Christie Clinic Marathon & Half-Marathon Races
- Marathon, half-marathon and wheelchair half-marathon long-course races for participants of all paces. - Starts Saturday at 7:30 a.m. during Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend (Apr 23–25, 2026). - Routes run through Champaign, Urbana and Savoy; full details and schedule at dailyillini.com.
The Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon, half marathon and wheelchair half marathon are set for Saturday, April 25, with the long-course races starting just after 7:30 a.m. in Champaign-Urbana. (illinoismarathon.com) Race organizers list the wheelchair half marathon at 7:31 a.m. and the marathon and half marathon at 7:33 a.m. in wave starts, with the races finishing inside Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. (illinoismarathon.com) The 2026 event runs April 23-25 and includes the Health and Fitness Expo on Thursday and Friday, the Michael Hogue Team Mile on Thursday night, the 5K on Friday night, and the 10K and Youth Run on Saturday. (raceroster.com) The long-course routes move through Champaign, Urbana and Savoy, turning the race into a region-wide traffic event as well as a running event. Champaign officials said temporary road closures begin Friday and continue through Saturday to make room for the courses and related activities. (champaignil.gov) City officials and race organizers are preparing for large crowds. Champaign said the weekend brings thousands of participants and fans and involves coordination with Urbana, Savoy, the University of Illinois, the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District and other local partners. (champaignil.gov) The race has become a fixture of the spring calendar in Champaign-Urbana. The Daily Illini reported this year’s edition is the 17th Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend. (dailyillini.com) For runners, the weekend’s draw is a flat course that organizers market as fast and Boston Marathon-qualifying, with pace teams and multiple race distances for different experience levels. (illinoismarathon.com) The wheelchair half marathon has its own rules and governing standards. The race website says it follows USA Track and Field rules and policies from recognized wheelchair-racing bodies, and it does not allow handbikes with mechanical gears. (illinoismarathon.com) This year’s race weekend theme is “Leave Your Legacy,” a slogan organizers announced in October when they set the April 23-25, 2026 return. By Saturday morning, that theme will give way to the familiar logistics of corrals, road closures and a stadium finish. (dailyillini.com)
