Chicago doesn't exactly need help producing record-breaking marathon times, and this year's field gives the course plenty to work with. The 2026 Chicago Marathon will take place on Sunday, October 11, with race coverage beginning at 8 a.m. The professional men and women start at 8:30 a.m.
ET, after the wheelchair and handcycle fields and before the remaining waves head through Chicago. In Chicago, NBC 5, Telemundo Chicago, and TeleXitos will carry live television coverage from 7 to 11 a.m. Streaming begins at the same time and continues through 3 p.m.
CT on NBCChicago.com, TelemundoChicago.com, the stations’ apps, and their Roku and Apple TV channels. Race-viewing capabilities are also available through the NBC Sports NOW and NBC Chicago channels on Peacock. If you’re more of a listener—or just can’t watch the race—670 The Score Sports Radio (670 AM, 104.3 FM) will have live coverage from 6 to 10 a.m.
And if you’re part of the cheering squad and want to keep tabs on a specific runner, use the Chicago Marathon app or the race’s online tracking tools for live splits and leaderboard updates. Jacob Kiplimo returns to Chicago as the defending men’s champion—and, on paper, considerably faster than he was a year ago. The Ugandan ran 2:00:28 at London in April, making him the third-fastest marathoner in history.
Amos Kipruto gives the field another serious threat with a 2:01:39 best. Milkesa Mengesha, Tadese Takele Bikila, and Daniel Mateiko have all broken 2:04 as well. The American men have some speed of their own.
Charles Hicks ran 2:04:35 in Boston earlier this year, while Olympian Clayton Young has a 2:05:41 best. Galen Rupp, now 40, is also returning to the race he won in 2017 as the last American man to take the Chicago title. On the women’s side, defending champion Hawi Feysa returns after running 2:14:57 in Chicago last year.
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