Big change for anyone running with a soft flask or hydration vest this October: the Bank of America Chicago Marathon is adding four Culligan Water Refill Stations right on the course.
Where the refill stations are
| Location | Aid station | Mile |
|---|---|---|
| Refill Station 1 | Before Aid Station 4 | 5.7 |
| Refill Station 2 | Before Aid Station 7 | 10.1 |
| Refill Station 3 | Before Aid Station 12 | 15.7 |
| Refill Station 4 | Before Aid Station 16 | 20.3 |
If you carry your own hydration gear, you can now refill it on course with filtered water instead of relying only on cups. Chicago is the first Abbott World Marathon Major to allow this, and the water goes through Culligan's activated carbon filtration to cut down on microplastics and off tastes.
Practice the motion before race day
HydraPak, the marathon's hydration gear partner, is also putting out tutorials on how to move through the stations quickly without losing time. Worth a watch before race day if you're planning to use one, since fumbling with a flask at mile 15 is not how you want to spend your marathon.
I saw these at Chicago 13.1
I noticed these already set up at the Chicago 13.1 this year and they worked well. Quick to get in and out of, water tasted clean, no real slowdown in the flow of the aid station. If you ran that race and used one, this is the same setup scaled up for marathon day.
For more on aid station strategy and course logistics, see the full Chicago Marathon course guide and the race weekend breakdown.