdam Marathon 2026

We invite you to the port of Amsterdam 🌷, the third Sunday of October for one of the most important running events on the European continent: the Amsterdam Marathon (or TCS Amsterdam Marathon by its official name 😏).

Scheduled each year in mid-October, right after Berlin 🇩🇪 and before Venice 🎭, Dublin 🍻, Frankfurt and Valencia 🇪🇸 (there, now we have a clearer view of the European autumn marathon schedule 😉), the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, whose first edition took place in 1975, celebrates its 50th edition this year! This marathon offers a fairly classic but extremely well-organized race format! 👏 On the program of this internationally renowned road race (the only one in the Netherlands 🇳🇱 with the Rotterdam Marathon): 3 distances. You can choose between a 7.5 km, a half-marathon and a marathon, the latter being, of course, the queen event 👸 of the competition. Children's races and a disabled sports race, the 1 km “Heroes Run,” round out this wonderful program! 📅

The event is highly sought after and sells out every year, sometimes two to three months before the date of the race. So don't be caught off guard if you've marked this competition on your race calendar! 💥 The bibs go fast, very fast... As soon as sales open for some distances! 😅 Our Dutch friends are very organized and usually book their precious entry almost a year in advance! 🙊 In total, nearly 35,000 runners set out to conquer the capital of Holland 🌇. Fewer than in Berlin, London 🎡 or Paris 🥐, we might say 🥸. And you'd be right! The organizing team does not wish, for the moment, to increase the number of participants to keep the event to the city's scale, allowing everyone to enjoy an event that's still "human-sized" 🙌. The canal-bordered streets 🌊, closed for the occasion, will be your playground (tarmac throughout, except for the green spaces 🌳 and parks crossed). You'll see: despite the crowd, you'll have enough space to show your runner skills 🏃‍♂️ without feeling alone in the little "Venice of the North" 🚤.

Let's dive into the heart of the matter, let's talk about the courses now! 🧐 The Amsterdam Marathon is iconic for many reasons. Firstly, note that the 3 races are known for their speed 🚀: it's flat, very flat! 📏 Logical, we are below sea level 👇. Indeed! Holland is simply the flattest country in the world… Nothing surprising then 😂. Enough to set a record if you're in good shape ! ⏱ It should also be noted that the 3 events concentrate in the South (or extreme South, for the marathon) of the city with remarkable passage points: Vondelpark (the city's green lung 🌿), the Olympic Stadium 🏟️ (iconic finish location for the 3 distances) or the Rijksmuseum (the equivalent of the Louvre 👀) as a highlight near the end of the course 📍. That's quite something! The roads will be reserved for you, and you'll have the chance to run on the avenues usually used by the famous Amsterdam trams 🚋 (can you go faster than them? 😝). For your information, the course has fluctuated greatly over the past decades, with many changes in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Other markers of the Amsterdam marathon and the Amsterdam half-marathon are the green spaces and parks ⛲ and, of course, the banks of the Amstel (not the drink, the river 😂) with its canals and mostly flat bridges like the Toronto Bridge. However, since the race is not in the hyper-center, most of the bridges are not elevated, but flat! For marathoners, the passage at the Amsterdam polder, far south, will even allow you to spot some windmills ! 🌬️

Regarding weather ☁️, we won't surprise you by saying that Amsterdam is no French Riviera… 🙅‍♀️ You have to prepare accordingly and anticipate different scenarios. The most likely? Grey skies and light rain 🌦️, a light headwind or tailwind depending on the position on the course. You understand that beware of humidity and be ready to face the raindrops 💧. However, we must recognize that in the Netherlands, it's a bit like Brittany, after all! 🙃 The weather changes often. The sun can quickly appear and show its face ; as was the case in the 2022 edition, where rain was expected until the night before, and the sun came out at the last moment to take center stage 🌞.

No matter the weather conditions, trust us, you'll have a good time! 😌 Because the TCS Amsterdam Marathon ❌❌❌ is also known for its excellent organization ✔️: welcome, signage, atmosphere, amenities, finisher t-shirt… From bib pickup to post-race, nothing is left to chance! Throughout the weekend (it starts Thursday with the opening of the expo for bib pickup), the city of Amsterdam lives the rhythm of the Marathon 🏃‍♀️, especially on Sunday. Enjoy every minute of the race, because you'll see it will go fast… And for the debrief of your race, it will happen on the Olympic stadium side 🤸, where all the finishers meet 🤝.

After experiencing all sorts of things during the race when everyone has regained their senses, you can lose yourself in the Van Gogh palette 🎨, whose museum is 2 km from the finish line 🏁. For a memory recap, the Anne Frank House is to visit 📖, as well as the Rembrandt House Museum 👨‍🎨. You will have heavy legs 🦿 after the race, with great difficulty in climbing or descending stairs… Luckily, there are none in Amsterdam! 😂 You can stroll and explore the city's canals without suffering (at least that's the plan 😉). If you're too tired, you can comfortably sit on a boat 🛥️ to see all the parts of the city you haven't covered yet! We almost forgot the most important part: the gastronomic section 😋. To regain strength after the race (or to fuel up just before starting, it's up to you 🫄), you must absolutely try the Bitterballen (a local classic)! Just like sandwiches with herring 🐟 or gouda! As for drinks, the local star, as you might expect, is beer... 🍺 To be consumed in moderation, of course.

It shouldn't surprise you, you know the song: "in the port of Amsterdam, there are sailors dancing, rubbing their bellies". Come on, it's your turn! At least, it will be if you decide to come to the capital to experience one of the best marathons in Europe 🇪🇺.