BMW Berlin Marathon 2019 ballot: 46th edition, 43,990 finishers
Kenenisa Bekele won the 2019 BMW Berlin Marathon in 2:01:41 on 29 September 2019, just two seconds off the world record set on the same course a year earlier.
What made 2019 notable
Bekele's run was the whole story. The 37 year old, written off by injuries, came from behind to win in 2:01:41, missing Eliud Kipchoge's 2:01:39 world record, set on this same Berlin course in 2018, by a heartbreaking two seconds. It was the second-fastest marathon ever run at the time, and the closest anyone came to the record all year. Birhanu Legese followed in 2:02:48, and Ashete Bekere took the women's race in 2:20:14 with a sprint finish over Mare Dibaba. Berlin's flat, fast loop to the Brandenburg Gate again proved why ballot hopefuls chase it. This was the last edition before the COVID cancellation of 2020.
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 2019 ballot
Who won the 2019 Berlin Marathon?
Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia won in 2:01:41, just two seconds outside Eliud Kipchoge's 2:01:39 world record set on the same course in 2018. It was the second-fastest marathon ever run at the time.
How close was Bekele to the world record?
Two seconds. His 2:01:41 was the nearest anyone came to the marathon world record in 2019, and the closest miss the Berlin course had seen since Kipchoge set the 2:01:39 mark there in 2018.
Does Berlin publish ballot application numbers?
No. SCC EVENTS has never released application totals for the ballot. What is public is the finisher count, which was 43,990 in 2019.
Who won the women's 2019 Berlin Marathon?
Ashete Bekere of Ethiopia won in 2:20:14, taking the race with a sprint finish over the final few hundred metres against Mare Dibaba, who clocked 2:20:21.