For nearly five decades, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon has been a destination for runners of all ages and skill levels from across the globe, and the 2024 edition on Oct. 13 is expected to see a record number of participants.

The 46th edition of the famed race is scheduled to get underway around 8:20 a.m. Eastern/7:20 a.m. CDT with the first wave of approximately 50,000 entries taking off from the start line in Grant Park. More than 48,000 people took part in the record-setting 2023 event.

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The Chicago Marathon first was held in 1905 and has grown to become one of the five largest races in the world (based on finishers), annually attracting athletes from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries during the second week of October. 

The race had a brief existence into the 1920s, and the modern version took shape in in 1977, just as big-city races began growing in popularity. The resurgence came a year after the inaugural New York City Marathon (1976).

Over the years, the Chicago Marathon has gained a reputation for fast times, mostly due to the flatness of the course and the low elevation. 

The course again will take participants on a 26.2-mile journey past many iconic Chicago landmarks (buildings, parks, stadiums, museums and more) and through more than two dozen of the Windy City’s scenic and diverse neighborhoods, with the streets of the familiar loop lined with more than a million excited spectators. 

The annual Chicago Marathon includes elite runners chasing world records, wheelchair racers and recreational competitors, all set to start the race across three waves. The race begins and ends in Grant Park. 

The race features a time limit of six hours and 30 minutes, during which, participants must maintain an average of 15 minutes per mile. Anyone who does not finish in the allotted time will not be credited with completing the race.

The week also includes a health & fitness expo and a special five-kilometer race that allows others to experience a run through the streets of Chicago. 

For the official website of the 2024 Chicago Marathon, click HERE.

Previous Winner Will Be Honored At 2024 Chicago Marathon

Emotions will be high, and hearts will be heavy at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, as the race will be missing 2023 men’s champion Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya, who crossed the finish line last year in a world-record time of 2:00.35.

At 23, Kiptum was becoming a face of long-distance running and was considered a legitimate candidate to become the first athlete to complete a marathon in under two hours. 

Kiptum, who also won the London Marathon in 2023, was a favorite for every race he entered, including the approaching 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, but he never got the opportunity see if he could break his record on the biggest stage in sports. 

The 24-year-old died in a car accident at home in Kenya in February 2024, along with his coach, Gervais Hakizimana.

A moment of silence is planned at the start of the 2024 Chicago Marathon, and all participants will wear a memorial sticker in Kiptum’s honor. 

Among the elite competitors looking to break Kiptum’s record in Chicago will be fellow Kenyans Amos Kipruto and Vincent Ngetich, Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese, Japan’s Kyohei Hosoya and Toshiki Sadakata and Americans Shadrack Kipchirchir and CJ Albertson.

The women’s winner at the Chicago Marathon in 2023 was Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who completed the race in 2:13:44, the second-fastest time in history. Hassan went on to win the gold medal in the marathon at the 2024 Olympics, along with bronze in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter events.

Hassan is not scheduled to run in the 2024 Chicago Marathon, making Ethiopian Sutume Kebede, the winner of this year’s Tokyo Marathon, the early favorite. 

Kebede will be joined in the field by last year’s Chicago Marathon runner-up, Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya, who won the race in 2021 and 2022. 

Other top contenders will be Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, Americans Keira D’Amato, Emma Bates, Sara Hall and Annie Frisbie.

How To Watch The 2024 Chicago Marathon

For those in the United States, the 2024 Chicago Marathon is being broadcast live on FloTrack. 

FloTrack also will provide results, editorial content and more.

The race also will be broadcast local on NBC 5 Chicago, Telemundo Chicago and live on Olympics.com, while a variety of other global partners will bring the action to all corners of the world.

Schedule For The 2024 Chicago Marathon

All Times Central

Thursday, Oct. 10

Abbott Health & Fitness Expo; Pick Up Packets
McCormick Place, Lakeside Center, Hall D
11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 11

Abbott Health & Fitness Expo; Pick Up Packets
McCormick Place, Lakeside Center, Hall D
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 12

Abbott Chicago 5K Open A Dialog
Grant Park (Ida B. Wells Drive between Columbus Drive and Michigan Avenue)
7:30 a.m.

Abbott Health & Fitness Expo; Pick Up Packets
McCormick Place, Lakeside Center, Hall D
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 13

Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Grant Park

• 5:30 a.m. - Grant Park opens to runners
• 5:30 a.m. - Gear check opens
• 5:30 a.m. - Start corrals open
• 7:20 a.m. - Wave 1 start corrals close
• 7:20 a.m. - Marathon Wheelchair Start (men)
• 7:21 a.m. - Marathon Wheelchair Start (women)
• 7:23 a.m. - Handcycle Start
• 7:30 a.m. - Wave 1 Start (corrals A, B, C, D and E)
• 7:45 a.m. - Wave 2 start corrals close
• 8 a.m. - Wave 2 Start (corrals F, G, H and J)
• 8:10 a.m. - Wave 3 Start corrals close
• 8:35 a.m. - Wave 3 Start (corrals K, L, M and N)
• 9:30 a.m. - Grant Park opens to spectators
• 9:30 a.m. - 27th Mile Post-Race Party starts
• 4 p.m. - Gear check closes
• 4 p.m. - 27th Mile Post-Race Party ends

27th Mile Post-Race Party
Grant Park, Butler Field
9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

*Times are subject to change.

Course Map For The 2024 Chicago Marathon

Check out the route for the 2024 Chicago Marathon here.

Results For The 2024 Chicago Marathon

Results and coverage for the 2024 Chicago Marathon will be available here.

Results by name and/or bib number will be provided here by the race organizers.

Past results from the Chicago Marathon can be found here. 

The total prize fund for the 2024 Chicago Marathon is expected to exceed $800,000, with the winner of each open division (one man, one woman) set to take home $100,000. 

Bank Of America Chicago Marathon App

There will be a lot happening in Chicago during the week of the 2024 Chicago Marathon, and with the help of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon App, Powered by Tata Consultancy Services, participants and fans can stay in the know.

Through the app, everyone can track athletes, check out the profiles of the professional athletes, watch the race stream, check in on the weather, see the course map, donate to charities and more.

The app is available in the App Store and Google Play Store.

FloTrack Is The Streaming Home For Many Track And Field Meets Each Year

Don’t miss all the track and field season action streaming on FloTrack. Check out the FloTrack schedule for more events.

FloTrack Archived Footage

Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloTrack subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

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