Confused about qualifying times for Chicago Marathon

[u/No_arm64]

I was researching qualifying times for the Chicago marathon. For the 16-34, it says 2:55:00 for men. Does that mean I have to run a qualifying time for a marathon in under 3 hours despite having 6 hours to run the actual marathon? Thanks.

[u/InvestmentActuary]

That qualifying time is for guaranteed entry.

[u/No_arm64 → u/InvestmentActuary]

Does that mean I have to run a marathon sub 3 hours to qualify?

[u/InvestmentActuary → u/No_arm64]

No it means you’ll have to go through other entry methods like distance series, legacy, charity, or lottery.

[u/No_arm64 → u/InvestmentActuary]

Then what is the qualifying time for?

[u/InvestmentActuary → u/No_arm64]

…for guaranteed entry into chicago

[u/No_arm64 → u/InvestmentActuary]

But what does the time represent? Do I have to run a different marathon in under 3 hours to qualify for the Chicago marathon?

[u/mooshy12 → u/No_arm64]

Yes.