Okay... this race? SO good. If you're looking for a marathon that's fast, beautiful, and actually fun to run, Mountains to Beach is it. Just so youknow it's not a total free ride (and honestly, that's what makes it even better). You start in Ojai running through orange groves at sunrise, and it already feels like a vibe. Cool air, quiet roads, and just enough excitement to get you going without feeling chaotic. Then you head out into stretches with river views, farmland, cows, and horses -- it's peaceful in the best way and makes the miles go by so much easier. I was in awe. The course had a lot of support from the community with people out in their lawn chairs cheering us on. Real runner talk: The first ~3 miles are a steady uphill (don't get too excited too early) The middle miles has rollers that keep you working. There are some flat sections where it's just you and your thoughts And yes... a little hill toward the end just to test you. I even forgot my name. So yeah, it's downhill overall. But you still have to run smart to earn it. Why I loved it: The scenery is chef's kiss the whole way It never feels boring. The course support keeps you engaged. Some people were stopped on the side of the freeway supporting friends and family. At first I thought something had happened then I saw the signs and was like oh wow!! Perfect for runners who know how to pace and stay patient. That finish line feeling hits different when you know you executed it right. Crossing the finish in 3:25 with a BQ and a solid 20 min buffer made it even sweeter. Would I run it again? 100% yes. Might not be able to next year as I will probably be in Boston. This one is officially a favorite read more

Mountains 2 Beach Marathon & Half Marathon - I Boston Qualified class of 2027! Unicorn status. - Races & Competitions Near Me - Ventura, California

There was very little good about this race. If I had to say one good thing, I would say that the volunteers at most of the race stations were good. That is where the good ended. The expo is complete trash. The expo is in some dirty fairgrounds that charge $10 for parking. There is nothing at the expo besides a fortune teller and some other unrelated stuff you can buy. The Race Director was a major fail for this event. 6 weeks before they event, they pushed it back 1 week. Hotels, flights, gas, everything was more expensive for the week delay. The race started 20 minutes late in the hot sun, which also led to hotter time when running. Standing in a packed group for those 20 minutes also gave me COVID 3 days later. The course was poorly marked and due to that error, everyone ran an extra .5 miles. Many missed their BQ. Post race food was minimal and everyone was just pissed because they missed their BQ. I was far from a celebratory mood and just wanted to go home. No pictures, no celebration. Just anger and disappointment. People dedicate months / years for training, and M2B was a complete failure that took goals away. if you are looking for a PR or BQ, I suggest doing a different race until this one has a track record of getting their crap together. Shame on you M2B. read more

After running half-marathons for two years, I finally built the confidence to run my first full marathon and I was glad I chose M2B! This gorgeous marathon starts in the mountains of Ojai and ends in Ventura beach near the fairground. It's definitely a scenic marathon and overall the course is downhill although there are little hills along the way. PACKET PICK UP Picking up the bib was easy and luckily there were two places to pick them up--one in LA and one in Ventura. Coming from Alhambra, I was grateful for the LA option. The registration came with the bib and shirt. Liked the design for this year with its baby blue color although my fiance wished there was a different color for the men's shirt. The registration cost around $120 so I was disappointed that we weren't given any other freebies. When we finished the race, the beer wasn't free either =( PARKING Parking was easy, although we had to arrive at the parking lot early so we could take a shuttle to the start line. Our shuttle was scheduled for 4:45am and they recommended being there at least 15min earlier. It was an early day especially since we chose to drive from LA versus staying at a hotel in Ventura. COURSE Enjoyed the views of the mountains and beach throughout the race! Also appreciated that the course was majority downhill, although I'd recommend practicing your downhill running techniques. Near the last miles of the race, the hills descend significantly and I could feel some pain in my knees cause I didn't practice running on hills as much as I should've. CLIF Bar also gave gel shots throughout the race and electrolytes/water. There was also a Kool 'N' Fit spray station around Mile 20 which I was extremely appreciative of since it helped relieve my tense muscles. ENVIRONMENT The other thing about this course is that everyone comes here to break their PR so most of the marathon runners are quite fast. My marathon time was 4:48, and that time was only in the 25th percentile. There were also only around 2500 runners that signed up so the course never felt significantly crowded. MEDAL WOW! Love the medal. This was the only race where I didn't know what the medal would look like beforehand since I couldn't find it on the website or social media. It was a shield-shape medal where half of the medal spun. One side showed two runners running on a beach and the other side showed two runners running on a mountain. Pretty awesome! Although the majority of the runners are fit and quick, I'd still recommend this to someone who is looking for a solid beginner marathon! The course is beautiful, fast, and spacious. The weather was also amazing this year since we had clouds the majority of the race. However, I heard the previous two years were hot so hopefully the weather will continue to be good! read more

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This was my second marathon and overall I had a good experience: 1) The Expo- A simple expo (which ended up being nice ) without the over-crowded throngs of people I have seen at other expos. While I got a lot of "Oh, I'm not sure...." when asking the staff different questions, the lack of details was made made up for by their friendliness and willing to try and help out. 2) Race Shuttles/Pre-Race - I took the last shuttle buse out (5AM) from Ventura up to Ojai. This was really easy: No traffic, plenty of parking spots (if you are driving yourselves), and plenty of buses waiting for the runners. It was about a 30+ minute ride to the starting line but went smoothly. At the starting line there were plenty of porta-potties, but everyone was trying to use them so there were about a 10-15 minute line. That being said, as one of the last to arrive on the shuttle, I still had time to use the restroom and relax for 10 minutes before the start of the race. 3) The Race- This is a nice race with small, rolling hills but over all a big net decline (my quads were definitely feeling that aspect for the few days to follow). I found the first 6 miles (made up of a 3 mile loop) in the heart of Ojai with the orange groves and canyon walls all around us as the sun slowly illuminated the landscape to be absolutely beautiful. The rest of the coarse is pretty bare bones with a smattering of on-lookers cheering until you get closer to finish line in ventura. The water and electrolyte stations were sufficient and well places throughout the course (they smartly put some on the smaller uphills so most people could take advantage of their slowing pace while they drank fluids). The last 1-2 miles do have an up-hill that, while not horrible, is definitely unpleasant due to the general fatigue already setting in (this is the one section I think you have to mentally prep for). Also, It was a mid 60s temp that day but zero cloud cover, so definitely lather up the suntan lotion before you head to the race. 4) - The website was informative but I think the one thing that threw people off was the pacer info (the website said most of the faster pacers would run 3 minutes below their standard pace time for people to try to get a solid BQ time). The pacers were super nice but I was expecting a 3:12 pacer and suddenly had to choose between a 3:10 pace, a 3:15 pace, or run by myself and try for the 3:12 range. I felt really bad for the people who were trying for a 3:20 because they suddenly learned there was none- they had to go at a 3:15 pace, a 3:25 pace, or go it alone. 5) Finish Line - they has a nice basket of cookies, licorice, bananas, and bagel slices so you had a lot of options depending on what your body was craving. Unfortunately I don't have more feedback about the post race celebration (I was pretty stiff and left right after my finish). A fun race overall and would consider doing it again! read more

This is the perfect marathon PR course if everything goes as planned. Sadly I didn't PR this race and finished in 4:10:13 which means I will be back next year to really show this course what I'm capable of :) Packet pickup was super easy for me because I was able to get everything from a Runner's Circle in Los Feliz the weekend before the race. With as many events as I do, the ability to save money on a hotel by driving to the race the morning of is key for me. The shirt was nice and fits well. Fast forward to race morning and the directions for where to park were a little confusing because alot of the private parking lots were free, however, there were some spots that said museum parking only or delivery parking only. I didn't want to risk my car being towed so I parked a bit further away from the race buses in another free lot. I had no trouble finding the buses to the marathon start and the bus ride was relatively short. The bus driver didn't know where to go once we got into Ojai but luckily some M2B veterans were able to tell him where to go. There were plenty of porta potties once we arrived at the start with plenty of time to kill before the 6am race start. The race started promptly and before you knew it we were looping through Ojai before joining the bike trail. I only recall a couple of small hills in the first half and the rest of the race was a subtle downhill all the way to the finish. The race did warm up quickly so some extra water stops would be good for next year. They had fill your own bottle stations that were handy if you brought a handheld. I don't remember seeing much electrolyte drink and what I did taste was very watered down. The course was very pretty going through residential neighborhoods, a paved trail and along the beach. The finish area was right by the water and the only big letdown was the postrace food area. I was hoping for a little more than some crackers, 1/2 banana, 1/8 bagel and water. For the price tag, I think they couldv'e solicited some sponsors to offer some Pop Chips or something a little more hardy. I had an hour+ drive home and I didn't really want to stop for food along the way. Lesson learned: bring a postrace sandwich for next year. All in all the race was very well organized, results were updated quickly and the race photos are quite nice. I'll be back next year to get that PR if it doesn't happen beforehand ;) read more

Mountains 2 Beach Marathon & Half Marathon - 2014 marathon medal - Races & Competitions Near Me - Ventura, California

2022's marathon consisted of a last minute date change, unexplained 20 minute start delay, and participants being lead off course within the first 2 miles resulting in an extra half mile added to the race. Pacers were forced to push the pace to attempt to make up the additional distance and burned out runners that were unaware that they were taken off course. These errors cost a lot of runners their BQs and the race directors took zero responsibility for any of it and continually blamed others and did absolutely nothing to attempt to make things right. They had little to no signage and no personnel at an important course turn that was missed. STAY AWAY FROM THIS MARATHON AT ALL COSTS! read more

I've run this race several years and have always enjoyed it. Then in 2019 Covid hit and the race was not held. 2020 still a no go so deferred race same for 2021 finally being held this year, have made arrangements to go and they change the weekend it is being held 6 weeks out. The weekend doesn't work for me. People are mad and frustrated as only going to be able to defer (AGAIN!). Finally they get enough crap about it so state refunds will be available but you'll be notified when. I'm waiting to be notified then when I hear that refund window closed, contact race director to be told-no only the recent sign ups were eligible for refunds. WHAT THE HECK?? How is this good business? It's not. I feel since I was the dedicated one to stick with them (only to be given the shaft) that the refund should have been offered to all. read more

I loved M2B! This was my 5th half marathon and the course was lovely- there's enough space between you and other runners to not feel on top of anyone and plenty of water stations with cliff blocs and gels along the way. I wouldn't recommend this as a starter race or for anyone who wants to take it slow- it appeared most runners were experienced. Although I PR'ed at 2:04, I also wasn't aware the first 5-6 miles of the half were uphill. It's not this massive hill you're climbing, but you can definitely feel it and it's not the downhill race the marathon is marketed as. The medal I got is definitely the coolest one I own and it rotates. I did have a few cons: 1) they ran out of the foil wraps very very early and it had been a cooler day 2) the race food on course was plentiful but the post-race food is terrible. I only took the 1/4 of a banana they gave and threw out the rest because all the other fruit had m&ms melted on top in addition to other candy. Who wants candy immediately as their post race food? Also only one plastic water bottle was given but after chugging it and ditching it- I didn't realize they expected you to refill it if you wanted more. 3) it wasn't super SUPER clear Los Angeles race packet pickup was the week BEFORE - not week of. Me and 2 other people made this mistake and I'm not sure if others did as well, but we had to drive down to Ventura a day early (this wasn't the end of the world, but I wish it had been clearer ahead of time considering the amount of bold, highlighted and large fonted notes about everything in the packed) Would 100% recommend this race to a person who considers themselves a regular or serious runner. It was truly worth the trip. read more

Mountains 2 Beach Marathon & Half Marathon - Mountains side of 1/2 medal 2016 - Races & Competitions Near Me - Ventura, California

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This was my 63rd half marathon that I have ran so I have seen my fair share of races. It is a nice race from Ojai to Ventura but it was promoted as a "downhill race" and I did expect it to be actually more downhill. Maybe there is more downward elevation on the full marathon because it was closer to a slight decline for two miles perhaps with rolling hills on and off with a 2 mile incline finish. We did have nice weather which was a big plus and the scenery was pretty. I appreciated the water and electrolyte stations every 1.5 miles so I did not have to carry my own water. The finisher shirt and medal are very nice and I'd probably do the race again but opt for the full marathon. read more

Mountains 2 Beach Marathon & Half Marathon - 2018 Finisher's medal - Races & Competitions Near Me - Ventura, California

This is definitely a "runners' race" -- a great course with few turns & chip timing, & not a lot of bells & whistles (don't expect rock bands, a massive expo, wine tasting, track jackets, etc.) to jack up the price. Gorgeous venue, great weather thanks to the 6am start, & a field of only ~1000-1500 runners. It is SoCal in late May so the end can get a touch warm if there's direct sun, but if you plan ahead for that, the out-and-back stretch at the end, & do some training for the gradual downhill in the middle miles, this is a GREAT PR / BQ course. You can read my full race report here: http://sfroadwarrior.blogspot.com/2013/06/race-report-mountains-2-beach-marathon.html read more

This is my second time running the Mountains 2 Beach marathon (formerly Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon), and it's a great little race. Pros: -Manageable race expo. Many opportunities for race packet pick-up and plenty of parking. I don't really like big expos -- I really don't need yet another massage gizmo and pretty much want to get in and out of there -- so this was perfect for me. -Good field size. I prefer smaller to medium-sized races. This never felt too crowded, but definitely had a race atmosphere. If you're someone who loves bands, and tons of crowd support, this is not the race for you. -Pretty, fast course. I didn't find the first seven miles all that interesting, but the route became more scenic once on the bike path. Overall, you go through the main drag and residential areas of Ojai, past Cali hiking country, into an industrial area and finish up at the beach. A diverse route and a great way to see that part of SoCal. There is a sweet 10-mile downhill with the rest of the course pretty flat, so it's a great opportunity to PR (see caveat below). My first and second fastest marathon times were run at this race. -The medals have gotten better each year. -The t-shirt was rare in that it doesn't have a ton of sponsors splashed all over the back. It's a simple shirt with a small Clif logo in the front. Cons: I have only one con: Not enough water stations. It's hot in Ojai, and even with the 6:00 AM start time, it still gets hot. They only have aid stations at every 1.5 and 2 miles. At one aid station, they ran out of cups. This is the only reason this race doesn't get five stars. Miscellaneous The caveat to the fast downhill portion of the course is that this can also take a toll on your quads. I underestimated this, went out too fast and my quads were burning by mile 18. So make sure you do a lot of quad strengthening exercises for this race. I love this race for its size and fast, scenic course and will run it as long as my legs hold up. read more

Mountains 2 Beach Marathon & Half Marathon - Snazzy medal. - Races & Competitions Near Me - Ventura, California

Mountains 2 Beach has quickly matured into a well-organized event since its inaugural running (as Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon). Pros: * Very fast course, could be your best bet for PR or Boston Marathon qualifier (arguably faster than California International Marathon) * Gorgeous finisher's medal. They've improved on this a lot since inception. * Relatively cool weather in Southern California during this time of the year. * Finish line right along the beach strand. * The event has a grassroots feel to it. It's nice if you've been feeling that all the other for-profit races hosted by large corporation have been sucking every dollar out of your pocket. Cons: * Need more volunteers at the water stations. I had to grab a cup off a table at some stations. * Estimated port-a-potty wait time of 20-25 minutes, if you start lining up 30 minutes before the race start. * Make sure to get up early to secure a parking spot. Otherwise, make sure you can finish the race and get back to your car under 4 hours. read more

It's a relatively small marathon that starts off in Ojai and ends up in Ventura beach. It's a popular marathon to get a PR and/or BQ, because of the steady downhill to the beach. But if you're not used to running on a downhill for an extended period of time, you will have to pay a price with your quads. But it's only a temporary price to pay so you can get that PR/BQ. Registration does sell out pretty quick compared to the bigger races because of the cap they put on the number of marathoners and half marathoners. The expo is pretty small...in and out in about 8 minutes. Volunteers were very helpful before, during and after the race. The course itself wasn't scenic or anything so don't get your hopes up for waterfalls, cliffs or random wild life, although you do run along the river and through some of their man made trails. The only solace you'll get is that the majority of the course is downhill and that the beach is your finish line. Miles 22-24 can be somewhat demoralizing because you can see the runners on Miles 24-26 running opposite of your direction...only a few hundred a feet away from you. Although they had an abysmal expo, there were a lot of booths at the post-race festival with plenty of recovery products and a beer garden. Great local support. Note to self: 3:44:36 in 2014 read more

Overall, the course is great but the event is not managed very well in my experience. The half and full marathon shirts are the same (which sucks if your run the marathon) and they have ran out in prior years. I also ordered a finishers jacket which they failed to provide during pickup. They said they would mail out the jacket within a few weeks which after more than a month, I followed up with no resolution. After several months of following up with their staff, I finally received the jacket. I'm a men's large and ordered an XL and the jacket was so tight it wouldn't even zip. I mailed it back and still have not received a refund. Very horrible service. Again, the course is great but that's about it... Hopefully they can step it up in the future. read more

This review is for the half marathon. This was my first time running Mountains 2 Beach (but my 28th half marathon). If I had to sum up my experience in one word I'd say: underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, the race is very well done. Nicely organized. No real complaints. But, as far as the half goes, it isn't scenic. Not really. There are about 2 miles of bike trail that are nice. There's also a lot of industrial views, chain link fence and pothole-ridden Ventura Ave (out and back) -- that street is awful, I mean downright dangerous how torn up it is. I know that isn't the race's fault but they do choose the streets it runs on. Apparently, they changed the start area of the Half this year so it doesn't go up as high as it used to. It never went all the way to Ojai like the marathon course but sounds like they took a lot of the downhill fun out of it. Overall, I'd call this "High School to Beach" cause there's nothing Mountains about it. Boo. Again, no real complaints about the race. It was just kinda 'meh.' read more

A runner's race with a well deserved reputation as a fast course. Registration and the website, although the maps provided are kind of hokey and require you to cross reference with more detailed maps. The expo was a bit of a cluster. Long, inefficient lines to pickup your bib and T-shirt. I think we were there for close to an hour Saturday afternoon. Not a whole lot of vendors, so don't expect much. The shuttles ran smoothly and on time race morning. The race starts with a loop around Ojai- the first 10 miles are fairly flat, with an slight sustained incline/decline. Then next 10-12 miles are the selling point of the race as a BQ qualifier. Gentle downhill, mostly shaded, with scenic pastoral views. The final part of the race is a loop around downtown Ventura, next to the beach. Reasonably flat, but completely exposed to direct sun. Plenty of aid stations and great volunteers throughout. The finish line food was a bit of a disappointment. Small takeout tray of cut fruit (watermelon, orange wedge), 2 small cookies, a couple of pretzels, and a twizzler. The medal was definitely nice though. Overall, you come for the race itself. The details are acceptable, but nothing that goes above and beyond. read more

Mountains 2 Beach Marathon & Half Marathon - 2015 Medal - Races & Competitions Near Me - Ventura, California

Wonderful conditions, super course that was not crowded and a new PR for me. You have to plan for a super early start (yay for morning coffee at 3 a.m.), but I prefer earlier starts. What's not to like? My only critique would be to place the porta potties farther away from the starting line. Lines are gong to be a given, but it was uncomfortably close to all of the anxious runners. I will look forward to running the half marathon next year. read more

This review is in regards to the full marathon. Personally I think there were way too many runners and not enough support staff/volunteers. Most runners are running this race for a BQ; therefore, they are bunched together with a pacer. Because of this it is extremely cramped with runners running into each other and the course never widens up. The biggest issue is the lack of volunteers for water. At one of the water stations there was only 2 ppl passing out water--only 2 ppl in our entire pace group got water. This was pretty much the norm throughout the day. I feel the race director and team have focused so much on this being a fast course that they have neglected the safety of runners. Communication was great, the police were amazing stopping traffic and the finish line area was outstanding. Lastly, this is not a spectator course--they do mention this in the runners packet; therefore, we were prepared. I would consider running again, but I would have a different strategy and not run with a pacer. This marathon is for the serious runner and not the weekend warrior. read more

Bottom Line; Probably the worst half marathon I have ever run They probably changed the name of this race because of how well their inaugural event went. Debacle is probably the best way I can describe how it went. Disaster? Let's stick with debacle as lots of people weren't injured, just me. Lets start with cons since there aren't any pros Cons - None of the public restrooms were open prior to the race start and there weren't any portables near the start - The 'start line' was on the bike path which is about 6 feet wide (for how many people?) and it was marked with surfboards that were only marked on one side, so from one side of the start line, you have no idea that's what it was - 'Um, ready? go." start - someone changed the course markings (or they were done incorrectly) and it lead everyone out onto the beach - eventually we found our way back onto the tarmac but not after a scenic detour through downtown Ventura. After about 45 minutes I had found my way back to 'Mile 1' - The course workers that I alerted to what had happened could have cared less - my calf had a 'heart attack' around mile 9 which was an existing injury that had been made worse by running on the sand.... so I limped the rest of the course - I finished the race on pure rage Pretty much everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Will I ever try this event again...ummmmmmmm most likely no read more

This is most certainly a runner's race! I absolutely adored this race and had a wonderful time. Some things to keep in mind before you sign up: it's not a big event as far as races go. If you want the big race experience, you'd be better off signing up for the LA Marathon or another large city marathon. The race field is less than 10% of LA's size, and the affiliated events are commensurately smaller. I loved that they offered a bib pickup option in Los Angeles which helped me avoid having to go to Ventura before the event -- that was a nice benefit! The course is lovely. The race starts early, which is good because in May by finishing time it can get warm and sunny along the water and you'll be glad you're finishing instead of in the medal of a marathon! The course begins with some running around a residential neighborhood of Ojai - very scenic, calm, and pretty. It's during the first five miles or so that you encounter the only real uphill portion of the race. They are extremely mild and manageable. After that you dump out onto the bike path for the majority of the course. The bike path has a gradual downhill grade, which is enough to give you a speed boost but not enough to wreak havoc on your quads. However, at mile 21ish when you get toward the beach and the course becomes a flat road, you can definitely feel the difference. Not only are you feeling the fatigue from the distance, but you are running a significantly harder course now compared to the long downhill you had just been racing! The worst part about the course is the last few miles because you more or less pass by the finish but still have a few miles less as it loops back around. The medal is beautiful, though -- probably one of my favorites so far. For such a small race, the event is surprisingly well-organized and runs as seamlessly as the larger, more established marathons. If you are close to Boston qualifying, this is a great course to do that and consequently the race field is extremely fast. That can be a pro or con depending on where you are, but if you are slower than a 3:30 marathon, I'd recommend starting toward the back of the field to let others pass as the bike path is narrow and can get crowded and you don't want to block the way of potential Boston qualifiers when every single second is precious. One thing to note is that crowd support is very minimal as a result of location and time. The bike path isn't in a residential area and doesn't have much around it, so the people cheering are people coming to support their runner, not just random folks on the street. If you want or need a lot of cheering, this may not be the right race for you. The crowd at the finish in downtown Ventura was strong, though, so that was a nice way to end the race. The finish line festival was nice and centrally located, so you didn't need to walk far to get to everything after just having run over 26 miles. I would highly recommend this event! It's one of my favorite races I've done and I hope I'll be back next year to beat this year's time! read more

I just ran this marathon Sunday. It was my third marathon and I was chasing a BQ. I had heard horror stories about the race being downhill and people saying they weren't prepared for the toll that it can take on your legs. I have to say that it didn't bother me one bit! Expo is small, but actually had more going on than I had expected from others reviews. The race was great, Ojai seemed like a cute town with lots of wineries nearby. The course had one uphill portion at the beginning, but you got to fly downhill right after =) Not a race for you if you need tons of spectators to get you motivated as it is a fairly small. I enjoyed the not crowded course and the serious and fast runners vibe. The course changes seemed to be helpful as you no longer run past the finish line at the end. There was plenty of food/snacks at the finish and water. Plus there is a BQ gong that I got to ring as I reached my BQ goal time! =D I highly recommend this race to anyone seriously pursuing a time for Boston. My only two complaints for the race are 1) The electrolyte drink was gross. Sorry, maybe some people really dig it, but man I was not a fan! 2) There was a water stop they had midway down a steep hill (maybe mile 13? not sure)..... not a huge complaint since I was able to stop and then continue to fly down the hill, but perhaps rethink that one? But all in all awesome! And I will be running Boston next year thanks to M2B! read more

Great race. Good weather conditions on the day I ran, but also not crowded, plenty of aid stations and well organized. Would recommend for runners who want to shave a few mins off marathon time. You need to train for downhill sections though. read more