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Marathon Details - Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon)

North America Marathons > USA > CA > Sacramento > Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon)

Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon)

Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) & 50K, Half Marathon

Sacramento, CA USA

~~February 28, 2016~~ - CANCELLED

http://findmymarathon.com/race-detail.php?zname=Lake%20Natoma%20(formerly%20River%20City)%20Marathon

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Marathon Results

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2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

The course is run on the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail/American River Parkway from Negro Bar(Folsom) to Discovery Park(Sacramento).

Contact Information

Name:
Address:	7575 W Washington Ave Ste 127-531 Las Vegas, NV 89128
Phone Number:	702-526-7317
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (16)

Course 4.0

Organization 3.2

Spectators 2.2

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Number of comments: 16 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 > ]

S. M. from Davis (7/28/2015) "Terrible Organization" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 In 2015 this race was urgently rescheduled with ONE day notice. The problem was that the race organizer was stuck down south due to a storm. By all means register for this small scenic race but just know that it's all dependent on one guy making it to Sacramento. Not surprisingly there were many complaints from runners. The official response to these complaints was poorly managed and runners were scolded for not being more understanding. Not a great experience.
S. G. from Oregon (3/13/2014) "A race with great potential." (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Pros: Small race. Very beautiful course. No crowding like other races. No traffic problems. The official hotel is at the start and finish line, very clean and the rate was reasonable. Cons: Hard hilly course. The elevation map was deceiving. The course wasn't well marked!!!!!!! Very easy to get lost. Water stations were every 4 miles apart!!!!!( But the ones were well stocked) Carrying water on your back made this race five times harder. The course wasn't closed for the event. The bicyclists were very aggressive and rude. The course was longer than 26.2. We ended up running 27 miles.
H. J. from California (3/10/2014) "Small field with big sacrifices." (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This was my 5th marathon, so I am no newbie. The field for this marathon is very small, so I was thinking 'Awesome, a low key event!' It was my buddy's first marathon, and we had been building our base for the last year so we decided to bite the bullet and run this race. The course was beautiful, snaking around the American River on a paved path. Crowd support is non-existent which is expected for an event of this size, but the volunteers were great and the few people cheering were very supportive. However, there were some major flaws to this marathon that was the deciding factor that I will never run this race again. Cyclists. So. Many. Cyclists. The course is not closed so you will run into other runners, walkers, families, and cyclists. Ninety percent of the cyclists were rude and ran us off the road several times. The path clearly stated that runners and walkers are to remain on the left hand side of the trail, which we did. Didn't matter. The cyclists would come ripping around the corner and almost take you out. I expended a ton of energy dodging the cyclists. A few were very courteous and would call out when they were coming up behind and stay on the correct side of the path. The majority were not nearly as courteous. Lack of port-a-potties. Just three at the start, none for the rest of the race. There were one, maybe two bathrooms that I could see on the course that were part of the park. One for sure around mile 10.5/16.5 roughly. Another I thought I saw, but was probably a good 1/4 mile off of the course route. Unfortunately, I was suffering from major GI issues so this turned out to be a serious problem for me. Mile markers were almost 1/2 a mile off. This resulted in a race that ran 27.1 miles. Chances are, if you are reading this, you have run a marathon before and you know that most races run a little over on your running watch. I expect between 26.2-26.5 on my watch. Totally normal. Not 27.1, someone did not measure correctly on the course. I almost had a mental breakdown when we turned around at the marathon turn around aid station at mile 13.55. It was a serious test of my mental fortitude to keep going knowing that I was going to be running a 27.1 mile race rather then the 26.2 I was expecting. The course was very pretty and relatively flat, near the halfway point you have a pretty long hill with a 7% grade to go up. For a long time. I run crazy hills during training so it wasn't horrible, but it definitely saps some energy. Water stops were well stocked, but there definitely could have been a few more, especially since I ran out of water more than once. All in all, if you can handle the cyclists and want to run a super low-key event that feels more like an extra long training run rather than a race, this one is for you.
S. C. from Portland OR (3/11/2013) "Excellent scenic course" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is a small marathon on a paved path along the river the entire time. Very scenic. No traffic issues! You're on a dedicated path. Pluses; Scenery No crowding Great post race food! Yummy. Super closer to the hotel and only $89/night. Very nice hotel. Easy free parking. Downer: BRING A WATER BOTTLE! The water stops were super helpful, but up to 4 miles apart. If it had been hot, I would have been toast. Thankfully if was awesome marathon weather. Overall, very much recommended for a good small marathon.
B. A. from Sacramento, CA (3/11/2013) "Beautiful course, more organization needed" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The course this year on the bike trail was peaceful and scenic. More aid stations and better organization would help this race as volunteers at the aid stations weren't expecting the runners at times. I signed up my friend and I and felt that the processing fee of over 15 dollars for the 2 of us was a bit high too. As a Sacramento resident I hope that these issues are corrected and that they continue with more full marathons in Sac.
B. H. from Burlington, NC (3/30/2012) "Great Course, but..." (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Beautiful course and very fast, but organization was not up to par. From a lack of signs in the park to show where the start was, to the lack of mile markers, to the small number of aid stations, this is the worst I have seen in my 66 marathons. Hopefully, it will improve when the new organizers get their act together.
S. M. from Sacramento, CA (3/26/2012) "quiet, scenic course with wonderful volunteers" (about: 2012) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my second marathon, run one week after the LA marathon. Definitely a contrast to LA, and if you prefer the excitement of a big race, River City probably isn't your speed. If you like a tranquil and pretty course, you'll love it. As I understand it, elemental running picked up direction of this race after the very sad passing of race director Robert Mathis. Elemental running did an excellent job of managing the race with what little prep time they had. Refreshments on the course every couple miles and helpful, encouraging volunteers. It is a small race, so spectators were few, but very supportive. Its a lovely race along the american river, and parkway traffic was closed to bikes for this event. Weather was fantastic for running, and the food at the finish couldn't have tasted better. Thanks to Robert Mathis for originally providing us with the opportunity to run a marathon along the river and thanks to elemental running for continuing it.
A. L. from Sacramento, California (4/13/2011) "2011 was a tough year for this marathon" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 3 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon)s COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The race organizers had to change the course for the 2011 event because sections along the course and finish area were flooded. That meant the second half of the course (returning to the start area) was mostly uphill. The goodie bag was a Safeway reusable grocery bag, which is cool. No expo; just a packet pickup. The volunteers were excellent for the most part. Slower finishers did not receive medals because marathon medals were given to 1/2 marathoners by mistake. To date that has not been corrected.
W. S. from California (5/16/2010) "Positive on the whole but with a few problems" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Pro: qualified for Boston; enthusiastic volunteers; EMT workers (spent more time with them than I ever wanted to); nice course; helpful organizers. Con: not enough port-a-potties at the start; not enough aid stations; bicyclists (unbelievable!); heat. All in all, I enjoyed this marathon. I would consider doing it again, but I would need to be more prepared for the heat.
T. D. from Rocky Mountains, CO (5/13/2010) "Flat and Fast Boston Qualifier!" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was only my second marathon but I have been in many other races. This is a beautiful course, especially the first half of the marathon. They could easily begin the race a half-hour earlier as it was really warm by the finish, adding signs after entering the park for directing runners to start area would help, and closing the course to bikers (they were pretty careless and rude). The spectator count was really low, but they had good food at the finish. All in all, a good experience for me.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 > ]



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S. M. from Davis (7/28/2015) "Terrible Organization" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 In 2015 this race was urgently rescheduled with ONE day notice. The problem was that the race organizer was stuck down south due to a storm. By all means register for this small scenic race but just know that it's all dependent on one guy making it to Sacramento. Not surprisingly there were many complaints from runners. The official response to these complaints was poorly managed and runners were scolded for not being more understanding. Not a great experience.
S. G. from Oregon (3/13/2014) "A race with great potential." (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Pros: Small race. Very beautiful course. No crowding like other races. No traffic problems. The official hotel is at the start and finish line, very clean and the rate was reasonable. Cons: Hard hilly course. The elevation map was deceiving. The course wasn't well marked!!!!!!! Very easy to get lost. Water stations were every 4 miles apart!!!!!( But the ones were well stocked) Carrying water on your back made this race five times harder. The course wasn't closed for the event. The bicyclists were very aggressive and rude. The course was longer than 26.2. We ended up running 27 miles.
H. J. from California (3/10/2014) "Small field with big sacrifices." (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This was my 5th marathon, so I am no newbie. The field for this marathon is very small, so I was thinking 'Awesome, a low key event!' It was my buddy's first marathon, and we had been building our base for the last year so we decided to bite the bullet and run this race. The course was beautiful, snaking around the American River on a paved path. Crowd support is non-existent which is expected for an event of this size, but the volunteers were great and the few people cheering were very supportive. However, there were some major flaws to this marathon that was the deciding factor that I will never run this race again. Cyclists. So. Many. Cyclists. The course is not closed so you will run into other runners, walkers, families, and cyclists. Ninety percent of the cyclists were rude and ran us off the road several times. The path clearly stated that runners and walkers are to remain on the left hand side of the trail, which we did. Didn't matter. The cyclists would come ripping around the corner and almost take you out. I expended a ton of energy dodging the cyclists. A few were very courteous and would call out when they were coming up behind and stay on the correct side of the path. The majority were not nearly as courteous. Lack of port-a-potties. Just three at the start, none for the rest of the race. There were one, maybe two bathrooms that I could see on the course that were part of the park. One for sure around mile 10.5/16.5 roughly. Another I thought I saw, but was probably a good 1/4 mile off of the course route. Unfortunately, I was suffering from major GI issues so this turned out to be a serious problem for me. Mile markers were almost 1/2 a mile off. This resulted in a race that ran 27.1 miles. Chances are, if you are reading this, you have run a marathon before and you know that most races run a little over on your running watch. I expect between 26.2-26.5 on my watch. Totally normal. Not 27.1, someone did not measure correctly on the course. I almost had a mental breakdown when we turned around at the marathon turn around aid station at mile 13.55. It was a serious test of my mental fortitude to keep going knowing that I was going to be running a 27.1 mile race rather then the 26.2 I was expecting. The course was very pretty and relatively flat, near the halfway point you have a pretty long hill with a 7% grade to go up. For a long time. I run crazy hills during training so it wasn't horrible, but it definitely saps some energy. Water stops were well stocked, but there definitely could have been a few more, especially since I ran out of water more than once. All in all, if you can handle the cyclists and want to run a super low-key event that feels more like an extra long training run rather than a race, this one is for you.
S. C. from Portland OR (3/11/2013) "Excellent scenic course" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is a small marathon on a paved path along the river the entire time. Very scenic. No traffic issues! You're on a dedicated path. Pluses; Scenery No crowding Great post race food! Yummy. Super closer to the hotel and only $89/night. Very nice hotel. Easy free parking. Downer: BRING A WATER BOTTLE! The water stops were super helpful, but up to 4 miles apart. If it had been hot, I would have been toast. Thankfully if was awesome marathon weather. Overall, very much recommended for a good small marathon.
B. A. from Sacramento, CA (3/11/2013) "Beautiful course, more organization needed" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The course this year on the bike trail was peaceful and scenic. More aid stations and better organization would help this race as volunteers at the aid stations weren't expecting the runners at times. I signed up my friend and I and felt that the processing fee of over 15 dollars for the 2 of us was a bit high too. As a Sacramento resident I hope that these issues are corrected and that they continue with more full marathons in Sac.
B. H. from Burlington, NC (3/30/2012) "Great Course, but..." (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Beautiful course and very fast, but organization was not up to par. From a lack of signs in the park to show where the start was, to the lack of mile markers, to the small number of aid stations, this is the worst I have seen in my 66 marathons. Hopefully, it will improve when the new organizers get their act together.
S. M. from Sacramento, CA (3/26/2012) "quiet, scenic course with wonderful volunteers" (about: 2012) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my second marathon, run one week after the LA marathon. Definitely a contrast to LA, and if you prefer the excitement of a big race, River City probably isn't your speed. If you like a tranquil and pretty course, you'll love it. As I understand it, elemental running picked up direction of this race after the very sad passing of race director Robert Mathis. Elemental running did an excellent job of managing the race with what little prep time they had. Refreshments on the course every couple miles and helpful, encouraging volunteers. It is a small race, so spectators were few, but very supportive. Its a lovely race along the american river, and parkway traffic was closed to bikes for this event. Weather was fantastic for running, and the food at the finish couldn't have tasted better. Thanks to Robert Mathis for originally providing us with the opportunity to run a marathon along the river and thanks to elemental running for continuing it.
A. L. from Sacramento, California (4/13/2011) "2011 was a tough year for this marathon" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 3 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon)s COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The race organizers had to change the course for the 2011 event because sections along the course and finish area were flooded. That meant the second half of the course (returning to the start area) was mostly uphill. The goodie bag was a Safeway reusable grocery bag, which is cool. No expo; just a packet pickup. The volunteers were excellent for the most part. Slower finishers did not receive medals because marathon medals were given to 1/2 marathoners by mistake. To date that has not been corrected.
W. S. from California (5/16/2010) "Positive on the whole but with a few problems" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Pro: qualified for Boston; enthusiastic volunteers; EMT workers (spent more time with them than I ever wanted to); nice course; helpful organizers. Con: not enough port-a-potties at the start; not enough aid stations; bicyclists (unbelievable!); heat. All in all, I enjoyed this marathon. I would consider doing it again, but I would need to be more prepared for the heat.
T. D. from Rocky Mountains, CO (5/13/2010) "Flat and Fast Boston Qualifier!" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was only my second marathon but I have been in many other races. This is a beautiful course, especially the first half of the marathon. They could easily begin the race a half-hour earlier as it was really warm by the finish, adding signs after entering the park for directing runners to start area would help, and closing the course to bikers (they were pretty careless and rude). The spectator count was really low, but they had good food at the finish. All in all, a good experience for me.

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Marathon Details - Lake Natoma Marathon (formerly the River City Marathon)