Thousands of supporters, fans, volunteers and loved ones will be watching runners as they race through Chicago for the 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
Plenty of them will be lining the course, but not all will be.
Whether you’re cheering in person or from home, there’s a whole lot to know ahead of race day.
Here’s what you can expect:
Chicago Marathon schedule of events
The first racers will begin with the men’s wheelchair start at 7:20 a.m. on race day.
The race features both amateur and professional runners, with staggered start times meaning runners will cross the finish line at different points throughout the day.
The course has a time limit of 6 hours and 30 minutes before the roads will re-open to vehicles. In order to complete the full distance, runners must maintain an average pace of 15 minutes per mile.
Here’s the full schedule:
Men’s Wheelchair Start: 7:20 a.m. Women’s Wheelchair Start: 7:21 a.m. Handcycle Start: 7:23 a.m. Wave 1 Start: 7:30 a.m. Wave 2 Start: 8:00 a.m. Wave 3 Start: 8:35 a.m. Grant Park open for spectators: 9:30 a.m. 27th Mile Post-Race Party: 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.2026 Chicago Marathon course
The Chicago Marathon course is often recognized for being flat and fast, with the race starting and finishing in Grant Park and traveling through 29 city neighborhoods.
Credit: Bank of America Chicago MarathonHow can you watch the race live?
Extensive coverage of the Chicago Marathon begins at 7 a.m. on race day and can be viewed right here in the player above, as well as on NBC 5, NBC Chicago’s YouTube channel and on NBC Chicago’s 24/7 streaming channel, NBC 5 Chicago News, available on Peacock, Roku TV, Fire TV, Samsung TV Plus, Xumo Play, Local Now, Pluto, Google TV, TCL, Xfinity, and FreeVee.
After the elite field finishes the course, an exclusive finish line camera will stream on NBCChicago.com, and on the NBC 5 Chicago News Streaming Channel from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., allowing loved ones to watch their friends and family cross the iconic finish line on Columbus Drive.
A Spanish-language broadcast of the race can be found on TelemundoChicago.com and in the Telemundo Chicago app.
Where are the best places to cheer?
Thousands of spectators are expected to line the course to watch top athletes compete or cheer on loved ones as they embark on the 26.2-mile race.
Onlookers won’t be able to gather near the course’s start or finish lines; those areas will be restricted to participants and ticketed guests. Still, fans are encouraged to show support for athletes throughout the race.
For spectators looking to join groups of fans while cheering on runners, the marathon has created several cheer zones throughout the day.
Cheer zones include:
BANK OF AMERICA SHAMROCK SHUFFLE CHEER ZONE – 8K
Located in Lincoln Park at the 8K mark, which ties into the The Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle, the unofficial kickoff to the Chicago running season.
BANK OF AMERICA CHICAGO 13.1 CHEER ZONE – MILE 13.1
Located on Chicago’s West Side at the halfway point of the course, this marks the distance of the half marathon race known as the Bank of America Chicago 13.1.
CHARITY BLOCK PARTY – MILE 15
Located at Adams and Loomis streets near Whitney Young High School, this cheer zone celebrates runners who raised money for a good cause with their race.
BANK OF AMERICA CHEER ZONES
Bank of America will host on-course Cheer Zones at Mile 13 on North Wacker in front of the Bank of America Tower and again at Mile 26, close to the finish line, near Michigan Avenue and Roosevelt Road. Entertainment, cheer items and more will be available.
COMMUNITY CHEER ZONES
Run clubs, nonprofit organizations, neighborhood groups and more line the course on race day as designated Community Cheer Zones.
EAST SIDE VIEWING AREA
Cheer on participants as they make the turn onto Columbus Drive in the final stretch of the race. This part of the cheer zone requires spectators to purchase tickets to access.
Getting to the race
Numerous street closures will be in effect throughout race weekend and race day.
The Chicago Transit Authority is one way of navigating the closures. Here’s a list of stations with stops along the route.
Grand Red Line Station – Miles 1, 3 and 12.5Board a Red Line train and exit at Grand Avenue (mile 1). Walk three blocks west to LaSalle Street (mile 3) and four blocks west to Wells Street (mile 12.5).
Jackson (Red or Blue Line) Station – Mile 2Board a Red or Blue Line train and exit at Jackson Boulevard.
Chicago Red Line Station – Miles 3.5 and 12.25Board a Red Line train and exit at Chicago Avenue. Walk three blocks west to LaSalle Street (mile 3.5) and four blocks west to Wells Street (mile 12.25).
Clark/Division Red Line Station – Miles 4 and 12Board a Red Line train and exit at LaSalle Street (mile 4). Walk one block west to Wells Street (mile 12).
Sheridan Red Line Station – Mile 8Board a Red Line train and exit at Sheridan. Walk four blocks east to Broadway.
Addison Red Line Station – Mile 8.5Board a Red Line train and exit at Addison Street. Walk four blocks east to Broadway.
Sedgwick Brown Line Station – Mile 11Board a Brown Line train and exit at Sedgwick Street. Walk a half-block north to North Avenue.
Washington/Wells Brown, Pink or Orange Line Station – Mile 13.5Board any Brown, Pink or Orange Line train and exit at Washington/Wells. Walk two blocks west on Washington to Wacker Drive.
UIC-Halsted Blue Line Station – Miles 14 and 17Board a Blue Line train and exit at UIC-Halsted. Use the Halsted Street exit or Morgan Street exit and walk two blocks north to Adams Street to view the runners around Mile 14 in Greektown. Or use the Halsted Street or Morgan Street exit and walk one block north to Jackson to view runners around Mile 17.
18th Pink Line Station – Mile 19.25Board a Pink Line train and exit at 18th Street. Walk four blocks east to Loomis Street.
Cermak-Chinatown Red Line Station – Mile 21.5Board a Red Line train and exit at Cermak-Chinatown.
Sox-35th Red Line Station – Mile 23, 23.25 and 23.5Board a Red Line train and exit at Sox-35th. Use the 33rd Street exit and walk four blocks to Michigan Avenue (mile 23) or walk five blocks east to Indiana (mile 23.5). Exit at 35th Street and walk four blocks east on 35th Street to Michigan Avenue to view runners around Mile 23.25 as they run on 35th Street from Michigan to Indiana.
35th-Bronzeville-IIT Green Line Station – Mile 23, 23.25 and 23.5Board a Green Line train and exit at 35th-Bronzeville-IIT. Use the 33rd Street exit and walk one block east to Michigan Avenue (mile 23) or two blocks east to Indiana (mile 23.5).Exit at 35th Street and walk one block east to Michigan Avenue to view runners around Mile 23.25 as they run on 35th Street from Michigan to Indiana
Cermak-McCormick Place Green Line Station – Mile 25Board a Green Line train and exit at Cermak-McCormick Place. Walk two blocks east to Michigan Avenue.
Roosevelt (Red, Green and Orange Line) Station – Finish lineBoard a Red, Green or Orange Line train and exit at Roosevelt Road. Walk east on Roosevelt Road toward the Museum Campus/Grant Park.
See race results
Race results can be found here as runners cross the finish line.
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