Staying match at 80 is spectacular. Operating a marathon at 80 is very spectacular. Setting a 50-minute private finest within the marathon at 80 is so spectacular that it appears unattainable, however the Chicago Marathon expects in any other case.
Saying new (and quick) qualification requirements for 2025, this Abbott World Marathon Main simply surpassed the Boston Marathon in stage of problem for qualification. For the ladies’s 80+ age group, the required entry time is 50 minutes quicker than final yr, leaping from 6:10:00 to five:20:00.
As at another world majors, such because the New York Metropolis Marathon, runners also can enter through the lottery or the charity program.
The Chicago Marathon’s earlier requirements for assured entry trailed behind these of the Boston Marathon by 5 to 10 minutes, whereas their new requirements now are 5 to 10 minutes faster than Boston’s. Chicago additionally cut up the seven former age teams to create 11 new teams spanning over 5 years, except for the youngest 18-34 group. Because the age will increase, so does the time bounce. You may be going through a 10-minute bounce, 30-minute bounce, or no bounce in any respect in your required instances since final yr, relying on the place you land in your class vary.
Curiously, the ladies’s requirements have been altered far more dramatically than the boys’s, and more and more so within the older age teams. Will probably be fascinating to see how these up to date requirements will have an effect on the gender participation hole.
2024 Qualification Requirements for Chicago Marathon
| Age group | Males | Girls | Non-binary |
| 16 – 29 | 3:05:00 | 3:35:00 | 3:35:00 |
| 30 – 39 | 3:10:00 | 3:40:00 | 3:40:00 |
| 40 – 49 | 3:20:00 | 3:50:00 | 3:50:00 |
| 50 – 59 | 3:35:00 | 4:20:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 60 – 69 | 4:00:00 | 5:00:00 | 5:00:00 |
| 70 – 79 | 4:30:00 | 5:55:00 | 5:55:00 |
| 80 and over | 5:25:00 | 6:10:00 | 6:10:00 |
2025 Qualification Requirements for Chicago Marathon
| Age group | Males | Girls | Non-binary |
| 18 – 34 | 2:55:00 | 3:25:00 | 3:25:00 |
| 35 – 39 | 3:00:00 | 3:30:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 40 – 44 | 3:05:00 | 3:35:00 | 3:35:00 |
| 45 – 49 | 3:15:00 | 3:45:00 | 3:45:00 |
| 50 – 54 | 3:20:00 | 3:50:00 | 3:50:00 |
| 55 – 59 | 3:30:00 | 4:00:00 | 4:00:00 |
| 60 – 64 | 3:45:00 | 4:15:00 | 4:15:00 |
| 65 – 69 | 4:00:00 | 4:30:00 | 4:30:00 |
| 70 – 74 | 4:15:00 | 4:45:00 | 4:45:00 |
| 75 – 79 | 4:30:00 | 5:00:00 | 5:00:00 |
| 80 and over | 4:50:00 | 5:20:00 | 5:20:00 |
The race administrators additionally added a wholly new Excessive-Efficiency Program with capability for 150 individuals with sub-elite qualifying requirements, providing these athletes their very own devoted bogs, stretching areas and different race-prep sources. Evidently, the Chicago Marathon has its eyes set on drawing in athletes of the best calibre. This new group will begin behind the elite area and forward of the primary mass-start corral.
In case your 2024 Chicago Marathon coaching plan didn’t have the ultimate goal of a private finest, there is no such thing as a time like the current to set new (and really quick) targets.
