TCS AMSTERDAM MARATHON 2014

The metro stops every 10 minutes just around the corner, taking you to the Olympic Stadium in less than 12 minutes. This way you will definitely make it in time for the starting shot. Off course if you’re just here to watch the run you are welcome in our hotel too!. The metro will take you to the best spots along the route, but you can also get there by foot.

Different running distances during the Amsterdam Marathon

Whether you are running the marathon yourself or watching it live on television, we bet you want to know some more about the biggest marathon of the Netherlands. This year there will be around 41.000 participants – 16.000 people running the marathon, 18.000 people running the half marathon and 7.000 people running the 8k run. Besides these, there are two special events for the little ones: the performance run Skylander Kids Run which is 700 m and the recreational run Echo Mini Marathon which is 1 km, organised for the local kids.

39th or 40th Amsterdam Marathon?

The Amsterdam Marathon was first held in 1974 and will be celebrating its 39th edition this year. Way earlier, in 1928, people already ran a marathon of Amsterdam as part of the Summer Olympics that were held that year in the city. This means that the 39th edition of the Amsterdam Marathon is in fact the 40th marathon of the city. Although the marathon always has the same distance of 42 km and 195 m, the route has changed a lot over the years. The start and finish of the first edition took place at the Olympic Stadium. After that, the Dam Square and the Museum Square were used as a place to start and finish, until this place was shifted back to the Olympic Stadium again in 1997. Apart from a few minor changes, the route has remained the same over the years.

The first Dutchman to finish will automatically be the Dutch champion

This year, the Dutch Championship is assigned to the Amsterdam Marathon, which means that the first finishing Dutchman may call himself Dutch champion on that particular distance. A Pasta Party is being organised the evening prior to the marathon. Runners can eat as much pasta as they like in order to ingest the carbs needed for an endurance exercise like the marathon. Did you know you can burn up to a 3000 calories during a marathon? You will have to eat a lot of pasta to compensate for that! Participating in the Pasta Party costs 15 Euros (the maximum number of participants is 750). If you want to know more, have a look at the website of the organisation.

Staying the night in Amsterdam

A lot of runners are staying the night in Amsterdam to make it to the start on time and to be fit and well-rested for the long distance at 9.30am. Another advantage of staying the night is that you won’t have to drive all the way to Amsterdam, which is not all that good for your legs. Or maybe you just want to get used to the Amsterdam climate before the marathon?

At hotel Qbic Amsterdam WTC, which is situated at a 12-minute metro distance from the Olympic Stadium where the starting shot will be, we have everything you need to run a top time: a comfortable king size bed, a rain shower to wash the sweat off after your run, and free wifi to share your results on social media. Are you staying the night on October 18 and checking out the 19th – the day of the marathon? We can offer you and a co-runner a room for €227. That is only €113,50 pp.

Photo by Miguel A Amutio on Unsplash