20°
Good early, warming through the closing stages to above 20 C in the sun
2009 Ballot results
The datasheet
BMW Berlin Marathon 2009: 36th edition, 40,923 entrants
Haile Gebrselassie won a record fourth straight Berlin title on 20 September 2009 in 2:06:08, but warmth above 20 C in the sun ended his bid to beat the 2:03:59 world record he had set on the same course a year earlier.
Edition
36th edition
Applications not published by race organiser
Runners
40,923
Total entrants
Race day
Sep 20
2009
Race day weather
What runners faced on the course
Context
What made 2009 notable
The story of 2009 was the heat that stole a world record. Haile Gebrselassie arrived chasing his own 2:03:59 from the year before, and Berlin's fast, flat course looked ready to deliver again. Conditions were good early, then the sun pushed temperatures above 20 C through the closing stages and his pace fell away. He still crossed in 2:06:08 for a record fourth straight Berlin victory, telling reporters it simply got too warm for a record. Atsede Besuye made it an Ethiopian double with a personal best 2:24:47. A record 40,923 runners from 122 nations entered, confirming Berlin's pull as the place to chase a fast time.
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 2009 ballot
Why did Gebrselassie miss the world record in Berlin in 2009?
Conditions warmed above 20 degrees Celsius in the sun during the closing stages. He ran 2:06:08, well off his own 2:03:59 world record set in Berlin in 2008, and said it simply got too warm.
Who won the 2009 Berlin Marathon?
Haile Gebrselassie took the men's race in 2:06:08, a record fourth straight Berlin win. Atsede Besuye won the women's race in a personal best 2:24:47.
How many runners took part in the 2009 Berlin Marathon?
A record 40,923 runners from 122 nations entered the 36th edition, held on 20 September 2009.
Are ballot application numbers public for Berlin?
No. SCC EVENTS does not publish total entries or lottery application counts for Berlin, only entrant and finisher figures.
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