Chicago Marathon

4.9 (17 Reviews)
Chicago, IL, USA
11-12 Oct, 2025 (Sat - Sun)

Running

5 km, 42.195 km

About the event

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a world-class running event that has seen numerous world records being broken at its course. With over 40,000 athletes participating and millions of excited onlookers flocking to the course, it is a truly impressive race to witness.Starting in the iconic Grant Park, the marathon offers a flat and blazingly fast loop course that takes you through 29 vibrant, diverse, and distinctive neighborhoods such as Lakeview, Greektown, Little Italy, Pilsen, Chinatown, and Bronzeville. This route truly showcases the United States' 'melting pot of cultures' aspect.

One of the highlights of the Chicago Marathon is the ease of access to the course, as well as the giant, excited, and cheerful crowd that lines the streets to support the runners. Consider taking a support group with you to boost your confidence and share in the joy of finishing this amazing marathon!

Races offered by this event

You have 46 weeks to prepare

Abbott Chicago 5K

11 Oct, 2025 (Sat) - 07:30
Running
5 km
Solo
On site
Road

Bank of America Chicago Marathon

12 Oct, 2025 (Sun) - 07:30
Running
42.195 km
Boston Marathon qualifier
Solo
On site
Road
Flat
Timed

Reviews

4.9
17 Reviews
5
4
3
2
1
Write a review
user avatar
Angelica Tascon Caicedo
Oct 2023

Chicago fue una carrera simplemente espectacular que correría mil veces. Fue mi primera maratón y solo tengo bonitos recuerdos de un recorrido lleno de gente acompañando, excelente hidratación, una ciudad hermosa y una experiencia que quedara para siempre en mi mente y mi corazón... muy recomendada!

user avatar
Dan Walding
Country flag of AU
Oct 2023

4.5 stars, round up to 5. Huge and famous Marathon and if you have a chance to run, then do it! New World record set in 2023. Wow! Look this is a great race and Chicago is a great city. Boisterous crowds and huge support. 40,000 runners, so it's huge and very flat. Everyone knows this. I like this race more than NYC. Start line is better. Much more convenient to get to, and it's in a large park, so the toilet situation is better. There's a lot of small bridges made of metal with roadway made of metal grill which is a bad trip hazard. They try to cover it with red carpet but some stretches it doesn't cover everything. A bit dangerous. There's other stretches where the road (Asphalt) is quite cut up with cracks and a bit of a trip hazard. Lots of water stations and well signposted. Start line is well organised but there were a lot of slow runners in the early bays so there was a bit of a crush at the start that could annoy PB hunters. Expo is big and good. Medal is grey and metal but well designed. I loved this race and was proud to be part of it.

AKA 26.2 Miles but i'm a metric guy :D

user avatar
Running Pat
Country flag of FR
Oct 2018
42.195 km

Awesome marathons. It is very well organised. The route is fast. The expo is huge. There are a lot of people cheering along the route. Only the short hill just before the finish line is kiling. The only negative point is the expensive entry fee but it is one of the six majors.

user avatar
Konstantinos Koudounas

Great race!!!! The city really supports the race. My only problem was the paper cups for the water and the mess at the water stations due to the number of runners, even though I think this is a common issues for all majors.

user avatar
Nicole Distler

Great organisation and race! The people carry you all the way to the finish line. One of the best marathon fairs pre-race that I've been to, and finishers still wear their medals in the streets of Chicago until Wednesday after the race.

user avatar
Nguyen Hong Son

great race!

user avatar
Alberto Da Re
Country flag of IT

Absolutely amazing!! Incredible experience, amazing support and the organization was just perfect.

user avatar
Nicolas BERTRAND
Country flag of FR

4th Stars

user avatar
Williams Alvizo
Country flag of US

Flat course, great running weather (not too cold, or too hot). It's a major marathon so you know it's going to be perfectly organized. I'll be running this one every year for as long as I can!

user avatar
Christoph Neumayer

Great experience. Chicago know how to cheer you on

user avatar
Darko Cvijic
Country flag of RS

Nice and flat marathon

user avatar
Ryan Todd
Country flag of GB

Amazing crowds and beautiful city.

user avatar
Chris Tinsley
Country flag of GB

The second leg of my Berlin / Chicago two week double header meant suffering and pain but it was still an incredible and thoroughly enjoyable race. A gloriously sunny yet chilly day was perfect for running and the crowds around the course were enthusiastic and vocal throughout - I never tired of hearing "You got this!". The Windy City is a triumph.

user avatar
Daniel Thomas Massberg

Hard work today... I’m exhausted and really knocked out. Two Marathons and a Half within 14days... It was a great course with amazing cheering crowds on the side. Chicago, now that I've felt your energy, ran your roads, seen your Landmarks, suffered through your roads, felt your cold winds and crossed your iconic finish line, I'm completely in love with you... 😍 Thank you Chicago 😍

user avatar
RK Byers

easy access. no other travel fees aside from the one-time CTA fair.

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