How long is the Chicago Marathon? – NBCChicago

NOTE: Starting October 13th, live streams of race day coverage and a finish line camera will be available here

Next Sunday morning, tens of thousands of runners will take to the streets of Chicago to take part in the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

Whether you’re watching online or cheering on the runners in person, you may be wondering how long it takes runners on average to complete the course. In 2023, the average time for a marathon was 4:14:29 for men and 4:42:09 for women, according to Verywell Fit. If you’ve been training for a marathon and don’t know what to expect, try aiming for average times.

But runners will have much longer.

Marathon participants have six hours and 30 minutes to complete the route. The official final vehicle follows the last starter and maintains a pace of 15 minutes per mile on the course.

Therefore, runners must maintain a pace of 15 minutes per mile or faster to complete the marathon within the event’s time limits. Participants who exceed this limit may not be counted as official finishers of the marathon. According to event rules, they may also not receive any en route assistance from aid stations or traffic safety personnel and may not complete the marathon.

The men’s and women’s Chicago Marathon records were each set in 2023. Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum broke the world record with a run of 2:00:35, beating Eliud Kipchoge’s previous record by 30 seconds. Tragically, Kiptum died in a car accident shortly after the race in February 2024.

The Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan set a new course record of 2:13:44 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. This time is still the second fastest marathon time in women’s history, trailing Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa’s 2:11:53 at the Berlin Marathon in 2023.

MORE: Could the American women’s marathon record fall at this year’s Chicago Marathon?