Runners looking to race in the 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will be notified of their status as the lottery drawing is held Thursday, but for those who don’t make the cut all hope is not lost.
The drawing for the 2026 event is slated to be held Thursday, with more than 200,000 applicants waiting to see if they are part of the guaranteed entry group, which also includes legacy finishers, time qualifiers, Distance Series finishers and deferred 2025 runners.
Those waiting for the results of the 2026 drawing are set to be notified of their acceptance status via email. Organizers said the emails will be sent out “throughout the day,” beginning in the morning Central Time.
Other signs of acceptance could include a status change in your participant account or a charge on your credit card.
But for those who don’t make that cut, charity and tour operator entries are still available, though organizers say spots are “filling quickly.”
“Running for charity gives participants a unique opportunity to make the miles on their marathon journey more meaningful,” the marathon said in a release Thursday.
Those looking to run through an official charity program will need to raise a minimum of $2,200 for their charity.
While each year’s race continues to set records across the city, organizers have announced a major shift in their latest fundraising numbers.
The 2025 race raised a record $47.1 million for charity, “smashing” last year’s record-setting number by $11 million. That brings the total amount raised since 2002 to more than $405 million.
“We are awed by the incredible fundraising put forth by last year’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon charity participants,” Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski said in a statement. “Training for and participating in a marathon takes a huge amount of dedication, and to add the work of fundraising onto the work of training shows how committed these participants are to their causes. The $47.1 million they raised will make a meaningful difference in the world, and we are so honored our charity participants chose the Bank of America Chicago Marathon as the vehicle for their fundraising.”
And as the event looks forward to 2026, that number is expected to continue to climb, with a third of the 55,000 runners participating expected to race on behalf of a charity.
A list of official charities and information on how to register by joining a charity team can be found here.
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