12°
Cool, low cloud, no wind
2002 Ballot results
The datasheet
BMW Berlin Marathon 2002: 29th edition, 32,752 entrants
On 29 September 2002 Naoko Takahashi defended her Berlin Marathon title in 2:21:49, a year after she became the first woman to run under 2:20 on the same course.
Edition
29th edition
Applications not published by race organiser
Runners
32,752
Total entrants
Race day
Sep 29
2002
Race day weather
What runners faced on the course
Context
What made 2002 notable
Berlin 2002 belonged to Naoko Takahashi. Twelve months after she became the first woman to break 2:20 here, running a 2:19:46 world record, she returned and defended her title in 2:21:49 under cool, cloudy, windless skies. The men's race produced a Kenyan sweep of the top five, with Raymond Kipkoech outsprinting Simon Biwott and Vincent Kipsos for an unexpected win in 2:06:47, all three inside six seconds of each other. Organisers billed it as the world's largest marathon field, 32,752 runners among 48,599 athletes across every event, watched by more than a million spectators along Berlin's famously flat and fast course.
Year over year
Finishers over time
Finishers · 1974 → 2025
2442363112301972222943K5K7K10K11K13K13K13K25K15K14K12K17K15K21K27K33K36K32K41K34K33K34K41K39K41K44K25K35K48K54K50K
'74'75'76'77'78'79'80'81'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'93'94'95'97'98'00'02'04'07'09'10'11'12'16'17'18'19'21'22'23'24'25
FAQ
Questions about the 2002 ballot
Who won the 2002 Berlin Marathon?
Naoko Takahashi won the women's race in 2:21:49, her second straight Berlin title. Raymond Kipkoech took the men's race in 2:06:47, leading an all-Kenyan top five.
What made the 2002 Berlin field a record?
Organisers billed it as the world's largest marathon field at the time, 32,752 runners, with 48,599 athletes across all events and more than a million spectators.
What was the weather like on race day in 2002?
Cool and calm. Temperatures sat around 12 degrees Celsius with low cloud and no wind, well suited to fast running.
Are ballot application numbers public for Berlin 2002?
No. SCC EVENTS does not publish total entries or lottery application figures. Only finisher and field counts and elite results are reported.
Free alerts · BMW Berlin Marathon
Want the next BMW Berlin Marathon ballot window?
Set alert