Two of the fastest marathon courses on earth, two very different races. Here's every stat, side by side, to help you pick.
Indicative — based on GPX data. Both courses normalised to start at 0m.
✓ marks the better number on that stat.
Boston and Chicago sit at opposite ends of the American Majors spectrum. Boston is a net-downhill point-to-point (265m of gain, 400m of loss) that demands a qualifying time to enter and is famous for the Newton hills and Heartbreak Hill late in the race. Chicago is one of the flattest courses on the World Marathon Majors circuit (45m of gain), open to anyone through the ballot, and currently holds both the men's and women's world records.
If pure speed and open entry are the priority, Chicago is the clear choice — flat, fast, and the site of the sport's fastest-ever times. If the goal is the marathon with the richest history and a genuine qualifying standard to meet, Boston, run continuously since 1897, is in a class of its own regardless of the clock.