12°
Sunny, calm, climbing above 20 C late in the race, warmth slowed finishing times
2021 Ballot results
The datasheet
BMW Berlin Marathon 2021 ballot: 47th edition, 24,796 finishers
The 2021 BMW Berlin Marathon brought the race back after a lost year, with 24,796 runners from 139 nations on 26 September 2021, the biggest marathon held anywhere since the pandemic began.
Edition
47th edition
Applications not published by race organiser
Field size
24,796
Total finishers
Race day
Sep 26
2021
Good-for-age
M2:45 W3:10
Open category (18–34)
Race day weather
What runners faced on the course
Context
What made 2021 notable
After the cancelled 2020 edition, Berlin came back. A reduced field of 24,796 runners from 139 nations made it the largest marathon staged anywhere since the pandemic struck, run under hygiene rules that required vaccination or testing. Warm, sunny conditions climbing past 20 degrees blunted the fast times the course is famous for. Guye Adola of Ethiopia held off Kenya's Bethwel Yegon to win the men's race in 2:05:45, with Kenenisa Bekele third in 2:06:47 on his return. Gotytom Gebreslase won the women's title in 2:20:09 on her marathon debut. The fastest course in the world was open again, even if the times stayed honest.
Year over year
Finishers over time
Finishers · 2021 → 2025
25K35K48K54K50K
'21'22'23'24'25
Qualifying
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 |
FAQ
Questions about the 2021 ballot
How big was the 2021 Berlin Marathon?
24,796 runners from 139 nations finished, a reduced field under COVID protocols but still the biggest marathon held anywhere since the pandemic began.
Who won the 2021 Berlin Marathon?
Guye Adola of Ethiopia won the men's race in 2:05:45. Gotytom Gebreslase won the women's race in 2:20:09 on her marathon debut.
What were race-day conditions on 26 September 2021?
Sunny and calm at the start near 12 degrees Celsius, climbing above 20 degrees later in the race. The warmth slowed finishing times across the field.
Does Berlin publish ballot application numbers?
No. SCC EVENTS has never released application totals. What is public is the finisher count, which was 24,796 in 2021.
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