Security Beefed Up For California International Marathon

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Thoughts of the Boston Marathon bombings weren't far from the minds of organizers of the California International Marathon.

The athletes were the focus of Sunday's CIM, but behind the scenes it was security.

"We had clear bags for people checking their sweats. We had extra security at the start. We had a bomb sniffing dog. We had extra security at the finish. We have security along the course relay check points," said race director Michelle Lasala.

Nine months after two bombs tore through the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring hundreds, CIM organizers added extra safeguards to try to protect runners and spectators.

Lasala was in Boston for last April's marathon, just blocks away from the finish line when she felt the blasts.

"I think what happened in Boston allowed us to take a second look at what we're doing," she said.

It's a delicate balance for organizers, beef up security without raising alarm.

"I didn't notice any difference; it was great," a runner said.

"We just added some things here but we don't want to detract from the runners or spectator's experience. So we're trying to be careful," said Lasala.

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