Chicago Marathon qualifying times

These are the time qualifier standards published by the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Meeting one earns you a guaranteed entry — you apply during the application window, the event verifies your result, and if it checks out you are in. Your age group is your age on race day, not your age when you ran the qualifying race.

The two right-hand columns are not part of the event's table. They are the standard divided by the marathon distance of 42.195 km, which is the number that matters when you are on a start line: the pace you have to average for the whole race.

Men's standards

Women's and non-binary standards

Chicago publishes an identical set of times for the women's and non-binary divisions, and notes that the non-binary standards are inclusive of the two previously existing divisions and are expected to adjust as data becomes available.

Source: Bank of America Chicago Marathon — Apply, checked 25 July 2026. The 2027 application had not opened at the time of checking; these are the standards and rules the event published for 2026. Confirm against the event before you plan a qualifying race.

Read side by side, Chicago's standards are five minutes faster than Boston's in almost every age group — ten minutes faster for men aged 60–69, and identical only at 80 and over (both divisions) and for women aged 50–54. Chicago also starts its youngest band at 16 rather than 18.

That reads like Chicago is the harder qualifier. It is not, and the reason is the B.A.A.'s own record. Boston accepts the fastest applicants relative to their standard and publishes the margin afterwards as the cut-off. It was 4:34 for 2026, 6:51 for 2025 and 5:29 for 2024. Subtract those and Boston's effective standard lands within a minute or two of Chicago's published one — for the 2026 race, the effective Boston standard for an 18–34 man was 2:50:26 against Chicago's 2:50:00.

So the honest comparison is not five minutes. It is this: the two races demand roughly the same run, but Chicago tells you the number in advance and Boston does not. If you train to Chicago's standard you know what you have bought. If you train to Boston's, you are applying into a pool and finding out in October.

Sources: Chicago Marathon — Apply and Boston Athletic Association — Qualify, both checked 25 July 2026.

The standard is only half the requirement. Chicago publishes these conditions on the result you submit:

• The marathon must have been completed on or after January 1, 2024.
• The course must be certified by USA Track & Field, World Athletics, or a similar governing association. The event is explicit that no consideration is given for non-certified races, weather, or course conditions.
• It must be a full marathon. Half marathons and 50Ks are named and rejected.
• The documentation must show a finish time inside the standard and inside the division you are applying for. Submit under the wrong division and it is not considered.
• Your age group is your age on October 11, 2026, the date of the race you are entering.

Verification takes up to ten business days. If it passes, the entry fee is charged automatically. If it fails, you are not simply rejected — the application is switched to a non-guaranteed entry and you go into the drawing. There is no penalty for trying, which is why an honest attempt at a marginal time is worth submitting.

Below the time qualifier sits a second, much faster tier with its own entry path and a reduced registration fee. It is capped at 150 participants.

The same result rules apply — marathon only, on or after January 1, 2024, certified course — and masters athletes must have run the standard as a masters athlete. Registration closes on September 1, 2026 or when the 150 places are gone, whichever comes first. For the 2026 race it filled before the deadline.

Chicago publishes several other guaranteed-entry routes, none of which require a qualifying time: five or more Chicago Marathon finishes in the last ten years (legacy finisher, 2015 onwards), completing all three events of the Bank of America Chicago Distance Series in one year, an official charity place (minimum fundraising of $2,200), and an official tour operator package. Everyone else applies to the non-guaranteed entry drawing.

The entry fee is $250 for U.S. residents and $260 for non-U.S. residents, plus a processing fee, charged automatically on approval or selection. Participants must be 16 or older on race day, and the course closes on a rolling schedule based on a 6:30:59 finish limit.