And They're Always Glad You Came

Photos by Ryo Gokita

And They’re Always Glad You Came

Cheers

Words Jeff Merrill

On the morning of December 7th, conditions were darn near perfect in the Sacramento region. A quick google search resulted in learning from one source the most ideal temperature for male marathoners is 42.6 degrees fahrenheit. It was 41 degrees at the start of the race and by the finish, the temp topped out at 43. For organizers of any given race, there is a lot of hand-wringing over the uncontrolables. It isn’t advised, but when dealing with a group of folks as meticulous as runners, it is difficult to not think about performance factors as outsized as ambient temperature and wind speed. At CIM 2023, the final attempt at the Olympic Trials Qualifying standards, temperatures rose to nearly 60 degrees, and the dew point was a popular conversation topic. The California International Marathon had become dependable grounds for hunting OTQs and PRs. Ideal marathoning in a broad range is done between 40 and 60 degrees fahrenheit, but most ideal is on the cooler end of those numbers. Creeping up towards the top wrenched already tightly wound nerves.

At the beginning of the 2028 OT qualifying window, America’s finest marathoners of the group who don’t typically command appearance fees from the World Majors, booked their tickets to Sacramento to take a shot at booking their tickets to wherever the US Olympic Marathon Trials will be held in 2028. This cycle, there are 3 CIM races in the qualifying window (2025, 2026, & 2027). In the 2024 cycle, there were 2 (2022 & 2023). In the 2020 cycle, there were 3 (2017, 2018, & 2019).

CIM’s reputation as ‘THE’ place to hit a qualifying mark really gained steam in the 2020 cycle, when the race first hosted the US Marathon Championships in 2017. The Champs drew big packs of runners on the cusp of the then OTQ times of 2:19 and 2:45. The benefits of running in big groups in ideal conditions in a race that catered to each individual runner in the Championship field more than most were revealed, and qualifying numbers previously unseen were produced. 38 men ran under 2:19 and 53 women ran under 2:45.

Prior to taking a gamble and increasing the prize money, hospitality of comping entry as well as providing lodging, bottle service, dinners, lunches, shuttle service from the airport (10 mins from downtown) and to the start line, and precious dedicated start line bathrooms for the nearly 200 competitors in the Championships field, the number of men who broke 2:19 in the 2016 field was 9, and the number of women who ran under 2:45 was 12. Looking at the final year of qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Trials- a better comparison- the numbers were 8 men, 2 of whom were American, and 28 women (23 Americans).

When 2017 rolled around, a new strategy was put in place to boost the standing of CIM amongst the nation’s thon’ers. It began with a bid for the US Marathon Championships and expanded to a focus on OTQ chasers. The investment in runners attempting to qualify for the Olympic Trials was so great, that the organizers of CIM, in addition to all the other benefits, offered $1,500 to any runner who ran under the 2020 A qualifying standard of 2:15 for men and 2:37 for women, and $500 to any athlete who ran under the B standards (2:19 and 2:45). In 2018, this resulted in payments to runners totaling $112,000 in addition to the $127,000 prize purse offered, as 99 women ran under 2:45 and 53 men ran under 2:19 (14 men under 2:15 and 22 women under 2:37).

In 2025, a bonus of $500 was offered, as long as the number of OTQs stayed south of 60. If more than 60 broke it, $30,000 would be prorated and divided up for all the individuals… which is what happened. 106 runners received $283.01. The bonus is just that, a nice little takeaway on top of everything else- some walking around money for Chattanooga, or St. Louis, Indy, or Orlando or Atlanta again… probably not, but those cities did excellent jobs hosting.

The numbers below illustrate the impact CIM has had on American marathoning in the last 8 years:

2020 Olympic Trials Cycle - OTQ’s M: 2:19 W: 2:45

2017 CIM: 38 men  53 women

2018 CIM: 53 men  99 women

2019 CIM: 34 men  69 women

46% of marathoners who qualified for the Olympic Trials in 2020 with a marathon time, ran under the OTQ mark at CIM. *some may have qualified initially at a different race.

2024 Olympic Trials Cycle - OTQ’s M: 2:18 W: 2:37

2022 CIM: 42 men  44 women

2023 CIM: 28 men  13 women

32% of the 2024 Olympic Trials field

2028 Olympic Trials Cycle - OTQ’s M: 2:16  W: 2:37

2025 CIM: 52 men  54 women (73 American men ran under the 2020 standard of 2:19 and 102 women ran under the 2020 standard of 2:45. In the big year of 2018, 18 men ran under what would become the 2028 standard of 2:16 and 22 women ran under 2:37).

2026 CIM: ??

2027 CIM: ??

Since CIM first hosted the US Marathon Championships in 2017, the number of Olympic Trials Qualifiers who ‘punch their tickets’ in Sacramento has reliably doubled the qualifiers from New York, Boston, and Chicago combined. The race, seeing a hole in the marathon market, went all in on catering to the athletes just behind the very front of the pack in these races. These runners are the diehard, running-obsessed individuals who live and breathe the sport, but do not get paid the big bucks from brands to do it. World Majors are interested in the world record-chasing pro runners at the tip of the spear. Beginning 8 years ago, CIM made a bid for the ones chasing them. The hundreds that arrive in Sacramento are the stars of the show in a race that draws 10,000 participants annually. They move through the buzz of marathon weekend like they’ve got VIP tickets to a music festival where everybody plays. The mass of excitement in their bubble builds as they know each other’s stories. Their stories are very much relatable to the thousands of other participants in the race. They work regular jobs, get up early to train, take care of kids and manage social lives. This makes their presence in the greater mass participation race valuable. They are a special link between the elite side of the sport and the recreational. Making your way in the marathoning world takes everyone thing you’ve got… but there are other things to do and you have to compartmentalize.

On the morning of the race, I stood in the lobby of the Sheraton at 4:30am as the competitors of the Championships field waited to board shuttles bound for the start line in Folsom. Standing in sweats and a smile, Portlander Theresa Hailey told me that this hadn’t been the most ideal build up. She’d qualified for the two previous Trials, running 2:44:20 at CIM in 2017 and 2:36:40 in Chicago in 2022. For the last 6 months, she and her husband had been fostering 2 young brothers, 3 and 5 years old, and training was predictably challenging. She is also an Engineering Manager for Boeing. In balancing the care of the boys, she’d focused on more quality training sessions- faster paces, more intensity, rather than quantity. Quantity had been hard to come by with her new and existing responsibilities. In the crowd of women flowing across the finish line between 2:36 and 2:37 later that morning, Theresa Hailey was found striding across in 2:36:11 to book her third trip to the Trials. She and her husband plan to adopt the two boys they’ve been fostering.

Since 2017, CIM has hosted the US Marathon Championships 3 more times- in 2018, 2022, and this year in 2025. In addition to the Championship fields this year, there was also a Seeded Field, starting at the same time, in the corral just behind the Champs field. 238 men and women filled that field with marathon bests or equivalents of 2:27 and 2:49. In 2023, third place overall finisher, Ava Nuttall came from the seeded field.

This year, the first and third finishers in the women’s race were first-time marathoners, continuing a tradition set by American marathon greats, Emma Bates, who debuted with a win at CIM in 2018 and Sara Vaughn, who debuted with a win and then course record of 2:26:52 in 2021.

Molly Born broke the tape this year in a new course record of 2:24:09. She stumbled and fell to the ground 40 meters before the finish line, but got up under her own power and was able to jog through the line victorious. She said following the race that she has found her distance. The other podium debutante Megan Sailor placed third in 2:25:16.

Between the two, American marathoning royal Sara Hall finished in 2:24:36, a CIM Masters course record and 3rd fastest all-time by a woman of any age on the course.

The top 3 women from this year’s race now sit in the top 5 all-time for the 42 year-old event.

Until Tsegay Weldlibanos broke Jerry Lawson’s 31 year-old course record last year, no man had ever broken 2:10 on the course. This year, led by now 2-time CIM champion Futsum Zienasellassie’s 2:09:29, 3 men broke 2:10, and the top 6 men from this year’s race now reside in the top 10 all time (Futsum is 2nd on the list). This is largely due to Joe Whelan’s effort, running out front, solo for 25 miles, ensuring that if anyone would pass him, they would have to finish under his 2:09:41 clocking.

Rolling along in a pack paced by 2023 CIM champion, CJ Albertson, Esteban Trujillo broke Pierre Levisse’s 30 year-old Master’s record of 2:15:35, running 2:14:30- a time that earned him 32nd place overall.

The results are exceptional, and although a certain amount of credit can be given to the uncontrolables, much should be showered on a targeted strategy implemented by the Sacramento Running Association and the work to bring it to life. Placing the attempts of hundreds of runners as a central component of the yearly race validates the meaning of their performance and expands the meaning of success. CIM is an event that brings $20million in economic impact to the Sacramento area (up from $7.72m in 2015). More than $500,000 is raised each year through the race for charitable organizations. Think about that, real, meaningful stuff! A dedicated approach to draw the types of runners whose accomplishments can be on display and inspire more has lasting effects. When people excel, especially connected people, it motivates others to raise their game, and to do things that are meaningful and important. Performances do not even have to motivate others to emulate exactly what they have seen. It motivates parts of the organization to be better, to provide better service, to reach more charities, to connect with more groups to tell more stories. Seeing good people excel against long odds has an amazing ability to motivate others to find their greatness and double down on nurturing it. When people have found this, they tend to be better in other aspects of their lives. Better parents, better teachers, better community members. They help others. This is why it is so important to have races in communities, and to do the work to make performances meaningful. Races are stages to inspire each other by displaying how much one human can do. How many more stories like Theresa’s are out there? Everyone who isn’t racing should be there to see her cross the finish line.

In 2026, and 2027, and beyond.

Cheers