The 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon medal is out, and it's a good one.
There's no official press photo gallery up yet, just the reveal on the marathon's Instagram (@chimarathon). I grabbed some stills so you can see it clearly before you're staring at it around your own neck on October 11.
The front
The medal centers on the Chicago skyline as seen behind the LaSalle Street Bridge, one of the six river crossings on the course. You'll hit this exact view running down Wells Street. It's the fourth of the six bridges you cross during the race, and the marathon picked it on purpose so the medal matches something you'll actually see that day, not just a generic skyline shot.
Around the edge: BANK OF AMERICA CHICAGO MARATHON, OCTOBER 11, and 2026 worked into the skyline itself. A six-pointed star sits on the left side, echoing the star on the Chicago flag. "29 NEIGHBORHOODS" runs along the bottom, a nod to how much of the city the course actually covers.
The ribbon
Chicago flag colors, no surprise there. Blue background, red polka dots. Near the top, "2026" is outlined in white over the dots, with the same star from the medal face repeated below it. Further down the ribbon, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon logo shows up in white, including the little skyline-and-wave mark they've used for a few years now.
The back
The back is where the 29 neighborhoods actually show up by name. They're engraved in a tight, layered arrangement, each one underlined like a little label. From the shots I've got, you can pick out Streeterville, the Magnificent Mile, University Village, the Loop, Park West, Lincoln Park, Park Boulevard, South Loop, Wrigleyville, Old Town, the Old Town Triangle, and River North, with more wrapping around the rest of the medal.
There's also a blank squared-off panel near the top of the back. That's the spot reserved for the itab.
One practical note
Your name and finish time don't come stamped on the medal itself anymore. The 2026 medal uses an itab, a small engraved plate that gets mailed to you separately after the race and attaches to the back. So don't panic if your medal looks blank when you cross the line. The personalized piece shows up later.
With more than 55,000 runners expected on October 11, this is what a big chunk of them will be wearing home from the Loop that day.