The 2018 USABA Marathon National Championships Sponsored by Hanson McClain  opened for registration on March 1st. This is the 10th year of this event and we are looking forward to another amazing year.  Come out and join us the weekend of December 2, 2018. If you are planning on registering, please let me know as soon as possible. If you haven’t ran with us for awhile, I hope you will come back and make some new friends!

The California International Marathon, in partnership with USABA, has been a premier destination marathon for visually impaired runners from around the world since 2009. 

Red on to learn more about:

1.  How can I get financial assistance to travel to the California International Marathon (CIM)?

2.  Why should I travel to Sacramento, CA to run a marathon?

3. does it matter if I’m fast?

4.  Prize money & Medals

5.  Elite Visually Impaired Marathon Standard 

6.  Finding more sighted running guides

How can I get financial assistance to travel to the California International Marathon?

USA & Canada:

1.  Be one of the first 20 visually impaired runners to register for the CIM. $400 post-race travel reimbursement slots are based on a first registered first served basis.

2.  Must become an annual or lifetime member of USABA. 

3.  Must start the California International Marathon 

4.  Must have previously completed a marathon in under 6 hours or a half-marathon in under 2 hours 45 minutes. 

5.  Must provide documentation of legal blindness.

International visually impaired runners are encouraged to take part in the CIM. In addition to the USA & Canada, we’ve also previously had B/VI runners take part from the UK, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Jordan, Dominican Republic, Australia, Norway, India and Japan. USABA will be offering 2 international runners financial support through an application process. The time standard for consideration for international runners is a sub 3:30 marathon for men and a sub 4:00 for women. 

Why should I travel to Sacramento, CA to run a marathon?

if you are interested in traveling to a destination marathon, why not run in a race that makes it a VIP experience? As a visually impaired runner myself, I do my best to organize an event that is VI friendly. The CIM is unique in that the race organizers provide a VI/Guide only bus to the start, a heated pre-race tent, an early start, a post-race tent, and prize money for the top 3 VI men and women. Additionally, for those staying at the USABA host hotel, USABA volunteers provide airport shuttle assistance, social opportunities, a pre-race banquet, national championships medals, and assistance finding sighted guides. For the past few years, there have been around 50+ visually impaired runners who took part. If for no other reason, come run a marathon where you can meet other runners on the common journey of vision loss and endurance sports. 

Do I need to be a fast runner?

Every year we play host to a very diverse group of blind runners that range from teenagers to those over 70-years-old, from former first time marathoners to Paralympians.     This event is intended for all ability levels with an interest to travel to a destination race with a training goal in mind. We also have several 2-person marathon relay teams for those who are not ready for the marathon distance.  We also support two 4-person Blinded Veteran Marathon Relay Teams.   

Prize Money & Medals

The CIM will award the top 3 visually impaired men and women division winners prize money in the amount of: 1st Place: $1,000; 2nd Place: $500; and 3rd Place: $250. Prize money is not broken down into visual classifications. 

USABA will award medals to the top 3 finishers in the B1, B2 and B3 classifications for both men and women. Medals are ONLY provided to US runners since the CIM serves as the USABA Marathon National Championships for the United States.. 

VI Elite Marathon Standard

To qualify for a complimentary entry to the California International Marathon, Visually Impaired runners must be in possession of the VI Marathon Elite Standard Certificate certified by UsOC and USABA. The following is required to qualify for this standard:

1.  Sub 3:00 Marathon finish for Visually Impaired Men

2.  Sub 3:25 Marathon finish for Visually Impaired women

3.  Marathon times are valid for 2-years

4.  Completion of USOC’s VI Medical Diagnostics form (let me know if you need this form)

Finding Sighted Running Guides

United in Stride (www.unitedinstride.com) was launched in April 2015. It is an online database resource for B/VI runners and sighted guides. Once you create a profile, you can search for sighted guides in your area using the zip code Find a Partner function. This resource will take time to build up but we already have over 3,000 registered users. It is for all ability levels. Please sign up and share the resource with those you know who want to guide or need more training partners. I recommend all B/VI runners build a network of no less than 6 different people to run with.

Registering for the California International Marathon

Still on the fence, please send me an email or give me a call.

If you are ready to commit, go to the California International Marathon website to register on March 1:  :www.runcim.org.