Bank of America Chicago Marathon 2026
A flat, fast World Marathon Major through 29 Chicago neighbourhoods, starting and finishing in Grant Park on Sunday 11 October 2026.
1 weeks to race day: the sharpening window
A full build no longer fits, but a sharp one does. This close in, the job is specificity and freshness: race-pace touches, open-water or brick rehearsal, and a taper your nervous system actually absorbs. No heroics; arrive fresh.
Building for this one? Training plans cover the sessions, the weekly shape and how the block is paced. The R.A.C.E. Framework explains why it is built that way.
Get my race-week execution plan.
Commit to the date and we will walk you to it: a countdown, honest guidance by email, and the debrief afterwards. Full adaptive training for running races is coming; nothing here pretends otherwise.
One confirmation email, then the road begins. Registering for the race itself stays with the organiser.
“The organiser calls the course flat and fast, with a 6 hour 30 minute limit. A flat course rewards even pacing, so practise holding goal pace rather than banking time early.”
The race
The course
Starts and finishes in Grant Park and passes through 29 Chicago neighbourhoods. The organiser calls the course flat and fast, and sets a time limit of 6 hours 30 minutes from crossing the start line.
Not yet confirmed for this edition: 2026 start times and waves, elevation gain, entry fees and entry methods. We publish these only once they are on the official course page, so check there before you pace off anything here.
Course details verified against the official Bank of America Chicago Marathon course page on 4 October 2026. Courses change; the official page is always the last word.
Questions, answered
When is Bank of America Chicago Marathon 2026?
What distances can I race at Bank of America Chicago Marathon?
How hard is the course?
How long do I need to train for it?
How do I enter?
Read before you race
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Photograph of Chicago, Illinois: Benjamin Lipsman from Chicago, IL, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Not official race photography.
This listing is for information only. Unbroken is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Bank of America Chicago Marathon or its organiser. Details are based on publicly available information; names are used descriptively to identify the event. For accurate, up-to-date information and entry, always use the official event website.