Chicago Marathon

The Chicago Marathon is a road marathon held each October in Chicago, Illinois, usually beginning and ending in Grant Park and passing through the city's North Side, West Side and South Side before returning to the Loop. Annual Chicago marathons were run from 1905 until the early 1920s, and the present series began on 25 September 1977 under the name Mayor Daley Marathon, with a field of 4,200 runners. It has been held every year since, except 1987, when only a half marathon was run, and 2020, when it was cancelled because of the pandemic. The race admits around 50,000 runners through time qualifying standards and a lottery, with places also given to charity runners. It is one of the World Marathon Majors and received the World Athletics Heritage Plaque in 2024.