The
Chicago Marathon
will take more than 45,000 participants through 29 city neighborhoods Sunday. It's the 42nd year of the 26.2-mile race, which begins and ends in Grant Park. Check out the course map and peruse details for runners, tips for spectators and ways to avoid traffic tie-ups on race day.
Chicago is one of the flattest -- and hence fastest -- marathons in the world. Many runners come here to qualify for races such as the
Boston Marathon
, and elite runners aim for national or world records.
(Note: The route is subject to change.)
Start times:
-
7:20 a.m.:
Men's wheelchair
-
7:21 a.m.:
Women's wheelchair
-
7:22 a.m.:
Handcycle
-
7:23 a.m.:
Athletes with disabilities
-
7:30 a.m.:
Wave 1 (red)
-
8 a.m.
Wave 2 (blue)
-
8:35 a.m.
Wave 3 (orange)
Time limit:
The course is open for 6 hours, 30 minutes. Registrants
must be capable of completing the full distance
, start line to finish line, within this time requirement (approximately 15 minutes per mile). Participant times greater than the event time requirement will not be recognized as official.
Road closures:
Will be announced closer to race day.
Parking:
There will be no-parking zones along the course Sunday. Vehicles in violation will be ticketed and towed. Reserving a space in advance through
Millennium Garages
,
ParkWhiz
, or
SpotHero
might be a convenient approach.
CTA trains and buses:
The CTA will add service on the Blue, Red, Brown, Orange, Green and Purple lines as well as the Yellow Line shuttle. Some buses will be rerouted. See the
CTA website
for more information.
Metra
:
Metra will run extra trains in addition to regularly scheduled Sunday train service on the
BNSF
Railway, Metra Electric District, Milwaukee District North, Union Pacific North, Union Pacific Northwest and Union Pacific West lines. Unlimited rides Saturday and Sunday are available with a $10 weekend pass. See the
Metra website
for more information.
South Shore Line
:
The South Shore Line, which connects South Bend, Ind., with Chicago, will operate extra service on race day. See the
South Shore Line website
for more information.
Forecast:
The forecast for race day is partly cloudy, with a high of 51 and a low of 38, and a 10 percent chance of rain. Winds are expected to be 15-25 mph from the west-southwest. Check
WGN-TV's Weather Center
for the latest conditions.
What are the ideal conditions?
Temperatures between 40 and 50 degrees, low humidity, partly cloudy and dry. So looks like a nice day for runners (especially elite runners). Spectators too, assuming they dress properly (layers!)
The hottest:
The high was 89 degrees on Oct. 7, 2007. For the first time in Chicago Marathon history,
officials cut the race short
as hundreds of runners laboring across oven-like streets were treated for heat-related illnesses. The stoppage happened about 3 1/2 hours after the start amid complaints of insufficient water for the nearly 36,000 runners. Of the 35,867 who started, 24,933 finished. More than 300 runners were taken from the course in ambulances. One runner, a Michigan police officer with a heart condition, died, although the Cook County medical examiner's office determined
his death was not heat-related
.
The coldest:
The average temperature for the Oct. 30, 1988 race was
33 degrees
.
Hydrants along Jackson Boulevard are opened to cool off runners at the shortened end of the Chicago Marathon in 2007. The race was cut short at Jackson and Halsted Street due to hot weather and lack of water. (Jim Robinson/Chicago Tribune)
Starting line:
Spectators will not be able to escort runners to the start line or greet runners at the finish line. The
closest viewing area to the start
is on Grand Avenue, between Columbus Drive and State Street, or anywhere along State Street between Grand Avenue and Jackson Boulevard.
Throughout the course:
A list of
suggested spectator viewing areas
, including mile markers and CTA train lines, is available on the race's official website.
Finish line:
To view runners closest to the race finish, go to the Bank of America Cheer Zone at Michigan Avenue and Roosevelt Road. After the race, spectators should plan to meet runners at the runner reunite area in Butler Field, located north and south of Jackson Drive.
Watch on TV:
WMAQ-Ch. 5 and Telemundo Chicago will broadcast live from 7-11 a.m. and livestream at
nbcchicago.com
and
telemundochicago.com
from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Listen:
WSCR-AM 670
from 7-11 a.m.
Postrace party:
Spectators can reunite with runners at the
27th Mile Post-Race Party
at Grant Park's Butler Field. Access to this area will be available to spectators starting at 9:30 a.m. through gates on Jackson Boulevard and Congress Parkway. Bag screening is required.
Spectators watch thousands of runners participate in the Chicago Marathon in 2018. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Race participants will meet at the starting line in Grant Park.
Packet pickup:
Must be claimed by each participant
at the Health & Fitness Expo at McCormick Place, North Building Hall B on Friday or Saturday. Bring photo identification to obtain a bib number, timing device, gear-check tag and participant shirt and bag. No one will be allowed to pick up these items on behalf of others. Items will not be available for pickup on race day.
Tracking:
Runners can sign up to track
live results
. Or
download the official mobile app
. Results also will be available at
chicagomarathon.com
.
Security and safety:
As in years past, only participants displaying their race bibs, event staff with proper credentials and ticketed guests
will have access to the race start and finish areas
in Grant Park. Marathon participants are asked to use the transparent bags they will receive from the pre-race expo to expedite the security screening process. Runners are required to register with a government-issued photo ID. The event website has information on the
event alert system
.
Willis Tower looms in the background as runners head west on
Adams
Street during the Chicago Marathon in 2003. (Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune)
The largest group is from Mexico, with 2,653 runners. Then: United Kingdom (2,046), Canada (1,813), Brazil (1,201), China (1,057), Germany (744), Italy (635), Spain (557), Costa Rica (503), Australia (491), Hong Kong (476) and France (418). There is exactly one runner entered from each of the following countries or territories: Afghanistan, American Somoa, Bangladesh, Botswana, British Indian Ocean Territory, Eritrea, Georgia, Ghana, Greenland, South Korea, Maldives, Martinique, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Sudan. Suriname, Turks & Caicos Islands, Uganda, Virgin Islands, Zambia.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia will also be represented. Other than Illinois (16,526). the state with most runners Sunday is New York, with 3,485. The fewest: 19 from South Dakota.
In the field of approximately 45,000 runners Sunday, 47.47% will be women, up from 47.08% in 2018. The field in 2017 was 48% women, the most ever. Over the years, the rise has been steady: 10% in 1980; 38% in 2000; 41% in 2010. By age group, among women, most of the runners are between the ages of 25-49, not surprisingly, with the biggest segment (7.91%) 30-34. Among men, similar breakdowns, with most runners ages 25-49, and 8.7% in the 35-39 range.
Men's field:
The men's runners include three former winners: Four-time Olympic gold medalist and 2018 Chicago Marathon champ
Mo Farah
; 2016 Olympic marathon bronze medalist and 2017 Chicago Marathon winner
Galen Rupp
; and 2015 Chicago Marathon champ Dickson Chumba. The field also includes 2019 Boston Marathon winner Lawrence Cherono, Getaneh Molla, of Ethiopia, who made the fastest marathon debut in history in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 34 seconds in Dubai in January and Kenneth Kipkemoi, of Kenya, who finished fourth in Chicago last year in 2:05:57.
Women's field:
Leading the field will be Brigid Kosgei, who finished second in the 2017 Chicago Marathon before returning last year and winning in 2:18:35 for the third-fastest time in the race's history. Jordan Hasay, who became the fastest American woman to finish the Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:20:57 in 2017, also will be in the field. Rounding it out are 2018 Paris Marathon champion Betsy Saina, 2018 U.S. marathon champion Emma Bates and Mexican national record-holder Madai Perez.
Mo Farah of Great Britain wins the men's race in the Chicago Marathon in 2018. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Brigid Kosgei of Kenya wins the women's race in the Chicago Marathon in 2018. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Wheelchair competitors will not only be racing to win the Chicago Marathon, they'll also be vying for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo (Aug. 24-Sept. 6, 2020).
The top-two American men and women will go to Tokyo, as long as their times meet the qualifying standards -- 1:35:00 for men and 1:58:00 for women.
"We are thrilled to be hosting the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials again," executive race director Carey Pinkowski said in a statement. Chicago also hosted the trials in 2015 for the 2016 Games. "So many of our best U.S. athletes are coached by Adam Bleakney at the University of Illinois, so hosting the trials in Chicago is like a hometown race for our future Paralympians," Pinkowski said.
Tatyana McFadden
, of the University of Illinois, heads that field. She has won the Chicago race eight times. American record-holders Aaron Pike and Susannah Scaroni also are cmopeting in the race.
Tatyana McFadden wins the women's wheelchair race during the Chicago Marathon in 2017. It was her seventh straight women's wheelchair race win and her eighth overall in Chicago. Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune (Nancy Stone/ Chicago Tribune)
It's difficult to get rich as a professional marathoner.
The first year for prize money in this race was 1982, when Americans Greg Meyer (2:10:59) and Nancy Conz (2:33:23) each won $12,000 of a $77,000 purse.
Here are this year's prizes:
-
Total purse distributed among all the money winners:
$841,500.
-
The female and male Chicago winners:
Each receive $100,000.
-
Wheelchair winners:
$20,000.
-
Bonus for course records in the female and male divisions:
$75,000.
-
Bonus for course records in the wheelchair divisions:
$5,000.
-
Men's record:
2:03:45. Set in 2013 by Dennis Kimetto of Kenya.
-
Women's record:
2:17:18. Set in 2002 by
Paula Radcliffe
of Great Britain.
-
Men's wheelchair record:
1:26:56. Set by Heinz Frei of Switzerland.
-
Women's wheelchair record:
1:39:15. Set by University of Illinois graduate Tatyana McFadden.
The biggest name will be Tiki Barber, the former New York Giants running back and current CBS Sports analyst, who has run several marathons, including the 2018
New York City Marathon
, which he finished in 4:44:47.
Also expected to be in the field are three contestants from "The Bachelorette:" Tyler Cameron, Diggy Moreland and Chicagoan Dustin Kendrick.
Thai musician Athiwara "Toon" Khongmalai and Thai actress Ratchwin Wongviriya are scheduled to run.
Participants, volunteers, event staff and spectators must pass through security before entering Grant Park. Dangerous or inappropriate items will be confiscated, or those carrying such items will be denied access.
Leave the following at home:
-
Alcoholic beverages
-
Animals/pets (except for service animals)
-
Bicycles
-
Bulky outfits extending beyond the perimeter of the body, props and non-running equipment
-
Chairs
-
Costumes covering the face
-
Hard-sided coolers
-
Illegal substances
-
Large bags (backpacks, suitcases and rolling bags)
-
Remote-controlled aircrafts and drones
-
Weapons
Sources: Chicago Marathon; Chicago Tribune reporting and archives
Created by the Chicago Tribune Dataviz team. On Twitter
@ChiTribGraphics