Tips for Spectating the Chicago Marathon
“If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.” - Katherine Switzer
Cheering at a marathon - whether you know people running or not - is an inspiring experience, and if you’ll be supporting your loved ones at the Chicago Marathon, you’ll be happy to learn that it’s a very spectator friendly course. It’s easy to see runners in multiple spots if you do a little planning ahead. This post will provide you with the best spots to see your runner(s), as well as some best practices when cheering at a race.
[Note: if you want a full guide for Chicago Marathon weekend, be sure to check out this post]
Runner Tracking for the Chicago Marathon
Here is the map of the 2023 Chicago Marathon course. Make sure you download the app to track your runner(s) on race day.
Be sure to ask your runner(s) which wave and corral they will be starting in, as that determines their start time [so you can figure out what time to arrive at your first spot on the course].
Wave 1 [corrals A-E] starts at 7:30am
Wave 2 [corrals F-J] starts at 8:00am
Wave 3 [corrals K-N] starts at 8:35am
It’s a staggered start for the corrals, so if your runner is starting in corral E, they’ll start around 7:55am, for example.
I highly recommend telling your runners where you plan to stand [around what mile], what side of the road you’ll be on, and what you’ll be wearing. You’ll increase the odds of them seeing you and you seeing your runners on course if you do this.
There are also a lot of cheer zones with local run crews - many around miles 22-23, if you want to join Chicago area runners to cheer.
General Spectating Tips
Cheer for everyone. Even if you’re only there to see one or a few runners, ALL runners need your support. Running past a group of silent spectators is one of the worst feelings when you are struggling during a marathon. Some ideas if you don’t know what to say - “woooo,” “great job, runners,” “you got this,” “looking good, runners!”
Don’t block the race course in any way - including with signs. You don’t want to be the reason a runner trips or gets injured. If a course official tells you to back up, do it!
Don’t say “you’re almost there” unless the finish line is less than a ½ mile away. Trust me on this - 2 miles isn’t almost there when running a marathon!
Bring a cowbell to save your voice a bit. Funny signs are also appreciated by runners.
Bring snacks, water, and coffee. Cheering at a marathon is hard work if you’re actually cheering the whole time!
If you’re not meeting up with someone at the finish line right away and you have the time, stay out there longer for the runners toward the back of the pack – they really need your encouragement and support, and the crowds are often thinner at the 5.5-6 hour mark.
If you really want to make a runner’s day, give out something that they might need or want [especially in the later miles] – bags of ice or popsicles if it’s really warm, tissues, gummy worms, shots of beer, etc.
2017 Chicago Marathon
How to see runners in multiple spots along the Chicago Marathon course
Take the Red Line to Grand Ave [or walk if staying downtown]. You can see runners around mile 1, between miles 3-4 [walk a few blocks west to LaSalle St], and between miles 12-13 [walk a block west to Wells St]. The Chicago station [Red/Brown/Purple] and Clark/Division station [Red] can also be used to see runners around miles 4 and 12. If you need some coffee while waiting, there are a number of coffee shops on Wells St in Old Town.
If you are staying or live in Lincoln Park/Lakeview [or want to hop on a Divvy bike from downtown], you can see runners in two spots as they are running north up Stockton/Cannon Dr/Sheridan Rd [miles 5.5-7], and then walk a few blocks west to Clark St and see runners between miles 9-10.
Take the Blue Line to UIC-Halsted. Walk north to Adams street to see runners around mile 14 and then walk south to Halsted to see runners around mile 17.
After seeing runners on the first half of the course, you can take a train to the southern part of the course.
Take the Red Line to Sox-35th or the Green Line to 35th-Bronzeville to go around mile 23. You can walk a few blocks to either Michigan Ave or Indiana [use Google/Apple maps to help with this]
Take the Red Line to Cermak-Chinatown or Green Line to Cermak-McCormick Place. They’re only a few blocks away from each other, so take the one that’s most convenient. You can easily walk to Chinatown [mile 21.5] and then walk to mile 24.5-25, which is what I often do.
Pro tip 1: Chinatown is a very busy part of the course [many rows deep], so you’ll want to get there on the earlier side to get a good spot.
Pro tip 2: Mile 25 is usually pretty crowded, but if you walk a little south of the 40km sign, it’s easier to see runners.
Take the Red, Green, or Orange lines to Roosevelt to see the finish line [note: it gets very crowded so can be tough to see your runner]
Take the Red or Blue line to Jackson to get back to Grant Park to meet your runners after they finish. You need to enter at Entrance Gate #1 [Jackson and Michigan Ave] or Entrance Gate #4 [Ida B. Wells and Michigan Ave] for the 27th Mile Post-Race Party.
Additional Chicago Marathon spectating tips
There are some areas of the course that get really crowded - get there earlier to get a good spot to see your runner:
Start line [first mile]
Boystown/Broadway [mile 8-9]
Clark/Fullerton intersection [mile 10]
North Ave/Wells St in Old Town [miles 11-12]
Chinatown [mile 20, especially when you get off the train at mile 21.5]
Mile 25 until the finish line
If you only have time to cheer in one spot, here are some other train stations close to the course:
The Sheridan and Addison stations [Red line] are close to mile 8
The Sedgwick station [Brown line] is close to mile 11
The Washington/Wells station [Brown/Pink/Orange lines] is close to mile 13.5
The 18th Street station [Pink line] is close to mile 19
Biking around is another great way to see multiple parts of the course [rent a Divvy if you are out of town/don’t own a bike].
I love cheering at the Chicago Marathon, and I usually hang out around mile 6 [on the left] for awhile and then head south to cheer in the last couple of miles. Let me know in the comments if you’re running in 2023 and say hi if you see me on course!