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

For the next few months, running enthusiasts will have the opportunity to participate in a number of fantastic races across California. The Sacramento region in particular is full of events for people of all ages, skill levels and interests. Whether you are an avid runner or just looking for a healthy way to support the community, consider joining in a local 5K or 10K race. Most races benefit a nonprofit organization, so you will be benefiting your body, mind and spirit! Here are some upcoming events to consider: Gold Rush Fun Run & Walk October 8, 2011, Placerville, CA This family and dog friendly event features 10 Mile, 10K, 5K, and 1 mile race courses along the El Dorado Trail, plus r

For John Weed, Eppie’s Great Race – now in its 38th year – serves as a new year’s celebration. The 58-year-old kayak instructor and whitewater guide has competed in the “no-swim” triathlon 35 times. The 38th annual Eppie’s Great Race takes place Saturday along the American River Parkway and is open to athletes of all ages. Weed said almost 40 years ago, he was hit by a semi truck while on his bicycle. Before that, he had been an avid runner. He came from a family of runners and in college would run 200 miles per week. “The doctors told me I’d never walk again, let alone run,” Weed said.  That same year, the Whitewater Slalom was introduced as an Olympic sport. Weed said he watched it

Runners, walkers and outdoor enthusiasts will take to the trails on Saturday, October 8, 2011 when local nonprofit InAlliance hosts the 3rd Annual Gold Rush Fun Run & Walk fundraiser on the El Dorado Trail beginning in Placerville. Participants will weave their way through the Sierra Nevada Foothills in 10 mile, 10K, 5K and 1 mile races along what used to be the Michigan California Lumber Company railway corridor. Following the races, guests will enjoy a Finish Line Celebration featuring refreshments, music, vendors, raffle prizes and awards ceremony. The races will all be chip timed by Synergy Race Timing and all race winners will receive custom medals. The event is an annual benefit for

Thousands of runners ran the California International Marathon (CIM) from Folsom to the Capitol Steps this past Sunday. Canadian Dylan Wykes won the 28th CIM with a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 39 seconds. Ethiopian Buzunesh Deba was the first woman to cross the finish line with a time of 2 hours, 32 minutes, and 13 seconds. Along with the thousands of runners there were just as many individual stories of courage and determination. There were runners representing various running teams from California and from all over the world. There were also teams representing Men, Women and Coed teams as well as Corporate, Family, Health Club, High School, Military, Open, Police/Fire and Running C

The California International Marathon went off without a hitch on Sunday. Despite severe weather warnings, conditions were perfect and thousands of athletes took part in this popular, annual event.   A young cheerleader enjoyed her time at the finish line infront of her State Capital. The Highway Patrol's mounted division helped with security for all the athletes. Sac P.D. did a great job helping this event go off without a hitch. A female relay runner finishing up her leg and the race. Another relay runner in her closing stages. The most colorful athlete of the day completing his race in 3 hours, 20 minutes. Husband and wife on a Sunday morning jog..."wait, we've just compl

Sunday, Dec. 5 6 a.m. - 3 p.m. The California International Marathon will begin in Folsom and end at the West Steps of the Capitol, where live music will greet 13,000 expected participants.  

Want to see live pictures of The Run to Feed the Hungry taken by the community in real time? Then look no further than the gallery below. This gallery will feature live streaming content the day of the race. Check it out below, and if you’d like, you can expand it to full screen by clicking on the icon in the lower right corner. To add pictures yourself, see the full instructions here and for more about the Cool Iris Liveshare gallery, visit their website.  Have fun!

Four years after she almost died from Lyme disease, Pamela O’Kane is one of three Sacramento women competing for Team USA at the World Triathlon Championships this week in Budapest, Hungary. It’s the second year in a row she’s qualified for Team USA. The 49-year-old lecturer from CSU Sacramento hopes there will be many more such adventures to come. It’s a far cry from how things looked in the spring of 2006. With her kids grown, a job she liked, and a love of athletic pursuits like running, swimming, and biking, she should have been on top of the world. Instead, she started experiencing weird symptoms her doctors couldn’t explain. She lost weight and muscle mass. She developed facial pa

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

 Dominic Cooke was a normal college student athlete until a car crash his senior year paralyzed him. It doesn’t stop him however, from hand cycling in a triathlon. Cooke, 30, was injured when he was 22 years old. His athletic ability and passion for helping other hurt athletes is what made him start “Team TFO” this year for the 37th annual Eppie’s Great Race. TFO — which stands for Try for Others — is a nonprofit organization Cooke created in 2005 to aid injured athletes. “I played rugby before here in Sacramento at Jesuit High School and then at UC Berkeley,” Cooke said. “I was getting a lot of phone calls from injured rugby players. We help them with their immediate medical needs.”

What Side Of The Road Do You Run On? This story starts with a little argument that broke out on a run last weekend. It wasn’t a fight between my running partners and me – although that happens at times. This one broke out between me and a driver. The more that you run, the more you’ll run into people that dislike the fact that you’re on their roads it seems. Anyway, three of us were running along the side of a very windy, narrow road in Folsom. This is a fairly typical road for Folsom in that the bushes come right down to the edge of the road next to the white lines. There is obviously no sidewalk on the road at this point, so we were running single-file down the white line when a car ca

Spiderman, Elvis, a ninja and a man dressed as a princess were just some of the dressed-up supporters I saw as I tried to stay warm in the 28-degree weather before starting in the 27th annual California International Marathon alongside six thousand-plus other runners.  Some were there to support their favorite charity, some to support a friend or family member. But all were there to complete the arduous task of running or walking 26.2 miles. According to official results, 5,845 of more than 6,000 race participants finished the marathon. Unlike runner Tim Twietmeyer, who completed his 27th consecutive CIM on Sunday, I was running my first marathon, hoping to finish in less than four hours

I walked onto the quad of Bella Vista High School on a Sunday afternoon to a sight of 20 or so men climbing walls, running like cheetahs on all fours and swinging from trees. This was the Sacramento regional parkour practice, led by a SFparkour.com representative, Victor Lo Forte. He has been a practitioner of parkour, or traceur, French for tracer, for three and a half years and has led the Sacramento group for about two years. "From what I understand, it's basically the discipline of training one's mind and body to prepare oneself to overcome obstacles in an environment," Lo Forte said. Parkour is said to be rooted in early 20th century French military practices. Georges Hébert, a Wor

For five residents of a Sacramento rehab center, this Memorial Day represents a personal battle won. Of 1185 registered participants, five members of the recently formed running and walking program One Step Forward completed their first race as a team this morning at the “No Excuses” 5k run at William Land Park. The members were recruited just over two months ago from Sacramento’s Clean & Sober program, dedicated to helping disadvantaged people overcome drug and alcoholic addictions. For the past six weeks, One Step Forward trained twice a week in preparation for the race. One Step Forward was formed by local organizer Makiko Yamashita, who wanted to provide a sense of community, accomp

Distance running is a metaphor for life. Imagine running a full marathon. Your physical strength, built by training, gives you the energy to push through the course. You feel energized until about mile 13. You start feeling pain, but it is within your expectations. Then you hit the wall at mile 20. You feel like there is no more fuel left in your body and your legs feel like steel. You start hearing a voice, saying, “You can’t go any further. You did enough. Quit and rest!” For the last six miles, you fight with this evil voice. But you also hear another voice, “No, no, don’t quit. You can do it. You have come this far and the goal is near.” This part of you miraculously pushes you to the

Last Sunday I braved a 44 degree frigid morning and walked down to the Capitol to find a bunch of kids under-dressed in running shorts. They were finishing the Marafun run with their parents. Inspired, I pulled up the collar on my fleece jacket and determined I could stick around to catch the winner of the 26th Ca International Marathon. Stationed on the corner of 10th and L Streets I was one of six people interested in the outcome from this vantage point. In fifteen minutes or so we were rewarded with a blur of legs and motion that was Halefom Abebe (of Ethiopia) sprinting on his way to a winning time of 2:16:42.  I was inspired again. Back in the warmth of home I went to the Fleet Feet

According to the American College of Sports Medicine 2008 study, San Francisco is the most fit city in the U.S. (www.americanfitnessindex.org). Sacramento did not make the list of top 16 most fit cities. The only other two California cities that made the bottom of the list were Los Angeles and Riverside. While the results of this study may be debatable, it poses a good question about how fitness-friendly our city is. How does our city rank in terms of the number of bike trails, walking trails, exercise facilities, etc? There seems to be a huge link between fitness and fundraisers. People will exercise as long as it is for a cause. Look at the events below that happen either at the Capi