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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 81 to 91]
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j. j. from san diego
(12/12/2009)
"Not as good as reported" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This is my fourth marathon and probably least favorite. The beginning was nice - several miles of rolling hills and quiet roads. And the end was down some nice tree-lined streets in the city, so also not bad. But unless you like wide, flat streets that stretch as far as you can see ahead, as well as strip malls, the middle section was fairly miserable. The race organization was average to below average, it was hard to find water or anything at the finish. During the run, I'm not sure where the energy station was. I'm sure it was where they said it would be but it wasn't announced when I ran by anyway. Also, the sports drink they chose was Ultima, something that I just can't stomach. All in all, I can't say I enjoyed it a whole lot, but it was a cold, cold day which isn't my favorite running weather. | |
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N. S. from Hopkins, MN
(12/11/2009)
"One-way freight train...." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 California International Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my second year running this marathon and personally I think there are very few (or none) marathons like it. Picture getting your most intense runners together, and regardless of weather conditions, water stops, crowd support, etc., people are going for their goals (PR, Boston qualifying, etc.). The concentration level is the most intense I have seen - not a lot of talking or crowd waving or high fives in the group I was with. A lot of people think the course is "easy" - it's mostly downhill, but it can be grueling in its own way, especially if downhill running wasn't a regular part of your training. There are a few descent uphills thrown in along the way too. The organization and support are excellent. I don't doubt that there were a lot of PRs (I set one) and BQs, but I attribute that more to the energy and drive of those around you than to the course itself; it is intense, and if you have a goal and you are ready to push it a bit, this race is for you.... | |
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D. I. from Minneapolis, MN
(12/10/2009)
"Loved the course, but those water stops..." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 CIM is a fast course. The rolling hills weren't too bad and the finish was flat and fast. They were inconsistent about which drink came first at the water stops (water of Ultima). This needs to be changed. It was windy, but the temp was great. The start had more bathrooms than you could count, which meant little or no waiting. Being able to stay on the bus during the below-freezing morning until the start was GREAT! Thanks to all who gave their time for us to run. | |
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G. S. from Carson City, Nevada
(12/10/2009)
"BQ'd for the first time in my 11th Marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 California International Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 After running marathons for six years with fairly consistent times, I took 25 minutes off of my previous best time and qualified for Boston. I am psyched! Only complaints were with the bus to the start (nightmare), sweat bag drop-off (I got hit in the face by someone hurling their bag toward the truck) and organization at the finish line (I couldn't find a bottle of water...). But the course was very fast and I had fun! I will run it again for sure. | |
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G. B. from Northwest
(12/9/2009)
"Ditto" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Ditto to the comment below. I should've stayed in a pack - that would've blocked the wind. The medical tent (cramp) was outstanding. Good food, good expo, helpful volunteers, great fans, fast course, BQ, what more? | |
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R. B. from Chicago,IL
(12/9/2009)
"Do your own homework" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 It depends on what you like and need. I needed 4:00:59 for a BQ and I missed it by 29 seconds. Ugh! I'm happy with the race, though. Overall, a GREAT experience. CONS: 1. If they tell you that you need to purchase a bus ticket, don't believe it. The cost at the expo was $10 to pick us up from the hotel. Race day we all had to walk four blocks from the hotel to expo building, and loaded up there. No ticket was ever collected. 2. We had to run in below freezing temps and a 15 mph headwind. It was 29 at the start! (Obviously that's not their fault.) But... the back of the bus was freezing. The front of the bus was boiling. (We were at the back.) 3. The first mile was tremendously slow unless you were in front. Pace groups are not in front. I took 11:05 to get through mile 1 - and that was VERY downhill. It was too crowded to do otherwise. It should have been an easy 9:00 pace for that one. 4. Did someone say, "undulating hills?" To a Chicagoan, that means mini-Boston. Do more hill training if you come from flat areas. It's not terribly difficult, but it's just never-ending until mile 22. Be prepared mentally to be going either up or down. 5. Water stops clog up. I was told that relay areas would be even bigger this year. No kidding. There were good course directions telling us to stay on the correct side for the relay or the marathon. However, it still made for some crowded areas, which made pacing more challenging. 6. Water tables were confusing. I actually went backwards four times - either the cup was taken right as I was about to take it, or the table ended. Longer tables maybe? More volunteers? They were also inconsistent about the sequence of water and sports drink. Not good. PROS: 1. Baggage handling was scary, as two trucks held all of the bags. All of the bags were simply thrown into the back, with no organization. SURPRISE! All bags were laid out in an orderly fashion for us at the finish. So don't be nervous. :) 2. I thoroughly enjoyed the course description seminar. Very helpful and on target. Memorable. It helped to keep your mind focused during the race to have specific direction, landmarks, etc. Those are the specifics of that day's experience to watch for, but I really had a fantastic day. The course has good crowd support. A couple of areas without as much support were welcome, offering a chance to regroup and find your pace. After the bridge at H Street (mile 22), you can speed up; there are no more crowds, but also no more hills, so it's time to FLY! | |
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m. s. from Portland
(12/8/2009)
"Ain't as easy as they say it is!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 California International Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I notice on the CIM website they boast that it's "one of the fastest, if not the fastest, course in the country." Just because Bert Yasso says so doesn't necessarily make it true. Advertising this race as an easy qualifier for the Boston Marathon has always been the race organizers' bread and butter. This is my third marathon of the year, and I'd say both of the others were marginally easier. The CIM starts with 16 miles of rolling hills that do take their toll on your legs, and although it ends roughly 300 feet lower than the starting line, you'd never really know it. The last 10 miles ARE flat, and no one really minds that to finish a race! I did enjoy the run, and I'm three for three qualifying for Boston this year, so it's not meant as a complaint. But you might be surprised, as this run is more difficult that you might imagine. | |
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K. S. from Pleasanton, CA
(12/8/2009)
"GREAT Experience!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Truly, overall a great experience. I had heard so many positive things about this marathon before I signed up for it - mostly about the course being "fast." The flat, fast course was just what I was looking for to try and qualify for Boston. I did not expect the fan support to be so BIG, and the scenery to be beautiful! I am the kind of runner who LOVES the cheers, the funny signs, the music and the high-fives. This marathon has that and more. I also found that the camaraderie amongst the runners was amazing and positive as well. Maybe it's because CIM has only marathoners (and some pretty elite ones at that), and none of the 5K, 10K, or half marathon distractions so many other marathons have. CIM was one of the best organized and runner supported marathons I have run. I only have a couple minor suggestions to add. 1.The water/sports drink stations should always be consistent with either water or the sports drink served first. I did not get over quickly enough once, not realizing the order was different, and there was no one holding out water. It was not a problem for the moment, as I carry some of my own for that reason, and a fellow runner saw my dilemma and offered me his (another example of great sportmanship). 2. Because it was a cold day, many runners kept their "throw away" warm clothes on instead of using the bag check. The problem with that was that for the first 4 miles of the race, I spent a lot of time dodging and hurdling over discarded sweatpants, gloves, etc. This is not the organizers' fault (the bag-check service was great), but I was actually hit in the back of the head with a jacket, and wish that the runners would have been a little more careful about throwing their clothes off to the side, not the middle of the road. 3. The line to have my finisher photo taken was too long (so I didn't bother), as were many of the food lines. But, I understand there were many runners finishing close to my time, and had it not been so cold, I probably would have been more patient! Super small nit-picky complaints; overall, I enjoyed this marathon- and I qualified for Boston!!! | |
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T. B. from Arcadia, Oklahoma
(12/8/2009)
"Not as fast as I expected, but very well organized" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Organization was superb. Website had lots of information. Pre-race e-mails were nice, though I left home Friday and didn't get the last one. Nice expo. Buses were on time. (I heard on the bus radio that some were having problems.) We were able to stay on the bus until shortly before the start, which was very welcome as it was cold (about 30). Bag drop-off was a bit chaotic because of the crowd. I suggest a big sign to guide runners which truck to go to, as vocal directions could not be heard in all the hubbub. I think the "flat and fast" hype is a bit overdone. Though there is an overall elevation drop, the course is rolling with plenty of uphill grades too - and some significant ones, especially in the first half. I train on hills all the time, but wasn't expecting these. I am not a spectator fan, but there seemed to be quite a few, more than I thought there would be. I know the race managers can't help the weather. The cold made the race quite an ordeal for me. The day started clear and I dressed lightly, expecting the sun to come out and warm things up fast. Instead it clouded over, and we were running into a cold headwind much of the way. I never did warm up. I think the cold stress hour after hour, the wind, and the hills is why I didn't make my BQ time. The sun finally did come out for the finish. Very nice medal. The food was exceptional: pancakes, soup, fruit, cookies, and other things, all of which helped chase away the cold. Bag pick-up was nicely organized and efficient. Results were posted on big bulletin boards, though they stopped before my finishing time. Had to take a taxi back to our hotel. I would have been willing to pay a bit more at registration for shuttle transport. | |
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A. A. from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
(12/7/2009)
"An awesome marathon experience" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I may be biased because I ended up with a PR by 12 minutes after running this marathon, but it was a great experience from start to finish. Registration was quick and simple; my questions to the race directors regarding the flavor of GU were answered very promptly. The race expo was fun and clinic speakers were very interesting and educational. I stayed at the Embassy Suites, where getting a bus to the start of the race was very easy. It was a bit of a chilly morning, so it was appreciated when we were allowed to wait on the bus to stay warm before the race start. Many people got off the bus to use a port-a-potty (a ratio of one for every 25 runners, which basically means very short or no line-ups) and then got back on the bus to stay warm. I was a bit concerned at the gear check, because with 7,000 runners, there were only 2 trucks to keep everyone's bags, but this proved not to be a problem. The temperature of the race was around freezing at the start and probably didn't get much warmer; however I found it to be very comfortable for running a marathon. (That being said, I am from western Canada so this temperature was much warmer than at home.) I wore shorts, a long-sleeved shirt, compression socks, gloves and a headband. Sometimes the wind was a bit chilly, so I ended up wearing my headband for the entire race and was very happy to have it. The course itself is beautiful. This was the first marathon I've done that was not entirely in a city, and I loved it. There were constant hills in the first half of the race, but they weren't at all steep (sometimes I didn't every realize I was running up a hill) and it's good to use different muscle groups than if the course was totally flat. While the course wasn't completely lined with spectators, I was still surprised at how many came out to cheer (and cheer loudly!), and just when I felt like I could use a boost, the course would go around a corner and there would be crowds cheering for us. To avoid over-crowding through the finish line, there were separate finish mats for men and women. The finish area was picture-perfect and extremely well organized; it took no time at all to get the awesome medal, Mylar blanket, chip removed, etc., etc. The food served at the finish was pancakes and soup, as well as the usual bagels, bananas, etc. The most pleasant surprise, however, was how easy and fast it was to get my gear at the end. I don't know how they organized 7,000 bags to make them easy to find at the finish, but I'm sure glad they did. My one and only complaint is that although GU gels were promised at 3 different locations throughout the race, I only saw them being given out near the end (mile 21, I think?). If I hadn't brought one and been given another one by a fellow runner, I would have been in trouble. My impression is that CIM is a race for serious marathoners. Many people were trying to qualify for Boston, or had a goal in the 3:00-3:30 range. There weren't too many "just want to finish" runners, although for them, this race would have been equally as awesome. For me personally, this was my first marathon experience that I can describe as "ideal." I loved the whole weekend, and hope to do it again someday! |
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