Hotels, Travel & Parking

Runners from all 50 states and more than 100 countries travel to Chicago each fall to experience the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Whether you're traveling nationally, internationally, or driving in from Chicagoland, we encourage you to book your airfare and hotel rooms well in advance of Marathon weekend. Be sure to take advantage of special offers and rates from Official Marathon Hotel and Travel Partners.

Hotels
Airline
Public Transportation
Race Day Parking 

Hotels
Experient is the Official Travel and Housing Partner of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, offering official rates at the city’s most desirable hotels. You can book hotel accommodations and manage your reservation through Experient. To secure a hotel reservation for the Chicago Marathon, visit www.chicagomarathon.com/2010hotels. Many hotels have Early Bird, Prepaid, and Standard room rates.

Questions? Contact Experient Customer Service at 847.996.5876 or 800.974.3084. For group reservations of 15 rooms or more, contact Pam Kniskern at 847.996.5538.

The Hilton Chicago is the Official Headquarters Hotel of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Located just across the street from Grant Park, the Hilton Chicago is a hub of activity on race weekend.

Palmer House Hilton - Special Early Bird Rate and Prize Drawing:
The Early Bird rate of $245 per room per night continues at the Palmer House Hilton, which is located less than a half-mile from the Bank of America Chicago Marathon Start Line.

As an added bonus, all guests booking prior to September 15, 2010 will be automatically entered into a drawing for one of four prizes:

·  (2 ) $50 gift certificates for Potters Lounge
·  (1) $100 gift certificate for Lockwood Restaurant
·  (1) $150 gift certificate for Lockwood Restaurant

The drawing will take place on October 1, 2010 and prizes will be awarded on site at the Palmer House Hilton.

Click here to view distances from major Chicago hotels to the Marathon start line, finish line, Health & Fitness Expo, airports, public transportation, city landmarks, destinations and more. 

Airline
American Airlines, the Official Airline of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, has made available a 5% discount off any applicable fare or 10% off full Coach, Business or First Class fares. Race participants (or families and friends) may also utilize the discount when traveling on American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection. The discount is valid only for travel that occurs from October 6, 2010 - October 14, 2010 and may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer.

Reservations on American Airlines and American Eagle may be booked on aa.com or by contacting our toll-free number at 800.433.1790.  Please follow the procedures listed below for booking the available discounts and enter or mention 81H0AR as the aa.com promotion code when booking your reservation:

5% Discount (applies to any applicable fare): Flights may be booked by contacting American Airlines toll-free at 800.433.1790 or by visiting aa.com. Flights booked through the toll-free number will be assessed any applicable administrative charges.

10% Discount (applies only to Full Coach, Business or First Class Fares): Flights may only be booked by contacting American Airlines toll-free at 800.433.1790 and currently cannot be fulfilled on aa.com. The administrative charge for booking through the toll-free number will be waived.

AAdvantage members may accrue mileage on American Airlines for tickets purchased subject to the rules of the AAdvantage program. Electronic and monetary upgrades to Business or First Class are allowed after ticketing.

Airline Group Travel
American Airlines Group & Meeting Travel offers special fares and discounts* for 10 or more passengers traveling to a common destination. Use the links below to get information on fares and discounts and to determine if Group & Meeting Travel is right for you. Contact Group & Meeting Travel at 800.221.2255, e-mail aagmt.internet@aa.com, or visit the Web site at aa.com/group.

Chicago Transportation Authority (CTA)
Participants and spectators are encouraged to use public transportation throughout race weekend. Check back for special race weekend availability and services.

For more information about the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), call 888.YOUR.CTA or visit transitchicago.com.

Metra Train Service
On race day, Metra will run special inbound and outbound service for Chicago Marathon participants and spectators on the following four lines: Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), Milwaukee North, Union Pacific Northwest and Union Pacific West. The inbound trains will arrive in Chicago at approximately 6 a.m. and the outbound trains will depart Chicago at approximately 1:30 p.m.

The BNSF Railway special train will depart from Aurora at 4:55 a.m. and arrive at Chicago’s Union Station at 6 a.m. The return service will depart from Union Station at 1:30 p.m. and arrive in Aurora at 2:37 p.m. These trains will operate in addition to regularly scheduled Sunday trains.

The Milwaukee North Line special train will depart Fox Lake at 4:25 a.m. and arrive at Chicago’s Union Station at 6 a.m. The return service will depart from Union Station at 1:35 p.m. and arrive in Fox Lake at 3:22 p.m. These trains will operate in addition to regularly scheduled Sunday trains.

The Union Pacific Northwest Line special train will depart Crystal Lake at 4:45 a.m., making all stops to Park Ridge, running non-stop to Chicago’s Ogilvie Transportation Center (OTC), arriving at 5:55 a.m. The return service will depart from Chicago at 1:30 p.m., running non-stop to Park Ridge, and then making all following stops, arriving in Crystal Lake at 2:46 p.m. These trains will operate in addition to regularly scheduled Sunday trains.

The Union Pacific West Line special train will depart Elburn at 4:50 a.m., making all stops to Elmhurst, then Oak Park, and arriving at Chicago’s Ogilvie Transportation Center (OTC) at 6:05 a.m. The return service will depart from Chicago at 1:40 p.m., running to Oak Park, then to Elmhurst and all following stops to Elburn, arriving at 2:58 p.m. These trains will operate in addition to regularly scheduled Sunday Trains.

For scheduled stops or additional information, visit the Metra Web site at metrarail.com or contact Metra Passenger Service at 312.322.6777 or the Transit Information Center at 312.836.7000.

Race Day Parking
All participants and spectators are strongly encouraged to use public transportation to the start and finish areas in Grant Park, as well as to locations along the course. If you drive, allow sufficient time for heavy traffic congestion and street closures due to the race.

Millennium Garages offer the closest and most convenient parking on race day, with more than 9,200 spaces. For access to Millennium Park Garage all day, and to avoid major traffic congestion, use the entrance on lower Randolph St. To access lower Randolph St., follow Lower Wacker Dr. to Lower Columbus Dr., turn left and go down ramp into the lower Millennium Park Garage Entrance (look for directional signs). The garages are listed below:

East Monroe/Millennium Park Garage - 5 S. Columbus Dr. (6,100 parking spaces):
Enter off Randolph St. (Note: participants cannot access this garage from Monroe St. or going northbound on Columbus Dr. since it will be blocked due to race day logistics).

Grant Park North Garage - 25 N. Michigan Ave. (1,750 parking spaces):
Entrances are located at Michigan Ave. and Monroe St., Michigan Ave. and Washington St., and Michigan Ave. and Randolph St.

Grant Park South Garage - 325 S. Michigan Ave. (1,350 parking spaces):
Entrances are located at Michigan Ave. and Van Buren St. and Michigan Ave. and Adams St.

Please call 312.616.0600 or visit millenniumgarages.com for additional details.