Missed New York, found Amsterdam: A runner’s unexpected race year

2025 is a big year: the Amsterdam Marathon turns 50, and the city itself celebrates its 750th anniversary. No wonder it sold out in days! I missed the regular registration window, so I had to go through a travel agency, much pricier, but that’s what it takes now for popular races. Whether it’s the majors, super halfs, or World Athletics Platinum Label events like Amsterdam, spots vanish fast.

Just look at London: 1.1 million applications for the 2026 marathon. That’s a world record!

🎯 Aiming for New York, landing in Amsterdam

Amsterdam wasn’t my first pick. I had my eye on New York and even had a solid M50 qualifying time (3:03:20). Still, it wasn’t enough. Not being selected was a tough pill to swallow. I considered the travel agency route again, but with a personal trip to Japan already planned, the budget didn’t stretch that far. So, New York will have to wait, at least another year.

🏃‍♂️ Post-Vienna: Keeping momentum

Since running the Vienna Marathon five weeks ago, I’ve kept up a steady running routine. Nothing too intense, just enough to stay active. Now, I’m getting ready to kick off a focused Amsterdam block, but first, there’s Japan. I’ll try to squeeze in some short runs while I’m away, but I know the routine will shift. Hopefully, the break won’t derail things too much.

🗓️ What’s next? Building the race calendar

Once I return on May 25, I’ll begin a structured five month plan toward Amsterdam. This time, I’m also including some shorter races to help build speed and stamina, a change in strategy that I worked out with my coach.

📌 Upcoming races:

• June 8 – 10K Santo António: Just back from Japan. Hot and likely tough. I’ll treat it as a tempo run.
• June 28 – 15K Fogueiras (Peniche): A nighttime race in Peniche. Locals light bonfires and cheer. We eat sardines after. It’s weird, it’s wonderful, it smells like smoke and fish but I like it.
• September 14 – Porto Half Marathon: This is the big checkpoint before Amsterdam. A chance to test pace and confidence.

💭 The challenge of modern marathon logistics

Planning for marathons now feels like a full-time job. Between qualifying times, lotteries, registration windows, and travel logistics, just getting to the start line takes effort and resources. But that’s part of the game now.

✈️ Next stop: Japan

Before the real training begins, it’s time for a break. I’ll be traveling to Japan, part vacation, part mental reset. I’ll try to keep up a bit of running while I’m there, but the goal is to enjoy the trip, eat well, and return ready to train.

Run to the next mile!