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.

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!!!

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.

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!

I just ran the 2009 edition, and have run this once before in 2005. It was quite cold and windy this year, which made for a more difficult run, but as usual, the organizing was great. There aren't a lot of spectators, but then it's 30 degrees and windy out! Once in town, the spectators and music come out to play though.

There were some problems with the race bag trucks this year. Perhaps it was due to the school buses being open to stay warm, but it seemed like all of the runners waited until the last moment to drop their bags. It was a horrible melee, and many thoughtless runners began throwing their bags at the attendants.

I ran this race in 2009. The organization is great. They had plenty of buses to lug us out to the start. They had a ton of port-a-potties both at the start and along the way. The toughest thing was the wind; it was really windy in our face for a good portion of the race (I guess that's a downside possibility of a point-to-point course). Besides the wind, it's a really fast course with rolling hills, and I got a BQ, so I can't complain.

It was very cold, and we didn't have a chance to warm up. Wait time for bus pick-up from Sacramento was long, and we were very cold.

By definition there is no such thing as an easy marathon, but if there was, this would be it. Great course, well organized, fantastic volunteers and spectators. Highly recommended!!

Nice, fast course made faster by the cool, foggy weather throughout. I particularly liked being able to pace myself by following the various predicted finish time groups, e.g. 3, 3 1/2, 4 hours.... I hadn't seen this before and thought it was a great idea.

Well organized logistically but they seemed to be overwhelmed by the number of runners. I missed several water stops because the volunteers couldn't keep up. The plastic cups were dangerous and difficult to drink from. Runners were really crowded on the course.