The 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will take place on Sunday, October 11at Grant Park in Chicago. The race is expected to attract thousands of runners, and organisers have made it easy for friends and family to follow participants throughout the event.
Runners can be tracked live through the official ChiMarathon app, which offers unlimited live race-day runner tracking. The app is available for download on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
How to track Chicago Marathon runners
To track a runner, users can search for the participant by name in the ChiMarathon app and add them to their favourites list. This allows them to follow the runner’s progress during the marathon, as noted by NBC Chicago.
Also read: Why is Trump returning to Texas? Paxton Senate race becomes key 2026 midterm test
The app allows users to track up to 20 runners at the same time. This feature can help families and friends follow multiple participants during the race without having to search for each runner repeatedly.
The ChiMarathon app also offers an interactive course map, a schedule of events, race photographs and participant bib information. These features help spectators follow the race and find information about registered runners.
Chicago Marathon start time
The 2026 Chicago Marathon will begin at around 7 am on Sunday, October 11, at Grant Park. A record number of runners applied to participate in this year’s event, according to NBC Chicago.
Chicago Marathon live stream: Where to watch
Viewers who cannot attend the marathon in person can watch live coverage on NBC Chicago and Telemundo Chicago. The race will be available to watch on television and through online streaming platforms.
The marathon coverage will also be available on NBC Chicago’s free, 24/7 streaming channel, NBC 5 Chicago News. The channel can be accessed through Peacock, Roku TV, Fire TV, Samsung TV Plus, Xumo Play, Local Now, Pluto TV, Google TV, TCL, Xfinity and FreeVee.
Chicago Marathon finish-line live coverage
An exclusive finish-line camera will stream live on NBCChicago.com and the NBC 5 Chicago News Streaming Channel from 11 am to 3 pm on Sunday.
Spanish-speaking viewers can watch the marathon’s Spanish-language broadcast on TelemundoChicago.com and through the Telemundo Chicago app.
For additional information about the race, runner tracking and event arrangements can visit the official Chicago Marathon spectator information page.