Among the tens of thousands of incredible finishers at the 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon were some notable names.
The annual race draws people from 129 countries, all 50 states and even all 50 wards of Chicago, with a record number of finishers this year, including celebrities and sports legends alike.
Here’s a look at some of the runners you might recognize on the course:
Anthony Rizzo
Cubs icon Anthony Rizzo is running this year’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
Rizzo will be running to benefit the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation. He originally had a goal of raising $100,000, according to his fundraising page, but he far exceeded that in the lead-up to the race.
As a cancer survivor himself, Rizzo has a long fundraising history, and running the 2026 Chicago Marathon will continue that trend.
He was also given a special bib number for the race.
Rizzo was assigned bib number “4416.” The “44” is an homage to his jersey number with the Cubs, and “16” an homage to the 2016 World Series team he was part of.
Jake Arrieta
Fellow Cubs star and Rizzo’s 2016 teammate Jake Arrieta is also running this year’s race to benefit the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation.
“Grateful for so many donations to the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, keep them coming! We are dialing in for the Chicago marathon on October 11th,” he wrote on social media ahead of the race.
Naturally, Arrieta was given number “4916,” with his jersey number and the World Series title represented on the bib.
Kel Mitchell
Kel Mitchell, known for his “Good Burger” role, is also among those running this year’s race.
“My 2nd marathon activated,” he wrote on social media last month.
He’s running to benefit World Vision and help bring access to clean water.
Chris Knierim
Olympian Chris Knierim toed the line at the 2026 race with his wife, fellow Olympian Alexa Knierim, and their child on the sidelines cheering him on.
The Chicago race will be his first.
“After spending most of my life training and competing on the ice, preparing for 26.2 miles has been a completely different challenge. Early mornings, long runs, tired legs, and plenty of miles along the way,” he wrote on social media. “Some of my favorite miles were the ones I got to share with my little training partner, who occasionally joined me in the stroller. A special thank you to my wife, Alexa, for supporting me through all the early mornings, long training runs, and countless hours spent preparing for this race. Between work, family, and training, I couldn’t have done this without your love and support.”
Des Linden
Two-time Olympian, former Boston champion and 2010 Chicago Marathon runner-up Des Linden will also be among those running in Chicago this year.
She’s taking part “as she trains for her 100-mile debut later this fall,” marathon organizers said.
Kristen Ferguson
Many people may know Kristen Ferguson as a Peleton instructor, but now she’s jumping off the bike and onto the streets.
Ferguson has shared much of her training journey on social media and most recently showed herself picking up her bib at this week’s expo.
“It’s HAPPENING!!! This is really when it becomes real!” she wrote.
Joabe Barbosa
Joabe Barbosa became famous for running in every Chicago neighborhood and now he’s doing it again, but all at once.
Born in Brazil and raised in England, he moved to Chicago in 2022 to pursue his dreams of becoming a psychologist.
Along the way, he started running — and his journey became a story fans all over Chicago and the U.S. came to know.
He even set a new Guinness World Record in 2025 for running to every single CTA station in under nine hours, something he documented on social media.
“Running is about the people you meet along the way. For the Chicago Marathon, I’ll be meeting a lot of people,” he wrote on social media.
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