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Marathon · Folsom → Sacramento, CA · December

California International Marathon course guide

Point to point from Folsom to the State Capitol in Sacramento: net downhill, with rolling hills in the first half and flat city miles to finish.

Build my race planOfficial race site
Distance
26.2 mi
42.2 km
Net elevation
−332 ft
−101 m
Total climb
547 ft
880 ft of descent
Start → finish
354 → 22 ft
above sea level
Raced by Salitre
2025

Pace calculator

Your race plan, mile by mile

Set your goal and the calculator spreads it over the course: slower on the climbs, a little quicker on the descents, and the splits always add up to your goal.

Goal time
Splits

Your plan

Goal time
3:45:00
Flat-equivalent pace
8:34/mi
Slowest split
8:46/mi
Mile 9
Predicted finish
3:45:00

Ideal strategy, uphill penalty 13 s/mi per 1%.

Target splits for California International Marathon: elevation change, effort, pace against goal pace, target pace, pace bank and elapsed time for each split.
SplitElev ±Effortvs goal paceTarget pace /miPace bankElapsed
Mile 1−63 ftGentle descent−0:038:32+0:038:32
Mile 2+4 ftRolling+0:098:44−0:0617:16
Mile 3−54 ftGentle descent−0:028:33−0:0425:49
Mile 4−27 ftFlat+0:028:37−0:0634:26
Mile 5−18 ftFlat+0:038:38−0:1043:04
Mile 6−10 ftFlat+0:038:38−0:1351:42
Mile 7−4 ftRolling+0:058:40−0:181:00:22
Mile 80 ftRolling+0:068:41−0:241:09:03
Mile 9+37 ftGentle climb+0:118:46−0:351:17:49
Mile 10−32 ftFlat−0:028:33−0:331:26:22
Mile 11−54 ftGentle descent−0:038:32−0:301:34:54
Mile 12−6 ftRolling+0:048:39−0:341:43:33
Mile 13−3 ftRolling+0:038:38−0:371:52:11
Mile 14−18 ftFlat−0:018:34−0:362:00:45
Mile 15+15 ftFlat+0:038:38−0:402:09:23
Mile 16−17 ftFlat−0:018:34−0:392:17:57
Mile 17−35 ftFlat−0:068:29−0:332:26:26
Mile 18−8 ftFlat−0:018:34−0:322:35:00
Mile 19−9 ftFlat−0:028:33−0:302:43:33
Mile 20−14 ftFlat−0:048:31−0:262:52:04
Mile 21−8 ftFlat−0:048:31−0:223:00:35
Mile 22−1 ftFlat−0:038:32−0:193:09:07
Mile 23−4 ftFlat−0:048:31−0:153:17:38
Mile 24−5 ftFlat−0:048:31−0:113:26:09
Mile 25−5 ftFlat−0:058:30−0:073:34:39
Mile 26+5 ftFlat−0:058:30−0:023:43:09
Mile 26.2+1 ftFlat−0:078:270:003:45:00

Pace bank: seconds ahead (+) or behind (−) an even-pace schedule for the goal. vs goal pace: + is slower than the average goal pace. Plan from salitre.co/race-guides/cim.

How the plan is worked out, and what the strategies mean: methodology.

The course

Course breakdown

Measured on Eduardo's own 2025 run of the course; elevation: Watch GPX (barometric altimeter); smoothed over 150 m, distance scaled to the official 26.2 mi.

California International Marathon elevation profileElevation in feet against distance in miles. start: 354 ft; mile 2: 295 ft; mile 4: 213 ft; mile 6: 186 ft; mile 8: 181 ft; mile 10: 186 ft; mile 12: 125 ft; mile 14: 105 ft; mile 16: 103 ft; mile 18: 61 ft; mile 20: 38 ft; mile 22: 29 ft; mile 24: 20 ft; mile 26: 21 ft; finish: 22 ft.
Elevation (ft) by mile. Orange shading: climbing (over +0.4%); blue: descending (under −1%).
Elevation at each mile marker

start: 354 ft · mile 2: 295 ft · mile 4: 213 ft · mile 6: 186 ft · mile 8: 181 ft · mile 10: 186 ft · mile 12: 125 ft · mile 14: 105 ft · mile 16: 103 ft · mile 18: 61 ft · mile 20: 38 ft · mile 22: 29 ft · mile 24: 20 ft · mile 26: 21 ft · finish: 22 ft

  1. Miles 0–6.5 · 6.5 mi

    Folsom and Orangevale

    Folsom and Orangevale elevationMiles 0 to 6.5: 149 ft of climb, 330 ft of descent, net −181 ft (average grade −0.5%; steepest 400 m +2.0% up, −2.7% down).
    Climb
    149 ft
    Descent
    330 ft
    Net
    −181 ft
    average grade −0.5%

    A downhill start, then rollers; the course gives up height but asks for some climbing too.

    Coach's notes

    I didn't push them. I ran the first mile slower than planned, even though it was downhill and the sight of thousands of runners ahead of me going faster was impressive. For the next five miles I stayed with the 3-hour pacers, who were running a little under 3-hour pace.

  2. Miles 6.5–13.1 · 6.6 mi

    Fair Oaks

    Fair Oaks elevationMiles 6.5 to 13.1: 255 ft of climb, 311 ft of descent, net −56 ft (average grade −0.2%; steepest 400 m +3.2% up, −4.1% down).
    Climb
    255 ft
    Descent
    311 ft
    Net
    −56 ft
    average grade −0.2%

    The last real rolling stretch, with a climb around mile 9.

    Coach's notes

    This is where we settled in, running 30 to 60 seconds ahead of 3-hour pace. I went through halfway in 1:29:19.

  3. Miles 13.1–20 · 6.9 mi

    Carmichael

    Carmichael elevationMiles 13.1 to 20: 93 ft of climb, 173 ft of descent, net −80 ft (average grade −0.2%; steepest 400 m +1.0% up, −1.5% down).
    Climb
    93 ft
    Descent
    173 ft
    Net
    −80 ft
    average grade −0.2%

    A gradual, steady descent with only small rises.

    Coach's notes

    The most uneventful part of the race. I settled into a good rhythm and focused on my nutrition.

  4. Miles 20–26.2 · 6.2 mi

    Into Sacramento

    Into Sacramento elevationMiles 20 to 26.2: 51 ft of climb, 66 ft of descent, net −16 ft (average grade −0.0%; steepest 400 m +1.2% up, −1.2% down).
    Climb
    51 ft
    Descent
    66 ft
    Net
    −16 ft
    average grade −0.0%

    Flat streets into the city, finishing by the State Capitol.

    Coach's notes

    There was little left. I had stomach cramps at mile 20, my quads started to hurt at 23, and everything was asking me to slow down in the last two miles. I held on for dear life 10 to 20 meters behind the 3-hour pacers and hoped the final time would come in under 3 hours. It was a mental battle: stay with the pacers and ignore what your body is saying. I finished in 2:59:42.

Race day

The coach's race-day strategy

My plan was to ignore the rollers as much as possible and stick to my planned race pace. The terrain worked for me: the first 20 miles are easier thanks to the net downhill, and whatever I had left I used to hold that pace over the flatter last six miles.

Logistics

Logistics

The buses to the start in Folsom are really well organized. Stay on the bus as long as you can: it keeps you warm on a December morning.

Boston qualifying

Can the California International Marathon qualify you for Boston?

The B.A.A. accepts qualifying times from certified courses and adjusts for courses that drop a lot: under 1,500 ft of net drop, no adjustment; 1,500–2,999 ft, 5:00 is added to the qualifying standard; 3,000–5,999 ft, 10:00; 6,000 ft or more, not accepted.

Measured on this course, the net drop is 332 ft. No adjustment: the net drop is under 1,500 ft.

Check the current qualifying standards and course rules at baa.org; the B.A.A.'s own figures for a course govern.

Questions

California International Marathon: common questions

How hilly is the California International Marathon?

Measured on the course, it climbs 547 ft and descends 880 ft, for a net change of −332 ft from start to finish. The most climbing per mile is between miles 6.5 and 13.1 (Fair Oaks), with 255 ft of climb.

Is CIM as fast as its reputation?

Yes. Not only because of the net downhill, but mostly because of the quality of the field and the pacers. I was impressed by how many runners were chasing sub-3.

How should I fuel during the CIM?

Before the race I did a typical carb load: pasta, bread and a good balance of protein. During the race I mostly took Amacx gels, which are light and easy to digest because they're more liquid than most, averaging 90 g of carbs per hour. Before the start I took bicarb, Nomio and CurraNZ, plus a caffeine gel right before the start and another around mile 18.

Where should my supporters stand at the CIM?

It's a strict point-to-point race, so it's hard for supporters to see you in more than one spot.

Methodology

How the plan is worked out

The grade model

The course is cut into 50 m steps. On each, a climb steeper than +0.4% costs the uphill penalty you chose (12–15 seconds a mile for each 1% of grade); a descent steeper than −1% gives back 8 seconds a mile per 1%, up to 40 seconds a mile at −5%, where steeper ground stops paying back. In between, the pace is the flat pace.

The coefficients follow Jack Daniels' rule of thumb (Daniels' Running Formula, 3rd ed., 2014). Downhill giving back less than uphill costs, and the saving levelling off on steep descents, match the energy-cost measurements of Minetti et al. (Journal of Applied Physiology 93, 2002).

The flat pace is solved so the steps add up to your goal; split times are rounded to whole seconds and always add up to it exactly.

The strategies

Ideal
Even effort with a gentle negative split: effort 1% easier than average at the start, easing to 1% harder at the finish.
Even effort
The same effort throughout; only the hills move the pace.
Conservative
The first half 1.5% easier, the second half 1.5% harder: a negative split of about 3% on a flat course.
Aggressive
Even to slightly positive: 1% harder at the start, easing to 1% easier at the finish.

The columns

Pace bank is the cumulative number of seconds you are ahead (+) or behind (−) an even-pace schedule for your goal at the end of each split; it is spent on the climbs. Flat-equivalent pace is the pace the plan asks for on flat ground. The effort badge comes from the split's grade: Climb (+1.5% or more), Gentle climb (+0.4%), Rolling, Flat, Gentle descent (−1%), Steep descent (−2.5%).

Watercolor of Eduardo raising both fists at a marathon finish line

California International Marathon

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