California International Marathon: Finish Times, Qualify for Boston, Pace Charts, Running Downhill

By Raymond Britt

The popular California International Marathon (CIM) offers one of the fastest major marathon courses in the country (average 4:15 over the last 10 years), and is among the best races to run a Boston Marathon Qualifying time.

We've run the numbers to let you know what to expect as you race more than 300 feet downhill from start to finish. First the headlines, then detailed charts by age groups, splits, pacing examples, Boston qualifying prediction examples, and more.
  • Average Finish Time for all Runners: 4:15
  • Average First 13.1 miles time: 2:00
  • Average Second 13.1 miles time: 2:15
  • Percent Second 13.1 is slower than first 13.1: 11% (9% for women, 13% for men)
  • Predicted Percent of Finishers Running Boston Qualifying Times: 17% (formerly 25% before Boston changed its qualifying standards)























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