10 Things You Should Know About the 2024 Chicago Marathon

Published October 5, 2023 02:09PM

On Sunday October 8, some of the fastest distance runners in the world—along with 47,000 others—will toe the line at the 45th edition of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Runners start in waves at 7:20 AM C.T. in Grant Park and make their way down the closed streets of 29 neighborhoods and past 1.7 million spectators before finishing where they started.

This flat and fast course, well-timed for favorable fall conditions and boasting the allure (and appearance fees and prize purse) of an Abbott World Marathon Major, Chicago always attracts some of the most elite runners in America and the world. This year the race is perfectly timed for Americans looking to get in one more marathon before the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon on February 3, 2024, in Orlando, Florida, as well as for elite amateurs seeking that coveted Olympic Trials qualification standards.

With Olympic Trials qualifiers, Olympic standards, and national and international records on the line, the pointy end of the field will be captivating. But that’s just scratching the surface of this iconic race, which also serves as the 2023 age group marathon world championships.

Here are the top 10 things you need to know before the gun goes off on Sunday morning.

1. The Chicago Marathon Will Surpass 1 Million Finishers in 2023

The 45th running of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon will take place on October 8 with a field of about 47,000 participants, up considerably after smaller post-pandemic fields in 2021 (30,000) and 2022 (40,000). If all goes well, the race will surpass its all-time high for finishers of 45,956 set in 2019 and record its 1 millionth finisher. Since the inaugural race in 1977, approximately 960,000 participants have crossed the Chicago Marathon finish line.

2. Chicago Is Known as the Windy City, But it’s Also a Speedy City For Marathoners

The Chicago Marathon route is very flat and is considered a fast course when weather conditions are favorable. (The forecast is calling for auspiciously cloudy and cool conditions on race day, with lows in the mid-40s and highs in the mid-50s.) The race’s iconic route starts and finishes in Grant Park and takes participants through 29 vibrant neighborhoods on an architectural and cultural tour of Chicago, including The Loop, River North, Lincoln Park, West Loop, Little Italy, Pilsen, and China Town. Six world records have been set in Chicago, including three men’s records—Steve Jones in 1985 (2:08:05), Khalid Khannouchi in 1999 (2:05:42), Dennis Kimetto in 2013 (2:03:45)—and three women’s records—Catherine Ndereba in 2001 (2:18:47), Paula Radcliffe in 2002 (2:17:18), and Brigid Kosgei in 2019 (2:14:04). Although world records set by Kimetto and Kosgei were broken, they remain as the Chicago course records. Dozens of runners racing in Chicago will be trying to qualify for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon (2:18:00 for men, 2:37:00 for women) on February 3 in Orlando, Florida.

3. Men’s Pre-Race Favorite Kelvin Kiptum Could be the ‘Next Kipchoge’

Kelvin Kiptum, a 23-year-old Kenyan wunderkind, is the pre-race favorite in the men’s race and he might be gunning for Eliud Kipchoge’s 2:01:09 world record. “I’m heading for the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Get ready for the show,” Kiptum wrote in a social media post recently.

Kiptum turned heads after he ran a pair of sub-60-minute half marathons as a 19-year-old in 2019. Then last December, he won the Valencia Marathon in his debut at the distance in 2:01:53, and followed that up by winning the London Marathon in April in 2:01:25—the second-fastest time behind Kipchoge’s world record. Only three men in history have run under 2:02, and Kiptum is the only marathoner to do it under the age of 35. Kiptum’s fiercest challenger is 2022 Chicago Marathon winner Benson Kipruto, who set a personal best time of 2:04:24 when he won the race.

4. Women’s Pre-Race Favorite Ruth Chepngetich Is Ready to Run Fast

Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich enters the race as the back-to-back returning champion. Last year she ran the second-fastest marathon in history, 2:14:18, to win her second consecutive Chicago Marathon. She ran under world record pace through 40K (mile 24.8) and ultimately finished just 14 seconds slower than Kosgei’s 2019 mark of 2:14:04.

Breaking that Chicago record would be a tall order, but one that is not completely out of bounds. Chepngetich did go out guns blazing in her Chicago win last year, cruising to an opening half of 65:44 before the wheels fell off. If she were to maintain that pace, she would have run a 2:11:28 full marathon. The 29-year-old is coming off a third-place, 1:06:18 half marathon in Buenos Aires in late August.

5. There Could Be an Epic Duel Between Top Americans Emily Sisson and Emma Bates

Last year, Emily Sisson finished second in the Chicago Marathon and set an American record of 2:18:29. The 31-year-old, who splits time between Flagstaff, Arizona, and Providence, Rhode Island, is back again this year. But she’ll have competition from Boulder, Colorado-based Emma Bates, 31, who placed fifth at the Boston Marathon in a new personal best of 2:22:10, and has since said she’s hunting the American record.

“I know that I have an American record attempt in me,” Bates said in May. “That’s not to say I’m going to run the American record, but I know that I have the capability to go out there and try for it.”

Both women are considered to be top contenders to make the U.S. Olympic team on February 3 at the trials. Other top Americans racing in Chicago include Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel (2:24:42 personal best), and Des Linden (2:22:38), the 2018 Boston Marathon champion who at age 40 is chasing the U.S. masters record of 2:27:47, set by Deena Kastor at the 2015 Chicago Marathon. Nell Rojas (2:24:51), Dakotah Lindwurm (2:25:01), and Sara Vaughn (2:26:23) are other key Americans in the race.

6. Can Conner Mantz Repeat His 2022 Chicago Debut Success?

Hard-charging Conner Mantz, a second-year Nike pro who ran collegiately for Brigham Young University, is the top American in the men’s field this year. The 26-year-old Utah-based runner used an aggressive racing style to place seventh in Chicago last year in 2:08:16—the second-fastest U.S. marathon debut ever. He followed that up with a solid effort at the Boston Marathon in April (11th place, 2:10:25) and has been racing extremely well on the track and road this year, including a high-altitude win at the Bolder Boulder 10K in May and recent runner-up showings at the Beach to Beacon 10K in August and the U.S. 20K Championships in September.

Galen Rupp, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in the marathon, is also racing. The 37-year-old runner from Portland, Oregon, won the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials and will vie for his fifth Olympic team next year. He won the Chicago Marathon in 2017 (2:09:20) and earned runner-up honors in 2021 (2:06:35). He hasn’t raced this year since his disappointing 17th-place showing at the NYC Half Marathon (1:04:57) in March. Other top American runners include Leonard Korir (2:07:56), Matt McDonald (2:09:49), and Eritrean-born Daniel Mesfun (2:10:06), who just received U.S. citizenship in May.

7. The World’s Top Age-Group Runners Will Be Crowned in Chicago This Year

This year, the Chicago Marathon will host the 2023 Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group World Championships. Approximately 2,700 top age-group runners from around the world will compete for podium positions in their respective age categories.

Among the top age-group competitors is Jenny Hitchings, a 60-year-old runner from Sacramento, California, who has run 33 marathons. She’s hoping to break the American record (3:11:57), if not the world record (2:52:01), as she enters a new age category this year. Hitching holds five American records and a world-best time of 2:45:32 for her previous age group of 55 to 59.

8. The Chicago Marathon’s Non-Binary Division Has Grown to 130 Entrants

The Chicago Marathon introduced a non-binary category last year, with 41 finishers in the new division. The non-binary division has grown to more 130 registered runners this year, including the 2022 non-binary division runner-up Cal Calamia, a sports activist and founder of a non-binary+ run club based in San Francisco; Justin Solle, the race director for the Front Runners New York Pride Run who trying to become the first non-binary person to run all six of the Abbott World Marathon Majors; and Jake Fedorowski, a non-binary inclusion advocate and executive director of Queer Running Society.

9. How to Watch the Broadcast and Track Runners

You can tune into the Chicago Marathon live on cable, the web, and from your phone. NBC’s Chicago affiliate and Telemundo Chicago will offer complete live TV coverage and live streaming of the 2023 Chicago Marathon in both English and Spanish. The live television broadcasts will air from 7–11 A.M. CT and the livestream will be available at nbcchicago.com and telemundochicago.com.

Live broadcasts will also be available on the NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago apps, and on the stations’ Roku and Apple TV channels from 7 A.M. to 3 P.M. C.T. A livestream will show the finish line from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. C.T. on the websites and apps.

In addition to the broadcast, you can track runners’ progress via the livetracker. Download the Bank of America Chicago Marathon app on Apple and Android devices. You can add up to 20 runners on the app by searching for a runner’s name or race bib number and adding them to your “favorites” list. The app also provides the day’s scheduled events, an interactive course map, and photos from the race.

10. How to Enter the 2024 Chicago Marathon

The 46th running of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon will be held on Sunday, October 13, 2024. The application for guaranteed or non-guaranteed entry to the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will open on October 17 at 10 A.M. CT. The application will close four weeks later on November 16 at 2 P.M. CT. Guaranteed entries are available to time qualifiers in the men’s, women’s, and non-binary divisions, legacy finishers who have completed the race five or more times during the past 10 years, finishers of all three races of the Chicago Distance Series, pregnancy and postpartum deferrals, international tour group participants, and charity entrants.

Runners who do not meet any of these guaranteed entry criteria can apply for a bib through the lottery. Visit the race’s registration page for more details on how to apply for the 2024 Chicago Marathon.

10 Things You Should Know About the 2023 Chicago Marathon