Your Guide to the Fall 2025 Read & Run Chicago Challenge
By Allison Yates
Ready to show off how much you love to read and run? This upcoming Fall 2025 season, we’re hosting a Read & Run Chicago challenge designed to get you moving, reading, and exploring the city—all while working towards a complimentary Winter 2026 All-Access Membership.
[Related: 5 Reasons to Become a Read & Run Chicago Member This Season]
Inspired by the Chicago Public Library’s Summer at CPL for Adults challenge, ours prompts you to complete challenges like attending events like Book Club Runs, visiting a new-to-you Chicago neighborhood, running, walking, or bike a self-guided route, posting selfies in your Read & Run Chicago gear, and more.
Readers & runners who complete 10 or more of the challenges will be eligible redeem their prize of a Winter 2026 All-Access Membership at our End-of-Year Party on Wednesday, December 3 at the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. Mark your calendars and get ready, set, read & run—because it’s time to explore Chicago using movement and stories.
Get your Read & Run Chicago Fall 2025 Challenge packet at our Fall 2025 Kickoff Hangout on Friday, September 5 or at Printer’s Row Lit Fest Saturday, September 6-7. Complete your challenge by the end of our Fall 2025 season to redeem for your complimentary Winter 2026 All-Access Membership.
[Related: Nervous to Join Read & Run Chicago? Read this.]
Here’s how it works:
Pick up your packet
In order to be eligible for the challenge, you must have a physical copy of Read & Run Chicago Fall 2025 Challenge packet to complete throughout the season. Pick up yours at one of the following dates and times:
Friday, September 5, 5-7pm: Read & Run Chicago’s Fall 2025 Kickoff Happy Hour [RSVP Required]
Saturday, September 6-Sunday, September 7, 10am-5pm: Printer’s Row Lit Fest in Printer’s Row, South Loop
Complete the challenges
Complete ten of the challenges listed on the packet and you’ll be eligible to redeem a complimentary Winter 2026 All-Access Membership.
A note on terminology:
Event: Our “events” are Read & Run Chicago’s official book-themed guided run programming, including Book Club Runs, Running Tours, Trail Runs,
Meetups + social events: Outside of our official programming, we also host free community events centered around our mission to use movement and stories to explore where we live:
Move + Book Swap: A monthly gathering of book lovers. Bring a book you’re willing to give away and get ready to move! Whether you’re just getting into movement or training for your next ultramarathon, this is a chance to get outside, meet other Chicagoans, and maybe even get your next favorite read.
Run + Book Discussions: It’s just like it sounds: an easy-paced casual run and then a book discussion.
Reading Gatherings: Informal gatherings to get together and read and the option to test out a one-mile run with a group in a low-stakes setting.
Bookstore visits to show Chicago’s indie bookstores some love. Part of our mission is to uplift their work!
Cultural field trips and social nights related to past Read & Run Chicago events and authors or to learn more about the history, literature, or cultural life of our city.
Below are the list of challenges and where to find resources to help you complete the challenges:
Events & Meetups
RSVP for events and meetups here. Some social outings are only listed in our twice-monthly newsletter, so it pays to subscribe!
All-Access Membership
Sign up for an All-Access Membership for Fall 2025 here.
Read & Run Tours’s Bookshop.org Affiliate Shop
Purchase books on Read & Run Tours’s Bookshop.org affiliate shop here.
[Related: Learn more about how we pick books]
Guide to the Chicago Running Community
We wrote this guide to help you find the right community for you. And did you know our community lead Cynthia organizes monthly visits to run clubs around the city? These only listed in our twice-monthly newsletter, so make sure to stay in the loop.
Self-Guided Routes
Did you know that we have self-guided book-themed routes available for free on our website? View them all here and go at your own pace—whatever and however that looks like.
How to Get a Library Card
One of our best public resources is the public library, and we empower our readers & runners to take advantage of it! Learn about how to get your library card on Chicago Public Library’s website here.
Read & Run Chicago Merch + Postcards
We have some fun, silly, and dare we say salacious Read & Run Chicago merch! Here’s how you can get yours:
Purchase our standard merch at any in-person event or online through Read & Run Tours’s website
Pre-order our special Fall 2025 Read & Run Chicago merch (most designed by Tahnee Lacey!)—pick up at our Fall 2025 Kickoff Happy Hour
Dig into the merch archives with our 2023 Pride Month merch (Chingonas para cliteratura? Yep. We got that one)
2025 Bank of American Chicago Marathon Cheer Station
Did you know Read & Run Chicago has a 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon team? Between those five incredible runners and the rest of our community members running the marathon for worthy causes, we have so many people to cheer on! Stay tuned for details on our cheer station.
[Related: Chicago Readers & Runners Race the Chicago Distance Series in the Entries for Equity Program]
Newsletter
If you’ve been reading this far, you guessed it: our twice-monthly newsletter is where it all happens. Make sure to subscribe.
Leave a Review
Had a great experience? Let’s hear about it! Leave a review here.
Historic Chicago Bakeries
Our fun run series inspired by Jennifer Billock’s Historic Chicago Bakeries is one of our most popular, and our readers & runners love to support the historic, family-owned bakeries outside of our events.
Join an upcoming Read & Run Chicago event or meetup!
Redeem at our End-of-Year Party
Once you complete at least ten of the challenges, you’ll be eligible to redeem your packet for a Winter 2026 All-Access Membership at our End-of-Year Party on Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel.
You must be present at the party to redeem your Winter 2026 All-Access Membership.
Questions? Email Allison at Chicago@readandruntours.com.