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[ Wire ] · Dispatch · Aug 07

Chicago Marathon Lottery Odds: What the Numbers Show

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon does not publish a lottery acceptance rate. Chicago Event Management's own FAQ says the number of spots available through the non-guaranteed drawing is not known in advance, because it depends on how many runners register through guaranteed routes first. What is public is demand: applications ran 86,000 in 2023, 123,000 in 2024, 160,000 in 2025, and more than 200,000 for the 2026 race.

What are the actual Chicago Marathon lottery odds?

Nobody outside Chicago Event Management knows. Any single figure you see, including the "roughly 25%" that circulates on running sites, is an estimate, not an organizer number. The 2027 lottery runs October 8 to October 29, 2026, with the drawing on December 8, 2026 and payment due by December 15, 2026, for the October 10, 2027 race. The 2026 Chicago ballot results carry the year-by-year record.

Has demand for Chicago actually doubled?

More than doubled. The applicant pool went from 86,000 for the 2023 race to 200,000-plus for 2026, a 133% jump in three cycles, while the race has stayed in the same broad size range, with more than 54,000 finishers in 2025. Whatever the exact rate, more than twice the applicants for a similar field means the odds have fallen sharply.

Why don't the odds get published?

Because the drawing is what is left over. Time qualifiers, charity runners, tour operator entries and other guaranteed groups are registered first, and the drawing fills the remaining places. Chicago Event Management has not published how many places that leaves or how many drawing entrants were selected in recent years.

Is there a way into Chicago that skips the lottery?

Yes. Time qualifiers get guaranteed entry at 2:50 for men and 3:20 for women in the 16 to 34 age band, easing for older runners. Charity partners offer bibs for a fundraising commitment, commonly starting around $1,500 to $1,750. Both routes run on their own schedule and don't depend on the lottery result. The full guide to entering Chicago covers each route including international tour-operator packages.

What if the Chicago lottery says no?

Check whether a faster certified time gets you in on the time-qualifier route, since Chicago's standards are among the more attainable of the Majors, or look at a charity partner for the same race. The Marathon Ballot Simulator models how an estimated rate compounds if you plan to keep entering, and every Major ranked by odds shows where Chicago sits against the other seven.

Free Chicago ballot alerts cover the 2027 window, which closes October 29, 2026.

Sources: Bank of America Chicago Marathon: Apply, Bank of America Chicago Marathon: Event FAQs, Chicago 2026 ballot results

Sources Bank of America Chicago Marathon (Chicago Event Management) Drawing rules and 2027 dates from chicagomarathon.com/apply and the official event FAQ (accessed October 27, 2026). Chicago Event Management does not publish an acceptance rate. Multi-year application totals from this site's Chicago ballot history, sourced to Chicago Event Management announcements.