My first Ojai Half. Super cool weather. Nice hills and elevations. Not too steep. Gorgeous scenery and I appreciated the great views a lot. It was a combination of straight road,trail and hill running. The CA Highway Patrols were guarding each road for traffic and safety. This was the best part. Awesome medal,shirt and goodie bag. Amazing friendly people and special shout out to the leader of the 2.30 pace for handing me salt pills when left leg cramp attacked me on Mile 11. I could have walked but the salt pills was fast-acting. Lesson: NEVER FORGET TO BRING MUSTARD. Salt pill was an option. But I do recommend mustard. It was not a super crowded event. People were nice and polite. I set a new PR! Will run again next year,it's because I LOVE OJAI and it's Ojai PYXIE Tangerine month! read more

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My first Half...done! And Ojai, it was beautiful! Just north of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara--blanketed with outstretched fields of yellow Mustard flowers and nestled within the valleys beneath the rugged Topatopa Mountains--lies this quaint, little Shangri-La of Ventura County. Beginning at Mira Monte Elementary School, the route hops onto Ojai's paved bike trail and slowly meanders southward, following alongside Highway 33 before banking westward onto Santa Ana Blvd. Continuing onto the bike lanes of Santa Ana Rd., the run (around mile 5) parallels Lake Casitas. If it hasn't already done so, about here, your daydreaming should be settling in comfortably. This relaxation of mind will last throughout the entire course as it loops among scene after breathtaking scene of rolling hills and shady trees, punctuated at times by tangerine groves and local vineyards along the way. Too soon--seemingly much too soon--your 13.1 approaches, and before you know it, you're crossing the finish line with a smile. This run was so well organized. Each and every traffic signal along the route was flashing red, the CHP and the Ojai sheriff's department covering each intersection and assisting runners along the bike paths. Even the roads throughout the countryside were monitored by enforcements: cars requiring passage were police-escorted as to ensure runners' safety. The volunteers were amazing as well. Honestly, it seemed like all of Ojai was here in support. Plus water, Gatorade, and Porta Potties were positioned at the all of the aid stations, each about 1.5 miles apart. This run just kept getting better. And then came the medals. I love the medals! My first Half...in beautiful Ojai...done! (My personal goal was to finish within three hours. I did it: 2:46:57!!!) =] read more

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Nice run in serene Ojai. The running path was partial shade which was a pleasant welcome since the race started at 8:10 am and the sun was already out. Pretty flat course. I only wish the mountain views were green. Pretty low key run. Not too many people. The officers manning the traffic lights were friendly and cheered the runners as we ran by. I was able to get there early enough to get my packet before the race started. Also limited parking at the school. I was lucky to find a parking space on the street in front of the school. Shuttles were available. More port a potties are needed. Before the race the lines were so long and they were moving very slow. I prefer earlier start time 8:10 is late for me. read more

A very nice course that is not 100% flat terrain. This is a good beginner half as it is not crowded and it is well attended in terms of volunteers, aid stations and bathroom stops. Start was at a school, good amount of parking down the streets leading up to the event. About 600 runners is my estimate. A few sponsors but nothing extreme like some of the circuses certain runs turn into. This one seems mostly for locals but it was beautiful. read more

This was a great half marathon. It's small - about 300 people. The course is beautiful - lots of wildflowers. The support was excellent - plenty of water stops. The California Highway Patrol were excellent - making sure all marathoners were safe. Well organized. Definitely on my list to do again next year. read more

So far this is one of my favorite 1/2 marathons to date and I have probably ran around 100 of them in the past 10 years. The race was a bit hilly and challenging yet one of the most beautiful courses I have had the pleasure of running. I have heard a lot of my runner friends complain about early start times for races so if you share their mindset, this race is for you because it starts at 8:00 am. Along the course at roughly mile 5, the runners ran along Castaic Lake for approximately 2 miles which helped tune out that we had 8 miles to go until the finish line. Another perk was the race had a very little crowd and a lot of volunteer support along the way. I look forward to running this again but will definitely need to do more hill training to be better prepared next race. read more

This is a really nice event! Very small, but great support. The organizer gives a very good briefing at the beginning to let you know what to expect; intersections are manned by very nice CHP personnel; there are water stops every mile and a half or so manned by very enthusiastic volunteers; and the course is simply lovely to run. Yes, there are roads involved - on one of them, there's no traffic in the direction runners are traveling. On another, you do have cars passing but they seemed to be very respectful of the runners. Many of the drivers waved and offered encouragement. Runners were very supportive of each other, too! All in all, a very friendly, scenic, well-supported event. The only caveat I would add is if you're doing the half, bring your own gels/blocks - there aren't any available on the course. Oh, and pancakes at the end! read more