Chicago Marathon: Race preview, how to watch, and list of seeded athletes

The Berlin Marathon in September unofficially kicks off the autumn marathon season. Several major races follow, including Chicago, Amsterdam, Valencia, Lisbon, and New York, along with mid-sized events such as Toronto, the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Virginia, Portland, the Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, California International in Sacramento, and the Royal Victoria Marathon on Vancouver Island.

Next on the elite calendar is the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 10—the same day as the Royal Victoria Marathon. More than 55,000 runners are registered, with a competitive international field leading the way.

Men’s field

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo is the top seed. He set a national record of 2:00:28 in London in April and also holds Uganda’s half-marathon record at 56:42. Kiplimo returns to defend his Chicago title, which he won by more than a minute over Kenya’s Amos Kipruto. They finished in 2:02:23 and 2:03:54, respectively, while Alex Masai placed third in 2:04:37. Masai is seeded eighth this year.

Thirty-three athletes have run under 2:10. The top six are from East Africa, while the first non-African runner is American Charles Hicks, seeded seventh with his 2:04:35 from Boston earlier this year. Japan’s Suguru Osako is seeded ninth with his 2:04:55 from Valencia last year.

Three Canadians made the elite field: Thomas Nobbs, Thomas Fafard, and Benjamin Flanagan. Nobbs is seeded 29th after running 2:09:25 in Congers in 2026. Fafard brings a 2:10:29 from Chandler, Arizona, last December, while Flanagan’s best is 2:15:39 in Toronto in 2025.

Toronto was Flanagan’s debut marathon, and he will expect more from himself 10 days from now. The 31-year-old has run 1:01:00 for the half marathon and owns stronger performances at 5,000 and 10,000 metres. In theory, he could run between 2:08 and 2:09 if everything goes well.

The leading Americans are also entered. Behind Hicks are Clayton Young (2:05:41), Vincent Mauri (2:05:54), Galen Rupp (2:06:07), Abbabiya Simbassa (2:06:53), Haftu Knight (2:07:38), CJ Albertson (2:08:17), Alex Maier (2:08:33), Murphy Smith (2:08:58), Zach Panning (2:09:16), Reed Fischer (2:09:47), Jacob Thompson (2:09:51), and Ryan Johnson (2:10:20).

Women’s field

Former world-record holder Brigid Kosgei of Kenya ran Chicago in 2019, clocking 2:14:04 to break Paula Radcliffe’s 16-year-old world record of 2:15:25. That personal best still stands, and Kosgei has continued to contend at major races, often reaching the podium.

She won silver at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Marathon and has six victories in the Abbott World Marathon Majors—two each in London, Chicago, and Tokyo—along with two additional podium finishes.

Kosgei will face a strong challenge from Ethiopians Hawi Feysa and Sustume Kebede, who have run 2:14:57 in Chicago in 2025 and 2:15:55 in Tokyo two years ago, respectively.

The first 12 seeded women are African. The top non-African is American Sara Hall, seeded with her 2:20:32. The 43-year-old continues to compete at a high level, although nearly six years have passed since she ran that time in Chandler, Arizona. Earlier this year, Hall ran 2:26:26 in Houston; two years ago, she ran 2:23:45 in Valencia.

Japan’s top entrant is Yuka Akasaki, whose best is 2:21:23 in Osaka last year. Other Americans include Susanna Sullivan (2:21:56), Des Linden (2:22:38), Natosha Rogers (2:23:28), Molly Born (2:24:10), Dakotah Popehn (2:24:20), Gabriella Rooker (2:24:29), Amanda Mosborg (2:32:01), and Felicia Pasadyn (2:35:17). Emma Grace Hurley will make her marathon debut.

Hurley arrives after an excellent performance at the 2026 Copenhagen World Road Running Championships, where she finished fifth in 1:06:23.

Top seeds

Men

Women

How to watch

Watch on TV and Online Stream

• In Canada: Stream the race live on FloTrack starting at 8:15 a.m. ET.
• In the United States: Watch local coverage on NBC 5 Chicago, Telemundo Chicago, or stream via Peacock, Roku, Fire TV, and NBCChicago.com from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CT.

Watch in person (top spectator spots)

• Lincoln Park (Mile 5 / 8K): Accessible via the CTA Brown Line (Sedgwick stop).
• Northalsted (Miles 7–9): Accessible via the CTA Red Line (Sheridan, Addison, or Belmont stops).
• Charity Block Party (Mile 15 – West Loop): Located at Adams and Loomis (Blue Line Racine).
• Chinatown (Mile 21): Located at Cermak and Wentworth (Red Line Cermak-Chinatown).
• Finish Line (Grant Park): General start and finish areas in Grant Park are restricted, but you can purchase $30 tickets for the exclusive East Side Viewing Area on Columbus Drive.

Track a Runner

• Download the official Chicago Marathon App (iOS or Android) to follow live runner tracking, splits, and leaderboards.

Historical winners in Chicago