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Event Information:
The
Rotterdam Marathon is an annual
marathon that has been held in
Rotterdam, the Netherlands since
1981. It has been held in April of
every year since the third edition
in 1984, and attracts many top
athletes. It has also been ranked as
one of the top 10 marathons in the
world by Runner's World magazine.
The event is the most popular
marathon in the Netherlands,
followed by the marathons of
Amsterdam and Eindhoven.
The Rotterdam Marathon often
produces very fast times, as the
course is very flat and weather
conditions are typically ideal. The
2007 event was cancelled due to
extreme weather conditions. The KNMI
meteorological institute described
conditions as "unseasonal" and race
day was the warmest ever recorded in
the city for the month of April,
with temperatures reaching a high of
34 °C. Some people still ran despite
the warnings and cancellation.
William Kipsang's 2008 course record
of 2:05:49 was broken the following
year by Duncan Kibet who ran the
third fastest time ever for the
distance, clocking 2:04:27. As of
April five of the ten fastest
marathon runners ever ran their
fastest time in the Rotterdam
Marathon. Rotterdam is the
second-largest city in the
Netherlands and one of the largest
ports in the world. Starting as a
dam constructed in 1270 on the Rotte
River, Rotterdam has grown into a
major international commercial
centre. Its strategic location at
the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta on the
North Sea and at the heart of a
massive rail, road, air and inland
waterway distribution system
extending throughout Europe is the
reason that Rotterdam is often
called the "Gateway to Europe".
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Weather:
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