Runners in the California International Marathon vanguard will hit the halfway mark in Carmichael on Sunday, Dec. 8.

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Fair Oaks Boulevard is one of many streets that will channel almost 10,000 California International Marathon athletes to Sacramento on Sunday, Dec. 8.

Cheered by thousands, runners will slog 26.2-miles from Folsom through Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Arden Arcade and Sacramento before hitting the killer home stretch to Sacramento’s Capitol. In a dry weather forecast, spectators witness a fall pageant of male and female physiques: honed to the maximum and clothed to the minimum.

Carmichael’s “Great Wall” is the halfway mark. After leaving Folsom at 7 a.m. Dec. 8, a lithe bunch of professional and amateur runners will reach central Carmichael about 8 a.m. Within 30 minutes, Fair Oaks Boulevard will be pounded by the field's thunderous bulk.

The symbolism of Carmichael’s wall is not lost on many runners.  For many, the painful point where endurance is challenged to the max occurs at this landmark.

Pounding feet will close 17 streets along the marathon route.

“I reached my own wall before I got there,” said race survivor and Carmichael resident Susan Powers. “Seeing my husband and friends at the Landis Avenue intersection made up for the pain. I knew I could complete the course for them.”

Although the race is historically won in under 2.25 hours, many resolute athletes still slog the weary path, in restored traffic, hours later. These stragglers are traditionally encouraged by motorists’ horn-blasts.

“Support from strangers is what keeps you going,” Powers said. “I remember a sign that said, ‘Pain Now – Bragging Rights Forever,’ that helped me finish.”

Traffic in 17 streets will be impacted on Dec. 8. Parts of Fair Oaks Boulevard will close from approximately 7 a.m. to 12:30 pm. For full street closure details, visit runsra.org/california-international-marathon/course-information/.