Chicago Marathon Deferral: Deadline, Fees and Eligibility

Eligible runners who cannot take part in the 2026 Chicago Marathon can cancel through their Participant Account by Wednesday, October 7, 2026, and receive access to a guaranteed entry for 2027. Your entry fee does not carry over. You must apply and pay again to secure the future place.

Chicago calls this participant cancellation. It is the route to check if you already have an entry and now need to withdraw. If you are still trying to get a place, start with how to enter the Chicago Marathon.

How do you cancel your Chicago Marathon entry?

Use the Participant Account linked from the official cancellation page. The organizer lists October 7 as the 2026 deadline.

The event FAQ says cancellation is irreversible: once you cancel, your entry cannot be reinstated. Read the eligibility exclusions below before completing the request. Cancellation and the following year's application are separate steps, so do not treat a cancelled 2026 registration as a completed 2027 entry.

Who is excluded from the standard deferral route?

The standard guaranteed-entry option is unavailable to:

• Participants who obtained their 2026 guaranteed entry through the charity application.
• Participants who obtained it through the tour operator application.
• Participants who already cancelled their 2025 entry to access the 2026 event.

Those exclusions matter even if you can no longer run. The general cancellation policy is not a promise that every entry type can move forward a year.

Do you get a refund or a free entry next year?

Under the standard policy, event fees are nonrefundable and are not applied to a future event. Guaranteed entry means an eligible route back into the race, not a complimentary bib. You must claim and pay for the 2027 place during its application window.

If you purchased refundable registration, the organizer describes a separate refund process subject to that product's covered circumstances and exclusions. Check its terms instead of assuming ordinary cancellation triggers a refund.

What if you are pregnant or postpartum?

Chicago has a separate pregnancy and postpartum policy that provides an exception to standard rules. Follow the policy linked from the official cancellation page to check the applicable process. Do not assume the standard one-year route describes that exception in full.

For the broader entry picture, see our 2027 Chicago lottery guide. You can also choose Chicago for your free Marathon Ballot entry-window alerts.

Sources: Chicago Marathon cancellation policy, Chicago Marathon event FAQs