Run Mag Mile Half Marathon

Race the only running event to take place on Chicago's Magnificent Mile! With both half marathon and 5k race distances, there is an event for runners of all ability levels! Run Mag Mile is open to men, women and children! We're excited to offer the opportunity for everyone to run on the Magnificent Mile.Now named the Run Mag Mile Half Marathon and moved from August to September, this race originally designed especially for women makes its annual running in the Windy City on Labor Day weekend, and also includes a 5K event designed to encourage sisters as well as moms and their daughters to sign up and run together.The claim to fame for the race is in the name — it is the first running event in the city’s history, organizers say, to include a stretch of Chicago’s famed Magnificent Mile downtown shopping district in its running route.

Runners will start and finish the out-and-back course for the race in downtown Chicago’s Grant Park, which lies along the Lake Michigan shoreline near the mouth of the Chicago River and the Navy Pier, where the city’s signature Buckingham Fountain will no doubt be the place many runners and their friends, families and spectators will gather to take photos once the race is done.From the starting line near the Art Institute of Chicago, runners head out first onto Randolph Street and then Michigan Avenue, where they’ll cross over the Chicago River twice and then head back toward the park.

The Run Mag Mile Half & 5k course highlights the city’s biggest attractions. We hold our races to the highest quality standards, from start to finish, course design and accuracy, emergency medical plans that exceed industry standards all in the name of your safety. Along those lines, all RAM Racing events have a USATF-certified course with a distance that has been certified for accuracy. The course runs past the Willis Tower, McCormick Place, the Field Museum and Soldier Field, as well as a nearly three-mile-long stretch down the “Magnificent Mile” from which the race gets its name.

Participants and spectators are encouraged to travel to Grant Park via public transportation. The CTA will be increasing early morning train capacity race day. Specific details of the extra service will be posted on the CTA Customer Alerts page. For travel information, visit CTA’s Trip Planner. If you drive, please allow sufficient time for heavy traffic congestion and street closures due to the race.

All Half Marathon finishers will receive a medal! We wanted the medal to capture the spirit of this truly unique summertime race event. Run Mag Mile is about combining the passion to run with the passion of Chicago’s culture. The Magnificent Mile is one of the city’s most sought after streets. Lined with many of the world’s most recognized architecture, this mile, earns its magnificent moniker in every way. It is also the heart of our amazing race. The magic of the Mag Mile will be brought to you in a way that you’ve never experience it before. This stretch of pavement is off-limits to runners except for this "One Day To Run.”

The Run Mag Mile Half & 5k is an officially timed event using a disposable chip timing system. You'll see timing clocks at each mile marker along the USATF-certified course, as well as at the start and finish lines. Results will be posted online within 24 hours after the race.

Please note that a 15 minute mile pace or faster is required for both the 5k and 15k race distances. A 15 min. mile pace is roughly four miles per hour, equivalent to a very brisk walk. If you fall below this pace, the race organizers can no longer guarantee course support. Aid Stations, medical support, portable toilets, and road closures will begin to become unavailable to participants. The local police and race organizers will ask you to reroute to a shorter version of the course, or move up onto the sidewalk where you will be required to obey regular traffic laws.