BMW Berlin Marathon 1977 ballot: 4th edition, 230 finishers
On 10 September 1977 Christa Vahlensieck ran 2:34:48 at the 4th Berlin Marathon, a women's world record and the first world record ever set at the race.
What made 1977 notable
The 1977 race delivered Berlin's first world record. Christa Vahlensieck of West Germany ran 2:34:48 in the national championship, the first woman ever to break 2:35 and almost six minutes inside her own 1975 mark. It was a landmark moment for a race that was still a modest forest event. The whole thing was split in two: a mass race started first, then the West German championship an hour later. Gunter Mielke took the men's championship in 2:15:19, while Norman Wilson and Angelika Brandt won the mass race. Only 230 runners finished, a reminder that this Grunewald-era Berlin was tiny compared with the city-street giant it became after 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 1977 ballot
What made the 1977 Berlin Marathon historic?
Christa Vahlensieck of West Germany ran 2:34:48, a women's marathon world record. It was the first woman to break 2:35 and the first world record ever set at Berlin.
Who won the 1977 Berlin Marathon?
The race had two parts. In the West German championship, Gunter Mielke won the men's title in 2:15:19 and Christa Vahlensieck won the women's in 2:34:48. The separate mass race went to Norman Wilson of Great Britain in 2:16:21 and Angelika Brandt of West Germany in 3:10:27.
How many runners finished the 1977 Berlin Marathon?
A total of 230 runners finished the mass race, made up of 219 men and 11 women. The event was still a small forest race on the Grunewald course before its move into central Berlin in 1981.
Are ballot application numbers public for Berlin in 1977?
No. SCC EVENTS does not publish total entries, only participant and finisher figures. There is no acceptance rate to report for 1977.