The 20th edition of the Brussels Airport Marathon & Half Marathon was an unprecedented success. It was a record edition with 20,000 runners from 125 different countries who successfully completed their personal challenge in changeable weather conditions.
11,000 half marathon runners lined up at the start on Boulevard Emile Jacqmain at 9 a.m. Among the top runners, all eyes were on last year’s winner, Amaury Paquet. The man from Liège fully lived up to his role as favourite. Halfway through, he already had a small lead, which he systematically built up. Paquet finished solo in 1:06:33, more than a minute faster than the runner-up, Thibault De Rijdt (1:07:42). Frenchman Nicolas Fiessinger, winner in 2022, came third (1:08:28).
In the women’s race, the anticipated battle between Amelie Saussez (1:16:44) and Valentine Mathy was decided in favour of the former. Saussez even had a two-and-a-half-minute lead over Mathy (1:19:24) when she crossed the finish in a time of 1:16:44. Third place went to Karolien Smet. With Saussez and Paquet, the Brussels Airport Half Marathon has two winners who were part of the Belgian selection for the European Running Championships this spring.
The day started off cool, but after an hour the sun broke through. Good news for the 3,600 marathon participants, who started at 10 a.m. There were 20% more participants than last year for the legendary distance, and they were treated to a course with numerous highlights: the Basilica of Koekelberg, the King Baudouin Stadium, the Atomium, the Palace of Laeken, the European Quarter and, of course, the royal finish on the Place des Palais.
Here too, everyone was watching last year’s winner, the Ethiopian Solomon Belayneh. A few Kenyans created some stiff competition for him this year. The five favourites ran together until well over the midpoint of the race. After a final burst of speed from pacemaker Abel Kipkorir, Felix Mutai and Solomon Belayneh dropped back and it was up to Hillary Mutai to hold on to the lead. He succeeded and won his marathon debut in 2:19:30. Belayneh had to settle for second place this time (2:21:36), with Felix Kipsang Mutai coming in third.
In the women’s race, Moldovan Tatiana Proca and Frenchwoman Manon Gras ran together in the lead for three-quarters of the race, but in the final stretch, the Frenchwoman was noticeably stronger. She finished in just under three hours (2:59:56), with Germany’s Steffi Neumann coming second (3:03:29) and Proca finishing exactly two minutes later in third place. In the 7 km race earlier in the morning, victory went to Arnaud Vermeersch in the men’s race (22:38) and Romane Willame (24:18) in the women’s race.
In addition to the top performances, the Brussels Airport Marathon & Half Marathon remains above all an event for anyone who wants to explore Brussels and its various highlights while running. It is not surprising that 45% of the participants are foreigners who are attracted by running through the capital of Europe. Moreover, organiser Golazo can look back on a flawless edition without any incidents worth mentioning.
“Brussels Airport brings people from all over the world together every day, and today we did the same at the Brussels Airport Marathon. With more than 20,000 runners from about 125 different nationalities, this event shows how sport can really connect people across borders, languages and cultures. It is also a unique way for all these visitors to explore our capital. We are particularly proud that we not only bring people together and get them moving, but that, thanks to the efforts of all participants, we can also support the Demoucelle Parkinson Charity in their valuable work and research into Parkinson’s disease,” says Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport.
