Sacramento Running News

By Ellen Moore, SRA

For the elite American runners in this year’s California International Marathon field, there is an added incentive to run fast – a $5,000 incentive to be exact.

The Sacramento Running Association, organizers of the California International Marathon, added an American Performance List bonus to its $50,000 prize purse for the 34th annual CIM on Dec. 4 and the result has been early commitments from many top U.S. runners.

Standout Stephanie Rothstein Bruce and 2012 CIM winner Daniel Tapia were among the first elite athletes to enter the race and headline the deep American fields.

“I chose CIM because the course, the weather in Sacramento in December and the passion of the city can’t be beat,” said Bruce. “The bonus structure that CIM implemented is a great step forward in encouraging Americans to elevate their performance in the marathon and strive for fast times.”

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By John Schumacher

A strong group of international runners heads the men’s field while a talented American runner looks like the favorite on the women’s side for the 32^nd annual California International Marathon on Dec. 7.

Kenyans Julius Koskei, Eliud Ngetich and Jacob Chemtai, Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Alemayehu and Zambia’s Jordan Chipangama all appear capable of winning the men’s race and the $10,000 first prize on the 26.2-mile course from near Folsom Dam to the state Capitol.

Koskei, the 2013 CIM runnerup, owns a 2:10:14 personal best, the fastest time in the men’s field. Alemayehu, who lives in Antioch, has run 2:11:18, owns two top-three CIM finishes and is a two-time Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run champion.

Ngetich ran 2:11:59 in 2013 and Chemtai delivered a 2:12:39 performance earlier this year. Chipangama also stood out in 2014 with a 2:12:22 effort.

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Bryan Hacker and Ronald Hess fly to the finish. (SRN photo)

By John Schumacher

Folsom’s Shadrack Biwott overcame two untied shoes and a short recovery time from a half marathon, pulling away from two-time defending champion Tesfaye Alemayehu in the final 100 yards Sunday to win the fourth annual Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run.

West Sacramento’s Kim Conley, a 2012 Olympian, came down from high-altitude training with enough energy to pull away from Auburn’s Jane Kibii in the final three miles to win the women’s title on a pleasant, blue-sky morning in Sacramento.

Biwott and Conley, teammates on the Sacramento Running Association’s Elite Team, each took home $2,400 for their victories in the event, which featured a $15,000 purse and served as USA Track & Field’s Pacific Association Ten-Mile Championship.

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Kim Conley on the way to the win (Photo by Sean Dulany/Freeplay Magazine)

By John Schumacher

Defending champion Tesfaye Alemayehu pushed hard from the start, daring anyone to stay with him in the third annual Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run.

Olympian Kim Conley treated the race as a strength workout, taking a longer-term view as she prepares for an upcoming track season she hopes earns her a spot on the U.S. World Championship team.

Both strategies worked well on a mild, sunny Sunday morning, with Antioch’s Alemayehu and West Sacramento’s Conley winning individual titles in an event that serves as USA Track & Field’s Pacific Association 10-Mile Championship and helps raise money for Children’s Miracle Network.

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Is it the steeplechase or a marathon? (Photo courtesy of Randy Wehner Photography)

When we look back on the California International Marathon of 2012, what will first spring to mind is the Atmospheric River.

Over my decades of running, I have experienced some pretty intense weather. My one run at Boston was in the infamous nor’easter of 2007.

I ran most of the stormy 2001 CIM before crapping out and slinking away in my wife’s car at mile 17.

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Tesfaye Alemayehu on his way to victory in 47:34. (SRN photo.)

There was a time in the not too distant past, where 60-minutes for a ten mile run was the demarcation line between serious and non-serious runners.  The local Buffalo Stampede 10 mile race would produce a bushel of sub-60 minute finishes, and the Stockton’s California 10 wouldn’t even give you a shirt unless you broke 60-minutes.

While local races still usually deliver a few speedy times, the crowd is pretty thin when you get under six minutes per mile.

As I’ve written before, a little prize money goes a long way. Now, with this year’s $15,000 prize purse and PAUSATF grand prix status, the Sactown 10 delivers as a serious, competitive race.

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