The Week of November 27, 2023

CIM: Stand Clear of the Closing Doors! The Train is About to Depart

Last year, an inspired intern wrote the following while listening to the Impressions’ hit: ‘People Get Ready’ prior to the running of the 2022 California International Marathon. The race is one of the wonders of the marathoning world. The tip of the spear may not be as sharp as that of the marathon majors, but the fan of the spear is broader than any other marathon on the planet. That many people striving for personal bests of that order make the energy that surrounds Sacramento on marathon weekend quite unique and something everyone should experience. It is a feeling of desire and harmony as trained and hopeful people come together in harmony to roll together in chorus in the morning California sunshine.

Enjoy-

People get ready

There’s a train a comin’

Don’t need no baggage

You just get onboard

The Impressions’ gospel-style hit was written by Curtis Mayfield and released in 1965- 18 years before the first running of the California International Marathon, a race now famous for the throngs of believers rolling at high speeds down Fair Oaks Blvd under the rising sun, in search of PRs, OTQs and validation of long and lonely miles of training.

Absent the international stars that grace the world majors at the height of their dominance, CIM has become known for being a place where stars are born and for being arguably the deepest marathon in the world. During the 2020 Olympic Trials qualifying window, the CIM course felt the foot strikes of over twice as many Olympic Trials Qualifiers as Boston, Chicago and NYC combined. The spectacle of packs of 50 runners barreling over the rolling Sacramento hills at 2:17 and 2:40 pace, sharing bottles, encouraging one another through their spit-stained smiles is one of the wonders of the marathoning world.

It is The People’s Marathon.

This year, again as CIM marks the final date of the Olympic Trials qualifying window on December 4th, there are over 200 men and women who have either run under the OTQ marks of 2:18 and 2:37 or are within clear striking distance. There are more with bigger dreams whose names we’ll know soon enough. They’ll come from every corner of the country to the city first made famous by an untrained prospector striking gold in the nearby hills.

Faith is the key.

Open the doors and board them.

There’s hope for all among those loved the most.

PICK’EM GAME!

This year, you can play the TRACKLND Pick’Em game to and win cool prizes for predicting the top 3 finishers in the men’s and women’s races as well as the number of American men and women under 2:18 and 2:37.

Prizes include Asics shoes! A CIM entry bib for the 2024 race! Official CIM gear.

Enter to win here: https://tracklnd.com/meet/cim

Read the CIM Elite Preview HERE

The hills are rollin’ and dangerous to the quads early on, but navigated with the people smartly, there’s gold in them.

Don’t need no ticket, just thank the pack.

FLASH: Portland Track’s Photography Auction and Showcase

The yearly Track and Field Photo Competition has begun with the shortlists for the 3 categories selected: ACTION, PORTRAITS / STILLS, ABSTRACTS / LANDSCAPES.

The winners for each category will be selected at the FLASH gallery event on December 14th in Portland, OR.

Tickets for the event are $25 now and $35 the week of the event. They include drinks and hoes d’oeuvres and can be purchased here: https://www.portlandtrack.com/

Judges for the photo competition are T&F photographers: Howard Lao, Cortney White, and Jake Willard, as well as world famous athletes: Ashton Eaton and Karissa Schweizer.

FLASH is the only T&F photo competition that awards cash prizes to photographers and is a fundraiser for Portland Track’s yearly programming.

Auction proceeds from the shortlist prints are split 50/50 between photographers and Portland Track.

Anyone in the world can bid on the prints beginning Dec 13th at 6pm here: https://event.gives/portlandflash2023