An Extraordinary Weekend
Brandt Bergeron (5213) paces Theresa Hailey through the first half of CIM. Photo by Ryo Gokita.
Written by Karl Dickman
The California International Marathon, universally known as CIM, holds a special place in Rose City history. The team’s first two Olympic Trials Marathon qualifiers (OTQ) happened at this race: Fionna Fallon in 2018 and Emma Huston in 2019. Team members have continued to travel to Sacramento ever since to race “the fastest course in the west.”
The 2025 edition of CIM continued this illustrious tradition. Theresa Hailey earned an OTQ—her third, and her first since joining Rose City a year ago. Furthermore, the race saw the most Rose City athletes ever to compete in a single marathon, with 22 team members finishing.
Much credit for the huge turnout goes to Jon Tran. Jon persuaded an impressive number of teammates to sign up. After a big PR at the Chicago Marathon Jon decided not to race CIM, but still traveled to Sacramento to be part of the cheer squad. Jon says:
The year leading up to the race was exciting, slowly but surely convincing multiple teammates to sign up (kudos to Ale & Nicole!). The timing couldn’t have been more perfect when new teammates arrived—Cortney, Steven, Lizzie, Cade, just to name a few—and it was really endearing to see how lodging plans came together. New teammates collaborated with current teammates to ensure everyone had a place to stay, and we spent months training together leading up to the race.
As a spectator, it was really fun to see how excited everyone was the entire weekend—from the PDX airport, to the shakeout run, to race morning—all the way to seeing everyone THREE times on the course. My bright blue-and-yellow Chiquita Bananas jacket was shining in the distance as I watched all my Rose City Hotties running toward me, chasing a PR (and a bag of Takis). When I saw everyone for the third time, I knew how many of them were within reach of their goals. I just remember screaming my head off, cheering louder than any of the other spectators.
It was such an extraordinary weekend being there in the moment, watching so many teammates crush their races—I am so grateful to have been part of their weekend.
I’d also like to apologize to everyone for telling them I’d run the race with them, only to drop out a month before… but I gave my bib to Brandt—so was it really that bad?
Often, the fall marathon season splits people between Berlin, Portland, Chicago, and CIM. The team's choice to coalesce around CIM meant that there were more friends with whom to share the cold morning laps and long grinding miles of the build.
Cade Sixkiller Schneider (left) and Cortney Berling (right). Photos by Ryo Gokita.
Cade Sixkiller Schneider, a new team member who joined in October, saw a new side of the sport created by the shared goal race:
CIM was such a cool experience for me, especially with how big of a showing RCTC had. Having the club out along the course gave me so many energy boosts when I needed them, and it honestly made a huge difference. It was my first marathon with the club, and getting to run alongside my teammates, plus a few miles with our voluntary team pacer (shoutout Brandt!), and then celebrate with everyone afterward made the whole day feel really special. What had previously felt like a pretty individual sport to me was way more fun and meaningful doing it with the team.
Cortney Berling, who joined a few months before Cade, had a similar experience:
My first marathon build with Rose City Track Club was everything I hoped for. The camaraderie from our Wednesday track sessions carried right into race weekend, and chasing Abby and Bradley around the track made training so fun.
Being part of a team in Sacramento was special. We were truly there for each other—making dinner the night before the race, Val braiding my hair, Elli getting us to the start, and Abby and me finding the corral side by side.
Five of us ran together for most of the first 10 miles, which kept me calm and made it feel like just another run around Fairmount. Later, Brandt jumped in with me from miles 18–20, and his calm and positive energy made those miles fly by. When he left, I locked in and raced the final 10k with my heart. Seeing Jon Tran cheering in the city [Sacramento] gave me the final boost I needed.
I crossed the finish line in disbelief with a 4.5-minute PR, feeling strong. What a race, and what a weekend of bonding with an incredible team. I loved leaving the weekend with a stronger team bond!
Kevin Ward (left) and Emily Gokita (right). Photos by Ryo Gokita.
In addition to the team support, CIM racers found success by adapting their training methods and mentality. Kevin Ward made a lot of changes in 2025 that paid off for him:
CIM was my A race going into 2025. After numerous frustrating performances in 2024, this year, I wanted to refresh my approach to training and racing. Putting my trust in a new coach, Marci Klimek, I was able to breathe new life into my training, find balance in both life and sport, and experience the joy in running all over again. By the time I got to the start line at CIM, I had already felt like I was on my way to accomplishing my goal of a holistic self practice of movement. Using running, swimming, and strength as training, and “be like water” and “let myself flow” as my mantra, and when things got challenging (I'm looking at you calves at mile 22) “I am strong, I am fit, I am worthy of life’s rewards” my body and mind carried me through to a 9+ min[ute] PB!
Staying fit as we get older demands that we re-evaluate the why and how of our practice. This past training block has opened my heart and mind to a whole new potential within myself.
Emily Gokita ran her seventh and final PR of 2025 at CIM. Reflecting on the sweep of her running career, Emily puts the accomplishment in context:
I’m still in awe that I can run a 3:08 marathon. I didn't start running marathons to be “fast” at them. I started running marathons out of curiosity and (very practical) because I needed a movement modality that I could do whenever, wherever.
Getting better and better at this distance isn't an accident though—it's a combination of bravery, running hard workouts with teammates, and being realistic about what my body can handle during training.
A lot has happened over the past 5 years: two major moves (Berlin to Boston, Boston to Portland), adopting dogs, having a baby. Yet I somehow managed to pack 7 marathons in there—going from a 4:02 to 3:08.
It's never been about the times—though now that I see a sub-3 in reach I'm very motivated to go marathon again (lol!). It's always been about the people, the way it regulates my nervous system, and the opportunities it presents… namely showing my daughter what it means to show up for yourself and be brave.
Emily, Kevin, Cortney, and Cade are just a fraction of the Rose City athletes who had a great race at CIM. Besides them, ten more athletes set a new PR, the most PRs set at a single race in Rose City history. They achieved this collective record by committing to teamwork through the build all the way to the finish line. Together, they set a new standard for Rose City Track Club in the marathon.
Left: Supreeth Mannava celebrates another PR at CIM. Photo by Ryo Gokita. Right: Rose City Track Club finish times at CIM.