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Cold Temperatures Prove Perfect Conditions For California International Marathon

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - The California International Marathon got an early and cold start Sunday in Folsom as runners braved the conditions and supporters bundled up.

It was an exciting but freezing start with temperatures in the 20s.

"It is cold but for the runners this is the perfect conditions," said one runner.

Supporters were bundled up for CIM.

"It's beautiful. The sun is out. It's actually not bad. I thought it was going to be colder," a spectator said.

Supporters were cheering on runners from Fair Oaks to the finish line in Sacramento.

"You could see that people's hats were frozen over. It was coming down. It was cold," a runner said.

"In the beginning, I thought it was going to be a little cold; but, at mile four, my jacket came off. I was running like this and it was great," said another runner.

"Of course, as a mom, last night I was talking about extra layers, drink plenty of liquids," said Deeanna Kigar.

Surprisingly these freezing temperatures were a welcome change for runners who were here last year.

"Oh my gosh, I did it last year and it was terrible. Today was so much better," said runner Jessica Dorsey.

Buckets of rain and wind made it miserable, but Sunday's race was actually just right for some.

"It was a little cold at the start, but if you had a hat and gloves it warmed up. You were fine. The wind was at our backs. It was perfect," said Dorsey.

Escorts from the finish line and something to try to warm up.

It was a nice greeting after 26.2 miles in the cold.

"Especially when they cross the finish line, they stop moving. They're no longer generating that body heat. So people are getting a surprise to how cold it is when they're no longer generating that heat," said Scott Meier, Kaiser.

The athletes made a proud finish with positive attitudes.

"This was amazing, a little cold, but once you get running -- to me -- it doesn't make that much of a difference," Allison Ezzat, from Vancouver, Canada.

The first runner to cross the finish line was Kenyan Weldon Kirui, who completed the race in 2 hours 14 minutes and 34 seconds.

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