Entry through the organiser
Entry details on the organiser’s site →
The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.
Running Chicago? Do your long runs with the gel you will race on. Get them on Amazon Amazon partner link
Back to your race planner
Life Time Chicago Spring Half Marathon & 5K
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Distance
- 21.1 km13.1 mi
- Half marathon · 5K
The course
The half marathon and the 5K both start on Columbus Drive south of Monroe, and most of the half marathon runs along Chicago's Lakefront Trail, which the organiser calls extremely flat and fast.
- Columbus Drive to the Lakefront TrailStart on Columbus Drive; most of the course on the Lakefront Trail.
- Spring Market Finish FestivalBrunch buffet, live music, free flowers and a finisher medal.
- Pick up on Friday or Saturday, or choose will callFri 12:00 to 19:00, Sat 10:00 to 17:00; will call 5:30 to 6:30 on race morning.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGradientColumbus Drive to the Lakefront TrailStart on Columbus Drive; most of the course on the Lakefront Trail.
The organiser describes a course set against the Chicago skyline and the Museum Campus, with the majority on the Lakefront Trail. The trail stays open to the public during the race, so runners are asked to keep right, yield at intersections and expect other trail users. Dogs and strollers are not allowed on the course.
Sourced
Whole courseTacticsSpring Market Finish FestivalBrunch buffet, live music, free flowers and a finisher medal.
The festival at Butler Field includes a gourmet brunch buffet for all participants, complimentary beer for those aged 21 and over with a valid ID, live music and a spring flower station with flowers to take home. Gear check is in the festival area and closes at noon. The half marathon is open to runners who are 14 or older on race day, and everyone must keep a pace of 16 minutes per mile.
Sourced
Whole courseTacticsPick up on Friday or Saturday, or choose will callFri 12:00 to 19:00, Sat 10:00 to 17:00; will call 5:30 to 6:30 on race morning.
Entrants show a photo ID and use the Life Time app to collect the bib, shirt and goody bag. Corral placement follows estimated finishing time, and the corral sticker goes on the bib at pickup. The organiser also sells a packet mailing option and a race day will call for $40, which is open from 5:30 to 6:30 on race morning. A shakeout run is on Saturday at 9:00.
Sourced
Race weekend
Friday 14 May Bib pickup
-
12:0012:00 PM–19:007:00 PM
Packet pickup Friday packet pickup. A photo ID is required.
Saturday 15 May Last bib day
-
09:009:00 AM
Shakeout run -
10:0010:00 AM–17:005:00 PM
Packet pickup Saturday packet pickup. A photo ID is required.
Bib in hand?A number belt holds it without pins through your race top. Clip it on tonight.
Number belt on AmazonAmazon partner link
Sunday 16 May Race day
-
05:305:30 AM–06:306:30 AM
Race day will call For entrants who bought the will call option; there is no other race day packet pickup.
Times as published by the organiser, in Chicago time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Sunday
Race morning, on the record
We hold no start time for this race, so the record is read at 09:009:00 AM, local time.
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Chicago time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
2 gels for Chicago, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7.3mile 4.6
- km 14.7mile 9.1
For your long training runs:
Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side. Enough for race day and two test long runs.
Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.
Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.
Anti-chafe
Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml
An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.
Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.
Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Number belt
Compressport Race Belt
Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.
Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.
Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Electrolytes
SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20
One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.
One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.
Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Blister plasters
Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6
One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.
Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.
Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Life Time Chicago Spring Half Marathon & 5K.
