Running the 2026 Chicago Marathon?
How Advanced Spine Sports Care Chiropractors Treat Runners With Pain, Elevate Peak Performance & Injury Rehabilitation…
If you’re running the 2026 Chicago Marathon this Sunday with a sore knee or ankle, your goal this week is simple: get to the start line in Grant Park and finish without making things worse. That’s a different job from fixing the cause, and it needs a different plan.
Whether you’re dealing with knee pain, ankle pain, or foot pain, we’ll walk you through what’s actually behind it and a few suggestions that have helped runners we’ve worked with so you can be in your best shape for this coming marathon.
Knee Pain: What It Usually Is
Most knee pain this late in training comes from one of two things, and neither one means you should skip the race.
- The first is runner’s knee, an ache around or behind the kneecap that gets worse on stairs, on downhills, and after sitting for a while.
- The second is IT band pain, a sharper spot on the outside of the knee. The IT band is the long strip of tissue running down the outside of your thigh, and it tends to flare at the same point in every run.
What’s important to pay attention to is whether the pain changes how you run.
Once you start favoring that leg, the extra work lands somewhere else, and a sore knee can turn into a sore hip by mile 18. Our knee pain and knee injury page walks through both patterns.
Ankle and Foot Pain: What It Usually Is
Foot and ankle pain in the last few weeks of training usually falls into one of three groups.
- Heel pain (plantar fasciitis). Sharp pain under the heel, typically worst with your first steps in the morning
- Achilles pain. Soreness at the back of the ankle, where your calf muscle connects to your heel, often worse early in a run
- Shin splints. Aching along the front of the lower leg, usually after your mileage jumped
All three tend to show up for the same reason: your training went up faster than your body could keep pace with, which is why they cluster in the last six weeks of a build, when mileage peaks and recovery time gets squeezed.
The taper works in your favor here, because less running often calms all three down by race day. Our ankle pain page explains how to tell them apart.
Can I Still Run A Marathon With Ankle, Knee, or Foot Pain?
Usually, yes, as long as it’s mild pain or discomfort, around a 2 out of 10.
However, if you’d say that the pain is already at a 5 out of 10, that’s accompanied with swelling, sharp localized pain, or locking then it’s best to sit it out.
Think of it like a dial. Pain that holds at a steady 2 out of 10 for the whole run is an irritated spot. Pain that hits the range of 5 and above is your body telling you it’s had enough.
To prevent the risk of further running injury, and for peace of mind, it helps to have it checked if you notice:
- Numbness or tingling below the knee
- Swelling that doesn’t subside overnight
- A limp, or a stride that has clearly changed
- Pain that’s still there 24 hours after your last run
- Weakness, like a foot that catches or a knee that feels unreliable
If you’re still unsure about the symptoms, a good way to test it out is to do a short test run. Try maintaining your current running pace for 10 to 15 minutes.
If you observe any of the signs mentioned above, a stabbing sensation, or the pain gets worse, it’s fair to say you should take a step back.
One more pattern worth knowing about. If your pain is on one side and sits lower (in your back just above the glute rather than in the knee or ankle), it’s often the SI joint and not a leg problem.
Simple Warm Up and Exercises to Prepare For Race Day
Race week is for loosening up, not building strength.
New strength work this close to the race won’t have time to help, and it can leave you sore on race morning. Gentle mobility is the exception. Everything below comes from our runners’ warm-up and recovery routines, where each move has a short video.
If your knee is the problem, focus on hip movements:
- Figure 4 (Pigeon Prep): 30 to 45 seconds each side, good for the glute tightness that often sits behind outside-of-knee pain
- 90/90 Hip Stretch: 30 to 45 seconds each side
- Open / Close the Gate: 30 seconds each direction, as part of your warm-up
- Hip CARs: 5 to 8 slow circles each direction
If your ankle, heel or shin is the problem, work the calf:
- Down Dog Calf Stretch: hold for 60 seconds
- Inchworms: 3 to 4 reps, which warm up the calf and hamstring gently
- Walking Quad Stretch and Forward Frankenstein Walk: 10 to 12 reps each, before you run rather than after
Nothing here should hurt, and race week isn’t the time to try a move you’ve never done.
What We Can Do Before Sunday
Treatment this close to race day has one job: calm down what’s irritated and keep your stride even.
Most Chicago Marathon runners we’ve worked with in the past who come a week or two before, want one answer, which is whether it’s safe to run on.
We can do hands-on work on muscles that have tightened up, gentle work on joints that feel stiff, and give you a straight answer. We won’t change your running form this close to the race, because that does more harm than good.
Most importantly, if after a thorough assessment, we notice less than favorable conditions, we’ll also advise against running.
Advanced Spine & Sports Care has treated runners in Lakeview and Lincoln Park for over 25 years. Dr. Jason Ingham has extra training in treating athletes, backed by the Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (CCSP) credential.
After the Race: Post-Recovery & Treatment
The week after a marathon is when the real rehab can start. Once you finish the marathon, for the first time in months you have no training schedule to protect.
That makes it the best time to fix something rather than manage it.
This is where physical therapy and sports chiropractic work earn their place. Most runners skip it. They rest for two weeks, feel fine, start training again, and might potentially develop the same injury in March.
Come See Us in Lincoln Park
Whether you’re a few days from the race or a few days past the finish line, an assessment is the best reassurance you can get before race day. That includes a proper post-recovery treatment plan so you can prepare for any upcoming marathons without risking injury.
Our office is located at 2828 N Clark St. You can also reach us at (773) 868-0347 or book an immediate appointment today.
Last Updated on October 9, 2026 by Chiropractor Dr. Jason Ingham DC, CCSP