Chicago Marathon 2026: Date, Start Times, Elite Field and How to Watch

Sunday, October 11, 2026. It is the 48th running of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. The wheelchair athletes start at 7:20 a.m., Wave 1 (elites and corrals A to E) at 7:30 a.m., Wave 2 at 8:00 a.m. and Wave 3 at 8:35 a.m. Central Time. The Abbott Health & Fitness Expo opens on October 8. Sources: NBC Chicago, Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

The elite start at 7:30 a.m. CDT is 8:30 a.m. ET in New York and 1:30 p.m. BST in the United Kingdom, where the clocks have not gone back yet. The wheelchair race goes ten minutes earlier. Source: Bank of America Chicago Marathon (times converted).

In the US, Peacock and Roku stream the race nationally from 7 to 11 a.m. CT. In Chicago, NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago show it live on TV over the same window, with an extended stream until 3 p.m. on nbcchicago.com and the station apps. International partners include Eurosport, ESPN Latin America, ESPN Brazil, FloSports and TV Asahi. Sources: Running USA, Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

The men's race is led by defending champion Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda, 2:00:28), with Amos Kipruto (Kenya, 2:01:39), Milkesa Mengesha (Ethiopia, 2:03:17), Bashir Abdi (Belgium, 2:03:36) and American Charles Hicks (2:04:35). Six men in the field have broken 2:04. The women's race features Brigid Kosgei (Kenya, 2:14:04), defending champion Hawi Feysa (Ethiopia), Megertu Alemu, Sutume Kebede and Sharon Lokedi. Sources: Marathon Handbook, Canadian Running.

On paper, yes. The Ugandan won Chicago in 2025 in 2:02:23 and then ran 2:00:28 for third at the 2026 London Marathon, the race where Sabastian Sawe set the world record of 1:59:30. That makes Kiplimo the fastest man in the Chicago field by more than a minute. His closest rival on times is Amos Kipruto, second in Chicago last year. Sources: Olympics.com, Samsung, Marathon Handbook.

Yes. The two-time Boston champion and 2022 New York winner makes her Chicago debut, and it will be her first marathon on a flat major course. Brigid Kosgei, a two-time Chicago winner, is also back for the first time since her 2019 victory. Sources: Canadian Running, Pulse Sports Kenya.

Men: Kelvin Kiptum, 2:00:35 (2023). Women: Ruth Chepngetich, 2:09:56 (2024). Both were world records on the day. Chepngetich was later banned for three years for a doping violation dating from 2025, but the ban does not wipe out her earlier result, so the 2:09:56 still stands. Sources: Wikipedia, LetsRun.

Jacob Kiplimo won the men's race in 2:02:23, the second-fastest time ever run in Chicago, ahead of Amos Kipruto (2:03:52) and Alex Masai (2:04:37). Hawi Feysa took the women's race in 2:14:56, more than two minutes clear of Megertu Alemu. Sources: World Athletics, Olympics.com.

In 2025 each open-division winner took $100,000, and a course record is worth an extra $50,000. The organisers have not published the full 2026 open-division breakdown in the sources checked, but they have raised the professional wheelchair purse to $290,000 and are adding prize money for the Para Athletics Program in 2026. Sources: Sportico, Running USA.

More than 55,000 runners are expected in 2026, after a record 200,000-plus applications. The course runs through 29 neighbourhoods, starting and finishing in Grant Park, with a 6 hour 30 minute time limit. Chicago is one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, alongside Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, New York and Sydney, with Cape Town joining as the eighth major from 2027. Sources: Running USA, Bank of America Chicago Marathon, World Marathon Majors.