The short version: Applications for the 2027 Bank of America Chicago Marathon opened at 8 a.m. Central on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, and close at 2 p.m. Central on Thursday, Oct. 29. The drawing results come out Tuesday, Dec. 8. Entry is $250 for U.S. residents. Texans with a fast marathon from Jan. 1, 2025 onward on a certified course can apply for guaranteed time-qualifier entry; everyone else goes into the drawing. The race is Sunday, Oct. 10, 2027.
The dates and fees
Chicago runs a three-week application window rather than a first-come signup, so there is no advantage to applying in the first hour. What matters is getting the application in before 2 p.m. Central on Oct. 29, and putting it in the right lane.
| Chicago 2027 item | Official detail |
|---|---|
| Application opens | Thu., Oct. 8, 2026, 8 a.m. Central |
| Application closes | Thu., Oct. 29, 2026, 2 p.m. Central |
| Drawing results | Tue., Dec. 8, 2026 |
| Race day | Sun., Oct. 10, 2027, 7:30 a.m. start (49th running) |
| Entry fee | $250 U.S. residents / $260 international, plus processing fees |
| Charity entry fee | $325 U.S. / $335 international, with a $2,500 fundraising minimum |
| Time limit | 6 hours, 30 minutes |
| Minimum age | 16 |
Chicago is on Central Time, same as most of Texas, so the deadline is 2 p.m. in Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. In El Paso it is 1 p.m. Mountain.
The time-qualifier table
A time qualifier gets guaranteed entry. The race lists these standards for 2027:
| Age | Men | Women | Non-binary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16–34 | 2:50:00 | 3:20:00 | 3:20:00 |
| 35–39 | 2:55:00 | 3:25:00 | 3:25:00 |
| 40–44 | 3:00:00 | 3:30:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 45–49 | 3:10:00 | 3:40:00 | 3:40:00 |
| 50–54 | 3:15:00 | 3:50:00 | 3:50:00 |
| 55–59 | 3:25:00 | 3:55:00 | 3:55:00 |
| 60–64 | 3:40:00 | 4:15:00 | 4:15:00 |
| 65–69 | 3:55:00 | 4:30:00 | 4:30:00 |
| 70–74 | 4:15:00 | 4:45:00 | 4:45:00 |
| 75–79 | 4:30:00 | 5:00:00 | 5:00:00 |
| 80+ | 4:50:00 | 5:20:00 | 5:20:00 |
Three rules decide whether a Texas result works. The marathon must fall in the qualifying window of Jan. 1, 2025 through Oct. 29, 2026. It must be on a course certified by USATF, World Athletics or a similar governing body; Chicago says it will not make allowances for non-certified races, weather or course conditions. And the results record you submit has to show a finish time inside the standard for your division.
If you are comparing this with Boston, Chicago's standards are their own table, not a Boston qualifier with a buffer. Our Boston Marathon 2027 cutoff explainer covers how Boston's application played out this year.
The other guaranteed lanes
- Legacy finishers: runners who have finished Chicago five or more times in the last 10 years. Virtual finishes do not count.
- 2026 cancellations: runners who canceled a 2026 entry under the race's cancellation policy. They still have to apply and pay again for 2027.
- Charity runners: official charity entries cost more ($325 U.S.) and carry a $2,500 fundraising minimum. Charity registration is first-come, first-served and runs until Sept. 10, 2027, or until spots are gone.
- The Distance Series: finishing all three 2027 Chicago events (the Shamrock Shuffle 8K on March 21, Chicago 13.1 on June 6 and the marathon on Oct. 10) earns guaranteed entry into the 50th Chicago Marathon in 2028.
Everyone outside those groups goes into the non-guaranteed drawing. Chicago says names are pulled from the full pool after the window closes.
Can a Texas marathon this month still count?
Yes, if it finishes before Oct. 29 and the course is certified. Two Texas road marathons on our calendar still fall inside the window: the Home for Freedom Marathon at Lake Wichita Park in Wichita Falls on Saturday, Oct. 17, and the Lubbock Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 25, which describes itself as an official Boston Marathon qualifying course. Confirm a course's certification before you count on it, and remember results need to be posted in time for you to submit them by Oct. 29.
Most Texans applying as time qualifiers will lean on a result already in hand: the 2025 or 2026 Houston, Austin, Cowtown, Dallas or San Antonio marathons all fall inside the window. Pull the official result page now so you are not hunting for it on the 29th.
If the drawing does not go your way on Dec. 8, the home-state options are still good. Houston is sold out and Dallas's Sunday marathon is full, but our Texas big-race registration check tracks where Austin, Cowtown and San Antonio stand, and marathons in Texas lists every upcoming 26.2 with current fees.
How the 2026 race went
Amos Kipruto won the 2026 race on Oct. 11 in 2:01:09, and Hawi Feysa repeated in 2:13:33. Emma Grace Hurley ran the fastest marathon debut by an American woman, 2:20:47. Our Chicago 2026 results have the top 10s, the records and how Texas A&M alum Natosha Rogers did. If you are applying to more than one major this fall, Berlin's 2027 lottery is open through Nov. 12.
