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California International Marathon Runner Comments
Back to California International Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 4.2
Number of comments: 232 [displaying comments 211 to 221]
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B. D. from California
(12/8/2003)
"Solid" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Well, it looks like this will be the first response for this year's (12/7/03) race, so they must be the most important :). Altogether it's a wonderful race--all previous comments cover it. This year we had killer weather, though there was a headwind last 10 miles or so. Organization and expo presenters were terrific. A few pieces of constructive criticism, however: (1) Race info said Cliff Shots at miles 13 and 18. They only happened at mile 20. For those who don't like to carry anything, it was very disappointing to have to wait another 7 miles for the goo. (2) With over 5,000 people, they have to start chip timing. It took me 16 seconds to get to the starting line, and another 100 yards to start striding with rhythm. Yes, the street is wide, but not wide enough for that throng. (3) NIX the relay!!! Not only does it busy the field, but as we all know there's a different energy there--make it a pure marathon. Given its increasing popularity, I'm sure money won't be lost. In fact, it would be great to bill it as 'marathon only'. (4) Finally, from what I saw (and I looked!) there were no sports drinks at the finish except for some strange tube that you open and suck on--it reminded me of the ice cream vendors. Since Ultima was the thing, why not have plenty of it around at the end. It's not entirely safe just to offer water. With all that said, it is a well organized race, with clearly friendly, committed volunteers. I imagine the large field took the directors by surprise some. | |
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M. S. from California, U.S.A.
(11/4/2003)
"Great when the whether is good" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 All aspects of the run are five-star except for the time of year. The whether is very unpredicable. It is not unusual to see freezing or below temperatures and wind in Sacramento in December. An earlier date (possibly October) is now being considered for this reason. The 2002 whether was awful, but in 2003 it was superb. The course is essentially level (one small hill at the end of mile one) and actually has a net loss in elevation, and is therefore great for Boston marathon qualifying. The scenery is typical suburban to city with mostly tree lined streets, plenty of spectators (whether permitting), great mile markers (large flags with a volunteer calling out split times), and excellent aid stations. The run has a great finish that takes care of its runners. | |
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d. c. from Roseville
(9/10/2003)
"Average course, but great organization and support" (General Comments)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've run CIM three times - 99', 00', & 01' and each time I've had the same reaction - the course is not as good as it should be when it's held in a city which Runner's World described as one of the three best cities for running in the U.S. It's uneventful (code for boring) during miles 11-17, and with all that we have to offer in SAC - trails, rivers, hills, state capitol (yes, it finishes there, but need more), & Old Town - I always feel as though I've just completed a marathon in Cleveland after running CIM. I'm sorry if I've offended transplanted Clevelanders, but I'm one too, so you ex-Revco Marathoners know what I mean. The course is touted as fast, which is not true, but that's okay as long as those entering aren't expecting PRs. While it's more of my whining and not a reason to avoid CIM, weather can be unpredictable - reference the 2001 monsoon/windstorm. I'm sure the CIM racing team has done the best they can trying to fit in SAC's best reasons for running, while planning the course for attracting maximum people support - it can't be an easy job - but with all we have to offer it would seem the course could be much better. | |
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Shaun Deane from Rhode Island
(1/4/2003)
"Fast and flat" (about: 1999)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Perfect west coast qualifier for Boston. This is a great race course and race organizing team. | |
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J. W. from Bay Area, CA
(1/2/2003)
"A perfect weather day" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 3rd marathon of the year (Hono 2001, Rockn'Roll 2002 being the others). CIM was very well organized. Water stations were well run, except for the hose water which was really nasty stuff. But thank goodness for the Ultima. Even though I trained with Gatorade, I took some of the Ultima and I wasn't bothered by it. This is a course to PR on. The weather was perfect. The crowd and police support were excellent. I was bothered however by the large contingent of motorcycle gangs at the Capitol (the finish line) area that were congregating for the Toys' for Tots dropoff. The bikes roared by frequently and I was unnerved and so were many of the runners. The gas exhaust also bothered me. But it was a great day for a great run! | |
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J. R. from Oakland, California
(12/26/2002)
"Terrific race if you've got the right weather" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I prepared for this race for a long time and, thanks in part to perfect race-day weather, had a wonderful time. Course: People who complain about 'hills' in this race must not have to train on many real hills. The first half of CIM has some definite 'bumps' - usually fairly short uphills which are always followed by downhills. The second half seemed pretty flat. I thought this course would be perfect to PR on, given the right weather, and it turned out I was right. Organization: This race was incredibly well-executed, from the buses to the start, to the starting area, to the water stops, to the well-marked mile markers - where, without fail, volunteers called out the time and our average pace. Nice finish area set-up, too, though the hot soup offered was revolting to me at the time. I had been really worried about the Ultima offered at water stops, because I'd heard it was so yucky, but I trained with it and had no problems. It was always mixed perfectly and tasted better than the nasty water. (Now, having read it was hose water, I understand why!) Expo and goodies: Here's where I saw room for improvement. The expo was really small. The poster was terrible - flimsy, with not so much as a rubber band to store it. I like to frame my marathon posters, but I gave this one up as a lost cause and let my kids destroy it. The T-shirt is very nice, though, as is the medal. Food in the finishing area was pretty, well, gross. I will definitely do this one again. | |
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J. O. from Los Angeles,Ca
(12/26/2002)
"My 11th marathon of the year." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I'm happy with finish 3:29:52 in CIM. I've done back to back to back marathon,San Diego Marathon (1-20-02),Huntington Beach Marathon(1-27-02),and Las Vegas International Marathon (2-3-02),also I run Los Angeles Marathon,106th Boston Marathon,Palos Verdes Marathon,San Diego Rock'n'roll Marathon, San Francisco Marathon,25th Chicago Marathon,Santa Clarita Marathon. My 1st marathon was Nov. 12,2000 Long Beach Marathon clocked 3:48:53, next year's San Diego Marathon (1-20-03) will be my 20th marathon and I'm excited to run there with PR. | |
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A Runner from huntington beach, ca
(12/11/2002)
"Fast Course, Water Stations Stink" (about: 2000)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Ran the 2002 Sacramento CIM with very little training and had my best time in years. Course is more 'rolling hills' than 'net elevation loss'--seems like you're always going up or down. Water stations were a bummer. If you go next year, bring your own water! Water stations used hose water that darn near made me choke. Plus, first water station was at 3 miles and second at 5.5. What's that about drinking early and often? Not here! Weather was perfect this year but it rained hard the year before. Expo was smaller than expected. On the plus side, the marathon relay runners keep you company. Seemed like 25% of the field was running the relay. Very surprised at the crowd support along the course. Many people drove along the course to meet their friends/relatives at various points. All in all, I'd do it again. | |
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A Runner from San Francisco, CA
(12/9/2002)
"Better than expected; Great organization & Tshirt" (General Comments)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 4th marathon and I just ran it yesterday. Luckily, it was dry, but mostly hazy with temps in 40s and 50s. After reading last year's comments, I was praying that it wouldn't rain and it didn't. Instead, it's raining today! Phew! The t-shirt is great. Not because of any particularly good artwork (although this year's was nice), but because it's a good quality dri-fit fabric that you can actually use running! In fact, since I got a long-sleeve shirt and 40 degrees is a bit chilly for me, I wore mine during the race. It was perfect. Plus, the back only has one sponsor's name on it, the Sacramento Bee (newspaper). The organization of this race was top-notch. The bib pickup and expo were painless at the Convention Center; the start line had a nice pre-race buzz; EVERY mile marker was clearly visible with a tall red or blue flag and almost every one was staffed with a volunteer or two calling out both pace and overall times; there was well staffed (and well trained) aid station (water and Ultima) near almost every mile mark; traffic control was very good; the finisher's chute was well directed (separate men's and women's) and staffed with a bib tag remover, medal presenter and space blanket giver. Running without a hitch! The course wasn't quite as dull as I had expected taking us through some pleasant rural areas and neatly manicured suburban neighborhoods sans the multitude of strip malls that I had envisioned. CIM is billed as 'The Fastest Marathon in the West' because it has a net elevation drop of 350 feet for the 26.2 mile course. The keyword is, net. There were several rolling hills along the way so the net decline was imperceptible. As a CIM runner commented last year, 'There are no easy marathons.' HALLELUJAH!! Even though I PR'ed this race, I couldn't agree more. Given that this race closes off so many suburban intersections, I was surprised how many supportive locals there were along the course. Great attitudes and the majority of them knew what to cheer: i.e., none of that, 'you're almost there' stuff. After you finish and collect your medal, there isn't a whole lot to do, but bundle up in your space blanket and enjoy the view of the nicely restored State Capital. | |
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A Runner from Pleasanton CA
(7/20/2002)
"Nice Event with wild card weatner" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my third marathon and I was hoping cool weather and a flat course would result in a fastime and a relatively easy experience compared to efforts on other courses. The weather turned out to be unbelievably tough and the course is definately not pancake flat. Two big lessons learned: 1. There are no easy marathons 2. I signed up and ran with a pace group but as it turned out our pacer went out too fast and lost everyone but me and another person by mile 16. It seemed to me that the pacer must know what they were doing so I kept going. At about mile 18 the pacer bonked and I was on my own. I ended up being off by about 15 minutes. I am definately not mad at the pacer who I think felt really bad. Rather I should have been smart enough to back off. One slight bit off satisfaction for this 4 hour + racer. The weather was so bad that I saw many elites and otherwise serious looking runners on the sag buses as their low low bodyfat systems could not handle the conditions. Sure they would normally finish 2 hours ahead of me but in the sufferfest that was the 2001 CIM I finished and they did not. The biggest thing that encouraged me were the maniac fans, that must have been even more miserable than the runners, that were so supportive and turned out in great numbers. Only peeve with race organization was that some buses kicked people off to stand in rain at prerace and others did not. |
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