The Expo

The Chicago Marathon Expo is where you pick up your bib and accidentally put two miles on your legs the day before the race. I went Thursday in 2024 and was caught off guard by how big it is. If you don't go in with a plan, it turns into way more time on your feet than it should. And that matters, because the expo can quietly cost you the race before it even starts.

• Go Thursday if you can
• Budget 60-90 minutes
• Grab your bib first
• Do one loop, not three
• Hit Nike early if you care about gear
• Don't try anything new
• Leave

This is the thing the official guide won't tell you. McCormick Place is massive, and the floor is polished concrete. The walk from the entrance through the hall to packet pickup and back is longer than it looks on a map. Add time browsing vendors and you can easily log two or more miles on hard concrete the day before a marathon.

Treat the expo like a physical cost, not a free afternoon. Get your bib, hit the booths you care about, and then go back to the hotel and put your legs up. Every unnecessary hour on that floor is a deposit you're making against Sunday.

The runners who struggle most at the expo are the ones who treat it like a vacation activity. The ones who treat it like a tactical errand come out ahead.

Venue: Abbott Health & Fitness Expo at McCormick Place, North Building, Level 3, Hall B1, 2301 S. Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago, IL 60616.

The three-day Expo is free and open to the public.

I drove in 2024, entering from South Lake Shore Drive and following signs to Lot C. Parking was straightforward, and the walk through McCormick Place to the expo hall was about five minutes once I parked. You have to pay for parking, but getting out was painless.

That said, driving is not the only way, and depending on where you're staying it might not be the best way. If you're coming from downtown, the CTA Green Line to Cermak-McCormick Place station is the cleaner call, about a 10-15 minute walk to the hall. Metra Electric also runs frequent service between downtown and McCormick Place. Coming from Indiana, the South Shore Line is worth looking into.

If you're staying downtown, skip the parking and shuttle stress and take transit.

All attendees go through a security screening at the entrance. Leave large bags and luggage at the hotel. Bring a small foldable bag for carrying expo gear home.

• Quick trip: 45-60 minutes
• Normal visit: 60-90 minutes
• If you wander: 2+ hours

Plan for 60-90 minutes and treat anything beyond that as optional.

The bib line moved faster than I expected. I was in line and had my bib in hand within five minutes. Have your Packet Pick-up ticket and photo ID ready and it goes quickly. Tickets are emailed throughout Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Save yours to your phone or print it before you head to McCormick Place.

Check that the ticket shows the correct name, address, age, and gender. Send corrections to office@chicagomarathon.com.

Your participant bag comes with more than just the basics. In 2024 mine included a Shokz branded running belt, which was a genuinely useful addition. The Chicago running community seems to agree: you still see them on the Lakefront Trail regularly. Check everything in your bag before you leave the packet pickup area.

Nike anchors the middle of the hall and draws the biggest crowd by far. It's also the most chaotic: people trying on shirts, comparing fits, loading up on gear. Go in knowing what you want or you'll lose 45 minutes just browsing.

Find your neighborhood on the route and the miles that run past it. It is a lot clearer standing in front of the real thing than zooming in on your phone.

The same map, broken down mile by mile with crowd notes and hydration detail, is on the course guide.

The legend is worth reading too. It marks the Gatorade aid stations, the water refill stops, and the cheer zones, so the symbols mean something to you before Sunday morning.

Aid stations run roughly one to two miles apart all day, so you can see the gaps before you are standing in one.

The expo is full of things that look great and feel exciting to buy. Resist the urge to wear any of it Sunday. No new shoes, no new socks, no new shirt, no new belt. If you didn't train in it, don't race in it. The expo is for buying gear for your next training cycle, not for race day.

This applies to nutrition too. The expo floor has free samples of gels, chews, and electrolyte drinks from dozens of brands. Collect them, put them in your bag, and try them on a future training run. Do not eat something new the day before the race.

Go Thursday. I went Thursday and it was noticeably relaxed. Bib pickup was quick, the floor was manageable, and the gear was fully stocked. By Saturday, lines are longer, popular sizes are gone, and your legs will pay for it.

If your schedule forces Friday or Saturday, go early and head straight to packet pickup first.

I went solo. Bring someone. The expo is genuinely fun and there's enough to see that it's worth sharing. My wife would have loved it and I should have brought her. It's free and open to the public, so there's no reason to go alone if you don't have to. Just keep the "protect your legs" rule in mind for whoever comes with you: they can keep browsing while you find a place to sit.