Runners need hydration. Races need to provide that hydration. But the times and ways that they fill this vital need are changing drastically as races and runners become more conscious of their environmental impact.
A key step forward in this movement occurred recently when the Bank of America Chicago Marathon announced the introduction of structured, on-course refill stations in partnership with Culligan International, the provider of water services. The new initiative marks a sustainability and social responsibility milestone for the event, enabling race participants to refill personal hydration gear on course with cleaner, great-tasting water while reducing plastic waste.
Part of Culligan’s multi-year partnership with the Bank of America Chicago Distance Series, the on-course refill stations reinforce the events’ commitment to environmental responsibility with a first-of-its-kind approach in the United States and a first for World Major Marathons, leveraging Culligan’s water services expertise to reliably hydrate participants while accelerating practices that protect the planet.
“Sustainability has been one of our core focus areas for more than a decade, and the introduction of on-course refill stations represents an important next step,” says Carey Pinkowski, executive race director, Bank of America Chicago Distance Series. “Working with our partners at Culligan helps us sustainably meet the evolving needs of runners while continuing to reduce race day waste across our events — a win, win for everyone.”
The Culligan Water Refill Stations leverage proven science to deliver cleaner, better-tasting drinking water at high flow rates. Using high-capacity activated carbon filtration, the systems effectively reduce microplastics and unpleasant tastes or odors while ensuring high-quality hydration for participants throughout the course.
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon (October 11, 2026) course will feature four Culligan Water Refill Stations, located immediately prior to Aid Station 4 (Mile 5.7), Aid Station 7 (Mile 10.1), Aid Station 12 (Mile 15.7), and Aid Station 16 (Mile 20.3). Chicago is the first Abbott World Marathon Major to formally enable personal hydration refills on course as participants can now refill their own approved self-carried hydration gear with Culligan-filtered water at each station.
“We are proud to innovate and leverage our expertise in service, science and sustainability right here in our hometown with the new Culligan Refill Stations,” adds Al Hamood, president and chief operating officer at Culligan International. “Our partnership with the Bank of America Chicago Distance Series reflects our commitment to improving lives while protecting the planet, setting new industry standards in endurance races and elevating runner experiences.”
Sustainable advancements like this are only possible with collaboration across industries. HydraPak, an Official Vendor Partner of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, is supporting this new experience providing race-day hydration products to help participants comfortably and safely carry their own gear while training and throughout major events like the Chicago Marathon.
In recent news, the New York Road Runners has announced that water refill stations are also debuting at the TCS New York City Marathon in November. This mirrors much of what Chicago is testing. In addition to the race’s 25 traditional water aid stations, the race will offer Culligan-filtered self-serve water refill stations along the course – one in each borough – and at additional locations on race day. The new stations will complement the race’s 25 traditional on-course fluid stations. The initiative is part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on single-use containers and will be supported by a new licensing partnership with HydraPak, which will offer co-branded reusable water bottles.
