Ethiopia's Guye Adola and Mekides Shimeles claimed a dominant double at the 45th edition of the NN Marathon Rotterdam on Sunday, confirming the depth of Ethiopian marathon running in a race that doubled as the Dutch Marathon Championships. Adola, the experienced 34-year-old who once pushed Eliud Kipchoge to the wire in Berlin, timed his effort to perfection across the famously flat Coolsingel course, crossing the line in 2:03:54 — the fourth-fastest time in the event's storied history. It was a commanding victory from a man who continues to perform at the highest level deep into his thirties.
The women's race belonged entirely to Shimeles, who at just 20 years of age produced one of the most impressive marathon debuts of the year. Her winning time of 2:18:56 broke the Rotterdam course record that had stood since 2012, when Tiki Gelana ran 2:18:58 en route to what would later become an Olympic gold medal in London. That Shimeles surpassed such a benchmark at such a young age speaks volumes about her potential. What made the performance even more remarkable was that she missed her drinks bottle at the 25-kilometre aid station and had to double back to retrieve it — losing valuable seconds — yet still managed to reassert control before the 30-kilometre mark and pull away decisively.
The Dutch Championships element of the race provided its own compelling subplots. Abdi Nageeye, the 2024 Olympic marathon bronze medallist, was the top Dutch male finisher, whilst Nienke Brinkman continued her steady progression as the leading home nation woman. Rotterdam's status as the national championship venue adds a layer of domestic significance that enriches the event beyond its elite international competition. For the thousands of club runners who packed the Coolsingel finish straight, the opportunity to race alongside world-class athletes on a World Athletics Gold Label course remains one of the great privileges of the European spring marathon calendar.
Adola's career arc is one of quiet resilience. He burst onto the scene by finishing second behind Kipchoge at the 2017 Berlin Marathon in a debut time of 2:03:46, and many expected him to become a regular major marathon winner. Injuries and inconsistency intervened, but his Rotterdam victory — his first major marathon win since the 2021 Berlin Marathon — suggests he has found a new lease of competitive life. At 2:03:54, he remains one of the fastest active marathoners in the world, and his tactical intelligence over the final 10 kilometres on Sunday was a reminder of why he has endured at the top for nearly a decade.
With 60,000 participants across all distances, the NN Marathon Rotterdam once again justified its reputation as one of Europe's best-organised and fastest road races. The event sits alongside Paris, London, and Berlin as a cornerstone of the spring marathon season, and this year's edition — blessed with calm conditions and mild temperatures along the North Sea coast — delivered results to match its ambitions. Attention now turns to Boston on 20 April and London on 26 April, where the marathon season reaches its annual crescendo.