![CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 13: A general view of competitors runing past the Chicago Theater during the 2019 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 13, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)](https://media.nbcchicago.com/2021/09/GettyImages-1181512151.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=320%2C180)
As the Bank of America Chicago Marathon quickly approaches, runners and spectators can now see where the course will run through the city.
Starting in Grant Park, runners will travel the 26.2-mile route goes through 29 city neighborhoods while being cheered on by 1.7 million spectators on Oct. 10, according to organizers.
Here's a look at what this year's route will be:
![](https://media.nbcchicago.com/2021/09/marathon-map.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=218%2C123)
See the full size version of the map here.
Along the course, there are 20 aid stations located approximately one to two miles apart, organizers noted. Each station will consist of a medical tent, toilet, Gatorade Endurance Formula, public address announcer and water.
Runners will have 6 hours and 30 minutes to complete the marathon race, meaning a 15-minute per mile pace must be kept a majority of the time, organizers said.
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Marathon organizers announced two new exceptions that will allow some runners to defer their entries to 2022, if needed in the lead-up to this year's race.
In an update Tuesday, organizers said participants who test positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of the event - meaning on or after Sept. 27 - will be able to fill out an online form asking to defer their place and entry fee to 2022.
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Such requests will only be allowed from midnight Sept. 27 through 11:59 p.m. Oct. 10.
Runners who register as non-U.S. residents will also be eligible to defer their spot in the race and their entry fee. Such participants would need to fill out an online form by 5 p.m. on Oct. 6.
Those who are not eligible for either exception but must cancel their registration can do so through 5 p.m. on Oct. 6 and while their entry fee will not be refunded, they will have access to guaranteed entry for the next event, organizers said.
The marathon's COVID protocols were revealed last month for the Oct. 10 race, along with the list of this year's elite field of world-class runners.
Registered participants who are not fully vaccinated must provide a negative test result for a test administered within 72 hours of attending the Chicago Marathon, according to organizers. "Fully vaccinated," according to the event, is defined as "individuals who are two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose vaccine series or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine."
Proof of vaccination may be presented as a hard copy, photocopy or digital version of an immunization record. That proof or proof of a negative COVID-19 test is also required to enter the Abbott Health & Fitness Expo.