Your plan in four answers
Chicago Half Marathon has not announced its next date, so we have estimated September. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- 5K, Half marathon
- Terrain
- Flat
- Field
- Nearly 10,000 runners across the half marathon, 5K and kids run in 2026
Course
The Chicago Half Marathon course
The half marathon starts at 7:15 AM on East Hayes Drive in historic Jackson Park on the South Side and finishes at the golden Statue of the Republic in the same park. The course heads north on a closed Lake Shore Drive with Lake Michigan on one side and the skyline ahead, then turns and runs back south past Kenwood and Hyde Park.
Read the full course notes
You pass the Museum of Science and Industry campus in the final mile before the finish. It is a flat, fast out-and-back with very little shade and open exposure to the lake, and the course closes at 16:00 per mile pace.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- 5K, Half marathon
- Field
- Nearly 10,000 runners across the half marathon, 5K and kids run in 2026
- Weather on race day
- Late September in Chicago usually starts in the mid 50s to low 60s °F, with highs around 70 °F and falling humidity. The open lakefront means wind is the main variable: a headwind on one leg of the out-and-back is common, so plan to share the work in a group. The occasional warm year does happen, so check the forecast and adjust goal pace if it is above the mid 60s at the start.
What to train for
Flat and fast means this half rewards rhythm and threshold fitness.
Build a weekly tempo of 20 to 40 minutes at half marathon effort and long runs of 10 to 14 miles with the last 3 to 4 at goal pace.
Practise running into wind by doing tempo segments on an exposed path, and focus on even effort rather than even splits on the windy leg. Summer training means most of your work is done in heat, so expect race day to feel easier.
Sample week
A sample Chicago Half Marathon training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 5–6 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 7 mi with 4 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 10–12 mi easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Taper
Tapering for the Chicago Half Marathon
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week.
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Build me a training plan for the Life Time Chicago Half Marathon & 5K in September. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Chicago Half Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Chicago Half Marathon?
Most runners give a half marathon twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Chicago Half Marathon course hilly?
Flat. The half marathon starts at 7:15 AM on East Hayes Drive in historic Jackson Park on the South Side and finishes at the golden Statue of the Republic in the same park.
What is the weather usually like at the Chicago Half Marathon?
Late September in Chicago usually starts in the mid 50s to low 60s °F, with highs around 70 °F and falling humidity. The open lakefront means wind is the main variable: a headwind on one leg of the out-and-back is common, so plan to share the work in a group. The occasional warm year does happen, so check the forecast and adjust goal pace if it is above the mid 60s at the start.
When should I start tapering for the Chicago Half Marathon?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week.
Do I need an account to get a Chicago Half Marathon training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.