1985 Ballot results

BMW Berlin Marathon 1985 ballot: 12th edition, 9,810 finishers

The 12th Berlin Marathon ran entirely inside West Berlin on 29 September 1985, with Britain's James Ashworth winning the men's race in 2:11:43 and Belgium's Magda Ilands taking the women's title in 2:34:10.

The datasheet
Edition
12th edition
Applications not published by race organiser
Field size
9,810
Total finishers
Race day
Sep 29
1985
Good-for-age
M2:45 W3:10
Open category (18–34)
Context

What made 1985 notable

Five years before reunification, the 12th Berlin Marathon was still a West Berlin event, looping inside the walled western half of the city on 29 September 1985. There was no lottery and no published entry numbers, just a growing field that sent 9810 runners across the line, 9146 men and 664 women. Britain's James Ashworth took the men's race in 2:11:43, and Belgium's Magda Ilands won the women's race in 2:34:10. No world record fell here, that era was still to come once the course opened onto the full reunited city after 1990. For 1985, the story was a confined Cold War course steadily building the scale that would later make Berlin the fastest Major.

Year over year

Finishers over time

Finishers · 1985 → 2025 29 editions
10K11K13K13K13K25K15K14K12K17K15K21K27K33K36K32K41K34K33K34K41K39K41K44K25K35K48K54K50K
'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'93'94'95'97'98'00'02'04'07'09'10'11'12'16'17'18'19'21'22'23'24'25
Qualifying

Good-for-age standards

View full age-group standards +
Age groupMenWomen
18-342:45:003:10:00
35-392:45:003:10:00
40-442:45:003:10:00
45-492:55:003:30:00
50-542:55:003:30:00
55-592:55:003:30:00
60-643:25:004:20:00
65-693:25:004:20:00
70-743:25:004:20:00
75-793:25:004:20:00
80-843:25:004:20:00
85-893:25:004:20:00
90+3:25:004:20:00
FAQ

Questions about the 1985 ballot

Who won the 1985 Berlin Marathon? +

James Ashworth of Great Britain won the men's race in 2:11:43. Magda Ilands of Belgium won the women's race in 2:34:10.

When was the 1985 Berlin Marathon held? +

It ran on 29 September 1985, the 12th running of the event.

Was the 1985 Berlin Marathon run through the whole city? +

No. The city was still divided, so the course stayed entirely within West Berlin. The race did not open onto the reunited city until after 1990.

How many people finished the 1985 Berlin Marathon? +

9810 runners finished, made up of 9146 men and 664 women. SCC EVENTS does not publish entry or ballot application totals.

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