Running the Chicago Marathon
The flattest Abbott World Major Marathon of them all, taking in 29 neighbourhoods of Chicago with more than 1.7m spectators turning out to cheer you on, it can only be the Chicago Marathon.
Chicago Marathon takes place in early October each year and is a 26.2-mile loop starting and finishing in Grant Park, in the central Loop district of downtown Chicago. The fast, flat course is great for PB attempts, and the autumnal Chicago weather usually means conditions are perfect for distance running.
I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2022, just two weeks after running the Berlin Marathon. Unfortunately I wasn’t in PB shape but I still ran my third fastest marathon and had a whole heap of fun as well. So if you’re thinking about running the Chicago Marathon, here’s what you can expect.
Pre-race Organisation
Registering for the Chicago Marathon was very straightforward. I’d time qualified when running the Athens Authentic Marathon the previous November so when I submitted my application along with proof of my qualifying time I was instantly accepted into the race.
Chicago Marathon does a good job of communicating with participants in the build-up to the race. Official race information is emailed out in July, along with a training plan. The social media channels start to ramp up over the summer, and their Instagram account ran a series of great interactive stories that give you a template and ask you to re-post it with three things you were proud of/ working on/ looking forward to/ etc. that week. It was encouraging to see others going through the same trials and tribulations I was during that time.
Race packet emails came out mid-September and were very clear to follow. The app was also good — similar to the London Marathon app — and allowed friends and family to easily track your progress on race day, giving split times at 5k intervals and halfway along with estimates of finishing times.
All in all, the Chicago Marathon has good pre-race communication.
McCormick Place Expo
The Chicago Marathon expo is held at McCormick Place, just south of The Loop. McCormick Place is a massive multi-event venue easily accessible by public transport. I arrived around 10am on the Friday before race day and it was busy — very busy! There was a 30-minute wait to get through security screening as hundreds of runners descended on the expo, but once through there were hardly any queues for race packet pick-ups.
I had also signed up to run the Abbott Chicago 5k on the Saturday and headed there first to pickup my bib. There was no queue, and it took about 60 seconds to get my race bib and beanie hat. After that, I joined the line to pickup my Chicago Marathon bib, which was a short wait before being dispatched to a counter. A few minutes later I had my bib and headed into the expo proper to pickup my finisher’s t-shirt, which was right at the back. Again, there were no queues and I was done in about 20 seconds.
And that’s where the breezy-no-wait queuing stopped as the rest of the expo was heaving!
The Nike store was rammed with queues of 20+ minutes to get into the changing rooms — which was very necessary as the official gear merchandise sizes were all over the place. I’m always — always — a small, but I found myself trying on a large vest to see if it fit any better. In the end I went for the medium vest and medium shorts, just glad I tried them on as the prices were eye-wateringly expensive.
Nike also appeared to have had a problem with a shipment of long-sleeved men’s tops, so had precisely zero on sale. After the expo, I had to head to the Nike store on Michigan Avenue (at the opposite side of the city) to grab a zip-up top.
The other stalls were similarly busy and there were freebies being given out by the likes of Bank of America (posters and cow bells — yes, cow bells!) and Goose Island (BEER!). There were also food stalls and toilet facilities, so if you were so inclined you could easily spend half a day there looking around and grabbing a snack.
Abbott Chicago 5k
I’d signed up to what is probably the world’s most expensive 5k race and decided to do the Abbott Chicago 5k on the Saturday morning. The $35 price tag was steep (even with a $5 discount in my Chicago Marathon virtual bag) so it was good to see you got a decent quality beanie hat and a nice medal at the end of it.
Probably the best thing about running the Abbott Chicago 5k was that it was an excellent dressed rehearsal for the Chicago Marathon the following day. Both races start at 07:30 in Grant Park, so you can try out your timings and logistics. It also gave you experience of the carnage the tall buildings in The Loop play with your GPS, as I finished the race clocking over 3.5 miles, so well over 5k!
There were around 10,000 people running the Abbott Chicago 5k and the atmosphere was very relaxed. There were of course some people gunning for it — I guess they weren’t necessarily running the marathon the following day — but most were just enjoying the sights and running it with family and friends.
While the start line is Grant Park, the Abbott Chicago 5k doesn’t finish in Grant Park. There’s also no bag drop, so if you’re not with someone you’ll need to run with your gear. It was a nice experience and certainly helped calm the pre-marathon nerves, but if you’re running the Abbott Chicago 5k you should be aware of the logistics.
Getting to the Chicago Marathon Start Line
Chicago Marathon day arrived and as I was staying a 25-min ‘L’-train ride from The Loop, I was up at 04:00 to fuel up on porridge and arrive at a decent time. Grant Park is in a lovely location, it overlooks Lake Michigan and you get a stunning sunrise. However, when lining up for the Abbott Chicago 5k the previous day, the wind coming in off the lake was icy cold. So I wanted to arrive at the start line with time to spare… but not too much time!
The CTA had made arrangements for extra public transport on race day. Some train lines had extra services, while the Orange Line I had to use only had longer trains… which turned out to be pretty useless as the train I planned to get developed a fault and delayed everything behind it. It was a bit stressful to be honest, but I still ended up arriving about an hour before the gun.
After a security check to get into Grant Park, bag drop was at the opposite side of the park and was very fast and efficient — virtually no queue. Toilets were plentiful but queues were 25+ minutes and there were no urinals, like they had at the Berlin Marathon.
I was in Corral B and started to head over about 07:00 as it closed at 07:20 and the closures are very strict — miss the corral closure by just a few seconds and you’ll be sent to the back of your wave. Corrals A-E started in Wave 1, a staggered start from 07:30. It took me about 5 minutes to cross the start lines after the gun, so it was pretty quick.
One thing I will say if you’re assigned to Corrals A-C is that it’ll take longer to get to the corral entrance than you think. For all the other corrals, you can pretty much walk right into from the centre of the park, but for the first three corrals there’s a bit of a detour that’ll take you another 5 minutes to pass through. And as the corral closures are so strict, do make sure you leave enough time to actually reach the entrance.
There are no toilets inside the corrals, unlike at the New York Marathon, although that didn’t stop people from peeing through the fences…
So the start village for the Chicago Marathon is pretty big and efficient, but be wary of the wind from Lake Michigan, and if you’re in one of the first three corrals, give another 5–10 minutes to get to the entrance.
Chicago Marathon Course
The Chicago Marathon is a fast, flat, urban course starting and finishing in Grant Park in The Loop. The elevation gain across the entire course is only 243ft (74m) and you don’t experience anything close to a ‘hill’ until about Mile 21 (KM 33.8) when you cross the Chicago River for the 6th time.
That said, as the race is run on a city grid there are a lot of 90-degree turns — 36 of them to be precise! Only in the first few miles was congestion an issue, and as the race heads north on LaSalle Street for around 6 miles the crowd of runners thins out and there’s plenty of space to run.
There’s a blue racing line but I found it near impossible to keep to it. Running the tangents round 90-degree turns just wasn’t feasible as there was always a group of runners around me not taking the shortest route, so you had to go with the flow. It wasn’t a big deal, but good to know if you’re one for religiously sticking to a racing line.
Chicago Marathon has an incredible number of hydration stations — 20 in total, so one every 1.2 miles (2km) or so — as well as frequent toilets, first aid and energy gels. The first part of each hydration station is Gatorade, with water a few hundred metres down the road. So if you’re not used to Gatorade, don’t be tempted to grab the first cup you see but hold off a little longer for the water.
Grant Park and The Loop (1/2)
When the race begins you head north out of Grant Park and over the Chicago River. Most of this area is covered and your GPS signal is immediately shot to pieces. It’s also a slight decline, so it’s a good idea to pay attention to your pace and not get too carried away, as your watch won’t give you an accurate pace and the excitement of just setting off can lead you to start too fast.
In the first mile, my GPS was off by 0.4 miles (0.6km) — not a typo — and it got steadily worse until about 3 miles (5km) in. So a good tip is to hit the ‘lap’ button on your watch as you go past a mile marker so you know exactly what pace you’ve run, rather than relying on your watch calculating it automatically.
Lincoln Park and Old Town
Running through Lincoln Park was a fresh change of scenery from the hustle and bustle of the skyscrapers around The Loop. You could take in some greenery, get a stunning view out over Lake Michigan and really start to get into your groove.
At the northernmost point of the Chicago Marathon you take two lefts in short succession and head back south through Old Town.
There’s warm support throughout this section and the noise levels rise as you progress through Old Town and head back into The Loop.
The Loop (2/2)
As the tall buildings loom into view, you reach The Loop for the second time. At this point you’ll cross the Chicago River for the 4th and 5th times, and when you do make sure to run on the red carpets they’ve placed over the gratings on the bridges so you don’t lose your footing or slip on the metal.
You’ll pass the halfway marker at this point, with the incredible crowds willing you on before turning west and heading out of the city centre once more.
United Center
Along Adams Street, you’ll pass crowds of university students and dozens of unique stalls, each with their own particular brand of support. This section of the Chicago Marathon really starts to feel suburban as you head towards the United Center then double back on yourself along Jackson Boulevard.
Greektown, Little Italy and Chinatown
Just after Mile 17 (KM 27.4), you take a right on to Halsted Street and are immediately hit by a massive wave of support from Greektown. The smell of grilled meat also fills the air, which ordinarily would be delightful but at a critical point in the race does make you extremely jealous of those tucking in to amazing Mediterranean food!
Support through Little Italy is similarly solid, and there’s a raucous dragon dance as you enter Chinatown.
At this point around Mile 21 (KM 33.8) you hit the first of two noticeable ‘hills’, crossing the Chicago River yet again. The elevation isn’t steep — it barely registered on my Strava for that mile — but with tired legs, any sort of incline starts to bite. Many people began walking at this point, then picked the pace back up after the bridge.
Southern Section
The southernmost section of the Chicago Marathon starts at Mile 22 (KM 35.4) as you exit Chinatown and take a left then a right and out on to Michigan Avenue. It’s pretty soul-destroying to see the marathoners coming back the other way on this out-and-back section, especially as the Mile 24 marker was tilted so you could see it just after Mile 22.
After doing a 180-degree turn you end up back on Michigan Avenue heading north towards The Loop and Grant Park, with just a couple of more miles to tough it out.
Finish Line
The support gets completely bonkers as you pass Mile 25 and head back into The Loop. Bank of America has a cheer zone at the penultimate corner that is deafening, and really gees you up for a sprint finish… but not before you tackle the toughest ‘hill’ of the entire race!
I clocked 22ft of elevation in Mile 26 (KM 40.2), which ordinarily isn’t much, but given the rest of the course is essentially a few feet/ a metre up or down per mile, you really feel this.
When you round the final corner it’s a straight 200m sprint to the finish and you’ve completed running the Chicago Marathon!
Post-race you’ll be ushered along the finish chute to get your medal, water, bananas and other goodies, along with an ice cold can of Goose Island.
After bag collection — which is the same place as bag drop — you can enter the north of Grant Park and enjoy the post-race entertainment, grab another (free) Goose Island and indulge in the food on offer.
The sun had come out at this point and it was gorgeous sitting on the grass soaking in the atmosphere. And if it weren’t for the $8 per beer charge, I would’ve stayed there a lot longer!
Race Strategy
For my race strategy, I found myself in a similar position to what I was when running the Berlin Marathon two weeks earlier. My training block over the summer wasn’t great — I’d lost 5 weeks due to back-to-back injuries — then I caught a bout of COVID-19 mid-September and recovered just in time to run the Berlin Marathon. I took Berlin relatively easy and ran negative splits, so my plan for running the Chicago Marathon was to try to do similar, just at a slightly faster pace.
Strategising for running the Chicago Marathon is very different to running the New York Marathon, where there’s noticeable inclines on the bridges and that long slog up 5th Avenue towards the end, or taking on the 7-mile (11.6km) hill in the middle of the Athens Authentic Marathon. You can really run your own race, setting whatever pace will let you reach your race goals.
I planned to run between 7:00 and 7:20 mins/ mile for the first 20 miles (32.2km), then see how much I had left in the tank to kick-on for the last 10k.
After a little wobble around Mile 15 (24.1km), I managed to stay at the top end of my target race pace until Mile 23 (37km), running between 6:50 and 7:10 mins/ mile. Mile 24 (38.6km) really started to bite as I slowed down to 7:50 mins/ mile for the final 3 miles (5km), but I still had a sprint finish in me for the last 200m.
So no negative splits this time, but still a decent performance and my third fastest marathon time of 3:11:09.
Reflections
Chicago Marathon was a very well organised and enjoyable event. It’s a fabulous city to run around and awesome to be able to run through 29 neighbourhoods with many distinctive vibes to them. But two things do stand out for me: the support on race day, and the price of everything.
Don’t get me wrong, support for the Chicago Marathon was unbelievably strong along the entire course and I can genuinely see how the race gets 1.7m spectators lining the streets. But whereas at the Berlin Marathon I’d ran two weeks earlier was packed with families and kids looking for high-fives, the Chicago Marathon was very… adult, I guess.
I got a grand total of 5 high-fives (and 4 of them were a bunch of friends standing in a row), and while the constant shouting of “Go on runners!” was encouraging, it felt a little generic. Berlin Marathon prints your name on your bib and the spectators there frequently call it out, which makes it more personal. Maybe if I hadn’t run Berlin Marathon so close to Chicago this wouldn’t have been an issue, but it I didn’t feel the same warmth at Chicago as I did at Berlin.
Then there’s the price. Even without taking exchange rate malarkey into consideration, running the Chicago Marathon is expensive! Race entry is $240 for overseas runners, and if you want to run the Abbott 5k the day before that’s another $35. Marathonfoto packages are almost $80 (compared to EUR 35 at Berlin) and the official Nike merchandise prices were obscene — almost $90 for a vest and $60 for shorts.
Chicago itself isn’t a cheap city — probably more expensive than New York — so if you’re thinking of running the Chicago Marathon, you’ll need to save your pennies and start very early.
When Will You Run the Chicago Marathon?
As one of the six Abbott World Major Marathons, Chicago Marathon always sells out every year. So if you’re thinking about entering, you’ll need to be fast!
Odds through the lottery are decent and of all the World Major Marathons, Chicago Marathon is the easiest to time qualify. As a 40-year-old male, my qualifying standard was just 3:20, and the female qualifying standard for the same age group was 3:50. So if you’re a decent marathoner, then time qualifying for the Chicago Marathon should be within your reach.
And there you have it, that’s what you can expect when running the Chicago Marathon. If you’re looking for a marathon PB on a fast, flat course with amazing support, give running the Chicago Marathon a go!
If you’ve liked this race report, you can check out my other reports on Running the New York Marathon, Running the Berlin Marathon and Running the Athens Authentic Marathon.
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