California International Marathon - Race Reviews

Given the reviews, I was expecting the worst. However, the race organization was flawless. Plenty of portapotties, plenty of fluids, medals etc. Transportation to and from start flawless. Weather, flawless. Kudos to the organizers.

Course is not flat, not inclusive for all runners, catered more for elites and not the average runner, which is disappointing to have elitist attitudes on the transport bus disparaging slow folks with passive/aggressive comments. Way to start a marathon. Sportsmanship and support was nonexistent amongst those I sat with on the bus, though met many runners (yes, we are runners even if our time is slower) along the way who were supportive of each other. No bananas at the end. Seriously. CIM puts on a big to-do with over 10,000 participants, but can't have enough bananas at the finish.

This race was not prepared for 10,000 runners: (1) the waits were too long for the bathrooms; (2) the start line was chaotic with various paces running over each other; (3) there were shortages of finish-line bonuses. I had hoped for a unified 2:40ish pace group, and there just was not. Further, the course is definitely rolling hills and not flat at all, albeit with a slight net elevation loss. Yes, some people get their OTQs/BQs at CIM, but I would place other courses as faster (Houston is one example). My sense is that the race has many fast runners and not such a fast course. The quality of competitors there was impressively high. My recommendation: go out conservatively and shoot for negative splits!

No medal is guaranteed and it is CIM's policy. Think before committing to this race. CIM should have this policy prominently displayed in bold red letters on their web page and not in small print. CIM will take your 150 and disregard your expectations and your personal story. Honestly CIM advertising in this way is disgraceful. This race is really for elites and aspiring elites who want to BQ and not for average runners like myself who may not qualify per a policy. There were many average runners who participated and I saw how disappointed they were when CIM had no more medals. So beware after running and crossing the finish line that a medal is not given to you! If you were aware and properly informed, would you run a pricy race event if there were no medals at the end - I wouldn't? This is my first and last race with CIM. Having a medal means something to each individual - hard work, dedication, and a personal story who is not an elite or aspiring elite. CIM is not the race for everyone.

My title alludes to the many uphill grades there are in this course, even though it is 'net downhill'. Last uphill was at 20.5 miles MOL, so train for hills, although none were steep (some were longish). I think the reason it's fast is because there are VERY few turns and long straightaways - excellent. Plenty of spectators, excellent organization. Water stations plentiful but be aware the sportsdrink is Nuun- be sure you work your nutrition around that. I was very glad I did. Expo was a bit weak, but I have found that to be the case everywhere since the pandemic. We traveled cross country for this so went north to the coast & redwoods afterwards; that was a good choice as Yosemite also is.

The course is advertised as a great BQ venue. And while the course has a net downhill, it consists of gentle undulating hills that will not be kind to you if you don't train for them a bit. I neglected hills in training for my second go-round this year and suffered for it; my mistake, I knew better. And maybe it's a COVID casualty, but the Expo and swag were far smaller and poorer than 2017 where I came away with lots of nifty kit that I regularly use; no comparison to the shirt and inexpensive water bottle for 2021. I'd brought along a first-time marathon runner and prepped them to expect lots of swag so I was very disappointed. It's a well-run race and it's nice to run with 1000's of other runners with plenty of pacers for those with a goal. That said, I probably wont be back since there are other local options that wont cost as much time and money. My advice to the SRA is to not rest on your reputation but work to make this a special destination race.

Almost perfect conditions for the race and the organization was superb as usual in bussing runners to the start etc. The self-seeding into groups at the start works well as it seemed to me that just about everyone was honest about pacing. I can't imagine that this method would work in any big city marathon. Crowds are sparse compared to New York or Boston but they are very friendly, supportive and clearly proud of the hometown race. It reminds me of small town 10k races from 40 years ago. Take heed of the many warnings about the rolling hills for the first 15-17miles as the total elevation gain is about 700 feet (drop about 1000 feet). The only recommendation that I would have is to make sure that the aid stations are on both sides of the street. It seemed that after about 8-10miles, they were only on the right side and there was congestion and crossing over from the left side, resulting in some jostling and tripping.

I hope the organizers would get their act together next year. It was a free for all to get gear bags that were checked in. One runner fainted! Imagine running 26 miles and you start bending over to find your bag amongst the thousands of bags and runners! It was so easy to steal athletes bags, NOBODY was looking. I'm sure someone has lost a phone or car keys.

CIM is a very popular marathon and I believe the main reason is that the course & time of year are ideal for those attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon. In full disclosure I am a back of the pack marathoner. Here are my observations on the 2019 race: Expo - due to construction at the convention center, the expo was relocated to an old arena that was 10-15 min north of downtown Sacramento. For the size of the race, I was surprised at how small the expo was. Course - the course isn't very scenic - you go through farm and residential areas for the most part. Finish at the state capital is nice though. Course nutrition - plenty of aid stations. I'm not a big fan of Nuun products, so I brought my own electrolyte drink. No qualms about the Cliff gels, however I was disappointed they had mini Cliff bars vs. Bloks - Bloks would have been a better option I believe for runners. Some aid stations had oranges & bananas too. Would I run this course again? Only if I was trying to qualify for Boston.

Hugely disappointed by the 2018 race packet, which completely got rid of a goodie bag except for runners who paid for the $290 'VIP experience.' The standard $150 race entry gets you a t-shirt and a clear plastic gear check bag. This an extraordinarily cheap move for a race that has done little else to separate itself from other large marathons. The course runs through hillier-than-advertised streets, mostly through the uninspiring suburbs of sacramento. The finish in front of the capitol is cool, and the crowd support is above average.

I came to CIM looking to PR and BQ. I chose CIM because of the time of year, being in December I wanted to have better chances of cooler weather. I have ran too many October marathons that have had heat waves on marathon day, and it was miserable! I also chose CIM, because I had heard it was a very fast course with net downhill. Although this is true, it really is not as fast as you would think. I live and train in Colorado and my training consisted of lots of hills and mountain runs. This course has rolling hills for the first 20 miles. Although they are not insanely steep hills, they are enough to really take a toll on you for 20 miles. I had heard people say the hills lasted until mile 16. WRONG. They continue until about mile 20 or so. The hardest part for me was not the hills, I paced smart on all of those, slowing about 10-15 seconds on each uphill, knowing I would make it up on the downhills. I ran a smart race and paced it great! The part of the course that was my demise was the part AFTER the 20 miles of hills. The pancake flat part, or the last 10K. That is usually the part in the race that I kick it in and start racing. I maintained my pace until the last 5K and then my quads could no longer take the flat. It was rough. When I looked at my Strava account you can literally see the change in my pace right where the course flattens out. I would definitely run this race again. It is very well organized and the aid stations were great. But, now I know what to expect with the hills and then knowing the last 10K is flat. I did plenty of uphill and downhill training, but I think for next time I will do long, hilly training runs and seek out some flat areas to end the run on with pick ups. Overall, great race and course, but be prepared for hills for 20 miles. They never seemed to stop. I PRed by 9 minutes and BQed right on the dot 3:35:00. Won't get in with the time, but I was on track to run a 3:32:00 the entire race until that last 5K... dang that flat part!!

Sacramento is a small city in California. It is the state capital. The city is surrounded by agriculture environment. The weather and the air quality in early December in Sacramento area is perfect for running. For 2017, the temperature started at 45 degree F and it was 55 degree F when I reached the finish line. The course is along wide streets with rolling hills. The overall course has more down hills than up hills. All hills are with gentle slops. The size of the event fits the course well. You can find your pace almost from the very beginning. However, there was no organized "waves" at the start line. I encounter many slow runners blocking my way for the first 3 miles. The event was well organized overall. Everything from expo, morning buses, starting area, bag checking, to aid stations, and finish area are all well arranged. The organizers have arranged at least one hundreds potties at the start area. Unlike most of other running events you have to spend significant of your preparation time in starting area awaiting for your turn to use a toilet. The lines for CIM were quite short, say, less than 5 minutes in average. There are potties in many water stations as well. The organizers have managed to get many sponsors to support the event. These benefit the runners directly. Something everyone received are: - Clif shots in a number of water stations; - Electrolyte drink nuun in every water station; - Whole food sandwiches at the finish area; - Sierra Nevada Beer at the finish area (this may not for everyone); - and many small gifts in the goodie bag. The rolling hill course plus the pleasant weather enables runners to run faster. The organizers made running this event a very pleasant experience. I have run 35 marathon in 35 different course. This event awarded me a medal with "35" as the main face of the medal. I thank the event for making this medal so special for me, although I know later that it is CIM's 35th anniversary.

This is really the ideal marathon. Not too large; navigating the expo, parking, getting to the buses, was all good because it isn't too large a race. Not too small, so they have a good expo, well supported with volunteers along the entire course, you're always among other runners, the finish line area had good food/beer and reasons to hang for awhile. As for the course, it's what I would conjure in a dream; not pancake flat (I need some hills to break up the monotony), but flat when you need it (the last 6-8 miles), very few turns. This year's weather was my fantasy...cool, but not too cold, damp (it lightly rained during the night), but no rain during the race. The sun came out and is at your back for the entire course (no glaring sun in your eyes). This is really the perfect course at the perfect time of year; I can see why it hasn't been changed in 35 years. Big Kudos to the race organizers; this is a perfectly executed race. My one complaint would be the water/nuun stations weren't big enough...when I was running with a pacing group, there were too many of us clustered together to easily reach water and/or nuun...I ditched the pace group and problem solved. Despite getting older (now in my 50's) and slower and not being in the best shape of my life, I set a PR and BQ'd by 10 minutes.

Second time runner in this race and my 35th marathon. Great organization and worth a trip to run CIM. Your quads will be trashed after 10 miles unless you train on downhills. Only suggestion for improvement is more porta-potties needed in first 20 miles. Waiting for a few minutes for a toilet break will damage your chances of a BQ. Everything else is geared to BQ and I don't understand why this lack of toilets is overlooked. I went into the bushes twice - helps to be a male in these circumstances.

A truly great experience for my second full marathon! Would definitely run this one again and recommend it to anyone wanting a well-organized and fun race! PROs: Race morning - the bus to the start in Folsom made everything a breeze (though they leave early, 5 a.m., this also allows you to be there and have time to chill, on the bus or outside, before the start). Port-a-pottys a plenty - I was so happy to see the number of toilets, allowing for a smooth start. Bag drop - super well organized and efficient!! Thank you, volunteers! Aid stations - well-stocked and frequent (every 1-2 miles), with nuun first, then water, some with food, and 4 spots for cliff gels. I'd still love to have Gatorade instead of nuun, so I just went for the water and used my own electrolyte fuel. Course - the course definitely has some rolling hills (I felt the downhills on my knees), but nothing too tough, and I kind of loved that you got the hills done after about mi 15, and then it was mostly a slight-downhill coast to the finish in downtown Sacramento. I thought the course was great in that I didn't feel overly crowded for it being the biggest race I've run - wide streets allowed for people to spread out. I also enjoyed the variety of running through neighborhoods and small towns. There were more spectators than I expected, so that was a pleasant surprise, but not the best aspect of the race. I was able to cut 12:30 off my time in this race, so the hills couldn't have been that bad! Shirt and swag - I really love the shirt, especially that the women's is actually long enough! Also enjoyed the belt, socks, and head/neck band, all stuff I'll actualy use! Weather - absolutely perfect. It rained overnight, so was not as cold as forecasted, but crystal clear morning, temps from 45-55 from start to finish. CONS: Finish line - this is my only area of constructive feedback for the race organizers. I would have loved to find Gatorade and/or chocolate milk right after the finish (with the water) in order to avoid the electrolyte/carb crash that ensued. It was difficult to locate the tent with nuun (hidden in a far corner). Also would have loved to see water refilling stations, especially with the obvious effort to promote recycling/composting (which I loved). The warm breakfast sandwich was good (thank you for having a vegetarian option!), but I would have also liked more simple-carb options, like orange slices and the chocolate milk. The high-quality coffee drinks to go made up for all of that, though. Overall the finish area felt a bit crowded and not as well organized / signed as the rest of the event. I loved finishing at the Capitol, though, and having the palm trees with the Christmas tree in the background of photos! Thanks for a great race experience, CIM!! I hope to be back!

INTRODUCTION: I am a race-walker with a median marathon completion time of 5:17:40. The California International Marathon was my forty-second 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was a perfect day for a marathon: temperature at the Folsom start line was 37 degrees, 98 percent relative humidity, 3 mph winds from the north-northeast with few clouds. The course was characterized by rolling hills from the start (without corrals, one gauged one's place based on where the pace leaders stood) until reaching downtown Sacramento just past mile 22 where it became pancake flat. While the net descent was 340 feet (about 13 feet per mile), there were not any significant ups or downs to speak of. In the first six miles, we traversed through Folsom, Orangevale, and Citrus Heights, mostly westbound on Oak Avenue, before turning south onto Fair Oaks Boulevard. Approximately 16 miles of the course was on the irregularly shaped Fair Oaks Boulevard, where we traveled south and west on the same street at least three separate times, and then west-southwest between miles 16 and 22. The final stretch was through downtown Sacramento, where, travelling mostly westbound on J Street and then L Street, we counted down each block starting at 57th Street. At 15th Street, we ran alongside the Capitol Park and at 11th Street, the State Capitol. We turned left on 8th Street, eventually reversing course on K Street, to reach, unique among marathons, our gender-segregated finish lines facing the front of the State Capitol and its resplendent Christmas tree. Finish time temperature was a partly cloudy 55 degrees, 59 percent relative humidity, and 6 mph winds from the west-northwest. ORGANIZATION: Well done. From the expo to the course support to the finish line, the race was pulled off almost flawlessly. Especially worth noting were the two 5:23 pace leaders. Well organized and full of good humor, the leaders identified what was available at each of the upcoming aid stations and noting their locations well in advance. SPECTATORS: Typical in number for a marathon of this size, enthusiastic in support. CONCLUSION: This race was deservedly well known as a place to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and upon looking at its program that was distributed at the expo, it was clear the organizers catered to this elite group of runners. That said, this was not done at the expense of the slower runners, who were also well treated during the entire length of the course. One should consider this race to be included in one's marathon portfolio. Well done, Folsom, Sacramento, and places in between.

This was my third marathon and I came to Sacramento because I heard how great this race was. It did not disappoint. The convention is well laid out and in a great location in downtown Sac. I stayed at a hotel where the bus picked me up right outside bright and early at 5am. This was greatly organized and they allowed us to stay on the bus until the race start. Although it isn't ideal to hang out on a bus for an hour before your race, with the logistics of the start location, it is the best you can expect. There is no problem finding a portapotty before hand because they are numerous. The course starts with a downhill so its hard not to start too fast. You are then greeted for the next 15 miles or so with gentle rolling hills with the downhills twice as long as the uphills. For those complaining about the hills, where do you live?! Although it is not completely flat, as long as you incorporate some hills in your long run, you should have no problem. I honestly barely noticed the uphills. The crowd support is not great but the fact that you are running with 9000 other marathoners makes up for any of that. It really feels like you are all in this together. I was able to PR by 15 minutes and get a BQ! The post race area isn't the greatest I've been to but its really cool to get to ring the BQ bell. Plus there is a beer area where you can recover and drink all the well deserved free beer you want. I'm from Oklahoma and I think I will be back next year to try and run under 3 hours. This is the race to do it!

I travelled out of state for my third BQ attempt, and it was a success! HOTEL: We stayed at the Embassy Suites RiverFront; it was less than a half a mile walk to the busses on race day morning. The hotel is also exactly a mile from the finish line and expo. Since we had glorious weather all weekend, we walked to our hotel after the expo and the marathon. EXPO: large, fun, similar to most expos, no problem navigating RACE MORNING: no complaints here. Be prepared to be on the bus for 45 minutes. Bring your food and blanket. Once you arrive you are free to visit the 300 portopotties and come back to the bus to wait until 15 minutes before start time. RACE COURSE: no complaints here. Obviously people come here to PR, but you have to earn it. You must train on hills prior to coming here. The course is a net down hill, but the course is rolling (which I think it a good thing). Enjoyed the rural beauty along the course. Enjoyed running through the little downtowns. Although there are few turns on the course, I was still cognizant of running the tangents and finished with overall 26.21 miles! There was nice crowd support. You are not in Chicago or New York don't come here expecting that kind of support. FINISH: Bag check was fully stocked with volunteers to grab your bag quickly. Nice beer garden. Warm oatmeal provided by Whole Foods. GREAT location right in front of the capital with giant Christmas tree in front. SO MUCH FUN to celebrate my BQ by ringing the BQ bell! OVERALL: I lucked out by having the best weather ever this weekend- 40 degrees, sunny, no wind. As long as you understand the course and train appropriately, you have a GREAT chance of being one of those 23% Boston qualifiers the race is known for!

This race is promoted as being a 'net downhill' course that is very fast. While I'm sure the finish line is at a lower elevation than the start, the course is actually full of rolling hills of varying sizes. I wouldn't call it a particularly difficult course, but it's not as easy and fast as the website implies. Most of the course is on a small state highway that is not very picturesque, with little to no crowd support until you get into downtown Sacramento for the last mile or two. On the other hand, the race organization is absolutely top notch. The buses to the start line and all the logistics at the start worked extremely well. It's great that they let you hang out on the buses until the start, since it's pretty chilly until the sun comes up. There were lots of aid stations and they were run really well. They have plenty of pacers and mine did a great job. I would say if you're looking for a really well-organized race, on a neutral-to-slightly-fast course, this is a good choice. If you're looking for beautiful scenery or great crowd support, look elsewhere.

We stayed in a hotel near-ish to the Convention Center where the expo was and there was some stress early on about the check-out time but on the day they put up a sign saying marathoners could check out at noon without extra charge, and $35 if you stay past 12.30, and I think a full day's charge from 2pm. The buses leave EARLY on race day, and they are plentiful. It does however mean you're left to chill for over an hour in the dark in Folsom - you can stay on the bus though. The start line area had the most number of portapotties I've ever seen in my life which was wonderful. The course is rolling at times, but everyone is there to run fast. There's really good spectator support which surprised me and just goes to show that the SF Marathon is the odd one out in NorCal for having the least atmosphere. It's not the prettiest course out there, but again - you're there to run fast. The finish line is a bit of a pain because you run past the recovery area before turning a few corners to separated men's and women's chutes.

To say this course is entirely downhill is false. A more accurate description would be, an easy rolling hill course from a higher elevation to a lower elevation. Practice on hills for this race - it will do you good. Support and organization are both fantastic. No complaints there. Massage tent does have an extremely long wait so I wouldn't even bother. I grew up in the Sacramento area so the course wasn't anything I haven't seen before (obviously). I would say it's just 'pleasant', nothing more or less. Weather varies every year. No way of telling you what it's going to be like. It could be freezing, pleasant, or stormy. Completely unpredictable. Nice medal and great swag gifts. Ends downtown with lots of places to go and celebrate afterwards.

I ran the race in 2014 and found it very well organized. Only minor issues is that we waited the bus for a while at the convention center, and there were no volunteers to tell us that it was normal, and some of the pacers went out way too fast - for instance I finished in 3:02 and found it difficult to get away from the 3:05 pace group in the first two miles. My main personal issue with this race is the course itself. It is a fast course if you like rolling hills, but it is not my case and I would rather have a pancake flat course. Don't get me wrong, the hills aren't that bad, but the constant ups and downs until ~M16 made it difficult for me to dial in marathon pace, as you constantly have to change your pace to match the effort on uphills and downhills. Also the fast reputation of this race is due to the fact that the field is insanely fast - many people come here to BQ or try and run a personal best, as opposed to RnR races for instance. In conclusion it's unlikely that I will run it again just because I did not like the topography of the course.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

...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.

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.

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.

I liked this course a lot because of the rolling hills. Granted it's not as fast as flat courses, but the rollers make it interesting. Compared to another downhill race (Tucson - trashed my quads), this one is much gentler on the quads. So make sure to do hill training. Organization is top notch. Probably even better than NYC, but then again NYC has a field that's 6 times as large - logistics can be tricky when it's that big. You get bussed up to Folsom at 5AM from your hotel in Sacramento, and you get to stay on the warm bus until quarter to race time. Porta-potties are plentiful at the start. One of the best parts of the race was the start. Instead of corrals, they have large and clear signs indicating pace team times so you know exactly where you need to be to find your pacer. I stuck with the 3:45 pacer like glue, not knowing that he was running faster than he was supposed to. For those of us who were able to hang on, we ended up finishing with a good 4-5 minutes ahead of schedule, which puts all of us at an advantage when it comes to registering for Boston. Speaking of Boston, the atmosphere of this race is intense. Because it's a good qualifier it attracts people looking for fast BQ times. All you hear around you is 'BQ, BQ' - gets a little nerve-wracking especially for this newbie trying to qualify. This is no RnR race with the party atmosphere and the pink tutus. If it weren't for the fact that there are so many other races I want to run, I would definitely run this again.

After last year's freakish weather, I HAD to give CIM another try. After missing my BQ by 1:31 last year, I was able to go BQ+15 this year. The weather was a little cool at the start, but to me it was perfect. I've read in other posts that they should have salted the road at the water stations, but to give the volunteers credit, at every icy water station, there was a volunteer up ahead signaling runners of the icy conditions and to take it slow or move to the left. I found the rolling hills to be perfect and kept my quads entertained, but not abused like some of the straight down hill marathons I've done. This race in my opinion is professionally run by elite runners. I can't say enough good things about my Pace Leader Jen Pfeifer. Her splits were dead on and allowed me to start accelerating towards the finish at mile 16. I highly recommend this race to anyone that wants to BQ. As far as the spectators go, I gave them 5 stars because for when the course went through a town, it seemed like it was always filled with cheering fans. In the beginning stages of the race, it does go through some smaller, rural communities, but groups of enthusiastic fans were still present. This isn't Chicago, Boston or New York, so don't expect fans 3 deep along all 26.2 miles.

I did this marathon with hopes of qualifying for Boston, which I did! If you're trying to qualify for Boston, this is a good one to do. It had more hills than I expected, but I trained on hills, so no big deal. The pace groups were really good with several at 5 minute intervals. My only really negative comment is that at the finish line, there was no food provided of any kind- all they gave me was a water and a can of coke. Really?? The other marathons I did gave at least a banana, a bar, and a chocolate milk or something. Aside from that, it was good enough. When I did it the weather was freezing! (25 degrees or something) If I weren't trying to qualify, I don't know if I would come in from out of town for it- there are so many other beautiful courses out there.

This is one of the best organized marathons that I have run (of 15 total). The pros: 1. Buses pick you up right at your hotel...no need to stand around in the cold waiting for the bus. 2. You are allowed to remain on the bus at the starting line until about 10 minutes prior to the race start. 3. More portable toilets at the start than you could possibly need. I used the toilets 3 times at the start and the longest line was 3 people. 4. The expo is efficient and not congested. 5. The mile markers are accurate 6. Plenty of water stations and toilets along the route 7. Nice wide streets and little congestion on the course 8. Rolling hills in the first half keep you from overusing any one muscle group in your legs. The course flattens out in the last half were you need it the most The cons: 1. It can be cold or wet. 2013 was dry but 27 degF at the start...which was actually not so bad if you dress appropriate for your pace. 2. No corrals at the start, but people line up based on projected finishing time (there are signs to indicate the correct position at the side of the start).

This course is not as advertised. It's called the 'fastest course in the west' but that's only if you think gravity is always good. If you look at the course profile it appears there is one major hill. The truth is there is one short flat section and otherwise it rolls the entire time. Think the first 5 miles just after Hopkinton. You're either going up or downhill and by mile 12 your quads are toast. My recommendation on this is to train for it as you would for Boston or don't run it at all. The eccentric loading on your quads is ridiculous. The next problem is that there were very few spectators and the water stops were ICEY. Nobody brought salt to thaw the water that had spilled. I almost went down. One drink table had nobody staffing it and all the tables served Dixie cup size drinks. Clearly an attempt at cost cutting. Finally Sacramento is a boring flat city. It's more like Flint, Michigan than California. Except for the palm trees I would have thought I was in any other rust belt town. Not a destination race and too hilly to be fast if you've training for flat and fast. Don't believe the hype.