With more than 3,000 runners signed up, race could fill its field earlier than ever
April 24, 2012
For immediate release
A surge in early registration for the 30th annual California International Marathon could help the race fill its field months before the Dec. 2 event.
More than 3,000 runners have registered for the CIM, which begins near Folsom Dam and ends at the state Capitol. The race has reached its caps of 8,000 marathon runners and 4,000 relay entrants each of the last three years, with the event filling by the end of October last year.
Given the fast rate of early registration, CIM race director John Mansoor said he expects the field to fill even sooner this year.
“That is way ahead of last year’s pace as of this date, probably 50 percent ahead of last year’s pace,” Mansoor said. “A lot of it is because it’s the 30th.
“If people are in fact jumping on it as they appear to be we will close much, much sooner than in the past … Each year it’s been two weeks sooner than the previous year.
“With this year being the 30th and the way other marathons all capped out, I can easily see it being a month earlier than last year.”
The CIM has doubled in size since 2005 and is now the 14th-largest marathon in the United States. The race has grown in popularity thanks to good organization, cool, near-ideal running conditions and the lure of running a fast time on a slightly downhill course.
“Our weather has been typically very, very cool,” Mansoor said. “More and more runners are realizing if they do want to run a personal best or run a Boston (Marathon) qualifier, CIM is the place to do it.”
Runners can register at www.runcim.org. The entry fee is $105 through Aug. 1 before increasing to $125. The relay entry fee is $120 per team through Aug. 1 before jumping to $160. High school teams can enter for $50 through Nov. 1.
After Oct. 1, marathon registration is only available to and guaranteed for runners who have achieved CIM qualifying standards, which are five minutes slower than the 2011 Boston Marathon qualifying standards.
The CIM is founded and organized by the Sacramento Running Association.
The 2011 CIM provided an economic impact of $8 million to the Sacramento area, according to Mike Testa, a senior vice president for the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Other Sacramento Running Association events include the Lake Natoma Four Bridges Half Marathon, The Super Bowl Sunday 10k Run and the Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run.
The Sacramento Running Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding ways to encourage people of all ages and abilities to run. The SRA is committed to developing new, quality running events that appeal to a broad variety of runners.
SRA beneficiaries include the American River Parkway, youth fitness programs, local running venues and aspiring young runners.