Is it worth flying out to Sacramento? Has anyone raced CIM before is the course actually fast?
Is it worth flying out to Sacramento? Has anyone raced CIM before is the course actually fast?
Yes. Just don’t expect a cakewalk of a course. It is fast but fair.
Worth it? Sure, if you want to run a cheating downhill ‘thon course?
I bet you’ll wear cheateflys too. LOL
I have run CIM twice.
Unless they have changed the course, it is straight into the city and it is net downhill. Yes there are some hills, but it's a fast course.
It's flat and it's at a good time of year, so it's usually no chance of it being hot. Biggest weather threat is wind. Also the field is fast enough that you will have other people to run with, that can be an issue with some smaller races.
It is a fantastic race, and everyone should do it at least once. Very well managed, fast course, good chance of good weather.
My one warning: it is a very fast course, but it is not as easy as you think it is. The course does not run the way it looks on the website's elevation profile. Every year, there's quite a few people who come into CIM overconfident and not prepared for the amount of uphill running you do on that course, and they struggle.
It's a very fast course. For perspective, a 65 year old Frank Meza was able to run the final 10k of the race in 36 minutes. XD
Yes, it's worth it. I'll probably run it again this year if I can stay healthy. The last time I ran it I had a bad day with some injury issues and had to stop and walk/hobble a few times. Ended up in the med tent. I still BQ'd by 5 minutes. That's how fast the course was.
txRUNNERgirl wrote:
Yes, it's worth it. I'll probably run it again this year if I can stay healthy. The last time I ran it I had a bad day with some injury issues and had to stop and walk/hobble a few times. Ended up in the med tent. I still BQ'd by 5 minutes. That's how fast the course was.
THAT reasoning above illustrates how 'fast' the course is/was?! ... f'ing LR morans.
It's fast but doesn't feel downhill. It's not like you are getting a big assist out there or anything. First half has some rollers.
fractiouskat wrote:
txRUNNERgirl wrote:
Yes, it's worth it. I'll probably run it again this year if I can stay healthy. The last time I ran it I had a bad day with some injury issues and had to stop and walk/hobble a few times. Ended up in the med tent. I still BQ'd by 5 minutes. That's how fast the course was.
THAT reasoning above illustrates how 'fast' the course is/was?! ... f'ing LR morans.
Actually, the morans are those who confuse a “course” with “weather”.
The weather often is great- cool temps and little to no wind.
The course has few turns and net downhill, but lots of uphill too so it would be faster if it were flat. But it’s well organized, great fields and usually great weather.
The course is rolling for the first 21 miles and flattens out once you hit the downtown grid. It drops about 350 feet in total from Folsom to downtown. It's a fair route that rewards a smart runner and not the ridiculous "falling off of a cliff" course as some here like to characterize.
Great organization. Good crowds along Fair Oaks Blvd. as you make your way into the city. Nice long finish straight up to the state capitol lawn.
fractiouskat wrote:
txRUNNERgirl wrote:
Yes, it's worth it. I'll probably run it again this year if I can stay healthy. The last time I ran it I had a bad day with some injury issues and had to stop and walk/hobble a few times. Ended up in the med tent. I still BQ'd by 5 minutes. That's how fast the course was.
THAT reasoning above illustrates how 'fast' the course is/was?! ... f'ing LR morans.
Yes. Or you could just look at previous results, the amount of OT qualifiers, etc. No you don't see WRs there, but that's because the money isn't there.
Run it 3 times.
First mile is a fast downhill.
From 2 to 16 miles it is rolling. Some decent hills and not easy.
From 16 to finish a net downhill that feels flat. Maybe you feel the effect of a 100 foot drop over 10+ miles but I don’t.
Weather.
Marathon 1: torrential downpour with 30+ mph winds the whole way.
Marathon 2: Sunny. 45-55 degrees.
Marathon 3: 28 degree high. Too cold.
I’ve run a number of marathons, this one I ran because it is somewhat local. It is by no means a destination race unless it is the US nationals with increased competition.
I've run 35 plus marathons over the last (nearly) 40 years, including 12(?) CIMs. If you are looking to run the fastest time you are capable of, CIM is the race to do. While the mostly flat/net downhill course is a plus, the whole organization and race atmosphere make this the place to go for racers. Despite it's growing size, you never feel like 'cattle' at this event. Transport to the start is easy, whether you take the bus (recommended), or get dropped off. It has to be said: this race must have the highest per capita # of race-start port-a-pottys of any race I've ever done. If you hang out at the north-end of the start area, you can do your warm up/stretching, and jump-in the PP's as needed. The first 6 miles of the course, while downhill, includes some rollers. And those can be helpful as a 'check' to not go out too fast (unlike Boston, where it's easy to get lulled into the gravity driven fast pace). The first 6 miles are also relatively peaceful, going through a semi-rural neighborhood. There are 4 spots in the first half where there are big, loud, supportive crowds, but mostly a nice, peaceful first half. The 2nd half is where the racing starts (if you are doing it right). In all my marathons, I've only managed 3 negative splits, and they were all at CIM. The second half is nearly pancake flat, and if the weather is nice (and it usually is), there will be crowds lining the street for the final 13.
Whether you need a BQ, a last chance OTQ, or are just looking for a PB, Sacramento's CIM is a smart choice.
I ran my fastest time at CIM for a BQ-20.
* The downhills aren't too steep to burn out your quads.
* The rolling hills allow you to slightly rest your quads and let your hamstrings do some of the work,
* The weather is usually in the 40's (deg F) with evaporative cooling (light rain).
I heard that more people qualify for the Olympic marathon trials at CIM than any other marathon. Don't know if that's true, but according to the below article: "Forty-nine women hit qualifying marks at CIM, which comes out to 25% of the total number of qualifiers."
http://citiusmag.com/where-do-people-qualify-for-olympic-trials-marathon/
My wife wants to run it every year until she dies and we're from the East Coast. I didn't go with her but take her word that it's the bomb.
It rolls a lot more than I expected the first 15 or so miles.
It is a fair fast course but it isn't as fast as many people think it will be.
A course like Mountains to Beach or Ventura Marathon are much faster net downhill courses. No comparison.
txRUNNERgirl wrote:
fractiouskat wrote:
THAT reasoning above illustrates how 'fast' the course is/was?! ... f'ing LR morans.
Yes. Or you could just look at previous results, the amount of OT qualifiers, etc. No you don't see WRs there, but that's because the money isn't there.
Not the whole story by taxrunnerlady.
Over the entire course it averages out to just less than 16 inches per mile of drop. Sorry, that's nothing and I'll let you do the rest of the math.
It's the weather more than the course. No, it's NOT super hilly but it's rolling in the first half and more downhill in the second half which helps tired legs out, no doubt about it. Ran it 3 times so far but my PR is still 2:32 in Detroit.
There are a lot of jealous runners on this board, that much is for sure. More OT potential qualifiers go there for the fast course and peer competition to keep them on pace.
Don't run cim
The city sucks
The people are mean (even the hobbyjoggers)
Don't visit here, stay home plz