Chicago Marathon Statistics 2026

The 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon set a new attendance record with 54,351 finishers - up from 52,062 in 2024. Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda won the men's race in 2:02:23, while Conner Mantz set a new US marathon record with 2:04:43. More than 100 countries were represented in the field. Since the official charity program launched in 2002, over 106,000 charity runners have raised more than $207 million. These 16 statistics cover Chicago's participation data, elite performance, history, and what makes it one of the fastest marathons on the planet.

Chicago's October slot in the marathon calendar gives it a reputation as the fastest of the World Marathon Majors. A flat course, typically cool fall weather, and a well-organized race infrastructure make it the go-to choice for runners chasing personal bests and Boston qualifiers. The 2025 edition reinforced all of those qualities with a record field and a stunning elite competition.

This post gathers the key statistics on the Chicago Marathon: how many run, how fast they finish, who wins, and how the race has grown since its 1977 origins.

1. Chicago 2025 Set a New Attendance Record with 54,351 Finishers

The 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon recorded 54,351 official finishers - a new attendance record for the event and a 4.4% increase over the 54,062 recorded in 2024. (Some sources cite 52,062 for 2024; the 2025 figure consistently appears as 54,351 in post-race reporting.) Runners came from all 50 US states and more than 100 countries, with nearly 1.5 million spectators lining the course. The record reflects the broader growth in marathon participation across all World Marathon Majors documented in our global running statistics overview.

Source: The Running Channel - Here's What You Missed At The 2025 Chicago Marathon

2. Jacob Kiplimo Won the Men's Race in a Stunning 2:02:23

Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo claimed the men's 2025 Chicago Marathon title in 2:02:23 - a world-leading time for the year and one of the fastest times ever run in Chicago. The conditions were ideal: cool air, minimal wind, and Chicago's famously flat course. Kiplimo, primarily known as a cross-country and track specialist, ran just his second marathon to produce this extraordinary result. His performance underscored how deep the global pool of elite marathon talent has become: runners who would once have been purely track athletes are now targeting road race records.

Source: NBC Chicago - Who Won the 2025 Chicago Marathon

3. Conner Mantz Set a US Marathon Record of 2:04:43 at Chicago 2025

American Conner Mantz finished fourth at the 2025 Chicago Marathon in 2:04:43 - breaking the previous US marathon record of 2:05:38. Setting an American record while finishing fourth in a field of world-class talent is a measure of how competitive the Chicago elite field was in 2025. The US record at Chicago continues a pattern: Chicago's course profile and fall conditions make it the primary venue where American marathoners chase their best times. Des Linden set a women's American marathon record at Chicago in 2022, and the course has hosted multiple national record performances over its history.

Source: NBC Chicago - Who Won the 2025 Chicago Marathon

4. The Chicago Course Is Certified as One of the Flattest Major Marathon Routes

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon course through the city's neighborhoods has a total elevation change of less than 50 feet over 26.2 miles - making it one of the flattest marathon courses of any World Marathon Major. The near-flat profile is a primary reason Chicago produces more Boston Qualifying times per race than almost any other major event. Runners who are close to their BQ time regularly choose Chicago as their goal race. The course record for men stands at 2:01:48 (Eliud Kipchoge, 2023) and for women at 2:13:44 (Brigid Kosgei, 2019).

Source: Chicago Marathon - Wikipedia

5. Over 106,000 Charity Runners Have Raised $207 Million Since 2002

Since establishing its official charity program in 2002, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon has seen more than 106,000 charity runners collectively raise over $207 million for local, national, and global causes. Charity runners represent a meaningful share of the 50,000+ field each year, and the average per-runner fundraising amounts continue to rise. Chicago's charity program covers causes ranging from local Chicago nonprofits to global health organizations, giving runners a wide range of causes to support.

Source: Chicago Marathon - Wikipedia

6. The Chicago Marathon Has Welcomed More Than One Million Finishers Since 1977

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon has crossed more than one million finishers over its entire history since the first race in 1977. The original Mayor Daley Marathon drew 4,200 runners in its inaugural year. From 4,200 to 54,000+ per year in under 50 years represents one of the most dramatic scaling stories in American road racing. The cumulative million-finisher milestone places Chicago alongside only a handful of races globally that have produced this volume of completers.

Source: Chicago Marathon - Wikipedia

7. Chicago's 2024 Average Finish Time Was 4:19:55

The 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon recorded an average finish time of 4 hours 19 minutes 55 seconds across all finishers. This is faster than the London Marathon average (4:40 in 2025) but reflects a similar recreational field profile - runners of all abilities, from sub-3-hour competitors through six-hour charity runners. Chicago's flat course pulls the average faster than more challenging courses like Boston or NYC. The faster average also reflects the BQ-chasing culture that surrounds the race: runners targeting Chicago are often aiming for specific time goals.

Source: FindMyMarathon - Chicago Marathon Race Info, Course and Elevation

8. Chicago's Gender Split Is 54% Male and 46% Female

The 2025 Chicago Marathon's field split was approximately 54% male and 46% female - close to gender parity and among the highest female participation rates of any World Marathon Major. This near-equal split reflects Chicago's broad appeal to recreational runners across genders and the strong tradition of women's marathon running at the event, which has seen women's course records set here by Brigid Kosgei (2:13:44, 2019) and multiple top American women's performances.

Source: World Marathoner - Chicago Marathon 2025 Results

9. Chicago Only Officially Times Runners Who Finish Within 6.5 Hours

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon has a 6-hour 30-minute official time limit, after which runners who are still on course are redirected but may still finish informally. This cutoff affects roughly the slowest 5-10% of participants at any given year. The policy exists due to city permitting requirements for road closures. Runners who believe they may take longer than 6:30 are advised to enter as charity runners who have more flexibility in the final miles.

Source: Chicago Marathon - Wikipedia

10. Chicago Has Hosted Multiple Marathon World Records

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon has been the site of some of the most significant marathon world records in history. Khalid Khannouchi ran the first sub-2:06 marathon at Chicago (2:05:42 in 1999, 2:05:38 in 2002). Paul Tergat ran 2:04:55 at Chicago in 2003, the first sub-2:05. Brigid Kosgei set the women's world record at 2:14:04 in 2019, later improved to 2:13:44. Eliud Kipchoge ran the course record of 2:01:48 in 2023. Chicago's flat course and October weather have made it the historic home of marathon world records, second only to Berlin in recent decades.

Source: Chicago Marathon - Wikipedia

11. Runners from More Than 100 Countries Participated in Chicago 2025

The 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon attracted runners from all 50 US states and more than 100 countries. The international representation reflects Chicago's position as one of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, which draws dedicated runners from around the world chasing their Six Star medals. In terms of our marathon demographics statistics, Chicago's international draw is slightly less global than NYC's (132 countries in 2025) but represents a genuinely worldwide field rather than a North America-dominant one.

Source: The Running Channel - Here's What You Missed At The 2025 Chicago Marathon

12. The Chicago Marathon Course Passes Through 29 Distinct Neighborhoods

The 26.2-mile Chicago course threads through 29 distinct Chicago neighborhoods, starting and finishing in Grant Park near Lake Michigan. Iconic neighborhoods on the route include Lincoln Park, Old Town, Greektown, Chinatown, and Pilsen. The neighborhood diversity is part of what makes Chicago distinctive among major marathons - runners experience genuinely different cultural environments across the course's second half. The crowd support in Chinatown (around mile 21) is particularly noted by runners as a consistent morale boost in the race's hardest section.

Source: Chicago Marathon - Race Information

13. Chicago 2025 Had 54,351 Finishers vs. the All-Time High from Other Majors

Chicago's 2025 record of 54,351 finishers places it third among all-time World Marathon Major finisher counts (behind London 2026's 59,830 and NYC 2025's 59,226). Chicago has historically run smaller fields than NYC and London, partly by design - the city has kept the field size constrained relative to what the race organizational capacity might otherwise support. The 2025 record suggests Chicago may be approaching or testing its capacity ceiling, though with broader city support the field could potentially expand further.

Source: World Marathoner - Chicago Marathon 2025 Results

14. Hawi Feysa of Ethiopia Won the Women's Elite Race

Hawi Feysa Geja of Ethiopia won the 2025 Chicago Marathon women's race with a time of 2:14:57. The performance placed her among the all-time fastest women at Chicago and reflected the depth of the Ethiopian women's marathon program, which has dominated major marathon podiums globally in recent years. The top four women in the 2025 Chicago race all finished under 2:19, representing the most competitive women's field in Chicago Marathon history.

Source: NBC Chicago - Who Won the 2025 Chicago Marathon

15. Chicago's Lottery Opens Annually in November for the Following October Race

Chicago Marathon entries are distributed primarily through a lottery that opens in November for the following October's race. Unlike Boston's qualifying-time system, anyone can enter the general lottery. Time qualifiers (runners under certain age-group standards) can bypass the lottery. Charity entries are available year-round through official program partners. The lottery acceptance rate varies year to year but is estimated at 15-25% for most applicants - more generous than NYC or London's general ballots, making Chicago statistically the easiest World Marathon Major to enter through a lottery.

Source: Chicago Marathon - Wikipedia

16. Chicago's 2025 World-Leading Time of 2:02:23 Was Sawe's Benchmark Before London 2026

Kiplimo's 2:02:23 at Chicago was the world-leading time for 2025 - until Sabastian Sawe broke it at the 2026 London Marathon with a 1:59:30. Chicago's October slot in the calendar means it typically sets the fastest times of the fall season before Berlin closes out the year. The sequence of world-leading performances at Chicago (Kiplimo's 2:02:23) followed by Sawe's historic London run (1:59:30) reflects the extraordinary depth of the current marathon elite and the role Chicago plays as a proving ground for world-class performances.

Source: NBC Sports - Chicago Marathon 2025 Results

What These Numbers Tell Runners

Chicago is the flat, fast marathon that ambitious recreational runners and world-class elites both target for the same reason: the course rewards hard training. The 2025 results - record field, US record in 4th place, multiple sub-2:10 finishes - reflect what happens when ideal conditions align with a field that was prepared to push.

For runners chasing a personal best or Boston qualifier, Chicago is arguably the optimal World Marathon Major choice. The flat profile, October weather, and BQ-friendly culture mean a well-trained runner gets the best possible conditions to run their race. London 2026 may have produced the world record, but Chicago produces more qualifying times for more runners year after year.

The charity data is equally significant: $207 million raised by 106,000 runners since 2002 reflects how deeply running is embedded in philanthropic culture. Many runners who never had a time goal have nonetheless left a meaningful mark on the race by crossing the line for a cause.

Chicago's statistics paint it as the most performance-oriented of the World Marathon Majors - a race where ambitious time goals consistently become reality.

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