Parking Near the Chicago Marathon: Your 2023 Guide to Race Parking, Tips + More

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Searching for parking near the Chicago Marathon? We’ve got you covered!

The 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon is coming up on Sunday, October 8. The Marathon is anticipating over 47,000 runners will run 26.2-miles through 29 Chicago neighborhoods this year.

Waves begin at 7:20 a.m. and millions of spectators will line the streets of Chicago to cheer on the runners. Our advice? Get there early and plan ahead, especially if you want to find someone along the race route.

Check out our spectators’ guide for everything you need to know!

Parking Near the Chicago Marathon

If you’re looking for parking near the Chicago Marathon start line or along the race route, use SpotHero to reserve your spot in advance. Check out the SpotHero marathon parking page to compare locations and prices. You can also download the SpotHero app for iPhone or Android.

Read your parking pass for any street closures, which begin at 7 a.m. We’ll also include tips on the best garage entrance/exit.

You can visit the Chicago Marathon website for additional recommendations about parking on the day of the marathon.

Marathon Parking Restrictions & Street Closures

No Parking Zones along the course begin at 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 8. For full details, check out the No Parking signs in your area. Street closures along the route will occur between 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The roads in Grant Park will be closed longer.

Top 5 Locations to See the Runners

General spectators will not have access to the start/finish area in Grant Park. But there are a number of locations along the route where you can see the runners up close. Here are the top six:

1. To see runners closest to the start of the race, go to Grand Avenue, between Columbus Drive and State Street, near Mile 1, or anywhere along State Street, between Grand Avenue and Jackson Boulevard. This is a great photo opp to catch your runner near the Chicago Theater sign on State Street.

Book parking near this location.

2. Visit the designated Cheer Zone, located at the 8K mark. The 8K mile marker is the turnaround point at the intersection of Sheridan and Broadway.

Book parking near the 8K Cheer Zone.

3. Check out the Charity Block Party Cheer Zone at Mile 15. This Cheer Zone is located at Adams and Loomis near Whitney Young High School.

Book parking near the 15K Cheer Zone.

4. Join in the celebration at the finish line! The Cheer Zone at Mile 26 is located near the finish line at Michigan Avenue and Roosevelt Road.

Book parking near the finish line.

5. After the race, plan to meet your runner at the runner reunite area in Butler Field, located north of Jackson Drive, between Columbus Drive and Lake Shore Drive. Spectator access to Runner Reunite and the Post-Race Party in Grant Park opens at 9:30 a.m. on race day.

Book parking near this location.

Top 3 Locations to “Spot Hop”

Thanks to the Chicago Marathon course design, you can see the runners at two different points of the race. Here are the top 3 spots:

1. The Merchandise Mart: Mile 3 and Mile 13. Root for the runners as they hit the 3-mile marker at LaSalle and Kinzie. Then at Franklin and Lake, you can cheer them on at Mile 13. Book parking near this location.

2. LaSalle and Division: Mile 4 and Mile 12. See the runners in their first pass through Old Town on LaSalle at Mile 4 and again when they head south on Wells at Mile 12. Book parking near this location.

3. Jackson and Racine: Mile 15 and Mile 16. The runners head through the West Loop in the second half of the race. You can see them at Mile 15 near Adams and Racine and at Mile 16 near Jackson and Racine.

Watch Runners Near CTA Stops

Want to take the train on Race Day? Talk to your runners and find out their planned pace to estimate when they will arrive at particular locations on the course. Here are the CTA closest to different viewing areas.

Grand (Red Line) Station – Miles 1, 3, and 12.5
Board a Red Line train and exit at Grand Avenue. Walk three blocks west to LaSalle Street (Mile 3) and four blocks west to Wells Street (Mile 12.5).

Monroe (Red Line) Station – Mile 2
Board a Red Line train and exit at Monroe St.

Chicago (Red Line) Station – Miles 3.5 and 12.25
Board a Red Line train and exit at Chicago Avenue. Walk three blocks west to LaSalle Street and four blocks west to Wells Street.

Addison (Red Line) Station – Mile 8.5
Board a Red Line train and exit at Addison Street. Walk four blocks east to Broadway.

Sedgwick (Brown Line) Station – Mile 11
Board a Brown Line train and exit at Sedgwick Street. Walk a half-block north to North Avenue.

UIC-Halsted (Blue Line) Station – Miles 14.25, 17
Board a Blue Line train and exit at UIC-Halsted. Use the Halsted Street exit or Morgan Street exit. Walk two blocks north to Adams St. to view the runners at Mile 14.25 in Greektown or use the Halsted Street exit to Mile 17.

18th (Pink Line) Station – Mile 19.25
Board a Pink Line train and exit at 18th Street. Walk four blocks east to Loomis St.

35th-Bronzeville-IIT (Red and Green Line) Station – Miles 23, 23.25
Board a Red or Green Line train and exit at 35th-Bronzeville-IIT. Use the 33rd Street or 35th Street exit.

Roosevelt (Red, Green, and Orange Line) Station – Mile 26
Board a Red, Green, or Orange Line train and exit at Roosevelt Road. Walk east on Roosevelt Road toward the Cheer Zone at Michigan Avenue and Roosevelt Road.

Chicago Marathon Start Times

When: Sunday, October 8, 2023
Where: Grant Park
Marathon Wheelchair Start (men): 7:20 a.m.
Marathon Wheelchair Start (women): 7:21 a.m.
Marathon Handcycle Start: 7:23 a.m.
Wave 1 Start (red): 7:30 a.m.
Wave 2 Start (blue): 8 a.m.
Wave 3 Start (orange): 8:35 a.m.
Spectator access to Grant Park begins at 9:30 a.m.

Good luck, runners!