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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 31 to 41]
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C. T. from Ohio
(12/27/2013)
"Expected more after 31 years of an Intl Marathon" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 CIM is a modestly sized race with a lot of potential but fell short on many facets. The information prior the race was good and I felt somewhat prepared going in. The expo was a disappointment per the disorganization. I was sent to another line to pick up my bib, only to be called back later that I was in the right place originally. Then the line to verify your chip was active (not done by the marathon) wrapped around the expo floor and out the door and did not move very quickly. The expo volunteers were plentiful and generally uninformed. You need to remember where you signed up to catch the shuttle (when you registered for the race) because there is no way to find out that information at the expo. Once I got over to get my shirt, the blank stare of the teenager unaware of my presence just made the process worse. I was so frustrated with the Expo that I left without browsing any vendors. Printed materials were an advertisement for the Sacramento community with little to no useful information about the race itself. The shuttles out to the starting line were school buses. The heat did not work well on our bus. A 45 minute bus ride before running a marathon did not help the legs much. At least there were numerous portapotties in the start area. Bag drop was in a series of trucks by bib number (marked with small signs on only one side of the truck). The start was unceremonious. I turned back to help a guy restart his new 610 and turned around to find the race starting. Within a minute of the start, not all of the pace group leaders were in the corrals. The course was pleasant and rolling, not what you would expect based on the elevation chart. Water stops did not start until later than normal (after the 3rd mile). The stops were placed in the narrow spots of the course; there was a single table for ade and a single table for water, separated by only about 50 feet. Water stops were chaos and dangerous for stepping on the people who stopped to grab/drink their water. Pace group leaders were difficult to find. Many were not in the corrals until just before the race, if then. They hid their signs in front of them until we passed spectators, then the signs came out. It made rejoining the group after the bedlam of water stops a considerable challenge. The finish area was not well-designed. The food was off to the left, bag drop claim to the far right. Food and drink options were limited and uncharacteristic of a marathon. At least the shirt was nice. | |
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L. Y. from Southern California
(12/13/2013)
"Rolling Hills" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I liked this course a lot because of the rolling hills. Granted it's not as fast as flat courses, but the rollers make it interesting. Compared to another downhill race (Tucson - trashed my quads), this one is much gentler on the quads. So make sure to do hill training. Organization is top notch. Probably even better than NYC, but then again NYC has a field that's 6 times as large - logistics can be tricky when it's that big. You get bussed up to Folsom at 5AM from your hotel in Sacramento, and you get to stay on the warm bus until quarter to race time. Porta-potties are plentiful at the start. One of the best parts of the race was the start. Instead of corrals, they have large and clear signs indicating pace team times so you know exactly where you need to be to find your pacer. I stuck with the 3:45 pacer like glue, not knowing that he was running faster than he was supposed to. For those of us who were able to hang on, we ended up finishing with a good 4-5 minutes ahead of schedule, which puts all of us at an advantage when it comes to registering for Boston. Speaking of Boston, the atmosphere of this race is intense. Because it's a good qualifier it attracts people looking for fast BQ times. All you hear around you is 'BQ, BQ' - gets a little nerve-wracking especially for this newbie trying to qualify. This is no RnR race with the party atmosphere and the pink tutus. If it weren't for the fact that there are so many other races I want to run, I would definitely run this again. | |
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M. A. from Phoenix, AZ
(12/12/2013)
"It Really is Fast!" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 California International Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 After last year's freakish weather, I HAD to give CIM another try. After missing my BQ by 1:31 last year, I was able to go BQ+15 this year. The weather was a little cool at the start, but to me it was perfect. I've read in other posts that they should have salted the road at the water stations, but to give the volunteers credit, at every icy water station, there was a volunteer up ahead signaling runners of the icy conditions and to take it slow or move to the left. I found the rolling hills to be perfect and kept my quads entertained, but not abused like some of the straight down hill marathons I've done. This race in my opinion is professionally run by elite runners. I can't say enough good things about my Pace Leader Jen Pfeifer. Her splits were dead on and allowed me to start accelerating towards the finish at mile 16. I highly recommend this race to anyone that wants to BQ. As far as the spectators go, I gave them 5 stars because for when the course went through a town, it seemed like it was always filled with cheering fans. In the beginning stages of the race, it does go through some smaller, rural communities, but groups of enthusiastic fans were still present. This isn't Chicago, Boston or New York, so don't expect fans 3 deep along all 26.2 miles. | |
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P. M. from San Diego, CA
(12/10/2013)
"Fast course, not super scenic" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I did this marathon with hopes of qualifying for Boston, which I did! If you're trying to qualify for Boston, this is a good one to do. It had more hills than I expected, but I trained on hills, so no big deal. The pace groups were really good with several at 5 minute intervals. My only really negative comment is that at the finish line, there was no food provided of any kind- all they gave me was a water and a can of coke. Really?? The other marathons I did gave at least a banana, a bar, and a chocolate milk or something. Aside from that, it was good enough. When I did it the weather was freezing! (25 degrees or something) If I weren't trying to qualify, I don't know if I would come in from out of town for it- there are so many other beautiful courses out there. | |
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J. G. from San Diego, California
(12/10/2013)
"Great marathon" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is one of the best organized marathons that I have run (of 15 total). The pros: 1. Buses pick you up right at your hotel...no need to stand around in the cold waiting for the bus. 2. You are allowed to remain on the bus at the starting line until about 10 minutes prior to the race start. 3. More portable toilets at the start than you could possibly need. I used the toilets 3 times at the start and the longest line was 3 people. 4. The expo is efficient and not congested. 5. The mile markers are accurate 6. Plenty of water stations and toilets along the route 7. Nice wide streets and little congestion on the course 8. Rolling hills in the first half keep you from overusing any one muscle group in your legs. The course flattens out in the last half were you need it the most The cons: 1. It can be cold or wet. 2013 was dry but 27 degF at the start...which was actually not so bad if you dress appropriate for your pace. 2. No corrals at the start, but people line up based on projected finishing time (there are signs to indicate the correct position at the side of the start). | |
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J. S. from Detroit, Michigan
(12/8/2013)
"Too many hills to be fast." (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This course is not as advertised. It's called the 'fastest course in the west' but that's only if you think gravity is always good. If you look at the course profile it appears there is one major hill. The truth is there is one short flat section and otherwise it rolls the entire time. Think the first 5 miles just after Hopkinton. You're either going up or downhill and by mile 12 your quads are toast. My recommendation on this is to train for it as you would for Boston or don't run it at all. The eccentric loading on your quads is ridiculous. The next problem is that there were very few spectators and the water stops were ICEY. Nobody brought salt to thaw the water that had spilled. I almost went down. One drink table had nobody staffing it and all the tables served Dixie cup size drinks. Clearly an attempt at cost cutting. Finally Sacramento is a boring flat city. It's more like Flint, Michigan than California. Except for the palm trees I would have thought I was in any other rust belt town. Not a destination race and too hilly to be fast if you've training for flat and fast. Don't believe the hype. | |
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Alex Giffords from Mexico City
(12/15/2012)
"Great marathon with some work to do" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I flew in from Mexico City and was a little disappointed for the weather, but there is nothing you can do about it. The course has some hills that I was not aware of, but hills are part of any marathon. The people along the course were great and I can't say enough 'thank you' to the volunteers. The thing that really blew my mind is that the timing mats are placed at the relay exchanges, at the oddest course points: according to someone I contacted by mail something like 5.9 miles, 7.6 miles, 7.4 miles and 5.6 miles. Isn't that weird? I mean, how can an alleged 'organized by runners'marathon do such a thing? Place the mats at 10K intervals -like most races- and do whatever you like for everyone else. Nevertheless this one I'm running again no matter what!!! | |
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T. U. from Oakland, California
(12/12/2012)
"Great Marathon on a Very Bad DAy" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The CIM Expo is located at just a block from the finish line, main bus shuttle to starting line, and host hotel, the Sheraton Grand (very good hotel prices that sell out fast)near the Capitol Bldg. I found the Expo to be very fun and not overly packed or disorganized like other Expos I've been to. The morning bus shuttle is quick, warm, and reliable. Arrived at the starting line an hour prior to the start and it was freezing cold, windy, and raining super hard. Everyone sought shelter at the gas station pumps and foodmart because the weather was absolutely horrible. When the race began, there was a head wind and unpredictable swirling rain along with fallen branches on the course itself, not to mention the maze of tossed clothes from the lead runners. Normally, the CIM is a fast PR course. Because the rain was so bad (it rained for the first 4 hours of the marathon very hard), the course was more about survival. As prepared as I was, I felt as if every mile was a struggle because of the rain, and running distractedly with a protective windbreaker cape. I also was not able to comfortably pace because the group never broke up. Usually, for the first mile or two, there's a queue of runners which slow down the pace. For the 2012 CIM, this queue last for about 10 miles. I cannot comment on the course for this first 10 miles because it was honestly a blur. I do recall many supportive volunteers giving their best to root us crazed lunatics on and that was much appreciated. My favorite part of the course, of what I recall was arriving in the town of Fair Oaks. There was something special about that part of the run. Other than that, the run was difficult because my shoes, shorts and running shirt were all drenched making me feel heavier. Downhills were not all that enjoyable because a downhill would end in a puddle which required careful navigation. All this said, I can tell that on a good running day, this would be a fun course to run. The support from the spectators was genuine and heart felt. The end of the marathon was well organized and posted times listed in real time. Look forward to running the CIM again next year. | |
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A. T. from Oregon
(12/11/2012)
"Running in a monsoon" (about: 2012)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 After I didn't qualify for Boston at Boston last April because of the 88 deg temperature, I needed to run another qualifying marathon and chose CIM. I was disheartened by the torrential rain, gusty cross and head wind and floods from the storm that was passing through, but I accomplished my goal of qualifying for Boston again. It was an experience like no other running in that extreme weather. Despite this, I really like the course. I knew there were going to be rollers the first 10 miles and I actually liked them. They provided a nice variation but still were gentle on the legs. The start line was somewhat chaotic with no corrals, which was surprising given the 6000+ runners. I hope the race organizers consider some sort of controlled and orderly starts in the future. I followed a pacer and noticed that he pushed through people right from the start. Some friends of mine got stuck way in the back and lost a considerable amount of time before they could pick up their pace. The pacer I followed was awesome. He called out the time at every mile and I felt assured that I would meet my goal time if I stayed with him, which I did. The water/Powerade stations were manageable. I was able to grab a cup at every station without slowing down much at all. At the finish line, I leaned on a very kind volunteer who stayed with me until I was able to stand on my own two feet. Overall, the race was well organized, the expo was above average, the T-shirt was colorful and appropriately sized. The medal was okay, though I'm not one to care about what it looks like as long as they give one. It was sweet to get the added bonus of gloves and neck gaiter to commemorate CIM's 30th anniversary. I'm grateful for the spectators that braved the storm to cheer us on. I would definitely like to run this marathon again, hopefully in the advertised typical clear, cool, sunny weather. | |
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K. S. from Blue Bell, PA
(12/9/2012)
"Pace group was a tremendous help on stormy day" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I really enjoyed the course on a wild and windy day! My CIM pace group leader (Lee) was a real help in keeping the pace even under bad conditions, especially at the start, and keeping things calm while the winds howled! The volunteers who came out and worked in the wind and rain and the spectators who braved the elements were awesome! The expo, buses and start were all very well organized. It would be helpful if there were signs or banners before the water stops - I missed a few because I didn't see them coming up. Also, better signs at the finish directing runners to the food tent (I never saw it) and the baggage tent would be helpful. I didn't get the PR I has hoping for, but this is certainly a fast course and I'd love to come back in the future and try again. |
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