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Apr 28, 2024

California International Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.4

Organization 4.3

Spectators 4.2

Number of comments: 231 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 24 > ]

Mike Tsai from Saint Joseph, MI (12/18/2014) "Excellent Fast Course- Perfect Weather!" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is my second Marathon and I really enjoyed the experience. Perfect weather this around. The organization was great especially the coordination with the hotels/transportation to the start line. The Pacers were really helpful in helping you see how well you were running. Plenty of water and GU throughout the course. Qualified for Boston so it definitely is fast. I do agree that the finish area could use some help in getting food to the runners. Most of us runners can't function as well once we finish the race so it would have been better to have the food a bit closer to the finish line.
D. J. from Wisconsin (12/15/2014) "Fast and well supported race" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second attempt for a BQ and was somewhat supprized by the small holling hills for the first 13 miles or so. The organizationa and support was fantastic for every aspect of the race. I was disapointed in my performance expecially the last two miles but it had nothing to do with the race itself. I only rated it a 4 because I enjoy rural courses more than city running. Also I lost the 3:35 pace group almost immediately from the start. Many slower runners at the front of the race caused stop and go running for the first part of the race. Time corrals would be benificial for this speedy event. Congratulations to all the runners and thanks to everyone involved in this race.
M. H. from Sac, CA (12/12/2014) "Lots of fun" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, or race for that matter. I enjoyed it so much I registered for it next year. I agree with the previous comment regarding the sports drink and food at the finish. The drink was unpleasant. What is wrong with PowerAid or Gatoraide? I wasn't able to find the food at the end. I remember looking at a map, but after the race my brain wasn't functioning at 100%. Put up some signs or have some volunteers reminding runners where the food is. The spectators are great and most volunteers were cheering on the runners which was a pleasant surprise.
L. L. from San Francisco (12/10/2014) "OK but not up to the hype" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The race is very well organized and supported - lots of porta potties, aid stations, etc. but i found the course rather bleak - most of it on four lane road past strip malls. not scenic at all.
V. H. from SoCal (12/8/2014) "You could be better and you have been better. B-" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ California International Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Race organizers went cheap with shirts, cotton blend rather the technical shirts of other races(compare to San Francisco and your own shirts of previous four years) the busses were good though there should have been a person on the ground at location A directing runners to bus lines, the virtual goodie bag was a virtual waste of space, all the runners I know love real goody bags with little samples of things like deodorant, glide, bars, and so on. The medals were readily available at end yet location of water was a mystery and the food was either gone or in secret location(i was told by those who found the soup and naan that it was inedible) and isn't this the race that gave ice cold cokes at the finish linewhere were those?. . Fabulous job done by the police in runner safety and course security. The drink on the course was downright nasty and even the water at stations tasted like from a treatment plant. There was an excellent quantity of gu on course. These comments are for myself and a number of my 2014 running companions, finishing from uner four hours to six hours.
R. R. from Dallas, Texas (12/8/2014) "Solid Race" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Great course with up and down first half and flat secnd half. There are some hills here but it is fast. A smattering of crowds usually near each town along the course. Very easy race in terms of logistics and well run.
cindy egger from CA. (1/30/2014) "I have run the CIM 21 times in a row, it's great" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ California International Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have enjoyed running CIM the past 21 years, I have run it 21 times in a row. Each time has been a different experience for me, each one is memorable. Love CIM, plan on running it til I can't anymore. It is great to have such a wonderful marathon so close to home. Can't say enough good things about it. Thanks for CIM, it brings a lot of good people together. Cindy Egger from little town of Galt,CA.
J. M. from Cambridge, Massachusetts (1/15/2014) "Best Organized Marathon Ever..." (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 ...except for the starting line. There were no corrals so we were guessing where to start. Organization: But from the buses that met us downtown, to the quarter mile of port-a-Johns, to the ample well-marked, well-planned water stops to the cheer zones to the miles being right on. I had zero problems organizationally. (Outside of Michelob Ultra being the race beer; of course, that got many of us off the capital grounds quickly). Course: This was a great course! It's not nearly as 'easy' as some people said. But it was open and ran through plenty of communities that came out in force. The last stretch heading into Sacramento was awesome as the crowds got bigger and bigger heading to the capital. The only thing I would have changed would be to start it so that you can run more than a 100 yds toward the capital, a good quarter mile would have been great. Spectators: Nothing bad here either. Great in town and around the subdivisions. Between subdivisions it could be sparse. Of course, it was also freezing for California. Special kudos to the guy out in his bathrobe with a coffee directing us around the black ice in front of his house. It's 3000 miles away, but I would do this one again in a heart beat. Thank you CIM and SRA for the best marathon experience.
Chris Park from Chino Hills, CA, USA (1/14/2014) "Cold" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Being SoCal natives, my wife and I were not prepared for how cold this race was going to be. It was 27 F when we started and 30 F when we finished. Everything else was more than what we expected - course was great (no loops), spectors were very encouraging and genuine. Finish at the State Capitol was also great. We liked everything else about this race but because of the cold, I don't think we're going back.
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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