Chicago Marathon 2026: Nizar Nayani fastest Pakistani in 3:00:45, Lahore's Hamid Butt runs 3:49:48 at 65-plus

More than 20 runners of Pakistani origin finished the Chicago Marathon 2026 on Sunday, 11 October, one of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, in a field of more than 55,000. The fastest of them was Nizar Nayani, a Pakistani living in Tomball, Texas, who crossed the line in 3 hours 0 minutes 45 seconds, ProPakistani reported from the official results.

The quickest Pakistani times

Nayani went through halfway in 1:25:41 and 30 km in 2:03:49 before slowing over the last 12 km in conditions he called far from ideal. "Chicago Marathon is always very close to my heart, no matter the results, no matter the conditions," he said. "Today was not ideal conditions, but this is what 26.2 miles does to you."

Hamid Butt, six stars at 65-plus

The standout result for many runners at home is Hamid Butt from Lahore. Running in the 65 to 69 age category, he finished in 3:49:48. ProPakistani describes him as a six-star finisher, meaning he has completed all six World Marathon Majors.

Running for TCF

Mike Nithavrianakis, a former British diplomat in Pakistan, ran 3:18:04 to raise money for The Citizens Foundation (TCF), the education charity that runs low-cost schools across Pakistan.

The rest of the Pakistani finishers came home between about four and five and a half hours, a mix of runners from Karachi and Lahore and Pakistanis living in the US, the UK and Saudi Arabia.

What it takes to run abroad from Pakistan

A major marathon abroad is a big spend from Pakistan: an entry fee in dollars, flights and a visa. Our currency converter turns the entry fee into rupees at today's dollar rate.