Image courtesy of Flickr user DennisM2
Tomorrow, 21 October 2012, marks the 37th edition of the Amsterdam Marathon. Roughly 25,000 runners hailing from over 70 countries are expected to participate in the event.
The run is set to begin at 9:30 at the Olympic Stadium. The route is set to pass through Vondel Park, heading through the Indische Buurt, cutting through the city center, and on towards the Amstel River. Runners will be treated to a scenic view, complete with glimpses of windmills, the Tropenmuseum, and the Rijksmuseum.
For those not quite up to the full marathon, there's also a half marathon, mini marathons, an 8 kilometer run, and the one kilometer Olympics Kids' Run.
If you'll be attending as an observer as opposed to participating in the event, there's plenty to do in addition to rooting the runners on. DJs, samba bands, and vocalists will be scattered along the route to entertain both the runners and the crowd. There is also an ongoing, free entry expo organized by Runnersworld.
The Amsterdam Marathon routinely attracts around 30,000 runners. In 2011, the Amsterdam Marathon had a record-breaking 35,000 participants, over 10,000 of which ran the full marathon.
In 2005, the Amsterdam Marathon caught the world's attention when Haile Gebrselassieset a new course record of 2:06:20, which also turned out to be the fastest marathon time that year worldwide.
The Amsterdam Marathon is also among the top 10 world's greatest marathons, a list compiled by About Running.
It goes without saying that Amsterdam is going to be packed tomorrow. So if you're trying to get in, around, or out of the city, beware. The marathon route will be closed off to all traffic and no parking is permitted along the route.
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