The Chicago Marathon course, mile by mile

Flat, fast and loud for 26 miles, then 25 feet of hill with 200 metres to go. The whole course, mile by mile: where the turns are, where the crowd is, where the wind is, where your watch lies. Sunday October 11.

Miles Start to 5: Don't trust the watch

Grant Park, the Loop, River North. You leave Columbus Drive north, swing west on Grand, south down State, west on Jackson and north up LaSalle. That zigzag crosses under the river three times in the first two miles and it is the reason your GPS will show you running a 6:40 mile you did not run. The towers eat the signal. Run on feel until you're clear of downtown around mile 3. It is slightly downhill overall, net about 20 feet, and the streets are tight with 50,000 people in them. Crowd: good, not yet great. Aid: the first station is at mile 1.6.

Miles 5 to 8: The loudest miles

Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lakeview. LaSalle becomes the park drive and you run up through Lincoln Park to Sheridan Road. This is where the crowd is thickest on the whole course and where your watch starts behaving. Old Town can turn into a wind tunnel between the buildings; if the flags are out, tuck in behind someone. Wrigley Field is at the top of the turn at Addison, mile 8. Aid at 3.1, 4.6 and 6.2.

Miles 8 to 10: Music, a stage, and the turn south

Northalsted. West on Addison, then south down Broadway. Northalsted has a stage on the course with music and drag performers, and it is one of the two places the crowd will genuinely change your pace. It is also the first time you are heading back toward the finish, which the head likes. Aid at 7.8 and 9.3.

Miles 10 to 13.1: Back into the canyon

Old Town again, River North, halfway. Clark to Wells, south through Old Town for the second time, then Franklin into downtown. The halfway mat is near the river. The buildings close in again and the GPS goes wrong again; know your real half split from the mat, not the wrist. The Bank of America cheer zone is at mile 13 on North Wacker. Aid at 10.9 and 12.4, and the first Maurten gel station is 12.4.

Miles 13.1 to 16: Flat, quiet, and the Sears Tower ahead

West Loop, Greektown. West on Adams all the way out to Damen, then back east on Jackson. It is dead flat and the crowd thins to a few deep. The Willis Tower sits straight ahead of you for the whole return, which is either a comfort or a taunt. The Charity Block Party is at Adams and Loomis by Skinner Park around mile 15: bands, tents, noise. Aid at 13.7 and 15.2.

Miles 16 to 19: The quiet middle

Halsted, Little Italy, UIC, the Medical District. South on Halsted, west on Taylor past the university, south again toward Pilsen. Flat. Crowd two out of five. This is where a marathon is actually run: nothing to look at, nothing to hear, twelve miles to go. The second gel station is at 18.1. Aid at 16.6 and 18.1.

Miles 19 to 21: Take the noise, you'll need it

Pilsen, Chinatown. East along 18th Street through Pilsen: mariachi bands, murals, and the last place on the course where the crowd will lift you. South on Halsted, east on Cermak into Chinatown at mile 21, lion dancers at the gate and a near 180-degree turn onto Wentworth. Bananas start at 20.2. The Biofreeze zone is at 21.2. Aid at 19.6, 20.2 and 21.2.

Miles 21 to 23: The hard part

Armour Square, IIT, Bronzeville. South on Wentworth, the little jog at 33rd, State and 35th. The crowd disappears almost completely; one out of five. It is the emptiest, flattest, most exposed part of the course, and it comes exactly where the race gets hard. Nobody is going to carry you here. Decide before the race what you will say to yourself at 22. Aid at 22.4 and 23.

Miles 23 to 26: The return, into the wind

Michigan Avenue, north. Left onto Michigan and it is a straight shot north for nearly three miles, a tiny incline you will feel more than see. This is the stretch that decides your time. If the wind is out of the north, and in October it often is, it is in your face from here to the finish and it can cost you minutes. The crowd builds back with every block. Aid at 24.5 and 25.6.

Miles 26 to 26.2: The hill, then the finish

Roosevelt Road, Columbus Drive. Right onto Roosevelt and there it is: about 25 feet of climb over the rail lines, the only hill in Chicago, with the finish in sight and 400 metres to go. It is not a hill. It is a hill at mile 26. Crest it, turn left onto Columbus, and it's under 200 metres of downhill to the line. The Bank of America cheer zone at Michigan and Roosevelt is the loudest corner of the day.

The facts

• Date: Sunday October 11, 2026. The 48th running.
• Start: Grant Park, Columbus Drive. Waves at 7:35, 8:00 and 8:35.
• Finish: Columbus Drive, Grant Park, 200 metres past the Roosevelt turn.
• Shape: One loop: north to Wrigleyville, back through the Loop, west, then south to Bronzeville and up Michigan Avenue.
• Elevation: Net change about 50 feet, total climb around 210. The only hill is Roosevelt Road at mile 26, about 25 feet.
• Field: About 50,000 runners from more than 100 countries. 1.7 million watching, 10,000 volunteers.
• Records: Seven world records set here.
• Time limit: 6 hours 30 minutes, a 15-minute mile. After that you're on the sidewalk.

Aid

20 aid stations roughly every mile from mile 1.6. Gatorade Endurance on the left, water on the right, medical tent, toilets and an announcer at every one. Refill stations at 5.7, 10.1, 15.7 and 20.3. Gels at 12.4 and 18.1. Bananas 20.2 to 23. Extra medical tents between 14 and 15 and in the last mile: 22 medical points in all.

Where to watch

• Mile 5: Lincoln Park, the 8K cheer zone. Brown Line to Sedgwick.
• Mile 8: Northalsted, Broadway between Sheridan and Belmont. Red Line to Addison or Belmont.
• Mile 13: North Wacker, the halfway cheer zone.
• Mile 15: Charity Block Party, Adams and Loomis. Blue Line to Racine.
• Mile 21: Chinatown, Cermak and Wentworth. Red Line to Cermak-Chinatown.
• Mile 26: Michigan and Roosevelt. The finish cheer zone; the east-side viewing area is ticketed.

Five things

• Run the first three miles by effort. The watch is lying.
• Bank nothing on the way north. The wind decides the last six miles, not you.
• Pilsen at 19 is the last free energy on the course. Chinatown at 21 is the last of the noise.
• Have a sentence ready for mile 22. You will need it on Wentworth.
• Roosevelt is 25 feet. Don't attack it; crest it and let Columbus take you home.

The strip

• Where to stay: Anywhere on the L. The start is a walk from the Loop hotels; the finish is the same park.
• Getting there: CTA runs early. Red, Blue and Brown Lines all touch the course.
• The weather: October in Chicago: 40s at the start, 60s by noon, and the wind is the variable.
• After: Post-3:30 finishers exit west of the line. The park is the party.

Sources: Bank of America Chicago Marathon: course, amenities, spectator and street-closure pages (chicagomarathon.com); chi.run, the course mile by mile; Choose Chicago, spectator guide 2025; City of Chicago OEMC, marathon closures.

From issue 1 of Graval Magazine. Free in the app.