--- title: "Chicago Marathon at O'Hare: arrivals, the Expo, the way out" description: "Landing at O'Hare for the Chicago Marathon: the 24-hour Blue Line ($5 to board), a $30 shared taxi to the Expo, and what no page covers." url: "https://ordairportguide.com/guides/chicago-marathon-ohare-race-weekend-arrivals-departures/" updated: "2026-10-31" airport: "ORD" type: "guide" --- > Independent guide, not the official ORD website. All pages: https://ordairportguide.com/llms.txt # The Chicago Marathon and O'Hare: race weekend arrivals and departures Landing at O'Hare for the Chicago Marathon: the 24-hour Blue Line ($5 to board), a $30 shared taxi to the Expo, and what no page covers. Updated October 31, 2026 ![The long lawn and rose borders of Grant Park in downtown Chicago, with the skyline rising above the trees.](https://ordairportguide.com/images/ord/grant-park-path-edge-v7.webp) Grant Park, Chicago The [Blue Line](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/cta-blue-line/), the train from O’Hare, runs at all times, every day, and costs $5 to board at the airport. Choose Chicago lists the Chicago Marathon in October, and runners pick up their race packets at the Expo at McCormick Place. ## Land, then go to the Expo The Expo is where every participant picks up a race packet. The marathon puts it at McCormick Place, North Building, Level 3, Hall B1, and says it’s free and open to the public. Our [guide to O’Hare and McCormick Place](https://ordairportguide.com/guides/ohare-mccormick-place-convention/) covers the routes. The marathon’s Expo page asks attendees not to bring large bags or luggage, and says everyone goes through security screening at the door. O’Hare lists no lockers or left-luggage counter (see [luggage storage](https://ordairportguide.com/amenities/luggage-storage/)). Decide where the suitcase goes before you head for the Expo. Taxis load from the ranks on the lower-level curb outside baggage claim at every terminal, and the airport puts the average metered fare to downtown at about $50. The [shared flat fare](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/taxi/) from O’Hare to downtown or McCormick Place is $30. The airport’s taxi page doesn’t describe the shared ride, so confirm at the rank that it’s running. If you take rideshare, the marathon encourages you to enter McCormick Place’s East Building as your drop-off location. Getting from your terminal to the ride depends on which one you pick: - **Blue Line.** From Terminals 1, 2 and 3, follow the Trains to City signs through the pedestrian tunnels on the basement level. From Terminal 5, ride the free [Airport Transit System](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/airport-transit-system/) to Terminal 2 or 3 first. - **Rideshare.** At Terminal 2, wait on the upper level at the orange poles 2A to 2G. At Terminal 3, use the green poles 3G, 3H, 3J and 3K, also on the upper level. Black car rides use the lower level at every terminal. The airport’s listing names no rideshare poles at Terminals 1 and 5, so follow your app there. ## Race morning: Grant Park opens early The marathon’s spectator page lists Grant Park opening to runners at 5:30 a.m. on race day, with gear check and the start corrals opening then. The Wave 1 start corrals close at 7:20 a.m. The page says times are subject to change. If you’re staying near O’Hare, the Blue Line costs $5 to board there, and the CTA puts a normal ride to downtown at 40-45 minutes. Neither the marathon’s spectator page nor the CTA’s Blue Line page names a station for Grant Park. The spectator page’s Navigating the City section recommends the CTA rail system for spectators. CTA’s Blue Line page lists upcoming alerts, including planned work, so check it before race morning. ## Where to stay when the marathon names no hotels The marathon’s race weekend, spectator and home pages say nothing about hotels or availability. Choose Chicago’s hotel list groups hotels by area, with O’Hare listed alongside the Loop and the South Loop. Our [hotels page](https://ordairportguide.com/hotels/) lists the places to stay near the airport, and our [free-shuttle hotel guide](https://ordairportguide.com/guides/hotels-near-ohare-with-free-airport-shuttle/) shows which ones run a shuttle. ## Getting back out to O’Hare The marathon’s gear check closes at 4 p.m., so a runner with an afternoon flight needs the bag back first. Boarding the Blue Line anywhere but O’Hare costs $2.50. The marathon points to its course page for street closures. The airport’s taxi and public transit pages don’t mention them, so check the course page and leave extra time if you ride by road. At the airport, our [security page](https://ordairportguide.com/security/) lists each checkpoint and its hours. Terminal 5’s checkpoint 10 is the one open 24 hours. ## Sources - O’Hare Airport Guide: [taxi](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/taxi/), [CTA Blue Line](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/cta-blue-line/), [hotels](https://ordairportguide.com/hotels/), [security](https://ordairportguide.com/security/), [luggage storage](https://ordairportguide.com/amenities/luggage-storage/), [McCormick Place guide](https://ordairportguide.com/guides/ohare-mccormick-place-convention/) and [free-shuttle hotel guide](https://ordairportguide.com/guides/hotels-near-ohare-with-free-airport-shuttle/) - Bank of America Chicago Marathon: Race weekend events and Spectator information pages - Choose Chicago: Events and Hotels and motels pages - Chicago Transit Authority: the Blue Line page, the fare chart and the airport transit chart - Chicago Department of Aviation: the Public Transit page and the Taxis, Limousines and Rideshare page