Is it That time of year already?

Yes, it’s already time for the Annual California International Marathon - the 24th Annual CIM, to be exact. Let me break down this event for various audiences who may be interested:

Runners: From the CIM website - “The California International Marathon (CIM) is a 26-mile, 385-yard, point-to-point, USATF-certified road race. It starts at the Folsom Dam, passes through outlying Sacramento-area communities and finishes at the historic California State Capitol building in Sacramento.” As a former SF Marathoner, I say, high-five on the downhill usage of hills! Up is for suckers! CIM is also an Olympic Trial marathon as well as Boston qualifier - and if that’s not enough, you get 50 grand if you win! Oh, but all those benies I just listed means you’d have to beat both the best the U.S. has to offer and the Kenyans - and no one wantst to try to beat a Kenyan, do they? Runners’ World calls it a Top 5 small marathon and it even offers a relay division - for those of us who think Marathons would be great if not for the 26.2 miles part. It’s also possible that several Metrobloggers will be out beating the pavement in the frigid fall air.

Spectators and Former cheerleaders who miss their high school glory days: And with Metrobloggers running, how could you NOT want to come out to cheer. Grab those pompoms. Be the Cheerleader, Save the World! The CIM site has LOTS of good info for you - check here and here. The best cheering locations and how to get there can be found here. I never thought I’d care if anyone was out there to cheer me on, but it really is a huge morale booster - especially during those last few miles. If you want to cheer/point and laugh, you can catch me somewhere between Loehman’s and the Capitol. If you live anywhere within a few blocks of the route - especially once the parade of wall-hitters reaches midtown, come out and lend some support. Hot water bottle will probably be nice too. Brandy is always a safe bet. . . .

Area residents anywhere between Folsom and the Capitol and those wishing to drive anywhere between Folsom and Capitol along some otherwise regularly traveled streets: if you don’t fall under the Spectator category, just click here and adjust your route accordingly. And don’t hate us. We’ve already clearly got enough wrong with us if we’re running.

Couch Potatoes who know how cold it will be and think any fool out of bed before 11:00am on a Sunday is, well, a fool: KCRA will cover the full marathon from 6am - 11am.