I have run this race twice. I do not remember it being so great the first time! Well done. Organized, plenty of spectators and just a great time. GU was provided at three different times and plenty of water and sports drink. Pretty funny thing they had at mile 20... they had a fake wall you ran through with a grim reaper standing there! I was struggling and still thought it was kind of funny. :)

I saw Santa, Winnie the Pooh, the Grinch, Mickey Mouse and other crazy folks dressed up. There is such a great atmosphere at this race.

The CIM advertised the buses as the BEST way to get to the start. HAH! I was at one of the Folsom hotels for pickup at 5 a.m. The bus did not pick us up until well after 6 a.m., as the bus driver said the first load was full so she had to come back for our hotel. This load was packed as well. We got dropped off one mile downhill from the start with fewer than 10 minutes to hoof it up to the start line. At least we got our warm-up in, right? Had to strip and throw my race bag to the side of the road in order to get to the start on time. So I ended up losing my race bag with two pairs of sweats, my iPod, and my sunglasses case (lost and found never found any of it). Had to fumble with getting my hydration pack on while running, which meant it wasn't as secure as it should have been and it fell off completely at mile 17 or so and lost lots of time going back for it and getting it situated again. WAY too much anxiety before the race even started. Next year I'll have my husband drop me off early and I'll leisurely walk that uphill mile to the start instead! Other than that, it was fun to do my first marathon right in my hometown. The spectators' support/cheering was phenomenal.

Came out to Sacramento to a) visit with relatives, and b) run the CIM. Had a great time doing both. I had just qualified for Boston at the Atlanta Marathon 10 days earlier, so I had no pressure to qualify at this event.

The expo was nice, but I almost forgot I had purchased an additional tech shirt. I was leaving when I looked at my bib and saw it listed on it. Perhaps a card needs to be sent out before the race to "remind" folks. I registered early, so it just slipped my mind.

The course had the right number of hills (being from Atlanta, I train on hills), and the weather was a bit of an issue for me (foggy and moist), but overall I had a good run.

The water stations need to be expanded a bit to avoid bottlenecks, and I would prefer digital clocks on the course and I had a hard time hearing times given out by the volunteers (I am partially deaf).

At the finish, I would suggest that the food be inside the runners' area. I saw a lot of non-runners standing with runners to get food. I also had to retrieve my own bag at the end of the race, but they had it set up so well that it was not a problem.

Spectators were light at some spots, but at others I was surprised to see them. Thanks for being there.

This was my 12th marathon in 3 years, and rates as one of the best. Looking forward to running it again. And the finisher's medal ROCKS!!

I flew in from the East Coast for a late-season marathon. I was not disappointed and ran a BQ time. Course was outstanding, with slightly rolling hills for the first half and a fast, flat finish. Organization was superb and bus service from the outlying hotels was well run. Enjoyed the expo, and overall the race was a great experience - kudos to the CIM staff and volunteers!

First CIM. Really enjoyed the course, as it was very scenic. Fan support was excellent, especially the last few miles.

Staging area was good, with plenty of porta-potties. Lots of confusion at the start, as most pace group leaders didn't come to the start area until a minute before the gun.

On-course, the water stations were plentiful, if a little disorganized. And the plastic cups were horrible. You couldn't squeeze and pour as they'd shatter.

The last mile of the course needs barriers, as the fans crowded onto the street barely giving enough room for a runner to get through.

Food at the end should be in an area that only runners can access. Too many people to get through to what was a poor selection of recovery food.

I would like to say that this was my 37th marathon and 2nd fastest. I missed breaking my PR by 32 seconds due to a miscalculation on my part. The catch to this is that I set my PR at 194 pounds in 1991, when I ran a 3:26:41. Now, 17 years later, I'm at 200 pounds. Yes, 6 pounds heavier, I ran a 3:27:12... and this says a lot about the course. If only I had run around 180-185, the PR was there. I will be back, as Arnold says, as the crowd, the course, the weather, the beautiful State of California and the beautiful people made the race unforgettable. The volunteers did a great job in shouting out the times in addition to the current pace per mile, which made it easy to just run as hard as possible. This is as fast a course as I have ever run.

The drop-off could be a bit improved, but other than that, it was on the money in every way....

Thank you to all of the people of Fulsom and Sacramento. I will be back many times to run this race.

Organized very well. Great, fast course. Runners beware - while there is an elevation difference at the start and finish, the first half has a lot of rolling hills. Only complaint was the food at the end of the race was not good and it should've been in the "Runners Only" area.

Thank you to CIM for another great day of racing! I qualified for Boston again and also ran a PR. This is just a great race. I've run numerous other marathons, but this is one I always look forward to running. Thank you and keep up the great work.

The CIM is a nonstop, scenic, breathtaking, roller coaster of an express train, barreling down the tracks from Folsom to Sacramento, treating its 6000 plus passengers like first-class, traveling rock stars. From beginning: easy access from the airport to the hotels, easy walking distance to the expo, easy bus pickup to the start line, all the way to the end: a great finish area with a separate finish line for men and women, accommodating staff to help you claim your luggage, and did I mention one of the most cleverly artistic finishers medals I have ever seen? Perfect weather and a little help from Kevin the 3-hour pace guy made for a great sub 3 PR. This was a memorable trip that will be hard to beat. OK, the only negative is that with so many half and relay runners, a different start time for the marathoners would have helped ease congestion on the course. I was bumping elbows and getting my feet kicked at a 6:47 pace. With that said, I say get on board soon while the gettin's still good.

This marathon was definitely worth the long hike from Atlanta, GA. I highly recommend this marathon to those of you (serious runners) looking for a no-nonsense marathon and wanting to set a PB.

I have one MAJOR suggestion for the organizers. Please extend the length of the hydration stations. The water stations are too short for a field of 6,000+ runners, which results in missed stops and artificial pauses because of all of the bottle-necking that occurs in those areas. Too many runners were flocking the water stops at the same time, and there were not enough volunteers to dispense the cups. Other than that, it was flawless....