Olympic Trials Hopefuls Going For Final Shot At CIM

The course has a reputation for being fast.

Taking place in December, Sacramento’s California International Marathon (CIM) is one of the last marathons of the year. At this year’s edition, this honor is especially significant: Many Olympic Trials-caliber runners are hoping to use the marathon as their final shot to qualify for the Trials race that takes place in Houston in January.

One such runner is Sacramento’s Jenny Hitchings. In May, the 48-year-old set a PR at the Eugene Marathon when she clocked two hours, 46 minutes, and 10 seconds. The problem is that her time was ten seconds slower than the standard required to qualify for the Trials.

“It’s bittersweet,” she says of the experience.  “If everything comes together and it’s a great day, like at Eugene, I think I’ll have a shot at this. I basically did it. Now I just have to officially do it.”

The men’s standard is 2:19:00.

“There’s just a ton of people who have signed up with that time in mind,” said race director John Mansoor.

Using CIM to qualify for the Trials isn’t that bad of an idea; it’s a fast race. In last year’s edition, 15 Americans made the standard.

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