“…nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight—
Got to kick at the darkness ’till it bleeds daylight.”

— Bruce Cockburn

© Copyright – 2024 – Athletics Illustrated

Organizers of the Chicago Marathon have re-jigged the qualification standards for the race starting in 2025. So, runners have an opportunity to race 2024 at the known softer standards on Sunday, October 13. But, as the adage goes, people desire something that they believe they cannot have. Not that the criteria for getting into Chicago is all that difficult, but it is more difficult than before and a little more arduous than Boston.

We can argue that super shoes have forced the hand of change. Additionally, there is a new running boom happening. The current running boom is the biggest yet and includes trail and marathon racing. Meanwhile, some events are taking advantage of the pent-up desire to race, whether it be a trend or post-COVID desire. It’s happening.

Photo credit: 2019 BOA Chi Marathon Colin G Photography-203

Chicago, like London, Boston and other large-scale events likely receive more requests for entry than they can handle. Why not reduce the time spent operationally? Time is money.

About the age thing, let’s talk

Note that there is another change. The Chicago Marathon runners are divided into 10-year age groups, but will now move into mostly five-year age categories. This change matches the Boston Marathon standards. Gone is the 16-19 age group. It is now 18-34. An “open” category, if you will. While World Athletics likes to think that 35 is the age when a distance athlete becomes a master, 40 was historically when that age group should begin and athletes to a (wo)man agree.

For example, Malindi Emore, the second-fastest Canadian all-time and ninth during the Tokyo Olympic Marathon is age 44, she is fully qualified for the Paris Olympic Marathon. She finished just over three minutes shy of bronze, silver and gold in Tokyo (Sapporo). Canada’s fastest marathon runner is Natasha Wodak who is currently age 42, she set the record of 2:23:12 at age 40. The Oceania and Australian record holder Sinead Driver was 44 and one month away from her 45th birthday when she ran 2:23:34. She is now age 47 and off to the Paris Olympics.

One could argue that 70-plus athletes should be given gratis or some sort of major leeway for living a long life. They feel that one is still running and training at volume should be enough. No. There are 65 – 75-year-old men running sub-3:25 and sub-3:15. The 4:30:00 and 5:55:00 standards were not that fast. Apologies to anyone reading this who qualified for the current standards by the hair on their chinny chin chin. Good on you for kicking at the darkness. Kick harder.

Most of the new age group standards for Chicago are five minutes more arduous than Boston’s. Chicago is also an iconic race. It offers a faster course and is World Athletics certified for records and standards. The Boston Marathon is not. Both events are part of the soon-to-be-growing World Marathon Majors (WMM) circuit of big-city marathons located in Chicago, Boston, Tokyo, London, New York and Berlin. Look for Sydney, Cape Town, and the Chengdu Marathon in China to be adopted into WMM.

2024 Chicago Marathon qualification standards

Age groupMenWomenNon-binary
16 – 293:05:003:35:003:35:00
30 – 393:10:003:40:003:40:00
40 – 493:20:003:50:003:50:00
50 – 593:35:004:20:004:20:00
60 – 694:00:005:00:005:00:00
70 – 794:30:005:55:005:55:00
80 and over5:25:006:10:006:10:00

2025 Chicago Marathon qualification standards

Age groupMenWomenNon-binary
18 – 342:55:003:25:003:25:00
35 – 393:00:003:30:003:30:00
40 – 443:05:003:35:003:35:00
45 – 493:15:003:45:003:45:00
50 – 543:20:003:50:003:50:00
55 – 593:30:004:00:004:00:00
60 – 643:45:004:15:004:15:00
65 – 694:00:004:30:004:30:00
70 – 744:15:004:45:004:45:00
75 – 794:30:005:00:005:00:00
80 and over4:50:005:20:005:20:00

2025 Boston Marathon qualification standards

Age GroupMENWOMENNON-BINARY
18-343:00:003:30:003:30:00
35-393:05:003:35:003:35:00
40-443:10:003:40:003:40:00
45-493:20:003:50:003:50:00
50-543:25:003:55:003:55:00
55-593:35:004:05:004:05:00
60-643:50:004:20:004:20:00
65-694:05:004:35:004:35:00
70-744:20:004:50:004:50:00
75-794:35:005:05:005:05:00
80 and over4:50:005:20:005:20:00