How does your 10K time COMPARE?


Newsletter #936: Saturday, 10th October 2026


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Hey runners, in today’s newsletter, Chicago is loaded.

Jacob Kiplimo returns to defend his title, with sights on the world record, and three American men are close enough to threaten it. The women’s field has 12 under 2:20, led by Brigid Kosgei and defending champion Hawi Feysa, with Sharon Lokedi running her first flat marathon. We’ve got full profiles on the whole field.

Elsewhere, the 2027 Chicago lottery is now open through October 29, and the race will host the U.S. Marathon Championships that year too.

And as always, we round things out with the practical stuff: whether you can actually train for a marathon on a treadmill, our free age grade calculator, and what counts as a good 10K time.

Jessy Carveth

Senior News Editor, Marathon Handbook


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​The Chicago Marathon Lottery for 2027 Is Now Open​

Runners have until Oct. 29 to apply for the Oct. 10, 2027 race, with drawing results on Dec. 8 and the U.S. entry fee holding at $250.


​The 2027 U.S. Marathon Championships Are Moving to Chicago​

A field capped at 20 men and 20 women will contest the U.S. titles on Oct. 10, 2027, and the two winners earn the top qualifying standard for the 2028 Olympic Marathon Trials.


​What to Expect From the Elite Women’s Race at the 2026 Chicago Marathon​

Brigid Kosgei and defending champion Hawi Feysa lead a field with 12 women under 2:20, Sharon Lokedi runs her first flat marathon, and Emma Grace Hurley, the American 8K record holder, makes her marathon debut.


​2026 Chicago Marathon Elite Field: Clayton Young​

The 2024 Olympian goes back to the course where his marathon career took off, chasing Conner Mantz's 2:04:43 American record with a torn hamstring tendon to manage.


​2026 Chicago Marathon Elite Field: Charles Hicks​

The 25-year-old ran 2:04:35 at Boston in only his second marathon, and Chicago is his first since he became eligible to represent the United States in July. Here is who he is, what he has won, and what he wants from Sunday.


​2026 Chicago Marathon Elite Field: Vinny Mauri​

The 25-year-old from Ohio ran the fastest marathon debut by an American in April while coaching himself and working in a running store. Chicago on Oct. 11 is only his second marathon.


​Can You Train For A Marathon On A Treadmill?​

Vinny Mauri is logging 120-mile weeks on a treadmill ahead of Chicago. Here's what the science says about the pros, cons, and what you should do on race day surfaces.


​Age Grade Calculator: Free Tool + What Your Score Actually Means​

Use our free age grade calculator to find out how your running performance compares across different ages.


​The Fat Burning Heart Rate Zone + How To Calculate Your Zone 2 HR​

Cracking the fat-burning code, delving into exercise intensity for optimal results.


​Good 10K Time: Average by Age, Sex + Ability​

See how you compare! + Expert tips to improve


​USADA Bans Erin Oprea, Who Has Trained Carrie Underwood, for Five Years​

The 49-year-old Nashville triathlete tested positive for two SARMs and synthetic testosterone at the Music City Triathlon in May, and USADA added a year to the standard ban.


​A Young Pastor Has Died After Going Into Cardiac Arrest at the Portland Marathon​

The 24-year-old had about six miles left to run on Sunday when he collapsed, and he would have turned 25 later this month.


​2026 Chicago Marathon Elite Field: Amos Kipruto​

The 2022 London champion has been third and then second in his two Chicago starts, and he comes back as the sixth-fastest marathoner in history after running 2:01:39 in London in April.


​2026 Chicago Marathon Elite Field: Sutume Kebede​

The two-time Tokyo Marathon champion finished second in Chicago two years ago, and her 2:15:55 personal best makes her the third-fastest woman on Sunday's start line.


​2026 Chicago Marathon Elite Field: Hawi Feysa​

The Ethiopian took more than two minutes off her best to win Chicago last year in 2:14:57. She returns on Sunday to defend the title against Brigid Kosgei, who finished ahead of her in Abu Dhabi in 2023 and in Tokyo in March.


​2026 Chicago Marathon Elite Field: Des Linden​

The 2018 Boston champion stepped away from professional marathoning in April 2025. On Oct. 11 she is back on an elite start line, this time as part of her build toward a first 100-miler.


​What It Would Take for Jacob Kiplimo to Break the Marathon World Record in Chicago​

The defending champion ran 2:00:28 in London in April, and beating Sabastian Sawe's 1:59:30 on Sunday would mean finding another 59 seconds on a morning forecast to start in the low 60s.


​The American Marathon Records Could Fall in Chicago on Sunday​

Three men in the field have run close enough to Conner Mantz's 2:04:43 to threaten it, and one has already gone faster on a course that does not count. Emily Sisson's 2:18:29 is a bigger ask, though a debutant coming off a 1:06:23 half-marathon believes she is in 2:20 shape.


​RUNS LIKE HEAVEN - Adam & Mica Wood​

Welcome to Runs Like Hell, the show where conversations get harder as the pace gets faster. In this season, we travel to Provo, Utah, to interview some of the world's best runners. Our first guests are husband and wife Adam and Mica Wood: aspiring Olympians and prolific content creators. Today, we put their fitness (and relationship) under the microscope.


Quick Sprints:

Looking for an online running coach? Whatever your goals, train with our head coach, Coach Katelyn. Learn more about her online coaching.


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