Chicago, IL · October
Chicago Marathon Training Plan
A free marathon plan for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, built around the course and your current fitness. Answer four questions and you will see every week of it. No account, no email, no card.
- Distances
- Marathon
- Course
- Flat
- Usually held
- Each October
The Chicago Marathon course
One of the flattest and fastest major marathons in the world, and a regular site of world records. A loop course through the city's neighborhoods with crowds on nearly every mile. The tall buildings downtown can interfere with GPS, so expect your watch to drift from the mile markers.
Weather on race day
October in Chicago is usually excellent for racing, though wind off the lake and the occasional warm year are both real risks.
What to train for
Flat and fast means no recovery from changing terrain: you run the same muscles for the entire distance. Long runs at goal pace and disciplined even splits matter more here than strength work.
Registration and official details: Chicago Marathon official site
Chicago Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Chicago Marathon?
Most runners give a marathon sixteen to twenty 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 Marathon course hilly?
Flat. One of the flattest and fastest major marathons in the world, and a regular site of world records. A loop course through the city's neighborhoods with crowds on nearly every mile. The tall buildings downtown can interfere with GPS, so expect your watch to drift from the mile markers.
What is the weather usually like at the Chicago Marathon?
October in Chicago is usually excellent for racing, though wind off the lake and the occasional warm year are both real risks.
Do I need an account to get a Chicago 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.
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