I flew in from Mexico City and was a little disappointed for the weather, but there is nothing you can do about it. The course has some hills that I was not aware of, but hills are part of any marathon. The people along the course were great and I can't say enough 'thank you' to the volunteers. The thing that really blew my mind is that the timing mats are placed at the relay exchanges, at the oddest course points: according to someone I contacted by mail something like 5.9 miles, 7.6 miles, 7.4 miles and 5.6 miles. Isn't that weird? I mean, how can an alleged 'organized by runners'marathon do such a thing? Place the mats at 10K intervals -like most races- and do whatever you like for everyone else. Nevertheless this one I'm running again no matter what!!!

The CIM Expo is located at just a block from the finish line, main bus shuttle to starting line, and host hotel, the Sheraton Grand (very good hotel prices that sell out fast)near the Capitol Bldg.

I found the Expo to be very fun and not overly packed or disorganized like other Expos I've been to.

The morning bus shuttle is quick, warm, and reliable.

Arrived at the starting line an hour prior to the start and it was freezing cold, windy, and raining super hard. Everyone sought shelter at the gas station pumps and foodmart because the weather was absolutely horrible.

When the race began, there was a head wind and unpredictable swirling rain along with fallen branches on the course itself, not to mention the maze of tossed clothes from the lead runners.

Normally, the CIM is a fast PR course. Because the rain was so bad (it rained for the first 4 hours of the marathon very hard), the course was more about survival. As prepared as I was, I felt as if every mile was a struggle because of the rain, and running distractedly with a protective windbreaker cape. I also was not able to comfortably pace because the group never broke up. Usually, for the first mile or two, there's a queue of runners which slow down the pace. For the 2012 CIM, this queue last for about 10 miles.

I cannot comment on the course for this first 10 miles because it was honestly a blur. I do recall many supportive volunteers giving their best to root us crazed lunatics on and that was much appreciated.

My favorite part of the course, of what I recall was arriving in the town of Fair Oaks. There was something special about that part of the run.

Other than that, the run was difficult because my shoes, shorts and running shirt were all drenched making me feel heavier.

Downhills were not all that enjoyable because a downhill would end in a puddle which required careful navigation.

All this said, I can tell that on a good running day, this would be a fun course to run.

The support from the spectators was genuine and heart felt.

The end of the marathon was well organized and posted times listed in real time.

Look forward to running the CIM again next year.

After I didn't qualify for Boston at Boston last April because of the 88 deg temperature, I needed to run another qualifying marathon and chose CIM. I was disheartened by the torrential rain, gusty cross and head wind and floods from the storm that was passing through, but I accomplished my goal of qualifying for Boston again. It was an experience like no other running in that extreme weather. Despite this, I really like the course.

I knew there were going to be rollers the first 10 miles and I actually liked them. They provided a nice variation but still were gentle on the legs. The start line was somewhat chaotic with no corrals, which was surprising given the 6000+ runners. I hope the race organizers consider some sort of controlled and orderly starts in the future. I followed a pacer and noticed that he pushed through people right from the start. Some friends of mine got stuck way in the back and lost a considerable amount of time before they could pick up their pace. The pacer I followed was awesome. He called out the time at every mile and I felt assured that I would meet my goal time if I stayed with him, which I did. The water/Powerade stations were manageable.

I was able to grab a cup at every station without slowing down much at all. At the finish line, I leaned on a very kind volunteer who stayed with me until I was able to stand on my own two feet. Overall, the race was well organized, the expo was above average, the T-shirt was colorful and appropriately sized. The medal was okay, though I'm not one to care about what it looks like as long as they give one. It was sweet to get the added bonus of gloves and neck gaiter to commemorate CIM's 30th anniversary. I'm grateful for the spectators that braved the storm to cheer us on. I would definitely like to run this marathon again, hopefully in the advertised typical clear, cool, sunny weather.

I really enjoyed the course on a wild and windy day! My CIM pace group leader (Lee) was a real help in keeping the pace even under bad conditions, especially at the start, and keeping things calm while the winds howled!

The volunteers who came out and worked in the wind and rain and the spectators who braved the elements were awesome! The expo, buses and start were all very well organized. It would be helpful if there were signs or banners before the water stops - I missed a few because I didn't see them coming up. Also, better signs at the finish directing runners to the food tent (I never saw it) and the baggage tent would be helpful.

I didn't get the PR I has hoping for, but this is certainly a fast course and I'd love to come back in the future and try again.

I was looking for a fast course that wouldn't be too hot, and the fact that my sister lives in San Fran made it a perfect destination marathon. We had horrendous weather  downpour, windy, and lots of puddles  but I was amazed at the crowd support. The volunteers were amazing, and there were people cheering us on the whole way. I highly recommend staying at the Lake Natoma Inn in Folsom. They had a free shuttle bus to the start and a warming tent shared with the other Folsom hotels (with private port-o-potties!) You will need a way to get back to the hotel though (26 miles north!) so if you don't have a fan club, staying in Sacramento might be a better option.

Pros:
-Cool Weather almost guaranteed
-Fast course if you regularly train on rolling terrain. (If you train on flat terrain you will find it a bit challenging.)
-PACING TEAMS!! I got to be paced by the legendary Tim Tweitmeyer! The pace teams are fantastic!
-Great swag  choice of long or short sleeved tech shirt (I got both since my sister registered and didn't run), gloves, cinch bag, and winter running face cover/ hat/ scarfy type thing.
-Amazing crowd support
-Plenty of Powerade and Gu at Aid Stations
-Easy expo

Cons:
-Although they count your chip time for BQ, everything else is gun time. I didn't cross the start for 2 minutes, but my finishers medal and my AG placement are by guntime. Why?
-The start is too crowded. Not sure why, since it isn't a marathon wiht 40,000 people. I think there were about 8,000 runners at the start including the relay folks. The first mile I was 17 seconds slower than the second because I couldn't get through  couldn't even weave.

Despite the rain, I PRed by 22 minutes. I would love to do this one when it isn't raining!

Well manned aid stations.
Good marathon, nice course.
No clocks at all on the course.
I never found any food other than chocolate milk. Heard there were pancakes. Odd choices for a post race meal.

I came from Cincinnati to run this race based upon what I read (and heard from a couple people who had run it). They do a good job of marketing this race as one of the fastest courses (if not the fastest in the US).

I really don't think the elevation drop of 300 feet over 26 miles is that much of a benefit. I drove the course the day prior and I found that it is a rolling course for most the way, with up and down grades. I can't say there are any 'hills' on this course, just up and down grades. So you do get the benefit of the down grades and have to work a bit up grade but it evens out and keeps the course interesting.

I heard the last 6 were 'flat as a pancake' but that's not really true. Maybe the last 2 miles are.

But the course is fine, I just don't think there is much benefit to the elevation drop they mention in their marketing efforts.

Pros:
Gently rolling point to point course
Fairly scenic
Great organization
Chocolate milk at finish
Bus pickup at hotel on race morning
Being able to stay on the buses prior to start
Ample water stops (see Cons)
Expo was a manageable size and easy to navigate
Nice shirt
Easily BQ'd

Cons:
Some water stops at beginning didn't seem to be fully manned by volunteers most likely due to the weather but who can blame them.
Had to pay for a cab ride back from finish to hotel which is about $20.
No time kept on the course (not sure if this was due to the weather).

I would recommend this race. Its a good one. I won't likely run it again as I am from out of town and there are so many others I would like to do.

I ran the marathon this year and although I was initially worried about the rain and wind, it turned out to not bad at all. Maybe a bit slow, but plenty of runners did good times. General comments: the course was more scenic than I expected, with nice variation to keep things interesting, finishing with the long run in East Sacramento and to the capital. Aid stations were plentiful and well organized. Spectators were fantastic. Volunteers were amazing. Start and finish were well organized. Results were rapid with excellent split times. The only downer for me was the finish food wasn't to my liking (Bisquick-like pancakes, bad bagels, and green bananas) but there's no shortage of nearby food so even with nothing at the finish it would have been 5-stars.

I did this race in 2010 as my first marathon hoping to hit the Olympic Trials Qualifying mark of <2:19:00 and ended up running 2:17:22. I know it's been described as a net downhill course so therefore fast, but it's even faster than that because the uphills are generally shorter and steeper while the downhills are longer and lower grade. The first 20 miles you can really fly, but then you enter the city and it's perfectly flat. I highly recommend doing this course sometime - but be sure to prepare for the downhills! In terms of organization and spectators - both were great! A lot of aid stations and plenty of people cheering you on the whole way.

CIM is so close to being a big time race. To do this though they HAVE to sort out a few things, which can easily be done.
1. Get rid of Ultima - Not sure about all the scientific reasons, but bottom line it is AWFUL and I quickly stuck with water
2. Water stations were a mess, way too small for a marathon of this size
3. Finish area - confusing and poor. I never did find the food, though once i saw the pancakes I had no interest, c'mon give us something other than bananas and health stuff. Also took some time to find the bag drop area.
4. Charging to take the bus to the start, this should be part of the cost. (or at least hide it in the cost :))

On the plus size this race has so much going for it:
1. Great point to point course comparable to Grandma's (those who complain it's boring, remember it's 26 bloody miles!!)
2. Fans, I've run 19 marathons and their support and sheer number of spectators are just behind Boston and Chicago. Ive run several supposedly rock n roll bands and this race had more bands, music than any other I've run!
3. Plenty of water stations, now if only they make them bigger and offer another sports drink.
4. Great area, be sire to check out Old Town where the street is like how it was in the Wild West. We also spent extra nights in Sonoma and San Francisco.

Overall a great trip and race, even though I pulled a muscle after 13 and basically limped in. Still very enjoyable and the main problems can easily be fixed.