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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For more. visit the Home Tab for the site index. Or for other specific marathons we've analyzed in depth: Ironman World Championship, Boston Marathon, Chicago Marathon, New York Marathon.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel at 2018 Chicago Triathlon: Photos

By Raymond Britt

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel competed in the 2018 Chicago Triathlon, racing at the Sprint Distance, On a day where the heat far exceeded temperatures in recent memory, the mayor delivered a solid performance.

Select photos of my shots of the mayor before, during and after the race are below. More to come.

Mayor Emanuel in the water before the race starts.

The Mayor, left side of the picture, displays good swimming form.

Rahm leans into the start of the bike course.

Nearing the finish, the Mayor's daughter joined him for a few final strides. The big guys around him: bodyguards.

Final Sprint to the finish of his Sprint Distance Chicago Triathlon. 

I've been capturing photos of the mayor at many past Chicago Triathlons; I've never seen him more exhausted after finishing. He had good reason: the heat was unbearable on the course. 

For complete historical coverage of the Chicago Triathlon, visit our exclusive site www.ChicagoTriathlon.net.

What's the Best Running Pace? Google Trends Reveal Most Popular Searches

Analysis by Raymond Britt

What's your best running pace? For Training? For Racing? For Racing different distances? Our research using three years of google search data suggests that, based on the volume of searches, a large number of runners aren't sure they've got it figured out.



We've summarized our analysis of google search trends for the terms 'running pace', '5k pace'. '10k pace', 'half marathon pace', and 'race pace', and the results are presented below. These are the most common search terms used to learn about race pace.

[We have, through extensive analysis, compiled age group race pace charts for Chicago Marathon, Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon and Marine Corps Marathon.]