WILLEMSTAD - Mari Kauri from the United States claimed victory in the 42.2-kilometer KLM Marathon, completing the race in 4:00:09. In the half marathon (21.1 kilometers), Finland's Lydia Kauri emerged as the winner with a time of 1:41:41.
While impressive, this year’s marathon results were slower compared to last year’s winning time of 2:59:09 for the full marathon and 1:22:57 for the half marathon.
The race saw several standout moments. KLM pilot Niels de Leeuw ran the marathon in slippers, raising funds for 38-year-old Billy Valentijn, who is battling illness. Another remarkable participant was a 60-year-old German runner wearing bib number 300, who completed his 300th marathon during the event.
The full marathon began early Sunday morning at 3:15 a.m., followed by the half marathon at 5:15 a.m. and the 10-kilometer race at 6:15 a.m. Both the start and finish lines were at the Corendon Mangrove Beach Resort.
A total of 2,600 runners from 38 countries participated, including 2,300 international “run-cation” tourists. The oldest competitor was 86 years old, and the gender distribution of participants was 52% women and 48% men.
Organizers have announced that the next KLM Marathon will take place on November 29-30, 2025.