Chicago Marathon course from above: flat, square and six bridges (3D flyover)

The whole Chicago Marathon course in four minutes, flown from about 3 km up over real satellite imagery, with three drops to street height where the course makes its case: the river at halfway under Willis Tower, the sharpest corner on the course where Canalport Avenue meets Cermak Road, and Roosevelt Road into the finish on Columbus Drive. It opens on the whole course from over Lake Michigan, and it ends looking north over the finish, Soldier Field and the skyline. Chicago runs 42.195 km inside 9.6 m of height: the whole course sits between 179.3 m and 188.9 m above the sea, and it climbs 19.1 m in a whole marathon, where Berlin climbs 35.9 m. It crosses the Chicago River six times, on six movable bridges. What it asks of you instead of hills is corners: 36 of them, three turns back on itself, and the sharpest, 150 degrees in sixty metres, at Cermak Road. Then, with a kilometre to go, Roosevelt Road: 6.1 m up in 300 m, the one climb on the course. Chapters 0:00 The whole course from over Lake Michigan, and the start in Grant Park 0:28 North on LaSalle to the turn at Sheridan Road 0:55 South on Broadway, Clark and Wells 1:19 The river, halfway, and Willis Tower 1:45 West on Adams to the Damen Avenue turn 2:09 Halsted, Taylor and 18th Street 2:25 Cermak Road: the sharpest corner on the course 2:47 Michigan Avenue, the 35th Street turn and the straight home 3:08 Roosevelt Road: the one hill, then the finish 3:29 The finish, and the skyline from the south The course, its elevation profile and planning your trip to race weekend: https://www.marathontrip.com/races/ch... Course: the Chicago Marathon route, walked from the organiser's published course description onto OpenStreetMap streets (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL). Aid stations from the organiser's 2026 list. This is an independent film and is not made, approved or endorsed by the Chicago Marathon or its organisers. Imagery: Google Earth. Imagery providers: Vexcel Imaging US, Inc., NOAA, Landsat / Copernicus, Airbus, Data SIO, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO. Elevation from the U.S. Geological Survey's 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), 1 m lidar.