Marathon Week in the South Loop: Why Your Streets Close First and Reopen Last
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
The first streets on the 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon course open again at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 11. That's Columbus Drive and Grand Avenue up by the start. Roosevelt Road between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive stays closed until 6 p.m. The South Loop has the last mile, the finish chute, and the latest reopening times in the official schedule. On the lake side of the neighborhood, the race started taking over streets before October did.
The 48th running starts and finishes in Grant Park. Organizers expect more than 55,000 participants, out of more than 200,000 applicants, and call it the largest field yet. Every one of those runners finishes on South Loop pavement. Here's what that means from Thursday to Monday.
Balbo Drive between Columbus Drive and DuSable Lake Shore Drive closed on Thursday, September 24, at 6 a.m. The organizer's schedule doesn't reopen it until Friday, October 16, at 3 p.m. That's more than three weeks, and the race itself is one morning.
The next round arrives Thursday. At 4 a.m. on October 8, these streets close along the park's western and southern edge:
Roosevelt Road from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive joins them Saturday at 11 a.m. and stays closed until 6 p.m. Sunday. If you usually get to the lakefront by heading east on Roosevelt or Balbo, plan on a different route from Thursday morning through Monday afternoon.
Here's how the week looks from the South Loop:
| Day | What closes or happens near the South Loop | When it clears |
|---|---|---|
| Since Thu, Sept 24 | Balbo Dr, Columbus to DuSable Lake Shore Dr | Fri, Oct 16, 3 p.m. |
| Thu, Oct 8 | Columbus Dr from Ida B. Wells to Roosevelt; Balbo Dr west of Columbus; Expo opens at McCormick Place North | Columbus and Balbo by Mon, Oct 12, 3 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct 10 | Abbott Chicago 5K closures on Michigan, Harrison, State and more | Most by 9:30 a.m. |
| Sun, Oct 11, 1 a.m. | No-parking enforcement starts along the course | Ticketing and towing in effect |
| Sun, Oct 11 | Michigan from 31st to Roosevelt; Roosevelt from Michigan to Columbus | Michigan at 4:30 p.m.; Roosevelt at 6 p.m. |
The organizer says all of these times are subject to change. The live version is the official street closures page.
Before the marathon there's the Abbott Chicago 5K on Saturday, October 10. It starts at 7:30 a.m. on Ida B. Wells Drive between Columbus and Michigan and finishes at Wacker and Adams. Its closures cover Ida B. Wells, Congress Plaza Drive, Michigan, Harrison, State, Franklin, Van Buren, Jackson and parts of Wacker. Most of them run 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Jackson and part of Wacker are closed 5 to 11 a.m. No-parking starts at 1 a.m.
The 5K is the only part of the weekend that uses State Street. The marathon itself never runs on State or Wabash. CTA expects downtown bus reroutes from 5 a.m. to about 10 a.m. Saturday and recommends taking the train. If you're out early Saturday on Harrison or State, you'll run into it. By late morning the neighborhood is mostly back to normal until Sunday.
Wheelchair racers start at 7:20 a.m. The professional field goes at 7:30, and the last wave leaves at 8:35. The race spends its first half on the North Side and West Side, then heads back through Pilsen and Chinatown. It goes along Cermak Road to Wentworth Avenue at Mile 21, down Wentworth to 26th Street, then east to Michigan Avenue. From there runners go north on Michigan from 31st Street to Roosevelt Road for Miles 25 and 26. They turn east on Roosevelt and finish on Columbus Drive.
The Roosevelt Road turn is the last real corner of the course, and it's the last Sunday course street to reopen. Columbus Drive between Roosevelt and the finish line stays closed longer, until Monday at 3 p.m. Course streets close at 6 a.m. and reopen in sequence as the final runners pass. Moving south and then back north into the South Loop, the anticipated reopening times look like this:
Michigan Avenue from Balbo Drive to Roosevelt Road is on a separate Grant Park schedule. It closes at 5:30 a.m. and reopens at 6 p.m. That's seven and a half hours after the start area opens again. If you have a Sunday dinner reservation across Michigan, or a ride-share pickup on Roosevelt, schedule it for after 6.
The official Bank of America Cheer Zone closest to the finish is at Mile 26, near Michigan Avenue and Roosevelt Road. It has entertainment and cheer items. Spectators can't enter the Grant Park start and finish areas. The organizer asks them to watch from the course and meet runners in designated Grant Park spots, including the 27th Mile Post-Race Party. That party is on Butler Field near Columbus and Jackson, and it's open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Two community cheer stations are set up a little south of the neighborhood, where the course passes along Michigan in both directions:
If you'd rather take the train, CTA lists three viewing stops on this end of the course. Cermak-Chinatown on the Red Line puts you at Mile 21.5. Cermak-McCormick Place on the Green Line is near Mile 25, with a short walk east to Michigan. Roosevelt, served by the Red, Green and Orange lines, is right by the finish area.
Several South Loop businesses are doing something tied to the race. On Saturday the running app Runna is taking over Eleven City Diner at 1112 S. Wabash Ave. There's an 8:30 a.m. shakeout 5K with coach Anya Culling, then an 11 a.m. coaching booth. On Sunday at 11 a.m., finishers can get free portraits with their medals in a diner booth. All three are listed with registration links.
Woven + Bound, at 2121 S. Prairie Ave. by McCormick Place, is serving carb-loading specials October 10 to 12. The menu has fusilli Bolognese for $26 and rigatoni alla vodka for $22. The free Abbott Health & Fitness Expo is in the same area, in McCormick Place North, Level 3, Hall B1. It runs Thursday, October 8, then Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Official pages disagree on Thursday's opening time. One says 10 a.m. and the spectator schedule says 11 a.m., so check before you go.
Other spots keep their usual hours that weekend. Weather Mark Tavern, at 1503 S. Michigan Ave. on the Mile 26 stretch, lists weekend brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with $25 bottomless mimosas. The Spoke & Bird at 205 E. 18th St. is open Sundays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Neither one advertises a race-specific special.
Posted no-parking zones along the course are enforced from 1 a.m. Sunday, and vehicles left there are ticketed and towed. If your street has temporary signs, move your car Saturday night.
CTA expects downtown bus reroutes or significant delays from 6 a.m. to about 4 p.m. Sunday. Affected routes include the #12 Roosevelt and #29 State. The South Side reroute area runs from Halsted to King Drive and from 18th to 35th Street, which also covers the #21 Cermak and #35 31st/35th. To travel north and south between Roosevelt and 35th, CTA points riders to the Green, Red and Orange lines. CTA's marathon service page has the full reroute list.
Metra is the other option. The marathon's transportation page recommends Metra's $7 Saturday-or-Sunday Day Pass or the $10 Weekend Pass, and notes that the Metra Electric runs frequently between downtown and McCormick Place.
The long closures along the park end Monday, October 12. Jackson Drive east of Columbus reopens at 6 a.m., then Columbus Drive and the western leg of Balbo at 3 p.m. Balbo east of Columbus stays closed until Friday, October 16.
Once the streets are back, the rest of the month is low-key. The South Loop Farmers Market runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Printers Row Park, 632 S. Dearborn St., through October 31. That afternoon, South Loop Neighbors holds its ninth annual Halloween pub crawl from 2 to 6 p.m., starting at Reggies at 2105 S. State St.
If marathon week has you thinking about where you'll live next, The Michael Scavo Group can help you compare buildings and blocks across the South Loop, whether you want to be near the lakefront or a few streets west. Send us your list, and we'll schedule tours so you can see each spot before you sign. Find Your Apartment.
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