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.
Chicago and Valencia are both built for speed, and both have the record times to prove it — Chicago holds the outright world records (2:00:35 men, 2:09:56 women), while Valencia's 2:01:48 and 2:14:00 marks are close behind. The difference is scale and status: Chicago is a World Marathon Major with a ballot and a field over 54,000; Valencia runs without Majors status, a smaller field around 30,500, and generally better odds of getting a start line spot.
Season matters too — Chicago in early October, Valencia in early December, each offering cool, stable conditions built for fast times. If the Majors medal and the bigger occasion matter, Chicago wins; if your only goal is the fastest number you can produce without the ballot odds of a Major, Valencia is arguably the more reliable bet.