The Chicago Marathon Lottery for 2027 Is Now Open

Applications for the 2027 Chicago Marathon went live at 8 a.m. Central on Thursday, three days before this year’s race, and runners now have until 2 p.m. on Oct. 29 to get their names in. Organizers set out the calendar last month, as we reported at the time, and the full application has now gone up on the race website, with every route into the Oct. 10, 2027 race, the qualifying times and a higher fundraising minimum for charity runners.

Most applicants will be entering the non-guaranteed drawing, which costs nothing to enter and has no cap on numbers, and they will hear by email on Dec. 8 whether they got in. Applying early makes no difference, and neither does applying twice, since duplicates are removed before the draw. It is a long shot all the same: organizers said more than 200,000 people applied for the 2026 race, which has a field of 55,000, the largest in its history, and roughly a third of those runners are fundraising for charity. Chicago does not say how many places go to the drawing, because that depends on how many guaranteed runners actually register.

Entry fees are the same as last year, at $250 for U.S. residents and $260 for everyone else, plus a processing fee. Runners drawn on Dec. 8 have until 11:59 p.m. Central on Dec. 15 to pay. There is also an optional refundable registration, which adds roughly 10 to 15 percent to the cart and has to be bought at sign-up, though it does not pay out if the race itself is called off.

Key Dates for the 2027 Chicago Marathon Application

Qualifying Times Are Unchanged From 2026

A qualifying time lets a runner skip the drawing altogether, and the marks are identical to the ones set for 2026, when Chicago cut five minutes from most age groups. They are judged on a runner’s age on race day in 2027. The time has to come from a full marathon on a certified course between Jan. 1, 2025 and the Oct. 29 close, so anyone racing on Sunday can still use it. Half-marathons and ultras do not count, and organizers say they will not make exceptions for heat or a tough course. Each application can take up to 10 business days to review. Our full breakdown of the Chicago standards has more on how they have tightened.

Faster runners can aim for the High Performance Program, which has room for 300 in 2027, twice as many as in 2025. Chicago is also hosting the U.S. marathon championships that day, and USA Track & Field says the bigger program is there for athletes still chasing a time for the 2028 Olympic Marathon Trials. Entry takes a marathon under 2:25:00 for men and 2:45:00 for women and non-binary runners, or 2:35:00 and 2:50:00 for masters athletes over 40, run on or after Jan. 1, 2025. It comes with a reduced fee and stays open until Sept. 1, 2027, unless it fills first.

Charity, Legacy and Other Guaranteed Routes

Charity runners make up the biggest share of guaranteed places, and the cost of one has gone up. Each runner now has to raise at least $2,500, up from $2,200 for 2026, and the entry fee for a charity place is $325, or $335 from outside the U.S. Spots are handed out first come, first served, and only charities on the official list can offer them. Travel packages from approved tour operators are another way in, with applications open until Aug. 10, 2027, though not every country has an operator on the list.

Legacy entry is open to anyone with five Chicago finishes in the past 10 years, counting from 2016, and runners who will reach five on Sunday are told to apply once they have finished. Anyone completing the 2026 Distance Series, the Shamrock Shuffle 8K, the Chicago 13.1 and Sunday’s marathon, will get an access link by email on Oct. 13. Runners who canceled their 2026 entry were sent their codes Thursday, and those who deferred under the pregnancy and postpartum policy will not have to pay a second time. Chicago also gives free places to local community groups through its Entries for Equity program, and organizers say details of the 2027 round will be published this fall.

Everyone has to be 16 by race day and finish inside 6:30:00. A runner who gets in and later has to pull out can cancel up to Oct. 6, 2027 and receive a guaranteed place in the 2028 race, the 50th Chicago Marathon, though they will have to pay again. Those who miss out on Dec. 8 can still look at charity places or one of the big races that skip the lottery, and the Berlin Marathon draw is open until Nov. 12. Before any of that, the 2026 race goes off on Sunday, where the elite field will chase Conner Mantz’s American record of 2:04:43 on the same flat loop through the city.