Evanston sent 163 runners across the finish line at the Oct. 11 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, up from 149 local finishers in 2025.

Tom Brady led all Evanston men with a time of 2:18:34 in the 25-29 age division. Addison Hillerbrand led Evanston women at 3:05:19, also in the 25-29 division. More than 54,000 runners completed the 48th annual race, which wound through 29 Chicago neighborhoods before ending in Grant Park, Patch reported.

The local contingent spanned generations. Aaron Barnhart, a member of the Evanston Running Club, clocked 3:16:06 in the 60-64 division to finish 10th among Evanston men. Fellow club member Zack Sanchez ran 3:10:30 in the 40-44 division, seventh among Evanston men. Luke Ng, also with the club, posted 3:17:01 in the 20-24 division.

The Evanston Running Club's presence extended well beyond the course. Melissa Ramsey, who has captained the club's aid station near the 17-mile mark for about 10 years, coordinated roughly 180 volunteers on race day. The station drew help from Evanston Township High School cross country runners, Black Girls Run and the Rogers Park Running Club, according to an Evanston RoundTable preview published Oct. 8.

"There is about an hour and a half time period that you can't see across the street," Ramsey told the RoundTable ahead of the race. "The runners are so thick within the aid station, and it's just intense."

Nancy Rollins, an Evanston Running Club coach, also competed Oct. 11. She has run more than 100 marathons. Rollins, nearly 80, ran her first marathon at the Chicago Marathon in 1980. She is a six-time USA Track and Field national award recipient and was inducted into the Chicago Area Runners Association Hall of Fame in 2005.

The elite fields produced historic performances. Amos Kipruto of Kenya won the men's race in 2:01:09, described by event organizers as the second-fastest time ever recorded on U.S. soil. Hawi Feysa of Ethiopia defended her women's title in 2:13:33, a performance organizers said made her the fourth-fastest woman in history. Catherine DeBrunner of Switzerland set a world record in the women's wheelchair race at 1:33:16, the first wheelchair world record set in Chicago, according to organizers.

Executive race director Carey Pinkowski said the excitement carried through the entire field, from athletes competing for titles to first-time marathoners and charity runners.

Applications for the 2027 Chicago Marathon, the 49th running of the race, are open through 2 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, Oct. 29. The race is set for Oct. 10, 2027.