Women
The Ethiopian runner Ashete Bekere Dido is the top favourite lining up at the NN Marathon Rotterdam this year. Last year, she won the Valencia Marathon in a time of 2:21.14 and will battle in Rotterdam with, among others, her compatriot Sentayehu Lewetegn (personal best 2:22.45), the Kenyan top athlete Stella Barsosio (2:23.43) and the American Kellyn Taylor (2:24.29). The reigning European Half Marathon Champion, Sara Moreira from Portugal, Swiss Fabienne Schlumf who recently won the silver medal at the European Championships in Tilburg, and Turkish Elvan Abeylegesse all guarantee a very strong European input.

Nageeye, Naert and Choukoud
Earlier, the organization had already announced the participation of talented Dutchman Abdi Nageeye. He returns to Rotterdam to take revenge for the European Athletics Championships in Berlin where he had to stop his race in the final phase because of cramps. He made his début in Rotterdam in 2015, and in 2017, at the Coolsingel, he was the first Dutch athlete ever to run it under 2.10.00 (2.09.36). Half a year later, the Somali born runner claimed the Dutch national title on a summery day in Amsterdam, with a record of 2.08.16. During the 39th Edition, the favourite faced formidable opposition from Belgian Koen Naert, who won the Gold Medal in Berlin (2.09.51). Both athletes aim to improve their PB significantly on the Coolsingel on Sunday the 7th of April. The 32-year-old Hague top-class athlete Khalid Choukoud will likewise be lining up at the start. In the coming edition, Choukoud wants to improve his best performance of 2.10.52, and he is convinced he will be doing this in Rotterdam, he said earlier.

NN Rotterdam Marathon
At 10 am Sunday the 7th of April, the approximately 17,000 marathon runners will start at the foot of the iconic Erasmus Bridge. The finish will still be along the Coolsingel, the vibrant heart of the marathon weekend. Registration for the 39th Edition of the popular NN Rotterdam Marathon is almost sold out.