BMW Berlin Marathon 1987 ballot: 14th edition, 12,674 finishers
The 14th Berlin Marathon ran through West Berlin on 4 October 1987, drawing a record 12,674 finishers as Tanzania's Suleiman Nyambui took the first of his back-to-back titles in 2:11:11.
What made 1987 notable
Held two years before the Berlin Wall fell, the 1987 race was still confined to West Berlin and had not yet adopted the Brandenburg Gate finish that would later define the event. Its story is growth: 12,674 runners finished, up more than ten percent on 1986, a sign of the boom that would turn Berlin into one of the world's fastest big-city marathons. Suleiman Nyambui, the Tanzanian who took 5000m silver at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, won the men's race in 2:11:11, the first of two straight Berlin victories. Kerstin Pressler of West Germany won the women's race in 2:31:22. No world or course record fell this year.
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 1987 ballot
Who won the 1987 Berlin Marathon?
Suleiman Nyambui of Tanzania won the men's race in 2:11:11. Kerstin Pressler of West Germany won the women's race in 2:31:22.
How many runners finished the 1987 Berlin Marathon?
12,674 runners finished, comprising 11,651 men and 1,023 women, up from 11,450 finishers in 1986.
Were there ballot application numbers for 1987?
No. SCC EVENTS does not publish total entries, and the modern lottery did not yet exist in 1987. Only finisher counts are on record.
Did the 1987 race finish at the Brandenburg Gate?
No. The 1987 race was run entirely within West Berlin, two years before the Wall fell. The Brandenburg Gate finish came later.