BMW Berlin Marathon 1974 ballot: 1st edition, 244 finishers
On 13 October 1974 Gunter Hallas won the inaugural Berlin Marathon in 2:44:53, the first running of a small forest race that would grow into one of the world's great marathons.
What made 1974 notable
The Berlin Marathon began as a club-scale idea. On 13 October 1974, founder Horst Milde, a baker and middle-distance runner for SC Charlottenburg, sent runners off from Waldschulallee in front of the Mommsenstadion. The course looped through the Grunewald forest out to the Strandbad Wannsee beach and back, a quiet world away from the city-centre spectacle to come. Gunter Hallas won the men's race in 2:44:53, with Jutta von Haase first among the women in 3:22:01. Only 244 of the 286 starters finished, 234 men and 10 women. There was no ballot and no lottery here. The race stayed a modest forest event until it moved onto West Berlin's streets in 1981.
Finishers over time
Good-for-age standards
View full age-group standards
| Age group | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 2:45:00 | 3:10:00 |
| 35-39 | 2:45:00 | 3:10:00 |
| 40-44 | 2:45:00 | 3:10:00 |
| 45-49 | 2:55:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 50-54 | 2:55:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 55-59 | 2:55:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 60-64 | 3:25:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 65-69 | 3:25:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 70-74 | 3:25:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 75-79 | 3:25:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 80-84 | 3:25:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 85-89 | 3:25:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 90+ | 3:25:00 | 4:20:00 |
Questions about the 1974 ballot
Who won the first Berlin Marathon in 1974?
Gunter Hallas of West Germany won the men's race in 2:44:53. Jutta von Haase of West Germany won the women's race in 3:22:01.
When and where was the 1974 Berlin Marathon held?
The 1st edition ran on 13 October 1974 in West Berlin. It started on Waldschulallee in front of the Mommsenstadion and looped through the Grunewald forest out to the Strandbad Wannsee beach and back.
How many runners finished the first Berlin Marathon?
A total of 244 runners finished, made up of 234 men and 10 women. The field was tiny compared with the tens of thousands who run Berlin today.
Was there a ballot for the 1974 Berlin Marathon?
No. There was no ballot or lottery in this era, and SCC EVENTS does not publish entry totals. There is no acceptance rate to report for 1974.