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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: 231 [displaying comments 201 to 211]
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J. R. from Irvine, CA
(12/6/2004)
 "Just the right size race" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran CIM yesterday and we had a perfect day: temps. in the 40's and sunny after predictions of rain. The first 15 miles is pretty rolling, not too flat and more down than up. My quads didn't revolt until mile 16. Downhill courses are always tougher than advertised for me. I prefer flatter courses or trails where the downhills are cushioned by the dirt. Support was great, lots of volunteers at the water stops. Just enough cheering spectators to keep you going. Clif Shot pace teams for company. I ran with the 3:30 group led by famous ultra runner Tim Twietmeyer. If you havne't heard of him, do a Google search. We started out with about 100 runners in the group and worked down to 15 at mile 22 when I ran ahead. Tim was great and did a nice job of pacing. The host hotel was affordable and convenient. My room was only $140 and the expo was next door. The expo was small compared to L.A. and N.Y. and not too interesting to me. Same old stuff on sale. But, I didn't fly up to Sac. to go shopping; I flew up to race. It was great to have room to breathe at the finish after the experience I had at my first 2 marathons (NY and L.A.). I found everything very well run and organized. They even offered to let us sit on the bus at the start to stay warm. They serve Campbells tomato soup at the finish and it hit the spot. I qualified for the 2006 Boston Marathon when I'll be 45 and had a great weekend. It may take me the rest of the week before I can walk without my cane. :) | |
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B. G. from los angeles
(12/6/2004)
 "great race" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Well organized. For a small city, this was a great race. Crowd support was super but not too many spectators. I've ran on other cities where the residents did not care at all even if the course was on residential streets. One negative comment is that there was no coffee, water or bread at the start. It was real cold that it's better to stay in the bus until a few minutes before the start. Downtown Sacramento on a Saturday night was also very quiet. At 6pm, only the mall was open for business. You can even count the number of people. Overall, I consider running this race again. | |
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Bill Strachan from Phoenix, Arizona
(12/6/2004)
"THE BEST MARATHON in western US in December!" (General Comments)
50+ previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As a veteran of over 50 marathons (PR 2:22) & a coach of marathon runners for over 30 years; I regard this as the BEST MARATHON RACE in the United States for SERIOUS RUNNERS! The course affords challenge & the opportunity for FAST TIMES but WITHOUT the trauma to the legs of traditional downhill courses. If I want a December marathon for my runners to use as a qualifier for the TRIALS, BOSTON or just a PR - THIS IS IT! Bill Strachan - Head Coach - AZTECH Racing Team - Phoenix, AZ. | |
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DeeAnna Whitman from Lodi Ca.
(11/8/2004)
 "The CIM is the most supportive I have ever run." (about: 2003)
3 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This course has everything a marathon should have. Scenery, hills, excitement, music on almost every corner, and the greatest supportive onlookers I have ever encountered. Even the children got involved! | |
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T. J. from San Francisco, CA
(3/3/2004)
"A real runner's marathon" (about: 2003)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 California International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This race isn't catering to armies of walkers or the 15 min/mile tourist. It's a footrace, and a great one. Efficient organization, but can we please have some real food at the finish - or at least infuse some moisture into the bagels? The course is hyped as fast. Well, it's OK but the 'rolling' hills the first 16 miles are a little bigger than you're led to believe. The up side is when it flattens out, it'll feel easier and you can really pick it up. The roads are wonderfully wide and smooth. Btw, the split timers aren't great at math, so do your own pace calculations at the mile markers. The crowds aren't huge but surprisingly big for such a thinly populated course. Never seen so many bible verses on banners, but what counts is their enthusiasm and it's topnotch. Bottom line: if you're a real runner this is an excellent race. If you're trying to get to Boston, even better. But real runners want healthy food before the race and that's hard to come by in Sacramento restaurants. | |
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T. M. from Pleasanton, CA
(1/19/2004)
"What about the train?" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 It was a fine race... the weather cleared up, the point-to-point course was great, the crowds were wonderful and the aid sations were just peachy... but an unexpected train stopped runners at about mile 23 for a few minutes. Ouch (I just got by the gates). They promise it won't happen again, but the race seems to be managed by local civic boosters rather than runners. No pasta feed the night before and poor post-race food goodies were, I guess, attempts to fill the local restaurants. | |
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T. L. from Anchorage, AK
(12/12/2003)
"Good Course, Good Organization, And Good Crowd" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and liked what the CIM course had to offer. The hills in the first 12 miles of the course made for a good balance between the flat and downhill portions of the course. The weather was great, spectators were very supportive, and the organization was alright. The field of faster runners was better then most marathons I think. I hope to run this marathon again in the future. | |
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T. L. from Los Angeles, CA
(12/10/2003)
 "Not flat, fair course" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Course may have a net drop, but it swoops and rolls plenty. I'd like to see the finish extended down to 2nd Street or thereabouts so that there's more of a straightaway to the finish. Mile flags are great, needed a 13.1 mile marker, and the Clif Shots would have been more appreciated at 10 and 15 miles rather than 19. A bus driver who knew where she was going and that you don't drive through exit signs would have helped. Pace groups were great! This race needs chips and corrals. The start may be wide, but it narrows down fast! | |
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R. C. from Granada Hills, CA
(12/8/2003)
"Superb! Everything as promised!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was marathon #5 for me, and I ran CIM largely based on its reputation. I wasn't disappointed. Although Saturday's weather had us a bit nervous, Sunday was beautiful! There was a bit of a headwind towards the end, but nothing too bad. I've run in much worse! Anyway - my thoughts. 1) Ultima needs to go! Nothing to it - tastes bad, no carbs, no sugar, nothing helpful! Please, ANYTHING but Ultima! 2) Agree with a previous poster - need to do Clif Shots as promised. Whether there's one spot or two, the description should match what actually happens! 3) Hills. They won't slow you down if you run them right (I agree that this is a fast course) - but if you run the race, DEFINITELY drive the course ahead of time to see what you're getting yourself into. It's a bit quirky, but run right, is blazing! And yes, the bridge does look like a mountain when you get there! This was well worth the drive, and I hope to run it again at some point! Great job guys, keep it up! | |
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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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