Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Chicago turns itself inside out every October, packing a million people into the neighborhoods to push runners through one of the flattest, fastest big-city courses in the world. The energy doesn't dip for a single mile.
The course.
Race-day weather.
Typically cool and crisp in early October, with highs near 65°F and lows in the upper 40s. Skies are partly cloudy and light rain is possible but not common.
Entry.
Entry is via a ~4-week drawing application (non-guaranteed lottery) held each October–November after the previous year's race, with drawing results announced in December. Guaranteed spots are available for time qualifiers, legacy finishers (5+ finishes in last 10 years), Chicago Distance Series completers, and charity runners (minimum ~$2,200 fundraising commitment); charity entry remains available year-round.
Register on race siteLogistics.
MDW, 9 mi from the start.
From the community.
Race history.
The Chicago Marathon was first run on September 25, 1977 as the Mayor Daley Marathon, drawing 4,200 runners out of Grant Park. It has been held every year since — with the exception of 1987, when only a half-marathon was contested, and 2020, lost to COVID — and was awarded the World Athletics Heritage Plaque in 2024 for its contribution to the development of road running.
Chicago has long been the marathon where world records go to fall. Seven have been set on the course. Steve Jones broke the men's mark there in 1984; Khalid Khannouchi became the first runner under 2:06 in 1999; Kelvin Kiptum lowered the men's world record to 2:00:35 in 2023; and on October 13, 2024, Ruth Chepngetich smashed the women's record with 2:09:56, the first woman ever under 2:11 and 2:10. Chepngetich's mark is still the women's world record. The downtown loop is famously flat, the early-October weather is usually crisp, and the elite field runs alongside roughly 50,000 club and amateur runners. For PR chasers, Chicago is the American sister city to Berlin: a fast course, a serious atmosphere, and a real shot at the day going right.
First run in 1977. Roughly 52,062 finishers in a recent edition.