OREANDA-NEWS. Today the Bank of America Chicago Marathon announced that runners can enter the lottery for the 2015 event on March 10. Runners who qualify for a guaranteed entry will also be able to register at this time. The lottery system, introduced last year, resulted in a record number of finishers – 40,659 – at the 2014 Chicago Marathon. The 38th annual Chicago Marathon will take place on Sunday, October 11 in Grant Park.

Runners can enter the lottery or register with a guaranteed entry at any time between Tuesday, March 10 at noon (U.S. Central Time) and Tuesday, April 21 at noon (U.S. Central Time) at chicagomarathon.com.

“In 2014, we implemented a new registration process that brought together a mix of participants from near and far and on every level of the marathon spectrum, from first-timers to competitive athletes,” said Bank of America Chicago Marathon Race Director Carey Pinkowski. “The training and excitement that those runners brought to the race resulted in the largest finisher field in the history of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. We anticipate that this year's lottery will keep that momentum and spirit alive.”

There are five options for guaranteed entry into the 2015 Bank of America Chicago Marathon: those who choose to run with an official Chicago Marathon charity; those who successfully deferred their 2014 entry; those who choose to run with an official Chicago Marathon tour partner; legacy finishers who have completed the Chicago Marathon five or more times within the last 10 years; and time qualifiers who have run a sub-3:15:00 marathon (men) or sub-3:45:00 marathon (women) since January 1, 2013.

Runners without a guaranteed entry can enter the lottery. The remaining spots in the field will be filled via random selection of names from the lottery pool. Runners who entered the lottery will be notified of their selection status on Tuesday, April 28. Those who are selected through the lottery will then have one week to complete the registration process.

The 2015 Bank of America Chicago Marathon registration fee is \\$185 for U.S. residents or \\$210 for those residing outside of the U.S.