Chicago, IL · Sun, October 11, 2026 · 07:30
Prime BQ course · forgiving course · high friction
Boston-qualifying course; see the BQ Finder for the effective application effect.
Flat, mild mornings.
Lottery (~25% accepted) · ~$1,120 all-in from South Florida.
Date verified at the official source; course and climate data on file.
Legacy Green Score 8.1/10 · method
At the start line and start hour · Open-Meteo historical archive
Projected at race day for M 18-34, from your 4:00:00 marathon + training runway.
Registration / lottery closes Sun, November 30, 2025
World Major. Flat. Drawing ~25% accept; charity option $2,200 min.
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a marathon held in Chicago, IL on October 11, 2026. With a Green Score of 8.1/10, it's one of the easier, more beginner-friendly US races. The course is flat (~8 ft of gain per mile). Typical race-day weather is a mild 56°F, dew point ~50°F (10-year normal). It is a Boston-qualifying course. Entry is around $250. Marathon Compass rates every race across terrain, climate, logistics, travel, and field size so you can find the one that fits you — and build a training plan tuned to your fitness.
Typical start-line conditions (10-year history (Open-Meteo)): 56°F with a dew point of 50°F. On the temperature-plus-dew-point scale used by our pace engine, that's 106 — a 0.5% pace penalty. Heat is a minor factor here in a typical year — a small early-pace cushion is enough.
| Goal time | Realistic in typical conditions | Heat cost |
|---|---|---|
| 3:30 | 3:31:03 | +1 min |
| 4:00 | 4:01:12 | +1 min |
| 4:30 | 4:31:21 | +1 min |
| 5:00 | 5:01:30 | +2 min |
Method: temp°F + dew°F lookup from the heat-adjustment chart our training plans use daily. Sign in to see this adjustment applied to your own projected finish.
First marathons cost more than the entry fee — budget the whole weekend before you commit.
Net descent of ~0 ft is well under the BAA's 1,500 ft adjustment threshold. Your clock time is your application time.
Computed under the BAA's downhill rules for the 2027 qualifying window (announced Sept 2025; verified July 2026): net start-to-finish descent of 1,500–2,999 ft adds 5:00, 3,000–5,999 ft adds 10:00, and 6,000 ft or more is not accepted. Net descent here is derived from our course elevation data — the BAA's official course designation controls. Sign in to see your projected finish graded against your age-group standard and the realistic acceptance cutoff.
Entry is by lottery with roughly 25% historical acceptance — plan like you might not get in.
Plan B: if entry doesn't go your way, Ameris Bank Jacksonville Marathon (December 12, 2026, open entry, Green Score 9.2) or Space Coast Marathon (November 22, 2026, open entry, Green Score 8.9) keeps the same training block on schedule.
Stay within walking distance of the start corrals — a 6am rideshare on race morning is a gamble. Hotels near the Bank of America Chicago Marathon start selling out 8–10 months ahead with race-weekend minimum stays — book refundable, book early. The links below are pre-filled for race weekend (October 9, 2026 → October 12, 2026).
When to wake up, when the corral closes, and the exact clock time Bank of America Chicago Marathon spectators should be at each split for your goal pace — plus a link you can send to whoever's coming to watch.
Build your race-day timeline →Race and date verified against the official race source on 2026-07-17. Race-morning climate from Open-Meteo — 10-year history at the start line and start hour. Race fees, dates, and rules change often — report incorrect information.