The heart of a champion, the legs of a beginner
Dumoulin’s start was electric. After the opening 10 kilometres, he was on course for a 2:18 finish — an elite-level tempo. For a while, he even found himself running in the same group as Ethiopian Aynalem Desta, the eventual women’s winner in 2:17:38. But as the kilometres mounted, his body began to rebel against the pace.
“It’s such a difference between what my fitness can handle and what my muscles and tendons can,” Dumoulin explained. “I was in that group thinking, ‘I can take them on!’ But halfway through everything started cramping up and I thought, ‘This is going to be a long one.’ I honestly thought I might have to pull out. I stopped twice with cramp — I think around 25 and 35 kilometres.”
Despite those struggles, Dumoulin’s trademark determination came to the fore. Where lesser competitors might have folded, the Dutchman pushed on through pain and exhaustion, even finding the strength to accelerate again towards the finish — crossing the line just under his target of two hours and thirty minutes.
His split times told the story of a debutant still learning his new discipline: 1:09 for the first half, followed by 1:20 for the second. “My drop-off was huge,” he admitted. “You can really see that I haven’t yet processed the mileage.”
Dumoulin retired as one of the most successful Dutch cyclists of the modern era
From time trialling precision to marathon chaos
The marathon was far from a casual jog for the former world time trial champion. Dumoulin had trained seriously, extending his long runs up to 34km in the lead-up to Amsterdam. Yet, as he freely acknowledged, that balance between sufficient mileage and avoiding injury remains tricky for a newcomer to endurance running.
“It’s a fine line between not getting injured — which did happen — and running enough,” he reflected. “I did what I could.”
His post-race reflections showed the same humility and honesty that defined his cycling career. “Now that it’s over, the marathon feels fun — but ask me tomorrow and I’ll say no,” Dumoulin laughed. “Ask me next week, maybe I’ll say yes again. So don’t ask me yet if I’ll run another one.”