Julie Urbanski October 10, 2018

Date: 12/2/18

Location: Folsom, CA to Sacramento, CA

Start Time: 7am

Avg Temps (f): 57/42

Time Limit: 6 hours

Lessons Learned from Race Reports

  • Likely to be chilly at the start, especially with how early of a start it is, so have a plan for shedding layers with the gear check option
  • Be ready for a beginning slow mile, even though it’s downhill, as there are so many people at the start
  • Not a ton of crowd support like in bigger marathons
  • In 2017, aid was only on one side of the road, so look ahead and be aware of what side it’s on when approaching it so you don’t miss it
  • Last “hill” of the course is a bridge around mile 22
  • The course starts with a couple sharp turns and ends with two 90 degree turns, the last being being right before the finish chute, which can feel like a tight turn that late in the race
  • Weather is likely to be misty, cloudy, cool, and maybe rainy
  • The course is a rolling downhill, so don’t expect all downhill or completely flat
  • Try to not hammer the downhills in the first half, and the downhills in the second half are more gradual
  • This race is deep with talented runners. It’s not a big city marathon feel, but there are lots of people here going for fast times, and it feels surprisingly crowded throughout the entire race, even though it’s not a huge field.
  • Weather is usually good though there are years with rain
  • The bigger hills are in the first half of the race and they’re noticeable – they’re the kind of hill that you see ahead of time and think “that’s a good looking hill!” Be ready for these rollers. While it’s a net downhill and fast course, it’s not pancake flat
  • Men and Women finish chutes are separate, and (in previous years) the women’s finish chute is the turn before the men’s

Course

Type: Point to point, rolling hills, net downhill, minimal turns on the course

Start/Finish Info: Specific shuttle pickup and dropoff points, as well as car drop off points. Be sure to have the plan in place ahead of time, and be ready to walk/run up to a mile from the drop off point to the start. Finish line is downtown Sacramento, in front of the Capitol building, and fairly easy to navigate through to find family/friends afterwards.

Hills: Small rolling hills the whole way, amounting to ~250 ft of gain total. 30ft gain at mile 10.5 and 40 feet at mile 11.

Map/Elevation

Aid stations

Locations of water stations/electrolytes: 17 aid stations, including water and nuun at each, beginning at mile 3.3 and every 2-3 miles.

Electrolyte offered: Clif Shots, Clif Bar Minis and Fruit at miles 6.4, 12, 19.4, 23.5

Spectator access

Access Locations: Plenty of places to see runners, and the linked guide has a map and directions to them, including mile 6, 10, 12.5, 13.5, 15, 20.5, 23.6, 24.2, and the last half mile to the finish. Remember you can’t cross the course, and parking is usually residential.

Boston qualifier?

Yes, and Olympic Marathon Qualifier

Race reports

Matt K’s 2017 race report

Coach Julie Urbanski’s 2017 race report

Coach Mark Cliggett’s race report

http://wellimtryingtorun.blogspot.com/2016/12/race-report-california-international.html

http://www.runningoncrosswalks.com/2013/12/10/2013-california-international-marathon-race-report/

Strava links

https://www.strava.com/running-races/2017-california-international-marathon

https://www.strava.com/activities/445602833

Race Website

https://runsra.org/california-international-marathon/

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