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SKECHERS Hot Chocolate Run Chicago
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2026 race
- Start
- 07:307:30 AM
- Distance
- 15.0 km9.3 mi
- 10K · 15 km · 5K
The course
Pick a placeThe 15K starts in Grant Park beside the Art Institute and the Bean, passes Chicago City Hall about 2 km in, and the organiser lists Soldier Field and the Field Museum among the sights.
StartFinish
© OpenStreetMap contributors
- Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0
km 0mile 0
The Art Institute of Chicago
The organiser has runners take off next to the Art Institute and the Bean in Grant Park.
Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0
km 0.2mile 0.1
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
The organiser lists the pavilion among the landmarks the course runs past, about 0.2 km after the start.
km 2mile 1.2
Chicago City Hall
The route passes about 80 m from City Hall, 2 km into the race.
km 13.5mile 8.4
Soldier Field
The organiser lists Soldier Field among the landmarks on the course, which comes within about 150 m of it near 13.5 km.
- Out of Grant Park past City Hall and down to Soldier FieldStarts by the Art Institute, passes City Hall at 2 km, Soldier Field near 13.5 km.
- 5K, 10K and 15K all start at 7:30All three distances start at 7:30; gear check opens at 6:30; no race-day pickup.
- Public transport to Grant Park, no parking on the courseTake the CTA or Metra; Lyft drop-off at Ida B. Wells and Wabash.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseLandmarkOut of Grant Park past City Hall and down to Soldier FieldStarts by the Art Institute, passes City Hall at 2 km, Soldier Field near 13.5 km.
The organiser has runners take off in Grant Park next to The Art Institute of Chicago and the Bean, and cross the finish line by Buckingham Fountain. Its course highlights name Maggie Daley Park, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the James R. Thompson Center, Chicago City Hall, the Chicago Board of Trade, McCormick Place, Soldier Field and the Field Museum, with the downtown river walk, Grant Park, Millennium Park and Soldier Field as the four headline stretches.
Sourced
Whole courseTactics5K, 10K and 15K all start at 7:30All three distances start at 7:30; gear check opens at 6:30; no race-day pickup.
The organiser lists a 7:30 start for the 5K, the 10K and the 15K, and an approximate 9:15 start for the 2-mile walk. Gear check opens 60 minutes before the start. There is no race day packet pickup: kits are collected at the expo at McCormick Place West on Friday 30 October from 12:00 to 19:00 and Saturday 31 October from 10:00 to 17:00, or mailed. The organiser asks participants to wear the bib fully visible and attached on the front of the torso to be timed and to enter the start corral.
Sourced
Whole courseConditionsPublic transport to Grant Park, no parking on the courseTake the CTA or Metra; Lyft drop-off at Ida B. Wells and Wabash.
For the 2026 race the organiser encourages public transport and carpooling, and says no parking is allowed on the course and cars ignoring the signs will be towed. Metra runs early Sunday service, Grant Park is near the Van Buren Street station on the Metra Electric Line and a 20-minute walk from Union Station, and a $7 Sunday Day Pass covers the whole system. Lyft drop-off is at Ida B. Wells and Wabash, and the Grant Park North Garage is the suggested garage, to be parked by 6:00 a.m.
Sourced
Race weekend
Friday 30 October Expo
-
12:0012:00 PM–19:007:00 PM
Expo and packet pickup McCormick Place West, W190 to W196, 2317 S Indiana Ave. Free and open to the public. There is no race day packet pickup.
Saturday 31 October Expo
-
10:0010:00 AM–17:005:00 PM
Expo and packet pickup McCormick Place West, W190 to W196, 2317 S Indiana Ave
Sunday 1 November Race day
-
06:306:30 AM
Gear check opens Grant Park. Gear check opens 60 minutes before the start.
Other races (2)
-
07:307:30 AM
5K, 10K and 15K start Grant Park, next to The Art Institute of Chicago and the Bean. The finish is by Buckingham Fountain. -
09:159:15 AM
2-mile walk start Approximate start time.
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
1 gel 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 7.5mile 4.7
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.
Order now to test one on your last long run.
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 SKECHERS Hot Chocolate Run Chicago.
