The Chicago Marathon is back for 2023 as one of the six-star marathons across the globe. The race starts and ends in Grant Park and takes runners past major sites in the Windy City. The race will air on local TV and full results will be available throughout the day.
Start time + time limit
The race begins with the men’s wheelchair racers starting at 7:20 a.m. local time (CT). The women’s wheelchair race starts at 7:21 a.m. and the handcycle race starts at 7:23 a.m.
The marathon runners get started at 7:30 a.m. with Wave 1. Wave 2 starts at 8 a.m. and Wave 3 starts at 8:30 a.m. Spectators can gain access to Grant Park starting at 9:30 a.m.
The Chicago Marathon has a course time limit of 6 hours and 30 minutes. The course will re-open to vehicular traffic after the time limit passes.
How to watch
The race will air on local television in Chicago. That will include NBC 5 Chicago, Telemundo Chicago, and NBC Sports Chicago providing live TV coverage and live streaming during the race. The live streams will be available at NBCChicago.com, TelemundoChicago.com, and nbcsportschicago.com. You can also view the races on the apps for all three channels and on the NBC Chicago 24/7 streaming channel from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT.
If you prefer radio, 670 The Score Sports Radio will provide complete live coverage of the race from 7-11 a.m. CT. You can listen through the free Audacy app anywhere in the country.
Course map
The course starts and ends in Grant Park. The first half of the race sends runners north near Wrigley Field and then back down close to Grant Park. The course then runs through West Chicago until mile 18, with a pass by the United Center. It starts to then pivot south through Mile 23 with a run by Guaranteed Rate Field before turning back north back to Grant Park with a pass by Soldier Field.
You can view a full course map in this PDF. Additionally, we have a video overview of the course from last year:
Weather
It should be a gorgeous day for runners. When the events get started at 7:20 a.m. CT, it will be 46 degrees with winds around 10 mph and gusts up to 12 mph. According to Accuweather’s “RealFeel”, it will feel like 41. When the elite runners start to finish a little after 9:30 a.m., it will be approximately 50 with a RealFeel around 45. It will be cloudy when the race starts, but only intermittent clouds starting at 8 a.m.
Prize money
Last year, Seifu Tura and Ruth Chepngetich each won $100,000 for winning the men’s and women’s races, respectively. One source indicates the first place prize money is down to $75,000. The wheelchair division winners Daniel Romanchuk and Tatyana McFadden each won $15,000. The same source above indicates that’s up to $25,000. Runner’s World reports the race offers a $75,000 bonus for runners who set the course record, and a $5,000 bonus for wheelchair athletes who do the same.
Who won the last race?
Last year, Benson Kipruto (Kenya) won the race with a time of 2:04:24. He beat Seifu Tura Abdiwak (Ethiopia) by 25 seconds. John Korir (Kenya) finished third with a time of 2:05:01. The fastest American in the men’s division was Conner Mantz, who ran the race in 2:08:05.
Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) won the race for a second straight year with a time of 2:14:18. Emily Sisson (USA) finished second in the women’s overall standings with a time of 2:18:29. Vivian Jerono Kiplagat (Kenya) finished third with a time of 2:20:52.
Marcel Hug (Switzerland) won the men’s wheelchair division with a time of 1:25:20. Susannah Scaroni (USA) won the women’s wheelchair division with a time of 1:45:48.