BMW Berlin Marathon 1976 ballot: 3rd edition, 311 finishers
On 26 September 1976 West Germany's Ingo Sensburg won the 3rd Berlin Marathon in 2:23:08, a small forest and road race still years away from becoming a city-centre Major.
What made 1976 notable
By 1976 the Berlin Marathon was still a small affair. The 3rd edition, run on 26 September, drew 311 finishers, just 296 men and 15 women, a fraction of the 50,000-strong field the race fills today. It had begun in 1974 with 286 participants on a forest and road course near the Grunewald in West Berlin, and it kept that fun-run character right through the decade. Ingo Sensburg of West Germany won the men's race in 2:23:08, with Ursula Blaschke taking the women's title in 3:04:12. There was no ballot or lottery: anyone could enter. The move into the city streets, and the surge in size that came with it, was still five years away 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 1976 ballot
Who won the 1976 Berlin Marathon?
Ingo Sensburg of West Germany won the men's race in 2:23:08. Ursula Blaschke of West Germany won the women's race in 3:04:12.
When and where was the 1976 Berlin Marathon held?
The 3rd edition ran on 26 September 1976 in West Berlin, on a forest and road course years before the race moved into the city streets in 1981.
How many runners finished the 1976 Berlin Marathon?
A total of 311 runners finished, made up of 296 men and 15 women. The field was still tiny in this era.
Was there a ballot for the 1976 Berlin Marathon?
No. The 1976 race was an open road race with no lottery, and SCC EVENTS does not publish entry totals, so there is no acceptance rate to report.