The sixth edition of the TREK® Antwerp Marathon once again got top scores for atmosphere and conviviality – not only from the 20,000 runners themselves, but also from the countless supporters lining the route. Everyone in the city cheered on the runners, who in turn were delighted to receive the enthusiastic support and enjoyed the entertainment along the route and all the beauty the city and the course had to offer.
A revamped route for the 10 km, a familiar circuit for the full and half marathons. The (extensive) itinerary: stretches past the Port Authority building, Boerentoren, the Meir, Antwerp Central Station, the Palace of Justice, Zuidpark, the KMSKA, Kloosterstraat, Kaaien and the finish line beneath the MAS, flanked by stands full of supporters. Those running the 10 km also enjoyed a special passage across the Grote Markt. Along the way, there were also four cheering zones, plenty of entertainment and loads of supporters spurring the participants on. It was all a big hit once again, as with 20,000 runners at the start, this sixth edition was already fully booked several days ahead of time.
The marathon runners – 5,000 at the start – kicked things off at 9 am. At the front, a group of five quickly broke away and stayed together until the halfway point. This group included former winner Nicolaï Saké, however, he had to drop back shortly afterwards when Solomon Belayneh and Wijnand Meeus picked up the pace. Ten kilometres further on, three-quarters of the way through the race, Solomon – winner of the 2024 Brussels Airport Marathon – broke away on his own to finish in a strong time of 2:20:19. Meeus came second, over a minute and a half behind (2:21:57), whilst Saké (2:23:56) completed the podium.
In the women’s race, Dutch runner Saskia Kersbergen was in a class of her own. She won in 2:37:18, a personal best for her and the fastest time in Antwerp in the last 25 years. The runners-up, Amber Teugels and Lotte Vonck, also clocked impressive times of 2:41:19 and 2:41:45 respectively. The thousands of other marathon runners, for whom the time was often less important, streamed in just as the half marathon was getting underway a little further on.
A total of 12,000 runners had set off on that course of just over 21 kilometres through Antwerp. Four fast men stayed together at the front until the 15-kilometre mark, then they dropped back one by one, leaving Wout Ghielens alone in the lead with one kilometre to go. He finished in 1:06.35, 10 seconds ahead of Siemen Van Camp. Half a minute later, Nick Peers came third. In the women’s race, last year’s German winner, Daniela Sturm, was once again too strong for the rest of the field: she won in 1:17:30. There was a fierce sprint for second place right up to the line, with Maithé Rivera (1:21:59) proving a fraction faster than Silke Steenput (1:22:01).
There were even more well-known sporting figures at this half marathon: Cameron Vandenbroucke (1:28:23), Flemish Minister for Sport Annick De Ridder, Federal Minister for Justice Annelies Verlinden, Julie Vermeire, Elodie Gabias and Josje Huisman, to name but a few. Former Red Devil Simon Mignolet had run the 10-kilometre race earlier in the day. In that 10K, Jonas Vervaecke won the men’s race, and Jeanne Dupont, a former European duathlon champion, won the women’s race.
The next TREK® Antwerp Marathon is scheduled for Sunday 24 October 2027. Registration is already open and entries are once again coming in very quickly. Anyone who wants to be sure of a race number is advised to register straight away.
