16-Week Chicago Marathon Training Plan

Chicago, ILOctober 11, 2026

Start around June 21, 2026. The calendar below gives each phase a real date, then the course guidance shows where to make the build specific to Chicago Marathon.

Chicago is the flat, fast American major: a single loop out of Grant Park through more than two dozen neighborhoods, wall-to-wall crowds, and a course where world records have fallen. If you have a time goal, this is a course that will let you chase it.

Race day
October 11, 2026
Start window
June 21, 2026
Runway
16 weeks
Course
a flat loop through 29 neighborhoods
Plan choice
Current training

Does this window fit your starting point?

Use this window when you have a running base and want several weeks before the hardest marathon-specific work begins. The extra month over a 12-week plan creates more room for gradual long-run growth and recovery.

  • You run consistently enough that week one is a continuation, not a restart.
  • You want a distinct foundation phase before the biggest long runs.
  • You can protect your planned run days for roughly four months.
  • Your race date leaves the full window without forcing skipped weeks.

The 16-week Chicago Marathon calendar

These dates define the job of each phase. Your current mileage, recent longest run, experience, goal, and available days still decide the actual workouts inside them.

Foundation

Weeks 1–4

Jun 22, 2026–Jul 19, 2026

Establish repeatable weeks, keep most running easy, and begin extending the long run without forcing the pace.

Build

Weeks 5–10

Jul 20, 2026–Aug 30, 2026

Increase the weekly load, preserve step-back weeks, and introduce the terrain and effort the race will require.

Peak

Weeks 11–13

Aug 31, 2026–Sep 20, 2026

Complete the biggest race-specific weeks and use long runs to lock in fueling, pacing, and equipment.

Taper

Weeks 14–16

Sep 21, 2026–Oct 11, 2026

Bring volume down while keeping the weekly rhythm familiar. Training is finished before race week begins.

Make the window specific to Chicago Marathon.

Use the first month to establish consistency, then make long runs progressively more specific to the race's terrain and conditions. The course rehearsal should grow with the plan, not appear all at once in peak week.

Read the full race guide

How to train for Chicago

Flat and fast means rhythm. Chicago rewards long runs with sustained goal-pace segments; the ability to lock a number and hold it for an hour-plus is the entire skill. Stride’s time-goal builds put that work in your week at the right dose for your volume history.

It’s an October race, so you’ll build through summer heat and race in (usually) cool air, though Chicago Octobers have served up everything from 35°F to 80°F. Train by effort, plan clothing for a range, and rehearse fueling at goal pace, because a flat course lets you run fast enough to make your stomach the limiter.

Let your current training decide the actual plan.

Current mileage, recent longest run, marathon experience, goal, and available days determine which plans rank first. After you choose and subscribe, Stride dates every workout through October 11, 2026.

Build My Plan

16-week Chicago Marathon plan questions, answered.

When should I start a 16-week Chicago Marathon plan?

The 2026 Chicago Marathon is scheduled for October 11, 2026, so the 16-week window opens around June 21, 2026. Treat that as the outside edge of the window, then line week one up with the plan's normal weekly rhythm.

Is a 16-week plan long enough for the Chicago Marathon?

Use this window when you have a running base and want several weeks before the hardest marathon-specific work begins. The extra month over a 12-week plan creates more room for gradual long-run growth and recovery. The course does not change the opening load you can handle, so choose from your current mileage and recent longest run before adding race-specific terrain.

How should I prepare for the Chicago Marathon course in 16 weeks?

Use the first month to establish consistency, then make long runs progressively more specific to the race's terrain and conditions. The course rehearsal should grow with the plan, not appear all at once in peak week. Flat and fast means rhythm. Chicago rewards long runs with sustained goal-pace segments; the ability to lock a number and hold it for an hour-plus is the entire skill. Stride’s time-goal builds put that work in your week at the right dose for your volume history.

What if the 16-week Chicago Marathon window has already started?

Do not double weeks or cram missed mileage into the remaining calendar. Use your current mileage, recent longest run, experience, goal, and available days to choose a plan that can enter at an appropriate point while preserving the taper.

How long do I need to train for the Chicago Marathon?

Most Stride marathon plans run 12 to 20 weeks depending on your base and goal. Get matched in the app and every week from today to race day in Grant Park gets mapped, long runs, step-back weeks, and taper included.

Is Chicago a good marathon for a PR or a BQ?

One of the best in the world. The course is flat, the crowds carry you, and October in Chicago is usually cool. If you pace evenly and your buildup included real goal-pace work, Chicago will give you everything your fitness has.

Put the 16-week window against your actual race.

Each page counts back from race day, maps the 4 phases to real dates, and applies the window to that course and its typical conditions.