NBCUniversal Local Chicago renews Chicago Marathon media rights
Extends linear, digital rights through 2028
NBCUniversal Local Chicago, which consists of WMAQ-TV, Telemundo affiliate WSNS-TV, NBCChicago.com, and its digital platforms, announced on Wednesday an extension of their current media rights for the Bank Of America Chicago Marathon through the 2028 race.
“We’re thrilled to announce our continued partnership with NBC 5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago as the official English and Spanish-language broadcasts for our Bank of America Chicago Distance Series events,” said executive race director Carey Pinkowski. “The teams at NBC 5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago capture the spirit of our events, from the world-class professional races at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, to inspiring human interest stories that come from our local Chicago running community.”
“We are truly honored to continue our longstanding partnership with the Bank of America Chicago Distance Series,” said Kevin Cross, the President and GM of NBCUniversal Local Chicago. “For nearly two decades, our collaboration has allowed us to showcase the very best of Chicago — from elite athletic achievement to the powerful personal stories that unite our communities. Our teams at NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago are passionate about capturing these moments and sharing them with viewers across our region and beyond. We look forward to bringing even more unforgettable moments in the years to come.”
As part of the new deal, NBCUniverdsal Local Chicago will also broadcast the Shamrock Shuffle in March and the Chicago 13.1 races on their mobile apps and digital platforms, including NBC 5’24/7 streaming channel. These races are also a part of the Bank Of America Distance Series.
The Chicago Marathon began in 1977 and two years later, was sponsored by the now-defunct Beatrice Foods and known as “America’s Marathon/Chicago”. The race has bounced around between WLS-TV, WBBM-TV, WGN-TV, WFLD-TV, and Fox Sports Net Chicago before landing on WMAQ in 2007 with Telemundo Chicago joining as Spanish-language partner in 2017. LaSalle Bank became the sponsor in 1993 and bought the race outright in 1996 and was renamed The Bank Of America Chicago Marathon in 2007 after acquiring LaSalle’s parent company, ABN-AMRO. The race was not held in 1987 (due to Beatrice dropping out) and 2020 (pandemic).
Despite daily raids by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Chicago area, this past Sunday’s edition of the Chicago Marathon went off without a hitch, as the race’s 53,000 participants ran though 26.2 miles of city streets through 29 neighborhoods from Lakeview to Bronzeville. Uganada’s Jacob Kiplimo won the men’s race in two hours while Ethopia’s Hawi Feysa was the women’s winner. American runner Connor Mantz broke the U.S. record for the fastest time.
In the wheelchair division, Switzerland’s Marcel Hug (SUI) won the men’s division finishing in 1:23:20, while America’s Susannah Scaroni took the top prize in the women’s division crossing the line at 1:38:14.
The Bank Of America Chicago Marathon is a part of the Abbott Marathon World Majors and the next marathon is scheduled for October 11, 2026 – 359 days from the time of this writing.