2025 Chicago Marathon Betting Preview and Predictions: Kenyans and Ethiopians Favored

We finally have the 2025 Chicago Marathon betting odds, so it’s time to figure out the best for the 47^th edition. Both the men’s and women’s kick off on Sunday, October 12, but who will win this year?

I’m going to take you through the route and the weather forecast, the top favorites, and provide some historical context before making my predictions! Before we get there, though, here are the Chicago marathon winner odds.

Chicago Marathon 2025 Betting Odds

Let’s begin with the Chicago odds on the men’s winner.

2025 Chicago Marathon Men’s Betting Odds

I’ve only covered the big names above, but Bovada offers odds on multiple other contestants. The same applies to the women’s race, so let’s see the prices for the favorites there.

Chicago Marathon 2025 Women’s Race Betting Odds

You can find the odds by going to Bovada > Sports > Athletics.

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Chicago Marathon 2025 Route

It’s essential to know the route that the marathon travels before you head to online sportsbooks. The route for the 2025 Chicago Marathon will take runners in a loop, with the race starting and ending at Grant Park, a large park in downtown Chicago. The race is 26.2 miles, which is standard for a marathon length.

The Chicago Marathon route will go through 29 neighborhoods in the city, including:

• The Loop
• River North
• Old Town Triangle
• Lincoln Park
• Lake View East
• Wrigleyville
• Park West
• Chinatown
• Greektown

The race is relatively flat, as the minimum elevation is 580 feet above sea level, and the maximum is 612 feet. Out of the six Marathon Majors (Chicago, Boston, London, Tokyo, Berlin, New York), the marathon in the “Windy City” is the flattest.

That means the race is usually very fast as runners don’t have to deal with elevation. The men’s world record was set by the late Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya in 2023. The women’s world record was set by Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich in 2024 in Chicago (which still stands even though she has been banned, more on that below).

Favorites for the 2025 Chicago Marathon

Let’s take a look at the most likey winners in the Chicago Marathon men’s and women’s races for 2025.

Men’s Favorites

Women’s Favorites

Next, let’s look at the top Chicago Marathon betting favorites for the Women’s Elite Division!

It should be noted that last year’s winner, Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya, won’t race. She was suspended in July for testing positive for a banned substance. Chepngetich is a three-time winner in Chicago, coming in first in 2021, 2022, and 2024.

The following athletes will fight for the win in her absence.

Chicago Marathon Weather Predictions for 2025

The sun will rise at 6:59 AM CDT in Chicago on Sunday, October 12. The forecast in Chicago is calling for a partly cloudy day, with winds between 5-10 miles per hour throughout the day.

There will be a high of 71 degrees Fahrenheit in Chicago, and winds will be consistently out of the East/Northeast. The humidity index should sit at 63%, so it should be a great day for the 2025 Chicago Marathon.

I expect strong times under such conditions, so we might see some personal bests in this one. Given that the world records in both the men’s and women’s marathons were set here in the past couple of years, we might even witness history!

Chicago Marathon by the Numbers

Let’s take a look at the 2025 Chicago Marathon key stats, as I dig into the numbers for this race on October 12.

• Over 50,000 people are expected to participate in the 2025 Chicago Marathon.
• Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya set the men’s world record here in 2023 with a time of 2:00:35.
• Ruth Chepngetich, also of Kenya, set the women’s world record here in 2024 with a time of 2:09:56.
• Khalid Khannouchi of the United States has won the men’s race four times (1997, 1999, 2000, 2002).
• Liliya Shobukhova of Russia has won the women’s race three times (2009, 2010, 2011).
• Kenyan runners have won seven of the last 10 men’s Chicago Marathons, while Kenyan women have also won seven of the last 10 in their event.

Chicago Marathon Previous Winners

Past Men’s Winners

Past Women’s Winners

Chicago Marathon 2025 Predictions

On the men’s side, it’s tough to look past John Korir in my Chicago Marathon betting predictions. He won here last year, and then again in Boston. He could challenge Kiptum’s world record in the Windy City!

For the women, I’ll put Bedatu Hirpa in my Chicago Marathon betting picks. She has been outstanding over the last two years, and I think she’ll get her first World Marathon Major victory on Sunday!

Where to Bet on the Chicago Marathon?

The Chicago Marathon betting odds are available at Bovada, for both the men’s and women’s races. New customers can claim a welcome bonus of up to $1,000 with a bonus code BV1000.

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