The 26.2-mile Chicago Marathon course is flat, fast and ready to welcome more than 53,000 runners this Sunday.
The race begins in waves starting at 7:20 a.m. in Grant Park and follows a route through 29 neighborhoods.
What began as the Mayor Daley Marathon in 1977 has become more inclusive for a variety of people — including wheelchair racers. It has been canceled only twice: in 1987 because of the lack of a sponsor and in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s what to know if you plan to participate, cheer on a runner — or just want to avoid traffic jams on race day.
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 12
- TV: Live on NBC 5 from 7-11 a.m. Finish-line camera and livestream available on nbcchicago.com and telemundochicago.com.
- Radio: WSCR-AM 670 from 7-11 a.m.
Start times
The start line is in Grant Park, which opens to runners at 5:30 a.m. Sunday, at the intersection of Columbus Drive and Monroe Street. Before entering Grant Park, there will be security and bag screening. All participants must use the clear plastic event-issued bag; no backpacks or luggage will be permitted.
Race organizers recommend participants arrive in their corrals about 20 minutes before the close of the corral. Wave 1 start corrals close at 7:20 a.m., with Wave 2 corrals following at 7:45 and Wave 3 at 8:10.
- 7:20 a.m.: Men’s wheelchair
- 7:21: Women’s wheelchair
- 7:23: Handcycle
- 7:30: Wave 1 (Elite and corrals A, B,C, D and E)
- 8: Wave 2 (corrals F, G, H and J)
- 8:35: Wave 3 (corrals K, L, M and N)
- 9:30: 27th mile post-race party and spectator access to Grant Park begin
The forecast
Expect partly cloudy skies with a high of 68 degrees and winds of 5-10 mph. Sunrise will be at 6:59 a.m. Check the latest forecast here.
Ideal race conditions: Temperatures between 40 and 50 degrees, low humidity, partly cloudy and dry.
The hottest: The high was 89 degrees on Oct. 7, 2007. For the first time in Chicago Marathon history, officials cut the race short as hundreds of runners laboring across oven-like streets were treated for heat-related illnesses. The stoppage happened about 3½ hours after the start amid complaints of insufficient water for the runners.
Vintage Chicago Tribune: Chicago Marathon — highs and lows from the race’s 45-year history
Of the 35,867 who started, 24,933 finished. More than 300 runners were taken from the course in ambulances. One runner, a Michigan police officer with a heart condition, died, although the Cook County medical examiner’s office determined his death was not heat-related.
The coldest: The low temperature for the Oct. 30, 1988, race was 21 degrees.
The course
Chicago has one of the flattest — and hence fastest — marathons in the world. Six world records have been set here, but many runners compete in this race to qualify for others, such as the Boston Marathon.
Runners start and finish in Grant Park but go as far north as Sheridan Road and as far south as 35th Street. Streets along the course will be closed for most of the morning and reopen on a rolling basis. (Note: The route is subject to change.)
Records: The course has been the site of three men’s world records and four women’s world records.
- 2:00:35 (world record) — Set in 2023 by Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya (men’s open division)
- 2:09:56 — Set in 2024 by Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya (women’s open division)
- 1:22:37 — Set in 2023 by Marcel Hug of Switzerland (men’s wheelchair division)
- 1:36:12 — Set in 2024 by Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland (women’s wheelchair division)
Time limit: The course is open for 6 hours, 30 minutes. Registrants must be capable of completing the full distance — start line to finish line — within this time requirement (about 15 minutes per mile). Participant times that exceed the event time requirement will not be recognized as official.
Getting to the course
Running? Watching someone run? Here’s how to get there, including all the transit options.
Parking: Runners and spectators can reserve a parking spot in advance through Millennium Garages, ParkWhiz or SpotHero. There will be no parking along the course.
Chicago Transit Authority trains and buses: CTA will add service on its Red, Blue, Brown and Green lines and earlier service on the Purple Line on race day. Some buses will be rerouted. See the CTA website for more information, including where to purchase passes in advance, race viewing areas near CTA stations and park-and-ride locations.
Metra: It will run extra trains in addition to its regularly scheduled Sunday train service on the Metra Electric, Milwaukee District North and Union Pacific Northwest and West lines. Unlimited rides Sunday are available for $7. See the Metra website for more information.
South Shore Line: The route, which connects South Bend, Indiana, with Chicago, will operate extra service on race day. See the South Shore Line website for more information.
What Chicago residents should know
No-parking zones along the course will be enforced beginning at 1 a.m. Sunday, which means any vehicles in those areas will be ticketed and towed. Street closures along the route will occur between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday. The roads in Grant Park will be closed longer. City streets will reopen promptly as the final runners pass through (at a 15-minute mile pace).
Road closures: Roads on the course close at 6 a.m. and will begin reopening around 10 a.m. after the final runners have passed through. In the Loop, plans are for the roads to reopen at 10 a.m. Lincoln Park roads are set to reopen around 12:30 p.m., Near West Side around 2:45 p.m., Pilsen around 3:15 p.m., Bronzeville around 4 p.m. and the entire course around 6 p.m. But as always, times are subject to change, so check first.
Grant Park: Roads inside Grant Park will close Thursday and most will reopen by Sunday evening. All streets will reopen by 6 a.m. Monday.
Roads that will remain open
- The Loop (bordered by Wells, Van Buren, Wabash Avenue and Lake): All streets in the Loop will be open to traffic by 9 a.m. on race day.
- North of the Loop: Northbound and southbound lanes on Michigan Avenue (north of 11th Street) will remain open, including access to the Magnificent Mile. Clybourn Avenue, Lincoln Avenue (north of Sedgwick Street) and Clark Street (north of Diversey Parkway) will be open.
- West of the Loop: Milwaukee Avenue, Halsted Street (north of Monroe Street), Ashland Avenue (north of Adams Street) and Damen Avenue (north of Adams) will be open.
- South of the Loop: Damen Avenue (south of Jackson Boulevard), Ashland Avenue (south of Jackson), Archer Avenue (south of Cermak Road), Halsted Street (south of Cermak), Michigan Avenue (south of 35th Street) and Martin Luther King Drive will be open.
To avoid delays: Consider using Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive and the expressways — including the Dan Ryan (I-90/94), Kennedy (I-90/94), Eisenhower (I-290) and Stevenson (I-55) — instead of local roads.
What spectators should know
To avoid extra crowds, spectators aren’t allowed to escort runners to the start line or greet runners at the finish line. Organizers recommend spectators support runners from various spots on the course and meet up with runners after the race in designated areas within Grant Park.
Finish line: The closest spot to view runners at the finish line is the Bank of America Cheer Zone at Mile 26, Michigan Avenue and Roosevelt Road.
Reunite with a runner: The 27th Mile Post-Race Party and Runner Reunite area of Grant Park will open to spectators at 9:30 a.m. To access this area, spectators must pass through security and bag screening at Jackson Drive and Michigan Avenue or Ida B. Wells Drive and Michigan Avenue.
What participants should know
Race participants will meet at the start line in Grant Park.
Packet pickup: These must be claimed by each participant at the Health & Fitness Expo at McCormick Place, Lakeside Center on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Bring photo identification to obtain a bib number, timing device, gear-check tag, participant shirt and bag. No one will be allowed to pick up these items on behalf of others. Items will not be available for pickup on race day.
Tracking: Runners can sign up to track live results or download the official mobile app. Results also will be available at chicagomarathon.com.
Sources: Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Tribune reporting and archives