Early Sunday morning, over 4,000 runners from around the world participated in the California International Marathon, a 26.2-mile race from Folsom to downtown Sacramento. As the runners scaled the greater Sacramento area into the afternoon, hundreds of supporters lined the route carrying signs of support and yelling words of encouragement. Meadow Bailey, a 34-year-old homemaker from Rancho Cordova, was one of the many who came out to show their support. She said that although this was her first time coming, she had an enjoyable experience. “Everybody is cheering, and there’s a great sense of unity,” she said. Starting near Folsom Lake, participants headed east down Oak Avenue. Passing t

Thousands of Sacramento participants toughed out the rain this Thanksgiving morning as they participated in the 18th Annual Run to Feed the Hungry. The event is benefiting the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. For more information and race results visit www.runtofeedthehungry.com Photos from this morning's event:

It’s all downhill from here… so to speak. Monday, in the Race Across America, Team SacPD concurred their highest elevation climb of the race. With their climb to nearly 11,000 feet above sea level Monday, the team has climbed a total of 55,952 vertical feet since the start of the race Saturday. From this point, the majority of the race is downhill except for a few smaller elevations climbs later in the race. At the time of this posting, the team is skirting the southern part of Colorado and is about half way across the state. At this point they have traveled almost 1,030 miles and have about 1,969 miles to go. The only significant challenge reported today was a racers blown tire shortly

Sunday was a long but rewarding day for Team SacPD in their second day of Race Across America. The team traversed north east through Arizona and at the time of this posting they are just north of Tuba City heading toward Utah. Team SacPD is now 33 hours into the race and have traveled over 615 miles. They have climed a total of 32,744 vertical feet and are presently around 5,000 feet above sea level and will reach around 11,000 feet in this assent.  The day was not without challenges. Early in the day one of the riders wasn't feeling well and had to sit out several relay rotations, but later returned to the race reportedly doing well. The same van that broke down Saturday developed mecha

About 600 people wearing blue T-shirts walked and rode bicycles, searching for clues in downtown Sacramento at the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services’ third annual Race for the Ring event Saturday. Food Bank communications director Kelly Siefkin said the money raised will help support all eight programs, from providing food and clothing to education and women’s resources. “I think it’s a way to involve part of the Sacramento community and people who don’t really know about the programs,” Siefkin said. “We make it a fun day. They want to come back with their families, volunteer and be motivated about the programs.” The event provides a fun way for people to get an “Amazing Race” expe

The 2011 In the Flow festival came to an end at Luna’s Café on Monday night after five days of enjoyable music at different venues. Jazz, rock, electronic, noise, poetry, spoken word, blues and other genres were delivered by talented musicians from May 12 to 16. On a rainy Monday evening, several bands came to share the small stage at Luna’s. The intimate setting provided great entertainment and gave it a delightful jazz club ambiance. In the Flow is the brainchild of Ross Hammond and Byron Blackburn. Performers play smaller venues such as La Raza Galeria Posada, Luna’s, Antiquité Maison Privée, Phono Select Records and the Press Club. Hammond’s grassroots approach is creative and provid

4,500 women will race in the Kaiser Women’s Fitness Festival benefiting WEAVE on Sunday, June 5th to raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault. Now in its seventh year, the event is the largest women’s-only run in the region and runners travel from the Bay Area and the central valley to compete. WEAVE needs volunteers! Sign up now! All volunteers are required to attend a Mandatory Volunteer Training on Wednesday, June 1st from 5:30 - 6:30 PM at WEAVE. Volunteer shifts run in 3 – 5 hour blocks from Thursday, June 2nd to Sunday, June 5th. Questions? Contact Ashley. In full disclosure, this article was written by a WEAVE employee in the hopes of spreading the word far and

Some of the world’s top bicyclists will be racing into Sacramento Monday to finish the second stage of the sixth annual Amgen Tour of California at the Capitol. Racers will enter Sacramento from the northern city limits on Sorrento Road to Main Avenue, then head to Highway 160, where they will then enter the central city on 12th Street, according to Department of Transportation spokeswoman Linda Tucker. For the race route and road closures, click the interactive map below. View Amgen Tour of California Route in a larger map “You’ve got the opportunity to watch some of the best athletes in the world ply their trade,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports, which owns the race. “

The Sacramento Valley Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is seeking volunteers for the 15th Annual Komen Sacramento Race for the Cure. More than 1,000 volunteers are needed to make this year’s race a huge success. “Volunteers are needed before, during, and after the race starting April 30, 2011 through May 7, 2011,” said Donna Sanderson, executive director for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Sacramento Valley. “There are a variety of positions and shifts available from pre-race registration at Arden Fair Mall to distributing refreshments and water on race day at Cal Expo.” This year, more than 20,000 people are expected to make an impact against breast cancer in one of the region’s la

According to organizers, more than 5,500 runners hit the pavement at Sunday's seventh annual Shamrock'n Half Marathon, which started and ended at Raley Field. The course meandered through Old Sacramento, passed the Capitol and made its way along the American River bike trail. The race sold out in January and has been called the largest half marathon in Sacramento by organizers. Nevada's Jeffrey Moreland, 33, and Suzi Harvey, 48, took first place for men and women, respectively. Moreland, of Reno, hit the finish line at 1:11.12 and Harvey, of Sparks, came in at 1:24.25. Third-place male Rich Hanna, 46, of Sacramento kept a 5:31 minute-per-mile pace, reaching the finish line at 1:12.17. H

Valentine’s Day has traditionally been celebrated with a simple dinner for two. Couples exchange cards professing their appreciation for one another, gift the usual candy and jewelery and call it a day. As Valentine’s Day draws closer, many people are looking to celebrate that special day in a more memorable way. Sacramento has a number of exciting events and specials to choose from on Valentine’s Day and the weekend prior. While many make reservations at their favorite restaurants, why not book a Valentine’s Day Lovers’ Cruise, provided by Hornblower Cruises, for a change? “Sacramento’s Cupid’s Valentine’s Weekend Brunch Cruise,” on Sunday, is a two-hour cruise departing from the L-S

You’ve taken some great photos from the Run To Feed the Hungry race and now you want to share them. How do you upload them on our site? Below we’ll show you how to do it. Requirements: iPhone with iOS 3 or higher Android phone Have a Facebook account For iPhone users you can simply download the app at the iTunes store. For Android users simply launch the Android Market on your device then search for "LiveShare" in the Android Market and install it, it’s free! Once you have the app you can use your Facebook credentials to login. Then simply select The Run to Feed the Hungry event, which will pop up under Nov. 25 events. You will see a live gallery of pictures that everyone else at

Lace up your shoes, Sacramento -- the 17th annual Run to Feed the Hungry is only a few weeks away. Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) encourages you to be part of a Thanksgiving tradition. The 5K and 10K fun run and walk launches from Sacramento State, 6000 J St., on Thanksgiving morning. With 30,000 participants expected to be involved, you are guaranteed a morning of fun with family and friends. Every week up until then, we will interview a new Run to Feed the Hungry runner. We will ask six different past and present runners the same questions. We have found that people are motivated by many different reasons to be involved in this incredible event. There is still time to

Fans of hot rods and car customization crowded into Time Tested Books on 21st Street Sunday night to hear from a legend in the Sacramento car customization scene. Dick Bertolucci, 82, had more than 100 fans eating out of his hand as he and his longtime friend Bud Ohanesian recounted tales from their pasts, all the while grinning like children who have just gotten away with something naughty. As part of a series hosted by Time Tested Books, Bertolucci was this month’s guest in “The Sacramento Living Library,” a series that chooses its guests for their unparalleled knowledge in a particular field. As historian and auto enthusiast Bruce Woodward sat beside Bertolucci and Ohanesian, it beca

The Sacramento Comedy Spot will host W. Kamau Bell Friday night and his critically acclaimed show -- "The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour.” Bell, 37, has been doing the “Bell Curve” show for the last three years. The jokes are tweaked slightly to accommodate current events, but the core has remained intact. Attendees of the show may be treated to laughs about the recent Shirley Sherrod debacle and the Tea Party. Bell has performed at the Punchline in Sacramento, but that was many years ago. He said he's excited to be back in the area. "I think I have about four or five fans in Sacramento," Bell joked. Bell’s career as a comedian has been on a steady rise ever since

InAlliance will host the 2nd Annual Gold Rush Poker Run & Walk on Saturday, October 9, 2010 at the El Dorado Trail in Placerville to benefit programs for people with developmental disabilities. The event is geared for people of all ages and skill levels and features a 10 Mile Run, 10K Run, 5K Run/Walk and 1 Mile Stroll. Registration is now open and space is limited. Like most “fun runs”, participants can expect a beautiful course, ample refreshments, awards ceremony and vendor tables, but here is the twist: as you follow your race you will collect playing cards. These cards will create a poker hand that will be worth raffle tickets at the finish line celebration! The number of raffle tick

The District 7 City Council race heated up early this morning when Ryan Chin and Darrell Fong claimed that their signage was removed from supporters' lawns and constituents from each campaign were harassed outside of polling places in the Pocket/Greenhaven areas. Darrell Fong said he received an e-mail from a concerned voter that she was harassed by Chin’s campaign volunteers outside of her polling place, and that she was grateful that he had not used the same tactics. One of Fong’s volunteers, Harold Fong, said that he felt it was just a “tacky method to run a campaign." Both candidates steadfastly state that each has run a clean campaign. A campaign spokesperson for incumbent Robbie W

Downtown Sacramento was a blur of baby blue T-shirts Saturday during the 2nd Annual Race for the Rock. More than 250 two-member teams competed for bling in the scavenger hunt, in which clues were sent via text message. The grand prize was a $20,000 Hearts on Fire diamond ring donated by Rogers Jewelry. Proceeds benefited Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services (SFBFS). Unlike many other nonprofit fund raisers, donors got the ball rolling, not the charity. "We wanted to do something that brought the community together and where people could have a good time," said Calvin Curtin of Rogers Jewelry. After deciding to do a scavenger hunt, Rogers chose SFBFS as its community partner. "We tol

Chuck D is a rebel without a pause. The co-founder of seminal hip-hop group Public Enemy is a rapper, author and activist. He refers to himself as a "raptivist," and "an ambassador for hip-hop." Thursday night, D will give a free speech at Sacramento State, where he'll be talking about rap, race, technology and communication. The event will also be a celebration of Black History Month. D likes to talk. Given that he writes a blog, tours the world on speaking gigs, and owns the SLAMjams music label, which recently threw together an iTunes album for Haiti, he is surprisingly available. He called me for an unscheduled interview, just a few minutes after I e-mailed him. "You can't go throug

Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services welcomed around 29,000 participants in their sixteenth annual Run to Feed the Hungry on Thanksgiving Day.  Here are a collection of photos taken by The Sacramento Press along with participants' photos from the run submitted to us.   As the sun comes up Thanksgiving morning, trucks set up the time marks along the race route on the CSU, Sacramento campus SFBFS volunteers prepare the after-party area to re-fuel runners and walkers   Corporate teams/sponsors gather in the crowded VIP tent to have group photos taken Corporate teams have their team photos taken  Teams fuel up with doughnuts, bananas, coffee, and energy bars provided by SFBFS A