Track maestro Joshua Cheptegei takes the next step in his fledgling marathon career when he toes the line for the 50th anniversary TCS Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday.

The Ugandan has proved to be a master of the 400m oval, winning the Olympic 5000m title in Tokyo and 10,000m crown in Paris 2024. The current world record-holder over both the 5000m and 10,000m distances, he is all set to make his third marathon appearance in the Dutch capital.

After running 2:08:59 on his marathon debut in Valencia in 2023 he produced a much improved 2:05:59 clocking for ninth in Tokyo in March to raise expectations he can continue his upward trajectory over the 42.2km distance in Amsterdam.

Besides Cheptegei, two further NN Running Team athletes take to the start line in the men’s elite race. Enock Kinyamal boasts a strong pedigree of performing well in the Netherlands following his personal best of 2:06:28 when clinching victory in the 2024 Eindhoven Marathon.

Earlier this year the Kenyan further demonstrated his growing status by placing a handy fourth in the Paris Marathon (2:06:32).

Mesfin Nigusu will also looking to build on a consistent run of podium finishes when he competes on Sunday. Posting a second place finish in the 2023 Poznan Marathon last year he registered third in the Doha Marathon and ended his competitive campaign with a PB of 2:07:58 when placing second in Kosice last year.

The NN Running Team has enjoyed no less than five victories in the women’s race at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon and will seek to add to further gloss to that record on Sunday.

Since making her marathon debut in 2022, Tiruye Mesfin has carved out an excellent reputation, placing second in 2023 at the Hamburg Marathon and fifth at the 2023 Amsterdam Marathon with a pair of impressive displays.

Last year she raced to a personal best of 2:18:35 when third in the Valencia Marathon and earlier this season on Dutch asphalt raced to fourth in the NN Rotterdam Marathon. Expect Mesfin to be a major factor in the Dutch capital.

Experienced Desi Jisa also takes to the start line on Sunday. The 28-year-old Bahrain athlete placed fourth in the TCS Amsterdam Marathon in 2018 and is a former winner of the Seoul Marathon.

On her return to Amsterdam last year she claimed a respectable eighth and earlier this year served notice of her form by setting an encouraging PB of 2:20:07 when sixth in the Tokyo Marathon.

First contested in 1975 the 50th anniversary TCS Amsterdam toasts a special birthday. Renowned for its flat, fast course the start and finish of the World Athletics Platinum Label Road Race takes place in the historic Olympic Stadium. The iconic course passes the Amstel River, the Vondelpark, the green heart of the city, and also includes the passage under the Rijksmuseum.

The race will get underway at 9 am local time on Sunday 19 October.

Within the Netherlands, the marathon can be followed via NOS, a livestream at tcsamsterdammarathon.nl and a live broadcast on Eurosport 2.

Outside the Netherlands, the international broadcast can be viewed live in 190 countries via:

• Worldwide via Discovery+ (WBD/HBO MAX)
• Europa via Eurosport 1
• France and overseas territories via L’Equipe 24
• Africa (subcontinent) via SuperSport
• India and South East Asia via Eurosport Asia
• Mexico and Central America via Azteca TV