The first ever World Marathon Majors double-header takes us to Beantown from the Windy City in 24 hours. Both races had to be cancelled last year, snapping a 43-year streak for the Chicago event and a historic 123-year streak for Boston, home of the world's oldest annual marathon. So read on as our guide explains how to watch a 2021 Chicago and Boston Marathon live stream from anywhere in the world on Sunday and Monday.
Chicago Marathon date and time: Sunday, October 10 - 8.20am ET / 7.20am CT / 5.20am PT
Boston Marathon date and time: Monday, October 11 - 8.02am ET / 7.02am CT / 5.02am PT
US live stream: NBCSN via FREE FuboTV trial (opens in new tab) or Sling TV in select markets (opens in new tab) (US)
Global live streams: FloTrack (opens in new tab)/TSN (opens in new tab) (CA) | FloTrack (opens in new tab) (AU) | Eurosport (opens in new tab)/Discovery+ (opens in new tab) (UK)
Watch anywhere: Try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free (opens in new tab)
The Chicago and Boston courses could barely be more different: the Chicago Marathon is run in a loop and on largely flat terrain, whereas the Boston Marathon's most famous feature is Heartbreak Hill - the last of the brutal Newton hills that come into play from the 16-mile mark and bring many races to a painful and premature end.
15 years on from Deena Kastor's American record-setting performance at the 2006 London Marathon, could Sara Hall be the woman to break it? The 38-year-old came within a minute of Kastor's time in London last year, and has a job on her hands closing the gap in Chicago.
Meanwhile, the elite names will be out in force in Boston, Des Linden, Edna Kiplagat and Mare Dibaba the headline names in the women's race, and Lemi Berhanu, Lelisa Desisa, Yuki Kawauchi and Geoffrey Kirui set to go toe-to-toe on the men's side.
Find out how to live stream Chicago and Boston Marathon action from anywhere in the world.
- Need more speed? How to watch an F1 live stream
How to watch 2021 Chicago and Boston Marathons in the US with and without cable
How to watch 2021 Chicago & Boston Marathons from outside your country
If you're abroad right now, you'll likely find you're unable to access your usual marathon coverage like you would at home. This isn't necessarily cause for alarm, but rather the result of geo-blocking – best understood as digital borders that restrict certain services and content to certain parts of the world.
Fortunately, there's a convenient way around this in the form of a VPN. This is a nifty bit of software that lets you whizz around these digital borders, thereby allowing you to globe-trot and still access your preferred Chicago & Boston Marathon live stream. It's a very affordable workaround that's super easy to use.
Use a VPN to live stream 2021 Chicago & Boston Marathons from anywhere
It's remarkably easy to use a VPN, too:
1. Download and install a VPN - our top choice for streaming right now is ExpressVPN
2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open up the app, choose the location that corresponds to your country, and hit the 'on' button
3. Go to the broadcaster's live stream - you'll now be able to watch on Sling (opens in new tab) or on Fubo (opens in new tab) on your USA server