Chicago Half Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Life Time Chicago Half Marathon is a half marathon on Chicago's South Side that starts and finishes in Jackson Park and runs on traffic-restricted Lake Shore Drive. It is produced by Life Time and held on a Sunday in late September, together with a 5K and a Kids Run. The start is on E. Hayes Drive near the Statue of the Republic, known as the Golden Lady. Runners head north, with views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline, and after the turnaround return south along Lake Shore Drive past the Kenwood and Hyde Park neighborhoods. The Museum of Science and Industry campus comes into view near the end, and the finish is at the Statue of the Republic. Lake Shore Drive is closed between 31st and 67th Streets from 6:00 AM on race morning, and a pace of 16 minutes per mile goes into effect as soon as the last participant crosses the start line so that the road can reopen on schedule. The race was first held in 1997 on a lakefront course that finished in Grant Park, and it moved to the Jackson Park course in 1998. About 10,000 runners took part in 2026.