Rotterdam Marathon 2026 Results: Adola Stuns Abdi With 40 km Surge as Shimeles Sets Course Record

The 45th NN Marathon Rotterdam delivered one of the greatest finishes in the race’s history on Sunday, 13 April 2026. Ethiopia’s Guye Idemo Adola won the men’s race in 2:03:54 after a devastating late surge past pre-race favourite Bashir Abdi, who had led for most of the race and looked destined for victory. In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Mekides Shimeles broke the course record with 2:18:56, eclipsing the 14-year-old mark of 2:18:58 set by compatriot Tiki Gelana in 2012. Around 18,000 runners took part in the sold-out World Athletics Gold Label event on one of the world’s fastest marathon courses.

Men’s Race: The Heist on the Coolsingel

This was a race that had Bashir Abdi’s name written all over it — until the final three kilometres tore up the script. The Belgian two-time winner and course record holder (2:03:36, also the European record) arrived in Rotterdam targeting a third victory and a shot at his own records. Everything went to plan: Abdi led the front pack through halfway in 1:01:36, and by 25 km the leaders were 44 seconds inside course record pace.

From 30 km onward, the pacemakers dropped out, leaving a group of five to fight it out. The three Ethiopians and the Kenyan Kipkemoi were content to sit behind Abdi, sheltering from the wind. By 33 km, Abdi grew frustrated and demanded the others share the pacing. Kenya’s Kenneth Kipkemoi obliged, with Abdi glued to his shoulder. Around 36 km the group split, and it was down to Abdi and Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Deriba.

Then, at 38.9 km, Abdi made his move. He accelerated hard and suddenly there was daylight. Rotterdam erupted — their adopted champion appeared to be pulling away for a famous victory. But Guye Adola, the 36-year-old 2021 Berlin Marathon winner who had been lurking just behind, found something extraordinary in the final kilometres. Adola swept past Abdi with a blistering sprint, and the Belgian had no answer. Abdi briefly had to walk in the closing stages as the effort caught up with him.

Adola crossed the line in 2:03:54 — 18 seconds outside Abdi’s course record, but a sensational victory earned by patience and a devastating finish. Tesfaye Deriba held on for second in 2:04:15, while a gutsy Abdi recovered to take third in 2:04:19 — a strong time but not the record he came for. Kenya’s Kenneth Kipkemoi was right behind in 2:04:21, with Ethiopia’s Haymanot Alew completing a top five in which all finishers broke 2:05:20.

Men’s Marathon — Top 10

Women’s Race: Shimeles Breaks 14-Year Course Record

While the men’s race delivered late drama, the women’s race delivered history. Mekides Shimeles of Ethiopia controlled the field from the front and crossed the finish line in 2:18:56 — two seconds faster than Tiki Gelana’s course record of 2:18:58, which had stood since 2012. The record had survived 14 years and countless attacks; Shimeles finally brought it down on the flat, fast Rotterdam streets.

Compatriot Aminet Ahmed ran strongly for second in 2:21:25, with Bahrain’s Shitaye Eshete third in 2:23:22. Kenya’s Pascalia Chepkogei took fourth in 2:24:34, while France’s Clémence Calvin was a notable fifth in 2:25:24 — a strong European showing on a day when the standard at the front was exceptionally high.

Ethiopia’s Burtukan Yifru, who had been in the lead group early, faded to sixth in 2:26:24, level on time with Portugal’s Susana Santos in seventh (2:26:26). The Dutch Championship was won by Mikky Keetels in eighth place (2:30:42) — a remarkable story in its own right, given that just a year earlier she had started from the recreational wave.

Women’s Marathon — Top 10

The Course: One of the World’s Fastest

The NN Marathon Rotterdam has long held a reputation as one of the fastest marathon courses on the planet. Flat, wide, and with minimal turns, the Rotterdam route passes through the heart of the Dutch port city, crossing the iconic Erasmusbrug and running along the Coolsingel — the traditional home stretch where some of the most dramatic finishes in European marathon running have played out.

The 45th edition was blessed with what Dutch reports described as “beautiful conditions” — ideal for fast running, with enthusiastic crowds lining the route throughout. The course has produced European records, personal bests by the dozen, and now Shimeles’ women’s course record — further proof that when conditions align, Rotterdam delivers.

Dutch Championship: Tesfu and Keetels Crowned

The NN Marathon Rotterdam also served as the Dutch Marathon Championships, and both title races produced stories worth telling.

Filmon Tesfu — born in Eritrea, now based in Den Helder — won his first ever Dutch marathon title with a personal best of 2:06:40 in seventh place overall. Tesfu came within two seconds of Abdi Nageeye’s Dutch record, a dramatic improvement from his 10th-place finish in 2:09:45 at Rotterdam last year. Noah Schutte (2:09:28) and Gianluca Assorgia (2:12:43) completed the men’s Dutch podium.

The women’s Dutch title went to Mikky Keetels, a KLM flight attendant who only entered her first competitive marathon in late 2025 after running 2:34 as a recreational entrant at Rotterdam in 2025. Her 2:30:42 in eighth place overall was another huge step forward in one of the most improbable and heartwarming stories in Dutch distance running.

How the Men’s Race Unfolded: A Tactical Masterclass

The men’s race will be studied for years. The front group passed through the half marathon mark in 1:01:36 — inside course record pace — and were 44 seconds under the record at 25 km. After the pacemakers dropped out at 30 km, the race became tactical. Abdi did most of the work at the front, with the Ethiopians and Kipkemoi content to shelter behind him.

At 33 km, Abdi openly challenged his rivals to share the pacing. Kipkemoi stepped up, and the group split at 36 km, leaving Abdi and Deriba out front. Then came the decisive 38.9 km attack — Abdi surged, the crowd roared, and the Belgian seemed home free. But Adola’s finishing kick was irresistible. The 2021 Berlin Marathon winner swept past just before 40 km and never looked back. Abdi, spent from his effort, briefly walked before gathering himself for a gutsy third-place finish.

At 36 years old, Adola proved that marathon experience and tactical nous can be decisive against younger, faster rivals. His 2:03:54 is among the best winning times in Rotterdam’s 45-year history.

Key Takeaways from Rotterdam Marathon 2026

• Adola’s heist: Guye Adola’s 2:03:54 victory after overtaking Bashir Abdi at 40 km was one of the great late-race moves in European marathon history — the 2021 Berlin Marathon winner proving his class at 36.
• Abdi’s agony: Despite doing the lion’s share of pacing, Bashir Abdi finished third in 2:04:19 — still a world-class time, but not the course record or European record he targeted.
• Shimeles’ course record: Mekides Shimeles’ 2:18:56 finally broke Tiki Gelana’s 14-year-old women’s course record of 2:18:58 by two seconds — a historic mark for Rotterdam.
• Extraordinary depth: Six men under 2:06 and four under 2:05 made this one of the deepest Rotterdam fields ever assembled.
• Tesfu’s Dutch title: Filmon Tesfu’s 2:06:40 PB and Dutch Championship gold — within two seconds of the national record — was the standout Dutch performance.
• Keetels’ fairytale: From recreational entrant in 2025 to Dutch women’s marathon champion in 2026 — Mikky Keetels’ rise is one of the stories of the year in Dutch running.
• European strength: Abdi (3rd), Calvin (5th women), Santos (7th women), Riva (8th men), and Tesfu (7th) demonstrated the growing competitiveness of European athletes on Rotterdam’s fast stage.

Full official results including all finishers and Dutch Championship standings are available on the NN Marathon Rotterdam official site.