You will lose GPS the moment you leave Grant Park and run under the skyscrapers on LaSalle, so set your watch to pace by lap and trust the mile markers. What follows is the flattest big-city marathon you will ever run: 29 neighborhoods, a few highway-ramp bumps, and a wall of noise from Lincoln Park to Pilsen that genuinely carries you. The sensory memory most people keep is the sudden quiet of the long South Side stretches after mile 20, where the crowds thin and you hear your own breathing for the first time in hours before Michigan Avenue brings the noise back. Getting in is the hard part; most of the field comes through a drawing, so apply in the fall and have a charity or a qualifying time as a backup. Then pace evenly. The course will give you whatever you have trained for.
Very flat loop that starts and finishes in Grant Park and threads through 29 neighborhoods on the North, West and South sides.
Entry is by non-guaranteed drawing or guaranteed entry (time qualifier, legacy finisher with 5+ finishes in 10 years, charity, tour operator, or Chicago Distance Series finisher). The 2026 application window was Oct 21-Nov 18, 2025; the FAQ says 2027 process details 'will be available in the fall'. 2026 entry fee $250 US residents / $260 non-US. Register ↗
- The course time limit is 6 hours and 30 minutes. ↗
- 54,382 runners finished in 2025; 52,062 finished in 2024. ↗
- The loop course starts and ends in Grant Park and winds through 29 city neighborhoods. ↗
- Finishing the Shamrock Shuffle 8K, Chicago 13.1 and the Marathon in the same year earns guaranteed entry to the following year's marathon. ↗
- The 2026 entry fee was $250 for US residents and $260 for non-US residents. ↗
Checked 2026-10-13. Always confirm on the official site before booking travel.