Chicago Marathon: Date, start time, course, history & more

Attracting some of the best runners who sweep through 29 of the Windy City's vibrant neighbourhoods, the Chicago Marathon is one of the seven World Marathon Majors.

Chicago Marathon date

The 2025 Chicago Marathon is scheduled to take place on Sunday 12th October.

Chicago Marathon start time

The Chicago marathon has a staggered start to avoid overcrowding and ensure the professional runners are not hindered on their run.

The start time schedule will be released closer to the start of the event, though the first wave typically commences at 07:30 CST.

Chicago Marathon course

The 26.2 mile course runs through the 29 of Chicago's neighbourhoods.

Known for being a flat and fast course, the race starts and finishes in Grant Park, which is located in the city's central business district.

Runners will navigate Chicago's downtown area in the first three miles before heading north along LaSalle Street.

The course will then sweep through neighborhoods including Lakeview, Greektown, Little Italy, Pilsen, Chinatown, and Bronzeville, passing all four of the city's main sporting stadia along the way.

Going in an anti-clockwise direction, runners will advance through the South Loop and finish at the bottom of Grant Park.

Chicago Marathon history

The idea of a Chicago marathon was conceived by a group of running enthusiasts who met at the Metropolitan YMCA on LaSalle Street in 1976.

A year later and their proposal came to fruition with 4,200 locals participating in the very first Chicago Marathon in September 1977.

Since then the event has expanded exponentially and earned global recognition in the process, with as many as 1.7 million on-course spectators viewing the action.

Over the years, three men's world records and four women's world records have been set at the Chicago Marathon.

Steve Jones was the first in 1984 before Moroccan-American Khalid Khannouchi set a time of 2:05:42 in 1999. Chicago was the venue of Kelvin Kiptum's world record time in 2023, with the Kenyan long-distance runner falling 36 seconds shy of breaking the two-hour barrier.

In the women's, Catherine Ndereba set the record in 2001 before Paula Radcliffe beat her time by one minute and 29 seconds a year later. Brigid Kosgei set a new world record in 2019, while her compatriot Ruth Chepng'etich smashed the 2:10:00 barrier in 2024.