Typical race-weekend conditions
Mild & mixed- High / Low
- 17° / 8°
- Humidity
- 68%
- Rainy days
- 32%
Averages from ~10 years of history around race day.
Know before you go
- Distance
- 42.2 km (26.2 miles)
- ✈️ From London
- ~8h57
- 🕐 Time
- -5h vs UK
- 💷 Money
- £1 ≈ $1.34
- 🗣 Language
- English
- 🌫 Air quality
- Fair
- 🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+
- Welcoming
- 🛡 Safety
- Caution
Country-level indices: LGBTQ+ via Equaldex · safety via Global Peace Index 2025 . Air quality is recent PM2.5; money is indicative.
The route
The Chicago Marathon is 42.2 km (26.2 miles) on a loop that starts and finishes in Grant Park. The course tours 29 neighbourhoods on mostly flat city roads — a World Marathon Major built for fast times, with lakefront stretches and a big spectator wall.
Start time
Sunday morning in Grant Park. Wheelchair fields go from about 07:20. Mass waves in recent editions: Wave 1 at 07:35, Wave 2 at 08:00, Wave 3 at 08:35. Corrals open early; your bib names the wave. Confirm times on the official race-day page — they can shift.
Course elevation
Chicago is flat by Major standards and has hosted world records, but it is not automatic PB weather. Lake wind on the later miles is the usual spoiler. Course time limit is 6 hours 30 minutes (about 15 minutes per mile) with a sweep vehicle. GPS files vary by a few metres; train for even effort and wind, not hills.
Entry fee
Indicative entry is £200 per runner. Confirm the current bib price on the official site; ballot, charity, and tour prices can differ. For 2026, non-U.S. resident entry is $260 (about £200 on this page’s defaults); U.S. residents pay $250 — confirm the current fee on chicagomarathon.com. A processing fee applies. That is the bib only, not a hotel, flight, or charity pledge (charity fundraising has recently started from $2,200).
Registration
Main path is a non-guaranteed drawing (lottery) in the autumn application window, plus guaranteed routes: time qualifier, official charity teams, tour operators, and other organiser programmes (legacy, Distance Series, and similar — confirm each edition). 2026 general applications closed in November 2025; limited charity and tour entries can remain. Odds have often looked kinder than London or Tokyo, but that is not a promise. Confirm the current process on the official Apply page before you price hotels.
Where to stay
Stay near Grant Park for a walkable race morning. The Loop and South Loop put you closest to the start and finish; River North adds restaurants a short walk or CTA hop away. West Loop and hotels on the Red or Blue Line can cut the nightly rate if you accept a train in. Book when your entry confirms — marathon weekend Loop rooms spike hard.
Getting there
Fly into O’Hare (ORD). The CTA Blue Line reaches the Loop in about 45 minutes; a private transfer is easier with race kit or a late arrival. Midway (MDW) works if the fare is better. Race morning is a walk or short CTA ride to Grant Park — no coach out of town like Boston.
That weekend
Bib pickup at the Abbott Health & Fitness Expo at McCormick Place — no race-day pickup. Saturday’s Abbott Chicago 5K is the usual add-on for companions. Non-runners fill the weekend with Cloud Gate (the Bean), a Chicago River architecture cruise, or Museum Campus; agree a Grant Park meeting point before you enter the corrals.
Who it's for
For UK runners who want the flat American World Marathon Major without Boston’s hills or New York’s bridges — often via lottery, time qualifier, charity, or tour. Ideal if you will take a long-haul for a Grant Park weekend and can book four nights around jet lag. Partners get an easy city break (Bean, river, museums) while you protect your legs. Skip it if you only wanted a short-haul European PB (look at Berlin) or will not confirm a bib before pricing Loop hotels.
Sample 4-day trip
Arrive, explore, race, then head home. A proper weekend, not a rushed fly-by.
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Day 1: Arrive
Fly into O’Hare (ORD). The CTA Blue Line reaches the Loop in about 45 minutes. Public transport is fine for most arrivals; book a private transfer for late flights or heavy kit.
Check into the Loop, South Loop, or River North — walkable or a short hop to Grant Park. Keep the evening easy: four nights is the honest shape after a transatlantic flight.
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Day 2: Expo and Shakedown
Collect your bib at the Abbott Health & Fitness Expo at McCormick Place. There is no race-day pickup, so allow proper time for the journey, queues, and the show floor. Pair it with an easy lakefront or Grant Park shakeout — keep it short.
Companions can peel off to the Bean, a river cruise, or Museum Campus . Runners: early dinner, kit laid out, lights out. Sunday’s waves start early.
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Day 3: Race Day
Walk or take a short CTA hop to Grant Park. Arrive early for security, gear check, and your corral. Flat neighbourhoods and big crowds await; respect the early pace and the lake wind later.
Finish back in Grant Park. Celebrate nearby and keep walking light. Agree a meeting point before you start — cell service gets messy after 26.2.
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Day 4: Final Day
Recovery day. Brunch, a slow riverwalk, or one museum ticket if legs allow. Four nights gives you a buffer before flying home.
Back to ORD on the Blue Line with generous margin, or a private transfer after the marathon. Comparing Majors? Berlin is the short-haul flat PB, Boston is the Monday qualifier race, and New York is the bridge-and-borough spectacle — or browse all Majors from the UK and the Six Star UK guide .
What drives the cost
O’Hare flights and Loop hotels dominate a UK trip; the international bib (about $260) is the smaller line. Marathon weekend rooms near Grant Park spike — book when entry confirms, or shift to South Loop / CTA-connected neighbourhoods. Four nights is the calculator’s shape so jet lag has room. The total does not include a charity fundraising pledge. This is a DIY weekend cost, not a travel package: UK operators sell Chicago hotel blocks if you want logistics bundled, usually at a premium to flights plus a Loop hotel yourself. Flat-course shoppers often weigh Chicago against Berlin; US Major shoppers compare Boston and New York on the trip pages linked in the sample itinerary.
