TCS Amsterdam Marathon Review — Running 42 km Through the City

One of Europe's fastest marathon courses — through the Vondelpark, along the Amstel, finishing in the Olympic Stadium.

The TCS Amsterdam Marathon is one of Europe's major marathons — a flat, fast course through the city, finishing in the iconic Olympic Stadium from the 1928 Games. Willem ran it after months of preparation with data, sensors, and the lessons from his half marathon.

The Amsterdam Marathon starts and finishes at the Olympic Stadium — the 1928 Olympic venue that gives you goosebumps as you enter the tunnel for the final stretch. The course loops through the Vondelpark, south along the Amstel river, through the Amsterdamse Bos, and back.

It's fast — the flat terrain and river-level course make it a PB hunting ground. The crowds in the city centre are electric. The Amstel section is quieter but beautiful. And the final kilometre, entering the stadium tunnel with the crowd roaring above, is something every runner should experience once.

Willem ran it after months of sensor-guided training — the same Whoop and Apple Watch data that features in his earlier posts. The marathon was the culmination of everything: the half marathon in Venlo, the power meter cycling, the years of heart rate monitoring.

From Willem's Amsterdam stories and sport collection.