CIM and OTQ are almost synonymous. The California International Marathon has built a reputation of being one of the best American courses to chase an Olympic Trials qualifying marks. In total, 54 American women ran under 2:37:00 and 52 men under 2:16:00 to earn their spots for the 2028 Trials (wherever they end up getting held).

The running Grinches may look at that stat and come to the decidedly un-festive conclusion that 107 people doing something in one race makes it less special. The truth is quite the opposite, however: as the standards get tougher every cycle, the ability of runners of all backgrounds to rise to the occasion and dip under the standard is exactly why the finish line in Sacramento is so special. If you thought the field in Oregon was diverse and unusual, wait ‘til you hear about the stories that came out of NorCal.

Here’s a few standouts from this weekend:

Sarah Hall just keeps going: While Hall securing a Trials qualifying mark wasn’t exactly a surprise, her career longevity continues to astonish. If she lines up in 2028, it will be her NINTH Olympic Trials, between the track and marathon. Like anyone else, she’s had her ups and downs and dropped out of the NYC Marathon last month. But the thing that makes Sara special is how reliably she gets back up for the next one. “I’ve had so many setbacks in my career, so it’s just remembering all the times in my career that I was able to bounce back and have some of my best races ever,” she said in her post-race interview.

Joey Whelan has no fear: Whelan already had his OTQ locked in. This was actually his fourth sub 2:16 of the year, but he deserves some credit for his incredible consistency and for his determination to race what seems like weekly. After winning the Indy Monumental Marathon last month in 2:12:29, he returned to run 2:09:42 for second at CIM. In his 32nd career marathon, he finally broke 2:10 in a gutsy race where he led almost the entire race, with no pacer, before getting caught in the final mile.

Heather Kampf won’t quit: Kampf is another familiar name in the sport. Many fans remember her famous fall and improbable comeback win in the 2008 Big Ten 600m and then her middle-distance road running prowess—she captured four U.S. road mile titles between 2012 and 2016. Her luck on the roads has extended to the marathon as she secured her second Marathon Trials berth in 2:35:41. This will be her sixth career U.S. Olympic Trials across the track and marathon.

Tessa Barrett makes it official: Barrett’s fall season has been a journey, to say the least. In October, the full-time financial advisor out of Washington, D.C., won the Marine Corps Marathon in a course record of 2:34:08 and thought she had earned her OTQ… only to find out that the course wasn’t USATF certified, meaning her time wouldn’t count. Her training shifted to CIM, where she not only secured the standard for real, but took another four minutes off her personal best by running 2:30:10.

Mohammed Bati finishes his season: Going from NCAA XC to USAs is one thing… how about going from the 8k to 26.2? Bati just finished second at the NCAA DIII championship two weeks ago for Augsburg University, and yet before the mud could be kicked off his spikes, the Minnesotan wound up running 2:12:27 for 11th overall, securing the OTQ, and nearly cracking the top-10 of a U.S. championship.

Molly Born crushes the debut: Born’s entrée to the marathon was perhaps the most memorable performance of the day. “Out of college, I kind of knew this was my shot to run professionally long term: the marathon,” she said in her post-race interview. And she was all-in from the start, sticking with the lead pack early and coming away with a 2:24:09 win. Despite falling in the final stretch of the race, she got back up and still won by 27 seconds over Hall. For those less familiar with Born’s background, her best showings at Oklahoma State were fourth in the NCAA 10,000m and sixth in the indoor 5000m in 2024. Chalk up one more victory for Alistair and Amy Cragg’s superb 2025 campaign for Puma Elite.