Chicago Marathon route map
26.2 miles through 29 neighbourhoods, starting and finishing in Grant Park. Flat and fast, as the organiser puts it, and seven world records back them up. The course mile by mile, and your own race drawn with your chip time.
Chicago Marathon course at a glance
- Distance
- 26.2 miles (42.195 km)
- Start and finish
- Grant Park, downtown on the lakefront
- Neighbourhoods
- 29, from Lake View in the north to Bridgeport in the south
- Time limit
- 6 hours 30 minutes
- Next race
- Sunday 10 October 2027
The map is plotted from the published route. Check the organiser's site for this year's exact course.
The Chicago Marathon route, mile by mile
- Miles 1 to 3Out of Grant Park, through the Loop and River North and over the Chicago River. The towers make GPS jumpy, so don't trust an early pace reading.
- Miles 4 to 8North through Streeterville, Old Town and Lincoln Park to Lake View and Wrigleyville, the northern end of the course.
- Miles 9 to 13Back south towards downtown and through the Loop again, then west towards halfway.
- Miles 14 to 19The West Loop, Greektown, Little Italy and University Village, then into Pilsen.
- Miles 20 to 23Pilsen, Chinatown around mile 21, and Bridgeport, the southern end of the course and the quietest part of the day.
- Mile 24 to the finishNorth up Michigan Avenue through Bronzeville with the skyline in front of you, a right onto Roosevelt Road for the only real climb, and the finish in Grant Park.
Where it hurts
The first three miles
Tall buildings in the Loop throw GPS around, so an early pace reading can be well off. Run by feel and the mile markers.
The south side
Miles 20 to 23 are wider and quieter, just as a marathon starts to feel like one.
Michigan Avenue
Dead straight and you can see a long way up it. Pick a building and run to it.
Mount Roosevelt
The organiser's own name for the rise up Roosevelt Road near the end. Short, but it comes at mile 26.
Elevation
Almost none. The course is so flat that a short rise on Roosevelt Road, a few hundred metres from the finish, is the hill everyone remembers. That's why so many people come here to chase a time.
Your Chicago Marathon, with your chip time
Your own race drawn street by street from your watch, the landmarks named, and your chip time on a finisher's medal hung from the top of the print.
The print shown is the Rome Marathon. Yours is drawn from your own Chicago Marathon file.
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Good questions
How long is the Chicago Marathon?
26.2 miles, or 42.195 km. Your watch will probably read long: GPS struggles among the Loop's towers in the first few miles.
Where does the Chicago Marathon start and finish?
Both in Grant Park, downtown by the lake.
Is the Chicago Marathon flat?
Very. The organiser calls it flat and fast, and the course has produced seven world records. The only climb of note is a short rise on Roosevelt Road just before the finish.
How many neighbourhoods does it go through?
29, from Lake View and Wrigleyville in the north to Pilsen, Chinatown and Bridgeport in the south.
What's the time limit?
6 hours 30 minutes, according to the organiser.
When is the next Chicago Marathon?
Sunday 10 October 2027. It's always the second Sunday in October.
Can I order a print before race day?
Yes. Order now, choose Send later, and send your file after you finish.
Course details from the organiser, checked September 2026. Custom Map Print is not connected to the race or its organisers. Runners during the 2019 Chicago Marathon: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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Marathon route maps · Half marathon route maps · Running prints
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