Mountains 2 Beach Marathon course, Ojai to Ventura

The race gives the numbers itself: the course begins at just over 700 feet, descends to sea level over 22 miles, and has a total downhill of over 700 feet. The race does not name a USA Track and Field certificate on its pages, and the USATF database lists several active certificates for Mountains 2 Beach courses, so we use the race's own figure rather than pick one.

For Boston qualifiers, the B.A.A. accepts qualifying times only from certified courses and adds time only for a net downhill of 1,500 ft (457.2 m) or more. The race's FAQ says M2B is not impacted by the downhill adjustment rules. See our Boston qualifying times for the standards and the BQ Course Index for other certified courses.

This section is Runsy's advice, not the race's. It is how we would run this course from the facts above.

• Do not race the East Ojai loop. The first 6 miles loop back past the start. The descent comes later, so bank nothing here.
• Train your quads for the downhill. Several miles trend downhill after Meiners Oaks. Put gentle downhill stretches into your long runs so the descent feels familiar.
• Carry your own gels. The race lists gels at one station, mile 12.5. Fluid electrolyte drink is at most stations, starting at mile 3.3.
• The last miles are flat. The descent reaches sea level around mile 22, so downtown Ventura and the beach front are where an even effort pays.
• Rehearse a 4 a.m. morning. Full marathon shuttles leave at 4:00 and 5:00. Practise eating early before a few long runs.
• Know the support pace. The race asks for 14 min/mile through miles 6, 13 and 23 for full support.

Turn a goal time into splits with the marathon pace chart, or sanity-check the goal with the race time predictor.

From the race's 2027 marathon, shuttle and expo pages.

• Packet pickup and expo: Saturday, April 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St.
• Shuttles: free from Plaza Park in downtown Ventura and from Pacific View Mall; the last mall shuttle leaves at 5:00 a.m.
• Aid: 16 aid stations, about every 1.5 to 2 miles.
• Pace team: presented by Beast Pacing, from 3:10 to 5:30.
• Bags: bag drop at the start line, collected at the finish.
• After: the finish festival at Ventura State Beach Park.

Training for it: our intermediate marathon plans are the base the plan bridge above builds from. The 16-week beginner plan suits a first marathon, and the advanced plans suit runners chasing a qualifying time.