CIM: THE FIRST 24 YEARS
The first California International Marathon sprang to life in 1983 when the
Sacramento Long Distance Running Association, founded by John Mansoor and
Sally Edwards, established a course that retraces one of the original gold
miners' routes. This course remains unchanged "going on" 24 years later.
The 26.2 mile event begins near Folsom Dam and continues through
the neighboring communities of Orangevale, Fair Oaks, and Carmichael. It
continues past the scenic upscale homes of East Sacramento along Fair Oaks
Boulevard, crosses the American River, and passes by historic Sutter's
Fort. The final miles show off quaint midtown Sacramento where increasingly
loud crowd support signal the finish in the shadow of the beautiful
California State Capitol.
The goals for the race established in its first year are the same
today: offer a fast course with a net elevation drop, excellent runner
service, and prize money to attract top international, regional, and local
runners. More than 1,600 runners ran the first CIM, and the field has nearly
tripled in size over its 24-year span with the biggest increases occurring
in recent years. Since additional large increases in entries could
compromise the quality of the event, an entry cap of 6,000 marathoners and
375 relay teams has been instigated.
The following article contains summaries of the men's and the
women's races for first and other highlights of each of the 24 CIM's. We
thank The Sacramento Bee for their assistance with this article.
1983 - CIM I
Men's Winner: Marta Kilholma
Women's Winner: Gabriele Anderson
The race's gutsiest performance occurred in the first year. It was
a fast pace from the start-American Gary Bjorkland grabbed the lead and ran
unchallenged for most of the race.
It looked as if Bjorkland would win easily until a determined San
Franciscan, Hal Schulz, broke out of the trailing pack and stole the lead
along Fair Oaks Boulevard well past the halfway point. Schulz built about a
40-second cushion and looked like a winner until the final mile, when he
began locking up. He slowed, stopped, then started running again with a
paper-thin lead. Then he had to answer nature's call-when he returned on
course he struggled in to finish a valiant fourth.
Finland's Marta Kilholma slipped by Schulz for the victory in
2:13:35. Poland's Ryszard Marczak (now a top runner in the 50-59 division)
placed second at age 38. In the women's race, Swiss Olympian Gabriele
Anderson won easily in 2:33:25 over American Marty Cooksey, 2:35:43.
Anderson was to become famous a year later with her staggering finish at
the first Olympic Women's Marathon in Los Angeles. One of the finest
performances was turned in by Sister Marion Irvine of the Bay Area who ran
2:51:01 at age 54 to qualify for the first U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon
Trials. She remains the oldest U.S. woman to ever qualify for the Trials.
Mavis Lindgren, 75, finished in 5:30:20, and remained CIM's oldest women's
finisher until Helen Klein's American Record performance in 1997.
1984 - CIM II
Men's Winner: Ken Martin
Women's Winner: Katy Schilly
After just one year, the CIM was designated the Men's National
Marathon Championship by The Athletics Congress (now called USA Track &
Field). It was the Olympic year in which Alberto Salazar's race in Los
Angeles had been a big disappointment to his American fans. A fine group of
international runners entered CIM, including a very good American, Ken
Martin, who had not run a marathon but possessed suburb track credentials
as a steeplechaser. The weather was perfect: cool temperatures, fog and no
wind. The contest unfolded as a tactical, careful race with a large pack of
20-25 men staying together for almost 21 miles. Then Scotland's Fraser
Clyne broke it open, and he was joined by Martin and Kjell-Erik Stahl of
Sweden. These three ran close together through east Sacramento and into
midtown, where Martin finally surged to victory and lowered the course
record to 2:11:24. The top three times that include Clyne (2:11:50) and
Stahl (2:12:00) still rank as the fastest top-three finish in race history.
Stahl ran a 2:18 the next week at the Honolulu Marathon! Carmichael's
Dennis Rinde ran a superb time of 2:14:13, another stat still on the record
books as the best time of any local runner in CIM's history.
In the women's race, American Katy Schilly (2:32:40) held off
23-year-old Gail Kingma and Monica Joyce. The top three all went under
2:35.
1985 - CIM III
Men's Winner: Peter Butler
Women's Winner: Nancy Ditz
This was one of the fastest years ever for the CIM. It was a good
day, much like 1984, and a very strong field was assembled. Alan
Zachariassen of Denmark pulled the field through a blistering first half,
1:04:30. He was running by himself, but a pack of about 12 runners had
assembled behind him, running more conservatively. This group, led by
Fraser Clyne, eventually caught up to him. Around Howe Avenue, just shy of
the 21-mile mark, Canada's Peter Butler powered into the lead. Butler,
running his first serious marathon, came to the race with a track
background and was well-known for his 10,000-meter performances. Butler was
not challenged as he breezed to the finish in 2:10:56 and establishing a
course record. Zachariassen held on to second in 2:11:39 and three other
runners broke 2:15.
The race served as the 1985 Women's National Championships. Nancy
Ditz, from the Bay Area, and Minnesotan Janis Klecker battled throughout
the race with Ditz pulling ahead to win, 2:31:36 to 2:31:53, both under the
course record. Ditz ('88) and Klecker ('92) went on to become Olympians.
Eileen Claugus of Fair Oaks ran 2:40:04, lowering the fastest time run by a
local woman runner by over nine minutes.
1986 - CIM IV
Men's Winner: Danny Gonzalez
Women's Winner: Christa Vahlensieck
Alan Zachariassen returned, reportedly in better shape and
determined to win. "The field really keyed on Alan," race director John
Mansoor recalled. The lead pack was tightly bunched through 19-20 miles,
waiting to see what Zachariassen would do. "The funny thing is, Alan was
having a bad day," Mansoor said.
A slight head wind slowed some of the lead runners for the last 10
km. Around Howe Avenue, Jeffery Koech of Kenya tried to grab the race, but
he couldn't hold the lead. Near Mercy Hospital, Danny Gonzalez of San Jose
took the lead and kept it to the end, finishing in 2:13:20. Like prior CIM
winners, Butler and Martin, Gonzalez was new to marathoning. West German
runner Christa Vahlensieck had no trouble besting the women's field.
Gabriele Anderson, now age 41, placed second in a masters record of
2:41:09. The 1986 CIM also saw it's first female wheelchair winner as the
legendary Candace Cable-Brookes who wheeled to a 2:17:30.
1987 - CIM V
Men's Winner: Peter Maher
Women's Winner: Patti Gray
This was the year the bad weather hit. A transplanted Irishman from
Toronto, Peter Maher-by far the tallest of any elite marathoner at
6-foot-5-rolled into town with extreme confidence. He had won the Toronto
Marathon and others but still needed a big performance to assure himself of
a spot on the Canadian Olympic team.
As torrential rains and winds gusting to 70 mph ravaged the course,
Maher stuck with the pack, usually leading it but at times fading back to
let others cut the biting wind and rain. At about 15 miles, Maher made his
move and ran unchallenged, his racing singlet ripped by the weather,
Mansoor believes Maher would have set a course record in better weather,
but on this day he settled for 2:16:49, the slowest winning time in the
race's history.
Debut marathoner Mark Conover of San Luis Obispo placed second in
2:18, qualifying for the 1988 U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials. With a
slow qualifying time, Conover was lightly regarded at the New Jersey Trials
race, but went on to win in 2:12.
Patty Gray topped the women's field in 2:40:29, also the race's
slowest winning time until '97, when Grace Chabet ran a 2:40:30.
1988 - CIM VI
Men's Winner: Rich McCandless
Women's Winner: Janis Klecker
After the devastating weather of 1987, many runners were thinking
twice about entering the 1988 CIM and entries were down. But, as Mansoor
noted, the odds of a weather disaster happening two years in a row are
slim. (Weather history indicates there's about a 20-percent chance of
rain each year.) Clear and cool conditions prevailed. The men's race had a
surprise winner. At three miles, Rich McCandless, then of Reno, made an
unexpected move, surging to a modest lead. Running at a steady clip,
McCandless pulled away, widening his margin by a few seconds every mile. He
earned his $10,000 first-place prize money with a time of 2:12:44, finishing
by almost two minutes over Poland's Anthoni Niemczak (2:14:39). In the
women's race, Linda Somers of Davis led for most of the first 10 miles.
When Somers faltered in Fair Oaks, Janis Klecker, who had entered the race
just four days prior, took over in a big way. By the time she arrived at
the Capitol, her lead over the second woman, Barb Myers-Acosta, had grown
to eight minutes. Klecker posted a 2:34:17 to collect her $10,000.
The race also served as the Master's National Championship. Robert
Schlau of South Caro-lina won the men's title in 2:19:48. Laurie Binder of
Oakland won the women's national title, placing third overall in 2:43:23.
Michael Trujillo lowered the men's wheelchair record by 11 minutes
with his 1:45:23 clocking, and Candace Cable- Brookes took 10 minutes off
her own record, finishing in 2:07:13.
1989 - CIM VII
Men's Winner: Budd Coates
Women's Winner: Nan Doak-Davis
After taking the lead in 1988's race, Nan Doak-Davis had a strange
thought. "I was kind of confused," the first-time marathoner said at the
time. "I thought, 'wow, if I win this race, I'm going to have to run in
more of these.' " The 27-year-old Iowa native netted $15,500 in prize money
and bonuses. Doak-Davis' time of 2:33:11 gave her a 26-second margin over
runner-up Linda Somers. Somers, a UC-Davis grad still living in the
community, finished in 2:33:37, still the best time ever run by a local
woman.
1990 - CIM VIll
Men's Winner: Peter Renner
Women's Winner: Janis Klecker
Janis Klecker intensified her love affair with Sacramento. She had run her
two fastest marathon times ever here (2:31:53 in 1985, 2:34:17 in 1988, but
those efforts were nothing compared to her1990 effort. Klecker's time of
2:30:42 blitzed Ditz's 5-year-old course record and left her nearly four
minutes ahead of her nearest competitor. The time also qualified her for
the 1992 U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials, which she went on to win.
New Zealand's Peter Renner outdueled 24-year-old Oregonian Brad Hudson to
win the men's race, 2:12:35 to 2:13:24. Craig Blanchette smoked the men's
wheelchair field in a still-standing course record 1:45:10.
1991 - CIM IX
Men's Winner: Bruce Deacon
Women's Winner: Sally Eastall
He wore bib #1818, a number more befitting of a fun runner than someone
expected to win a marathon. But Canadian Bruce Deacon, a late entrant with
few credentials, won the race, spoiling every prerace prognostication but
his own. The 25-year-old from Burnaby, British Columbia, won in a personal
best 2:15:16. He beat Fraser Clyne by 1:42. Deacon's time bettered his
previous best of 2:19:40 set in 1990 in Sacramento and earned $10,000.
Women's winner Sally Eastall also pocketed $10,000 and, more importantly, a
berth n Great Britain's 1992 Olympic Marathon team with her course
record 2:29:29 performance. Eastall easily outdistanced Michelle Bush-Cook
of the Cayman Islands, 2:37:41.
1992 - CIM X
Men's Winner: Steve Plasencia
Women's Winner: Kathy Bowman
At the end of their rainy, windy 26.2 mile race, the finish line
found Steve Plasencia and Keith Brantly separated by three feet. The
two ran side by side as they chased down Namibian Lucketz Swartbooi, who
had bolted from the starting line and grabbed a huge lead. Swartbooi began
to fade in the later miles as Plasencia, running his first marathon, and
Brantley worked together to catch him. With two blocks to go, they swept by
Swartbooi with Plasencia winning the final sprint, 2:14:14 to 2:14:15. It
remains the closest 1-2 finish in race history. The surprise fourth place
men's finisher was 40-year-old Pierre Levisse of France in a stunning
2:15:35, the fastest masters time in the world that year. The
women's race wasn't nearly as close, with 31-year-old Kathy Bowman of San
Dimas (2:34:20) finishing well ahead of Canadians Lucy Smith (2:38:29) and
Kim Webb (2:38:49).
1993 - CIM XI
Men's Winner: Jerry Lawson-course record!
Women's Winner: Linda Somers
Running in only his fourth marathon, Jacksonville, Florida resident
Jerry Lawson wasn't sure what to expect. Between sips of beer following his
victory, Lawson realized he had set a CIM course record (2:10:27) with his
two-minute victory. It was the fastest marathon by an American since 1989
and certainly exceeded his highest hopes. Lawson also bettered his personal
best by more than three minutes. And all this with one of his shoelaces
untied during the final 17 miles. "My goal was to come here and run 2:1 l,"
said the 27-year-old Lawson. "If I was fifth and ran 2:11, that would have
been great." Lawson has since lowered the American loop-course record,
running 2:09:20 in the 1997 Chicago Marathon. The race again served as the
Women's National Champion-ships. Linda Somers, won easily in 2:34:11 and
qualified for the Goodwill Games.
1994 - CIM XII
Men's Winner: Graeme Fell
Women's Winner: Jennifer Martin
After Graeme Fell finished his first marathon, his wife, Debbie,
asked him how he did. "I won," he said. "You what?" she asked. When she had
last seen Fell at the 20 mile mark, he was almost two minutes behind the
leader. In a windless drizzle, and with less than a mile to go, Fell, 35,
of Canada, passed Joe LeMay, 28, of Danbury, Conn. to win in 2:16:13. Fell
became the fifth runner in CIM history to win the race in a marathon debut.
LeMay was second in 2:16:56. Women's winner Jennifer Martin, 33, of Erie,
Pa., led from the beginning and won in a personal best of 2:36:19.
1995 - CIM XIII
Men's Winner: Bruce Deacon
Women's Winner: Michaela Reger
Bruce Deacon, who was expected to run well but not lead the race,
became the first man to win CIM twice. The Canadian ran 2:13:59, qualifying
for the Canadian Olympic team and winning $10,000. He beat Paul Zimmerman,
34, of Beaverton, Ore., by 57 seconds. Joel Onwong'a of Kenya was third in
2:15:22.
In the women's race, unknown Michaela "Mickey" Reger, 26, a German
citizen living in Boca Raton, Fla., won in a personal best of 2:32:45, a
14-minute improvement on her last marathon in 1994. Maria Trujillo, a
fixture on the Northern California running circuit, placed second in
2:34:36. Julie Coleby of England broke the masters course record with her
2:38:25 performance. The number of runners swelled to a record 3,730, an
increase of 58%, as runners from 41 states flocked to CIM in hopes that the
fast course would help them qualify for the 1996 100th Boston Marathon.
More than 38% of the runners met the Boston qualifying standards and 96%
finished the race. Women runners doubled from only two years earlier,
continuing the trend of growth in the number of women training for and
competing in marathons.
1996 - CIM XIV
Men's Winner: Patrick Muturi
Women's Winner: Rizoneide Vanderlei
Patrick Muturi of Kenya pulled away from Poland's Michal Bartoszak
(another debut marathoner) and Abderazzak Haki of Morocco in the last mile
to win the men's race in 2:14:19. Rizoneide Vanderlei of Brazil pulled away
from Russian Tatiana Maslova in the last five miles to win her first
marathon in 2:35:46. The race again attracted more than 3,000 runners with
a record-setting 37% women entrants.
1997 - CIM XV Men's Winner:
Abderazzak Haki
Women's Winner: Grace Chabet
Morocco's Abderazzak Haki, who surged in the '96 CIM near the H
Street Bridge only to finish third, waited until just past the 24-mile mark
to pull away from Kenya's Julius Randich. Haki, who also struggled with
pain from a back injury during the race, covered the course in 2:16:31.
Randich, 30 and running in his first marathon, was second in 2:17:10 and
Kenya's Francis Wanderi third in 2:18:39. Kenya's Grace Chabet was also
running her first marathon, and came from a four minute deficit to catch
Irina Timofeyeva of Russia near the 24-mile mark. she held on to win in
2:40:30. Timofeyeva finished second in 2:41:00 and Canada's Ida Mitten was
third in 2:42:31. Chabet, a 31-year-old Nairobi postal worker who trains in
Albuquerque, passed 10 women during her surge into the lead. Reno's
Miguel Tibaduiza, 41, won his second consecutive men's masters title in
2:32:35. Rancho Cordova's Helen Klein, 75, set an American record for the
75-79 age group, crossing the finish line in 4:31:42, about 10 minutes
faster than the old American Record mark.
1998 - CIM XVI
Men's Winner: Abderazzak Haki
Women's Winner: Elena Vinitskaia
The press was abuzz about the return of Jerry Lawson to CIM for a
go-for-broke quest to earn the $1 million bonus offered by New Balance to
the American male who could set an American marathon record (sub 2:08:47)
by the end of 1998. Jerry had set an American record at CIM in 1993
(2:10:27) and had lowered his time to 2:09:20 in the 1997 Chicago
Marathon. Through mile seven, in cloudy, cool, but rainless conditions,
Jerry ran the sub-five-minute per mile pace required to set the record. But
a steady increase in split times produced an insurmountable deficit by mile
15. He dropped out at 18.6, knowing he had given his all and would not be
able to hang on to win or even place. When he stopped, Jerry waved, saying
'OK, go ahead." to Abdrazzak Haki. Haki, covering the distance in 2:15:04,
won his second consecutive CIM men's title and lowered his '97 time by over
a minute and a half. He ran conservatively throughout, wondering at times
if he had fallen too far behind. Haki, 27, led the Russian runner Fedor
Ryjov by 20 yards when they passed Lawson. Then he quickly widened the gap
to 120 yards and stretched that margin over the last two miles.
Elena Vinitskaia, 25, of Belarus took the lead at the half way
point and claimed the women's title in a 2:32:41 effort to hold off
Russia's Tatiana Maslova, who crossed the line in 2:37:19. The two ran
against each other in marathons in Czechoslovakia and Russia last year.
The masters division winners produced two Northern California
Olympic Marathon Trials qualifiers: Brad Hawthorne of Danville who finished
in 2:19:48 and Diana Fitzpatrick of Larkspur (2:46:49). In addition to
these, 10 more women and five more men achieved the Olympic Trials
qualifying standards.
1999 - CIM XVII
Men's Winner: Joe LeMay
Women's Winner: Nickey Carroll-Course Record!
A deep field of speedsters toed the line on a picture-perfect
marathon morning. The window was closing on opportunities to qualify for
the Olympic Marathon Trials and to meet the Olympic Marathon "A" standard
of sub-2:14 for men and sub-2:34 for women. At the time, only one American
male and no American female had met this standard, among the several
hundred who had qualified for the Marathon Trials. In addition, to qualify
for the Olympic Team, the runners had to place in the top three at the
Marathon Trials (Pittsburgh in May for the men, Columbia, South Carolina
for the women at the end of March).
Because the women's Trials event was much sooner, fewer American
women were attempting to make this mark, but a good international field of
women entered to with the goal of meeting their countries' standards.
In the men's race, Joe LeMay ran with the lead pack from the start.
It quickly dwindled and after five miles to LeMay, Jon Hume and Michael
Aish. Hume dropped back after 10 miles. LeMay and Aish ran together until
the 18-mile mark, when Aish couldn't respond to a LeMay surge. LeMay built
his lead to 400 yards in the next three miles, then hung on to finish
comfortably ahead of runner-up Mike Dudley of Bend, Ore. (2:14:37) and
third-place finisher Theodore Martin of Colorado Springs, Colo. (2:15:07).
But he needed to kick the last quarter-mile to get home under 2:14 for his
2:13:55 win. Ironically, LeMay finished second in the 1996
Olympic Trials in the 10,000 meters, but he couldn't go to the Games
because he hadn't run the qualifying standard. In the final miles, he also
flashed back to the 1994 CIM, where he led most of the way before
eventual winner Graeme Fell passed him in the final two miles. LeMay
finished second.
LeMay was the first American to win the men's CIM since 1993, when
Florida's Jerry Lawson set the course record of 2:10:27.
Australian Nickey Carroll, 27, ran away with the women's race,
setting a course record of 2:29:21, bettering Sally Eastall's
1991 time by eight seconds. Runner-up Tina Connelly of Canada finished over
five minutes back in 2:34:44. Mexico's Patricia Jardon, 32, finished third
in 2:35:37. Sacramento's Ben Ayers, 29, made a big impact in his first
marathon, finishing seventh in 2:18:03, well under the 2:22 needed to
qualify for the Olympic Trials. Fair Oaks' Diane Peterson, 31, was the top
local finisher, placing 14th in 2:52:00. Leroy Howland of Grover Beach won
the men's wheelchair push-rim division in 2:01:23, with Carmichael's Chris
Houde second in 2:09:50. Usha Honeyman of Corvallis, Ore., was the only
women's finisher, in 3:18:03.
Under cool, clear conditions, there were 2,722 finishers out of
3,330 entrants.
2000 - CIM XVIII
Men's Winner: Elly Rono
Women's Winner: Kristin Schwartz
In an unusually persitent blanket of valley fog, Elly Rono and
Kristin Schwartz took dramatically different paths to big paydays. Rono, a
30-year-old Kenyan living in Chapel Hill, N.C., shook off three rivals with
a bold move after the 20-mile mark to win a tactical men's race in 2
hours, 15 minutes, 38 seconds. Schwartz, a 29-year-old from Durango, Colo.,
led virtually from the start and never knew where her pursuers were,
finishing in a personal-best 2:38:16. Rono came to win, although many
thought he'd be raced out after placing sixth in the Twin Cities Marathon
with a personal-best 2:12:53 in early October and winning the Columbus
Marathon in 2:15:27 later that month. "This race is good, but it has a
smaller elite group," Rono said after beating Schwartz's boyfriend,
runner-up Mike Dudley (2:16:54) of Bend, Ore., by 1:16. Cincinnati's John
Sence closed quickly to finish third in 2:17:11, with Yugoslavian Janko
Bensa fourth in 2:17:46 and two-time CIM champion Abderazzak Haki of
Morocco fifth in 2:20:15.
Granite Bay's Edward Burns and Fair Oaks' Diane Vickerman were the
top local finishers. Burns clocked 2:30:24 to finish 12th in the men's
race; Vickerman placed seventh on the women's side in 2:52:25.
Despite a 10- to 15-second pit stop near the three-mile mark, Rono
ran with the leaders from the start. Bensa led a pack of seven runners
through eight miles, then opened up a 30-yard lead heading through the
village of Fair Oaks near the 10-mile mark. The leaders hit the halfway
point in 1:07:42, with Rono, Bensa, Dudley, Sence, Haki and Chris England
running together. But at mile 15, Sence and England faded back, with Rono
trying to open up a small lead. Bensa, Dudley Haki and Rono stuck
together until just after the 20-mile mark. That's when Rono opened up the
throttle, throwing in a 4:55 mile and then a 4:46 mile to produce a
120-yard lead after crossing the H Street Bridge into East Sacramento. As
Rono ran under the Capital City Freeway and into midtown, the finish just a
little more than two miles away, his lead was more than 200 yards.
Haki, the CIM winner in '97 and '98, tried to cover Rono's move but didn't
stick close for long.
Schwartz didn't have to worry about when to make her move. She ran
with men, never knowing how close her female rivals were as she maintained
a five-minute cushion for much of the race. Schwartz looked particularly
happy after recording a victory she said she wasn't expecting. Despite
slowing from close to a six-minute pace to more than a seven-minute pace in
the final two miles, Schwartz didn't need a kick to hold off Russia's
Silvia Skvortsova, who was running in her first marathon. Skvortsova staged
a late surge to finish 36 seconds behind Schwartz in 2:38:52. Schwartz
improved on her previous best marathon by 13 seconds. Natalia Galushko of
Belarus came home third in 2:39:46, followed by Rebecca Gallaher of
Monterey in 2:46:32 and Nicole Kulikov of Fresno in 2:47:07.
2001 - CIM XIX
Men’s Winner: Bruce Deacon
Women’s Winner: Irina Safarova
The 19th Running of the CIM was a “storm year” second in severity
only to the 1987 CIM. The real winners included all those who finished
and are able to proudly announce “I finished the 2001 CIM.”
Bruce Deacon became the first three-time winner in CIM history with
a weather-beaten time of 2:22:12 (his previous wins were 1991 and 1995).
Until mile 17, Deacon, 34, stayed with a chase pack while Yugoslavia’s
Janko Bensa went out hard, building up to a 600-yard margin through 13
miles. When Bensa dropped out, a victim of hypothermia, the chase pack
became the lead pack. As they crossed the H Street Bridge, Deacon threw
in a surge, running a 5:02 mile that gave him a 50-yard lead by 47th
Street and kept him in the lead for the win.
The previous year’s winner, Kenya’s Rono finished second in 2:23:00
and Vincent Cheruiyot of Kenya finished third in 2:24:03.
For the women, Irina Safarova pulled away from Magdalena Lewy near
the 20-mile mark to ensure her victory. Dorota Gruca of Poland was
third.
The event was once again the Pacific Association/USATF Marathon
Championship. Top finishers were Mike Dudley (fifth overall in 2:27:23)
and the second place woman overall Magdalena Lewy, who achieved a 7-
minute personal best with her time of 2:37:57.
2002 - CIM XX
Men’s Winner: Elly Rono
Women’s Winner: Tatiana Titova
Ideal marathon conditions — sunny yet cool — returned to CIM for
its 20th annual celebration. And the celebration was capped when 80-
year-old running phenom Helen Klein of Rancho Cordova shattered the
world marathon record for her age group, finishing the marathon in
4:31:32.
Great-grandmother Klein, who has finished more than 59 marathons
and 132 ultramarathons, smoked for 25 years and didn’t start running
until she was 55.
Also making the record books this day was 70-years-young Myra Rhodes of
Sacramento with an American 70-74 age division marathon best time of
3:54:14.
Elly Rono, a Kenyan who lives in Durham, N.C., returned to the CIM
course for a third consecutive time, with a win and a second place
finish 2001. He ran the first part of the course conservatively, making
this year’s winning move near the 19-mile to cross the line in 2:11:56.
Finland’s Jussi Utriainen used a late kick to finish second in 2:13:10,
a nine-minute personal best time. U.S. Olympic Trials champion Rod
DeHaven of Madison, Wis., caught defending CIM champion Bruce Deacon of
Canada in the final few yards to place third in 2:13:19.
Women’s winner Tatiana Titova also held back to finish strong with
a time of 2:33:13. She ran most of the race with Elena Vinitskaia of
Belarus, letting Makolova and Russian Irina Permitina pull away near the
10-mile mark and move out of sight before reeling them in in the closing
miles. Vinitskaia finished second in 2:33:40 and Makolova was third in
2:34:42.
2003 CIM XXI
Men: Michael Bartoszak
Women: Tatiana Titova
Another beautiful morning greeted the runners for the 21st Annual
CIM and the weather held picture perfect for the entire event. The
winners had a chance to enjoy the running conditions as they ran their
last ten miles virtually uncontested. Michael Bartoszak of Poland
finished in 2:16:21 and Russia's Tatiana Titova notched a 2:33:31 for
her second consecutive CIM victory.
Two records were set this day. Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova of Russia
who finished third, set a CIM women's master's record of 2:37:27,
bettering the 2:38:25 record set by England's Julia Colby in 1995. The
truly remarkable 81-years-young Helen Klein, cruised to a single-year
American age record of 4:57:08. Helen, who set the 80 & over world
record last year with her astounding 4:31:32, said that this year she
took it easy and enjoyed chatting with the runners around her. The
marathon also was a success story for nine U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials
qualifiers - three men finished under the 2:22 men's standard and six
women finished under the 2:49 women's standard.
The most intriguing and heartwarming story about the 2003 event was
the appearance of 16-year-old Ali Hamdam, an Iraqi runner. Early in
2003, the CIM board agreed to make a positive gesture to Iraq in support
of the Iraqi Olympic Committee's reconstruction by inviting an Iraqi
runner to compete in the CIM. Ali was selected out of 1,000 runners for
this opportunity. He spent five days in the Sacramento area meeting
fellow athletes, going to a King's basketball game, soaking in American
culture, and he successfully completed the CIM - only his second
marathon. He discovered that his 2:50 pace for the first miles was
ambitious, and he slowed in the later miles to finish in 3:18 (a tough
lesson many of us can relate to!). Following his finish, race director
John Mansoor wistfully stated "Maybe I should have advised him to run
with the 3:00 Pace Team." With a revitalized Iraqi sports program, Ali's
youth, leg speed, and love of the sport, we hope to see Ali competing in
future Olympics.
Top local finisher in the men's division was Alfredo Vigueras from
Woodland, who was an Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier with his 2:20:41
finish. Top local woman was elite ultra runner, Jen Pfiefer of Folsom
who finished in 2:57:39.
The relay's popularity continued to increase with a record number
of 340 relay teams entering the 2003 event, including a unique team of
local politicians who got to see the event first hand while they ran
through their districts.
2004 - CIM XXII
Men's Winner: Oleg Bolhovets
Women's Winner: Lyudmyla Pushkina
Marathon-perfect conditions of sunshine and cool temperatures greeted
the CIM participants once again. Top male finisher was Russia's Oleg
Bolhovets (2:13:22), second place was Californian Peter Gilmore in a
PR 2:14:02, and third was Ukraine's Mykhaylo Iveruk (2:14:20). At mile
15 Bolhovets, Gilmore, Iveruk and Kenyans Charles Njeru, Jonathon Ndambuki
and Eliud Kering pulled away from a larger lead pack. They stayed together
until mile 22 when Njeru fell back. The five remaining were still together
at mile 23 when Bolhovets made a bold move: he sprinted away from the
group with a 4:46 mile, an unanswered challenge that led to his victory.
The women's winner was Lyudmyla Pushkina of Ukraine, who ran unchallenged
to her 2:37:22 win. Molly Friel of Fresno (2:45:12) was second and coming
in third was Gayle Jacklin of Rathdrum, Idaho (2:47:00).
The CIM was once again the Pacific Association/USATF Marathon Championship.
Second place finisher Peter Gilmore was the top PA athlete, and his finish
time qualified him for a berth on the U.S.A. 2005 World Championship Marathon
Team.
Single year age division records were set by Myra Rhodes (72) 3:55:44
(only a minute off her CIM American record age division time set at the 2002
CIM), and Helen Klein (82), 5:08:33 (she holds the World Record for 80 and
over women - 4:31:32, also set at the 2002 CIM). Top local finishers were
Chris Knorzer from Rocklin (2:30:30) and Kirsten Schneider from Sacramento
(2:58:20). A course record in the 4-person Marathon Relay Challenge was
set by an open men's team "Toddler Bladder" of Sacramento with a finishing
time of 2:23:25.
With the assistance and support of the CIM, the "Kuwait/California
International Marathon" was held on the same day at U.S. Army Base
Camp Virginia, Kuwait.
Due to the rising popularity of the Kaiser-Permanente/CIM Youth Fitness
Program, a record number of over 1,000 participated in the Ralphs
2.62-Mile maraFUNrun and Fitness Walk.
Added to the CIM in 2004 was the Champion Chip timing system. Also, the course
time limit was extended from five hours 30 minutes to six hours, and course
entertainment was expanded dramatically to 48 sites along the course.
2005 - CIM XXIII
Men's Winner: Sergey Fedotov
Women's Winner: Elena Orlova
For the fourth year in a row, no wind, cool temperatures and a rising sun
greeted the over 6,000 runners at 7 a.m. on December 4, 2005. The spectators
and those watching the live four-hour KCRA Channel 3 broadcast were rewarded
by exciting finishes for both the men's and women's divisions. The 2006
broadcast will be extended to five hours.
Stanford track standout Gabe Jennings, famous for his 1500-meter win at the
2000 Olympic Trials and now living in Mendocino, Calif., chose the CIM for
his marathon debut. His leg speed was in evidence with a mid-race lead, but
the seasoned Russian marathoner Sergey Fedotov caught and passed Jennings
at mile 24, holding on to win in 2:18:28. Other Californians grabbed six
out of the top 10 spots with Miguel Nuci (3rd), Christopher Zieman (4th),
David Jackson (6th), Enrique Henriquez (9th), and Chad Worthen (10th and
first local finisher). Jeff Ambos of Riverside, Calif. was the Men's Master
winner in 2:34:47, 15th overall. This was another tight race with the next
two Masters men finishing within two minutes of Jeff, (Titus Nzwili, 16th
and Hans Put, 17th).
In the women's division, Poland's Violetta Kryza looked like a sure winner
when she confidently grabbed the lead at mile 3 and held it until she was
near the finish. Russian Elena Orlova had been steadily gaining on her
in the last miles and passed Violetta with less than 500-meters remaining
for the win (2:37:38). Katie Fontana of Sacramento was the first local
woman (2:54:36).
Other notable performances include Helen Klein's American single age division
record (pending) (5:10:07) for teh fourth year in a row at CIM. Helen holds
the World Best time for 80+ Women achieved at the 2002 CIM (4:31:32).
Christine Iwahashi of Sacramento, recently turned 50 and veteran of 20 CIMs,
won her division with a 3:12:00. She joins Sister Marion Irvine, Joan Ullyot,
Barbara Miller and Wen-Shi Yu on the CIM women's 50-54 top time list. All 16
of the "CIM Honor Roll" 22-time finishers completed their 23rd CIM.
The CIM's increasing popularity was evidenced by a record number of entrants
for all three events: 4,000 in the marathon, 370 Relay Teams, and 1,200 for
the maraFUNrun/Fitness Walk. With its fast course, superb Pace Team leaders,
experienced race management, enthusiastic volunteer brigade and runner-friendly
city, this trend is likely to continue.
24th Annual California International Marathon
2006 Pacific Association Marathon Championship
Folsom to the State Capitol
December 3, 2006
Record Numbers, a Finish Line Sprint and Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifiers
For the fifth year in a row, perfect marathon running conditions prevailed
(no wind, cool temperatures and a rising sun) for the over 6,000 runners
toeing the start line just below the Folsom Dam at 7 a.m. on December 3, 2006.
Spectators and those watching the live five-hour KCRA Channel 3 broadcast were
rewarded by one of the most dramatic finishes in the California International
Marathon's 24-year history.
The race began with a men's lead pack that included Kenya's Jonathan
Ndambuki, 30, and Ethiopian Kassahun Kabiso, 23. By mile 11 the pack
was comprised of five runners: Ndambuki, Kabiso, Andrei Gordeev of Belarus
and Kenyans Joseph Mutinda and Fred Getange. At mile 21, American Miguel
Nuci from Turlock, Calif., joined the pack and the three ran together
until mile 25, where Ndambuki and Kabiso surged ahead. The two rounded
the final corner at 8th Street and Capitol Mall locked in a dead heat
sprint, stride for stride. Jonathon Ndambuki had the final kick to win
the 24th Annual California International Marathon by one step in a
finish that more closely resembled a track 100-meter dash than a 26.2-mile
road race. His finishing kick was rewarded with $10,000 first place prize
money, part of the $50,000 purse divided evenly among the top men and women
finishers.
Miguel Nuci, running for adidas Transports, was less than a minute back
in a personal best time of 2:15:34, qualifying him for the A Standard if
the Men's U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Seven other American men achieved
entries to the Men's U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, all finishing under the
2:22 B Standard. Richard Cartier of Sainte-Adele, Quebec was the first
Masters Male finisher (40 years old and over) in 2:30:42.
The women's race was a very different story. Romanian Alina Gherasim was
never challenged in her 2:34:23 victory, over three minutes ahead of second
place woman Elena Orlova. Elena was the 2005 winner, when she provided the
drama by passing Poland's Violetta Kryza in the final 300 meters to win by
18 seconds. Ironically, Kryza was third this year, and was once again 18
seconds behind Orlova.
Local top women finishers, Midori Sperandeo (2:45:56) and Jennifer Pfeifer
(2:46:30) both qualified for the women's Olympic Marathon Trials B Standard
of sub-2:47:00, along with Penny McDermott (2:46:45) of Corvallis, Ore.
Sperandeo was the fastest of the local women to finish and was the first
Masters woman (40 years old and over) with her overall sixth place finish.
The Pacific Association was well represented with teams and individuals,
many of whom received a portion of the $2500 PA prize purse. The stars of
the day include the aforementioned Trials Qualifiers: Miguel Nuci, Midori
Sperandeo and Jen Pfeifer. Brad Poore of West Valley Track Club is another
PA member heading to the Trials with his 2:21:50 finish, making him second
in the Open Men's division to Nuci. Nathan Bristow (2:25:29) was third PA
Open Men's finisher. In the Open Women's division, Jen Pfeifer (Mizuno Racing
Sacramento) took top honors, Katherine Lindell (Impala) was second in 2:50:41,
and Caroline Radtke (unattached) was third in 2:51:52. The top Masters PA
finisher was Vitas Ezerskis (New Balance Excelsior) for the men in 2:42:08
and Midori Sperandeo (Mizuno Racing Sacramento) for the women in 2:45:56.
Team winners and the remaining age division winners are posted at
www.PAUSATF.org.
First Wheelchair finisher was Chris Houde of Carmichael, Calif. in 2:11:28.
First Crankchair finisher was Rodger Robinson of Lodi, Calif. in 1:36:20.
Accompanying events included the 16th Annual California International
Marathon Relay Challenge, a four-person relay held concurrently within
the marathon. The River City Rebels Running Club team won the relay in
2:26:05. The 18th Annual Kaiser Permanente 2.62-Mile maraFUNrun and Fitness
Walk - a nontimed, noncompetitive event, provided the annual finale for
the eight-week Kaiser Permanente/CIM Youth Fitness Program.
The California International Marathon's increasing popularity was evidenced
by a record number of entrants for all three events: 4,500 in the marathon
(up from 4,000 in 2005), 550 Relay Teams (up from 380 in 2005), and 3,000 for
the Kaiser Permanente Youth Fitness Program and maraFUNrun/Fitness Walk
(up from 2,000 in 2005). With its fast course, experienced race management,
superb Pace Team leaders, enthusiastic volunteer brigade and runner-friendly
city, this trend is likely to continue, especially since the event management
is planning a 25th Birthday Extravaganza for the 25th Annual CIM on December
2, 2007.
The event benefits youth fitness programs and running venue improvements a
nd development such as regional cross-country courses and the American River Parkway.
2007 - CIM XXV
Men’s Winner: Moiben Laban
Women’s Winner: Wioletta Kryza
The 25th Anniversary California Marathon was packed with many enhancements to help all the entrants celebrate this momentous occasion. Large coaster-style silver finisher medallions, nylon “backpack” goody bags and a 68-page program were three of the notable items that runners received. Even the weather gods smiled on this day and provided perfect running conditons for the sixth year in a row.
In the men;s race, in spite of arriving in Sacramento late Saturday evening after two days of travel from Kenya, Moiben Laban ran a strong and intelligent race. He stayed with a lead pack of nine runners through mile 10, waited until the group dwindled to three after 15 miles, and then he cranked out mile times of 5:00, 4:55, 5:01 and 5:00 to pull away from fellow Kenyans John Gathoga (debut marathon, 2nd, 2:14:57) and Richard Kimeli. He finished in 2:14:31. Kimeli faded to 8th.
“Now I win!” said 39-year-old Wioletta Kryza of Poland who finished in 2:39:20. Wioletta was third woman at the 2006 CIM and second at the 2005 CIM. Nicole Cueno of Minneapolis, Minn. surprised herself with her second place finish (2:42:03) and a 10-minute pr. Brooke Wells from San Francisco nailed her Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier finishing third in 2:42:35. Early race favorite and 1998 CIM winner Alena Vinitskaya finished fourth after sustaining a foot injury mid-race.
Nine women achieved their sub-2:47 Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying times.
Helen Klein did it again – this time for women 85 and older. Her 5:48 time blasted the previous world record of 6:53:50 set by Ida Mintz in1990. At the 2002 CIM Helen set the world record for women 80 and older (4:31:32), and since then she has set single-year age division records at the CIM each year.
Several age more division course records were set at the 2007 CIM. The 45-49 women’s times is now led by Meghan Arboghast’s 2:45:46 (also the winning 2007 Masters Women’s time), and Laurie Porter’s 2:49:41 time puts her in the second spot, moving Dr. Joan Ullyot (2:51:25, 1986) to third.
Men’s 80+ division record was obliterated by Sam Hirabyashi. His 4:52:29 time is more than two hours faster than the previous record set by George Billingsley in 2004 (7:06:35). His time places him 13th on the world marathon rankings list for men 80 to 84, according to the Association of Road Racing Statisticians.
Masters men’s winner was Neil Holm (41) of Courtenay, British Columbia in 2:32:22. Wheelchair Winner was Chris Houde of Carmichael in 2:11:36. A Vision Impaired Division was added to the CIM this year. It was won by Kurt Fiene of Omaha, Neb. in 2:52:55, qualifying him for the U.S. Marathon Team at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.
All 16 of the CIM’s Honor Roll of 24-time finishers successfully completed their 25th CIM.
The 2007 was the Pacific Association/USATF Marathon Championship. it was won by Paul Smith, Chico 2:32:44 and Brooke Wells, San Francisco 2:42:35. First local finishers were Michael Woodward of Rocklin (2:36:57) and Kirsten Schneider of Sacramento (2:52:39).
Although the CIM Board was pleased with the entry increases from 2004 to 2006, these increases also gave the CIM Board cause for concern. Surges in growth were unpredictable and made planning very difficult, which could potentially compromise the quality of the event. To preserve the event’s integrity, the CIM Board chose wuality over quantity and capped 2007 entries at 6,000 for the marathon and 750 for the relay. By the opening of the Expo on Friday, there were only 600 marathon entries left, and the late entry line extended outside for several blocks.. Both the marathon and the relay achieved their caps, and the same caps were planned for 2008.