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Marathon Details - California International Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > CA > Sacramento > California International Marathon

California International Marathon

California International Marathon & Marathon Relay

Sacramento, CA USA

December 8, 2024

http://www.runsra.org/california-international-marathon

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Race Details

Fast downhill point to point course with rolling hills. Wide start with finish on steps of the state capitol in downtown Sacramento. Great spectator support. Race temps 40-50 degrees.

Contact Information

Name:	Kris Benach
Address:	California International Marathon 4181 Power Inn Rd Suite A Sacramento, CA 95826
Phone Number:
Fax Number:	(916) 426-1926
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (232)

Course 4.4

Organization 4.3

Spectators 4.2

Write a review

Number of comments: 232 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

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

M. J. from WA (5/21/2024) "Disappointing" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 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.
Fergus Hodgson from Fort Collins, Colorado (12/8/2023) "Tougher than Expected, Too Many Participants" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 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!
D. R. from CA (12/4/2023) "Don't Run If You Can't Finish in 5 hours 30 mins" (about: 2023) 1 previous marathon \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 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.
N. S. from FL (12/11/2022) "Harder Than It Looks But Still Fast" (about: 2022) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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.
D. H. from OR (12/7/2021) "OK, but more demanding than advertised" (about: 2021) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 California International Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 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.
J. O. from Colorado (12/7/2021) "Great to be back" (about: 2021) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 California International Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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.
d. r. from ar (12/11/2019) "worst bag gear retrival ever" (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 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.
K. R. from Los Angeles, CA (12/10/2019) "Objective review from back of the pack runner" (about: 2019) 2 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 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.
M. B. from Sacramento, CA (11/30/2018) "Mediocre" (about: 2017) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 California International Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 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.
K. G. from Denver, CO (12/12/2017) "Great race and fantastic course!" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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!!

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



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M. J. from WA (5/21/2024) "Disappointing" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 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.
Fergus Hodgson from Fort Collins, Colorado (12/8/2023) "Tougher than Expected, Too Many Participants" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 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!
D. R. from CA (12/4/2023) "Don't Run If You Can't Finish in 5 hours 30 mins" (about: 2023) 1 previous marathon \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 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.
N. S. from FL (12/11/2022) "Harder Than It Looks But Still Fast" (about: 2022) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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.
D. H. from OR (12/7/2021) "OK, but more demanding than advertised" (about: 2021) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 California International Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 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.
J. O. from Colorado (12/7/2021) "Great to be back" (about: 2021) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 California International Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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.
d. r. from ar (12/11/2019) "worst bag gear retrival ever" (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 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.
K. R. from Los Angeles, CA (12/10/2019) "Objective review from back of the pack runner" (about: 2019) 2 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 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.
M. B. from Sacramento, CA (11/30/2018) "Mediocre" (about: 2017) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 California International Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 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.
K. G. from Denver, CO (12/12/2017) "Great race and fantastic course!" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 California International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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!!

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Marathon Details - California International Marathon