NOTE: Streaming of race day coverage and a finish line camera will appear live here beginning Oct. 13
Come Sunday morning, tens of thousands of runners will take over Chicago streets to race in the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
Whether you planning on watching online or cheering on runners in person, you might be wondering how long -- on average -- it takes runners to finish the course. In 2023, the average time for men to finish a marathon was 4:14:29 and 4:42:09 for women, according to Verywell Fit. If you've been training for a marathon and don't know what to expect, try aiming for the average times.
But runners will have much longer.
Participants in the marathon have six hours and 30 minutes to finish the course. The official end vehicle will start following the last starter and will maintain a 15-minute per-mile pace along the course.
Runners, therefore, must maintain a 15-minute per mile pace or faster to complete the marathon within the event time requirement. Participants who run outside of that limit may not be recorded as official finishers of the marathon. They also may not receive on-course support from aid stations, traffic safety personnel, or be allowed to complete the marathon, according to the event rules.
Records for both the men's and women's Chicago Marathon were each set in 2023. Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum broke the world record by running 2:00:35, defeating Eliud Kipchoge's previous record by 30 seconds. Tragically, Kiptum died in a car accident shortly after the race in February 2024.
Bank of America Chicago Marathon
The Netherlands' Sifan Hassan set a new course record for the Chicago Marathon in 2023, running 2:13:44. That time still stands as the second-fastest marathon time in women's history, trailing Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa's 2:11:53 from the Berlin Marathon in 2023.
MORE: Could the women's American marathon record fall at this year's Chicago Marathon?
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