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ENTRY.

Chicago Marathon entry guide

Filter by whether a qualifying time is required

ENTRY ROUTE

Lottery

Non-guaranteed drawing — winners are drawn from the full applicant pool after the application period closes, with duplicate applications removed beforehand.

Results are sent by email on 2025-12-11

Qualifying time

Time Qualifier — entry is confirmed if approved at closing;

if not approved, you're automatically moved into the drawing.

Other

Multiple separately guaranteed entry routes such as Legacy Finisher, Bank of America Chicago Distance Series completer, High Performance Program, etc.

charity

Guaranteed entry through the official Charity Program

tour agency

Guaranteed entry through an official tour agency (Tour Operator Program)

Entry options may change — re-check on the official site

Entry

Status
Closed
Entry period
Thu, October 8, 2026 ~ Thu, October 29, 2026
Entry fee
$260 · Marathon · subject to change — verify officially
Distance

Marathon

Official
Official race site →
Official tour operators

Official tour operators for Chicago Marathon. Explore links and listed editions for 108 operators.

Countries follow the organizer’s directory. Confirm residence eligibility and service languages with each operator.

Official operator

Carreras Internacionales

Argentina · Chile · China · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Peru · Paraguay · Uruguay

Previous edition · check the organizer for the next event.

Operator homepage Organizer’s listing

Checked 2026-09-24 · 2026

Official operator

Golden Marathon Tours /Golden Marathon Tours Thailand

Greece · Romania · Thailand

Previous edition · check the organizer for the next event.

Operator homepage Organizer’s listing

Checked 2026-09-24 · 2026

Official operator

PCV Travel

Costa Rica · Dominican Republic · Guatemala · Honduras · Nicaragua · El Salvador

Previous edition · check the organizer for the next event.

Operator homepage Organizer’s listing

Checked 2026-09-24 · 2026

Official operator

Sports Tours International

Germany · United Kingdom · Ireland · United States

Previous edition · check the organizer for the next event.

Check entry terms Organizer’s listing

Checked 2026-09-24 · 2026

Qualifying time

Marathon

M · 16–342:50:00M · 35–392:55:00M · 40–443:00:00M · 45–493:10:00M · 50–543:15:00M · 55–593:25:00M · 60–643:40:00M · 65–693:55:00M · 70–744:15:00M · 75–794:30:00M · 80+4:50:00F · 16–343:20:00F · 35–393:25:00F · 40–443:30:00F · 45–493:40:00F · 50–543:50:00F · 55–593:55:00F · 60–644:15:00F · 65–694:30:00F · 70–744:45:00F · 75–795:00:00F · 80+5:20:00X · 16–343:20:00X · 35–393:25:00X · 40–443:30:00X · 45–493:40:00X · 50–543:50:00X · 55–593:55:00X · 60–644:15:00X · 65–694:30:00X · 70–744:45:00X · 75–795:00:00X · 80+5:20:00
Period

Completion record since 2024-01-01 (

Applicants must submit results records for a marathon completed on or after January 1, 2024.

) — No end date specified.

⚠️ The application for the 2026 competition itself closes on 2025-11-18 (

The application for guaranteed or non-guaranteed entry to the 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon closed at 2 p.m. (U.S. Central Time) on Tuesday, November 18.
Note

Guaranteed entry if criteria are met — unlike Boston/New York, no time limit text. step

All applications are reviewed and verified by the Bank of America Chicago Marathon... If the application is not approved, the entry is automatically switched to a non-guaranteed entry application and the applicant is entered in the drawing.

Half marathon·50K, etc. Records other than full marathon are not recognized.

The standards for non-binary (X) people are the same as the standards for women.

The separate High Performance Program (male sub 2:25:00

female, non-binary sub 2:45:00, Masters over 40 male sub 2:35:00

female, non-binary sub 2:50:00, capacity 150) is separate from this table.

official site · 2026.7

Start

Start

Wave 1 07:35(A~E corral)

Wave 2 08:00(F·G·H·J)

Wave 3 08:35(K·L·M·N) — Wheelchair Male 07:20 · Female 07:21 · Handcycle 07:23 · Professional 07:30 · High Performance 07:32

Original07:35
Time limit

6 hours and 30 minutes (15 minutes per mile pace), runners finishing after 4 p.m. may not be recorded as official finishers

Cutoff

6 hours 30 minutes (15 minutes per mile, based on last departure). 2026 Information: After 3:30 p.m.,

finalists will be guided to a separate area on the west side of finish,

and finish will close at 6 p.m. Time limit Outside finishers may not be recorded as official finishers.

Source https://www.chicagomarathon.com/event-info/participant-information/course/

The start time and cutoff follow the official announcement (checked 2026.7) — re-check on the official page before entering.

BIB PICKUP

Pick-up point

McCormick Place, North Building, Level 3 – Hall B1, Chicago

Period

Oct 8 (Thursday) 10:00~18:00, Oct 9 (Friday) 09:00~18:00, Oct 10 (Sat) 09:00~18:00

Note

You must bring your confirmation email and photo ID.

The bib packet may only be collected by the registered participant;

proxy collection is not allowed.

Packet collection is available only during the expo (Thursday to Saturday), and race-day collection is not provided.

Entry

Official lottery or qualification-based guaranteed entry, official charity/tour operator

PacerTrip only connects information — entry and payment happen on the official page and with each seller.