How to watch the Chicago Marathon 2023 online for free
TL;DR: Livestream the 2023 Chicago Marathon for free on NBC Chicago. Access this livestream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Completing any marathon is a massive achievement, but there is something special about the World Marathon Majors.
The marathons in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York are recognised as the most high-profile on the calendar, attracting dedicated athletes from all over the world. They also attract millions of spectators, desperate to follow friends and family, or simply intrigued by the prospect of watching runners willingly put themselves through a whole lot of pain.
If you want to watch the 2023 Chicago Marathon for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
What is the Chicago Marathon?
The Chicago Marathon is a 26.2-mile running event held every October in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest race by number of finishers worldwide.
When is the Chicago Marathon in 2023?
The 2023 Chicago Marathon is the 45th edition of the annual marathon race in Chicago, scheduled to be held on Oct. 8. Around 45,000 runners are expected to take part in the event this year.
How to watch the Chicago Marathon for free
NBC 5 Chicago, Telemundo Chicago, and NBC Sports Chicago will offer complete live coverage and live streaming of the 2023 Chicago Marathon. You can also follow all the action for free on the NBC Chicago 24/7 streaming channel.
That's the good news, but there's always a catch. These streaming services are geo-restricted, meaning you can only watch if you're connecting from the U.S. So anyone based in the U.S. is covered, but everyone else will need to use a VPN to hide their digital location.
VPNs can hide your real IP address and connect you to a secure server in the U.S., meaning you can stream the Chicago Marathon for free from anywhere in the world. This process of unblocking free streaming platforms is actually really straightforward:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the U.S.
Stream the 2023 Chicago Marathon for free on NBC Chicago 24/7
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By taking advantage of these offers, you can access NBC Chicago 24/7 without fully committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you plenty of time to stream the 2023 Chicago Marathon before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for streaming?
There are multiple VPNs that can reliably unblock free streaming sites, including popular services like PureVPN and NordVPN. Both of these services will get the job done, but ExpressVPN leads the way for a number of reasons:
Servers in 94 countries including the U.S.
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure
Fast connection speeds
Up to five simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Watch the 2023 Chicago Marathon for free with ExpressVPN.
Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.
Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen.
