United States · World Marathon Major
Chicago Marathon 2027
Sunday 10 October 2027 · confirmed date
352 days to go
Key facts
- Race day
- Sunday 10 October 2027
- Confirmed by the organisers
- Start
- 07:30
- local time
- Course
- Flat · Loop
- Grant Park (Columbus Drive) to Grant Park (Columbus Drive)
- Course record, men
- 2:00:35
- Kelvin Kiptum, 2023
- Course record, women
- 2:09:56
- Ruth Chepngetich, 2024
- Finishers
- 54,000
- in 2025
- Time limit
- 6h30
- First held
- 1977
The race
About the Chicago Marathon
The Chicago Marathon dates back to 1977 and is one of the World Marathon Majors. Its flat loop has produced some of the fastest marathons ever run, including Kelvin Kiptum's 2:00:35 in 2023, a world record at the time, and it is now one of the largest marathons in the world, with more than 54,000 finishers in 2025.
The race starts and finishes in Grant Park and passes through 29 of the city's neighbourhoods, each with its own crowds and music. With an early-morning start in mid-October and a fast, flat route, it suits first-time marathoners and runners chasing a personal best alike.
Course
The Chicago Marathon course
Chicago starts in Grant Park and heads north through the Loop, where tall buildings can confuse GPS watches, before running up through Lincoln Park and Lakeview and back towards the city centre. The middle section heads west through the West Loop towards the United Center, then south through Pilsen and Chinatown in the later kilometres.
The final stretch runs north up Michigan Avenue, with a short rise on Roosevelt Road just before the turn into Grant Park and the finish on Columbus Drive. The course is flat apart from a few bridges and that last small hill, and the wide streets make it easy to settle into a steady rhythm.
Race-day weather
Mid-October race mornings in Chicago are usually cool, roughly 7–15°C at the 7:30 start, though some years have been unusually warm or windy off Lake Michigan.
Train
Training for the Chicago Marathon 2027
50 weeks to go. A marathon plan runs 12 to 24 weeks and ends on race week. Here is when each one starts.
| Plan | Starts on |
|---|---|
| 24 weeks | Monday 26 April 2027 |
| 20 weeks | Monday 24 May 2027 |
| 16 weeks | Monday 21 June 2027 |
| 12 weeks | Monday 19 July 2027 |
For this course
Chicago is in mid-October, so your build runs through the heat of July and August. Do long runs and hard sessions early in the morning, adjust pace for heat and humidity, and practise your fuelling and drinking in those conditions. The course is flat, so long runs with sustained marathon-pace segments matter more than hill work, though a few short climbs will prepare you for the Roosevelt Road rise near the finish. Race morning is often cool, so plan warm-up layers you can discard.
See the marathon pace chart or a sample sub-4 plan.
Print a pace band for the Chicago Marathon, with the race clock at every kilometre.
Entry
How to get a place
Applications open in the autumn, about a year before the race. Guaranteed entry is available to time qualifiers, legacy runners with five or more Chicago finishes in the last ten years, Chicago Distance Series finishers, charity runners and international tour group participants; everyone else applies to the non-guaranteed drawing.
2027 lottery From 8 October 2026 to 29 October 2026 · open now
Every marathon lottery date for 2027 → Which marathons have no lottery? →Organised by Chicago Event Management
Official websiteQuestions
Frequently asked
When is the Chicago Marathon 2027?
The Chicago Marathon 2027 is on Sunday 10 October 2027. The organisers have confirmed the date.
When should I start training for the Chicago Marathon?
Count back from race day: a 16-week plan for the 2027 edition starts on 21 June 2027, a 20-week plan on 24 May 2027. Most runners need 16 to 20 weeks; 12 is the shortest block worth doing.
How do I get into the Chicago Marathon?
You can apply to the non-guaranteed drawing, or claim guaranteed entry with a qualifying time, as a legacy runner with five or more Chicago finishes in ten years, or through the Chicago Distance Series. Charity places and international tour groups are the other main routes.
Is the Chicago Marathon course flat?
Yes. It is one of the flattest Majors; the only notable rise is a short climb on Roosevelt Road shortly before the finish.
What is the time limit for the Chicago Marathon?
The course time limit is 6 hours 30 minutes, which means keeping to roughly 15 minutes per mile, or about 9:19 per kilometre.
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