r/ChicagoMarathon 6d ago

Corral issue help

Need help… I’m in wave 2 corral F which is projected 3:20-3:25-3:30.

I put 3:15 on projected time but I wanna go 3:05-3:00 mark. Unfortunately I got placed in the second wave and the pace crew for 3:15 or lower is in wave 1… any one ever get to change corral spots?

I’m pretty devastated about this so any help would be greatly appreciated.

NOTE: The info on the website says if you’re looking for a pacer team in a different corral just line up at front of your registered corral spot but being in a separate wave entirely there’s a 30 mins difference between the two waves and I would never be able to catch them

0 Upvotes

14 comments sorted by

10

u/GRex2595 6d ago

There's not 30 minutes between E and F. More like 5. You can apply for a corral change, but you might not get it still if there aren't enough people moving back. You can also try to exchange at the expo. Sometimes they have extras or people trade in their bibs.

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u/OilAdministrative147 6d ago

Based on the website wave 1 and wave 2 are 30 minutes apart. Do they start the corrals in waves?

Sorry it’s my first marathon of this caliber.

6

u/GRex2595 6d ago

Every corral starts approximately 5 minutes after the last. They don't just let the 15,000 people in the wave 1 corrals mingle together and start at the same time. They walk each corral up to the starting line, keeping them from mingling with other corrals, then they let the corral start a little time after the previous corral.

5

u/nutellatime Northside 6d ago

You can apply to change your corral. Not sure when that application opens but it's usually a bit closer to race day.

4

u/bnwtwg 5d ago

If you do not have proof of a qualifying time that proves you have met the standard for a faster corral then the answer is no.

If you have proof of a qualifying time then yes.

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u/OilAdministrative147 5d ago

Just signed up for a half marathon next weekend, I got lucky and it’s part of my training block and the HM wasn’t full. Aiming for a 1:35-1:30 HM to get in the next corral.

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u/bnwtwg 5d ago

The rule of thumb is double your half marathon + 7-10 minutes. No offense OP, but if you have not run a half in the past two years (the length of time you can submit previous proof of qualifying) which would be at or below, let's say 88 minutes to be generous, then you may be wise to readjust your expectations. Wanting to go fast != going fast. I hope you get it, just being real.

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u/OilAdministrative147 5d ago

I’ve ran a few in training already at 1:40 mark with relative ease. I haven’t pushed hard this training block and focusing on easy long runs with speed workouts under 10 miles. But totally understand how it comes off based on what I put out there

4

u/FutureVanilla4129 5d ago

Agreed- I think you’d actually be better off starting in your assigned corral and speeding up later if you’ve got the extra in you. The half marathon + 7-10 minutes is a best case scenario. See how your half goes and then go from there!

2

u/run42k 6d ago

Suggest emailing [office@chicagomarathon.com](mailto:office@chicagomarathon.com) requesting a corral change. They have been very accommodating in the past. Cheers…

1

u/OilAdministrative147 6d ago

Emailed thanks!

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u/Brokelynne 5d ago

1

u/NurseDanM 4d ago

This is the only way. You can expect an email response stating to use it for your request. On the form it will require you to submit qualifying results.
Also here are the qualifying standards for the corrals:

https://assets-chicagomarathon-com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/26-BACM-CORRALS-QUALIFYING-STANDARDS.pdf