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Apr 29, 2024

Mountains 2 Beach Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Mountains 2 Beach Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.2

Organization 3.6

Spectators 3.3

Number of comments: 34 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

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C. H. from Toronto, Canada (5/27/2014) "Great course, organization could be better" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mountains 2 Beach Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I've done 27 marathons, and always read these reviews , but have never posted until now. I have mixed feelings about this race. The course was absolutely beautiful, and if you love downhill runs, you'll love it. 750 foot drop over the course, with no parts that were steep enough that you had to put on the brakes. Ojai, the town where it starts is nice, and who wouldn't want to finish right in front of the ocean. There was not a lot of fans, but those who were out were great, and the course makes it easy for friends and family to see you several times quite easily. There were a couple issues with the organization that were subpar. There was not enough water stations on the course. Yes, it was hotter than past years, and they added 2 self serve water stations, but through the middle they were sometimes more than 2 miles apart, which is too far for a race in Southern California. There was not enough porta potties at the start, although it wasn't as bad as some races I've seen. The biggest potty problem was that the first ones after the start didn't come until 7.5 miles. Needless to say, there was a long line there. Finally, the finish line food was the stingiest portion I've ever seen. We've all come to expect a green banana, and a stale bagel, but, a quarter bagel, quarter banana, and a couple chips?? Come on guys! It sounds like I'm complaining too much, but I'd probably do this race again. These issues could be easily fixed, and if they are, I'll be back for sure.
B. C. from Ventura, CA (5/26/2014) "Well organized and a great course!" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Mountains 2 Beach Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 2014 was my second time running this marathon and it just keeps getting better. The shuttle service to the start ran like clockwork and we had plenty of space to spread out at the start area before the gun. The course was changed to add a few miles in Ojai and eliminate some of the less inspiring miles on the city streets in Ventura, a welcome change. The gentle downhill in between Ojai and Ventura is definitely runner friendly and mostly scenic, with plenty of aid stations along the way. There were not a ton of spectators but those who were out were enthusiastic. The finish is in a park right next to the ocean with room to lie down on the grass if you need to (I did) and the weather was beautiful. Keep up the great work, M2B!!!
A. P. from Fort Worth, TX (5/26/2014) "Fantastic small marathon" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Mountains 2 Beach Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What a great race! I read numerous blogs and reviews about this race before running it, and it appears that the race director did, too, and took a lot of suggestions to heart. Pros: 1) size!!! 1500 full marathoners. I hope they don't change that. 2) beautiful scenery for 24 of the miles 3) race director responds quickly to emails, Facebook messages, etc. 4) most of the marathon is on bike/running trails 6) excellent organization on course 7) great weather 8) easy downhill- you don't really even realize that you are going downhill Cons: 1) there is a mile or 2 in a sketchy area with a LOT of obscene graffiti. I Started counting how many times I saw the 'c-word'. 2) I think the Fluid company flaked on them. It was only available at 1 water station. 3) I don't think the gels were in the exact spots that they said they'd be at.
P. I. from California (5/5/2014) "Great Course and Great Organization" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mountains 2 Beach Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Very nice course and easy on the body. Last six miles or so is through housing along the beach but nice. Final 2 are at the waters edge pretty much and nice breeze for those that push hard in the end. Organization was tops. Provided bus transportation to the start was great service. Race staff were very accomodating and helpful. Will be going back to this one.
M. W. from Las Vegas (11/9/2013) "Small Race, Big Fun" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mountains 2 Beach Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I decided to run this race on a whim, even though I wasn't in great shape. I trained for a month, and hoped that I did enough to get through the race in one piece. The weather was as nice as you could hope for from a Memorial Day weekend race. It was cool at the start and there is plenty of shade in the first part of the course. It was warmer at the end, but not bad. The course itself was great, There were some rolling miles in the first 10K around Ojai before heading downhill towards Ventura. The running path never seemed overly crowded in the middle of the pack and it was easy to get a rhythm and move up as the race went along. It was scenic for the first 17 miles or so and the last 10K was near the beach. I didn't enjoy the out and back loop with the half marathoners, but that had a lot to do with my lack of fitness catching up with me. Still, I ran 14 minutes under my BQ times and have the course to thank for that. Most of the course is on a path next to the highway between Ojai and Ventura, so that makes it easy for spectators to stop and see runners at many points along the way. Overall, this is a very good race, that offers runners a lot. It's a smaller race, so it doesn't have a big expo or a lot of on-course amenities. I don't know if the port-a-pot configuration at the start was the best, but overall, it's a well-run marathon that offers a great opportunity for a fast time. It is fun and friendly to runners and spectators, and is in a beautiful location.
D. L. from California (6/20/2013) "The BEST!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Pros 1. The organizers are the best. I was not able to run the Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon last year due to an injury. They transferred my race,no one else does it. 2.I appreciate the small race only 1,500 marathoners and 1,500 for the half. 3.The course is fantastic. The loop through Ojai is a nice warm up.It is a downhill run but not so much as to kill you. The upper part of the course is beautiful,the last 9 miles can't compare. 4.Spectator friendly. Our support group was able to connect with us easily. 5.Cool medals and great volunteers! 6.We had a great pace leader.Very knowledgeable of the course and changed pace as needed. 7. Ojai and Ventura are great place for a marathon. Perfect weather,maybe a little a warm at the end. 8.And BEST of all they are not Rock & Roll and that group at Competitor. Cons 1.I don't really have any except for more food and drink at the finish. They just need to keep out the non runners in the finish corral.And maybe a clock on the course. Keep up the good work! And thanks for a great race. Where I not only ran a PR but BQ thanks again. Support your small race's and just say no to those other guys.
J. P. from Austin, TX (6/7/2013) "This Marathon Sucks!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mountains 2 Beach Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Ha, Ha, just kidding. What I really want to say is stay away. Leave this race to those who want a smoking fast course and room to run. Check out the average time and the percentage BQ qualifiers. My prediction is the BQ percentage will keep going up. Word is spreading. Soon it will be a majority of the fast runners who register early and sell this limited field event out. Come here to run fast. This beautiful yet really fast course is perfect for the advanced or intermediate runner. If you don't care about the crowd, the scenery, or the food at the end of the race and want a fast time and predictable weather conditions, this event delivers.
W. C. from Peoria, AZ (6/5/2013) "Great race for a BQ attempt" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mountains 2 Beach Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I was sick when I ran this race, walked a portion of the first 6 miles, and still came in only 20 seconds over my required BQ time. The first 10K is a bit rolling, then the course has a long portion of gentle downhills, to hit the beach by mile 20. I really enjoyed this course - spectators are scarce but volunteers are very supportive. It's imoportant to conserve your energy and not take the downhills too fast, as when you come to mile 20 the temp warms up and the course isn't as pretty or shady. I really only have a few quibbles: 1. aid stations need to distribute fluids in larger cups (as I was sick I really needed to stop at each station and still felt parched afterward), 2. it would help to have volunteers monitoring the course the last 400 meters as bikers and walkers using the boardwalk will cross right in front of runners (this congestion is techinically what kept me from a BQ, as I was trying to pick up the pace in the last mile but it was difficult to shoulder people out of the way), and 3. more food and drink at the finish. The volunteers were cutting oranges into the thinnest slices they safely could and instead of handing out water bottles fluids were being kept at lukewarm temps in jugs. When I came over for cold water a volunteer had to take the jug away for refills and I ended up with a warm energy drink of some kind. Overall though, this is a terrific race to attempt a BQ and I'll likely come back.
J. C. from Dallas, TX (6/4/2013) "Great event!" (about: 2013) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Mountains 2 Beach Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 You can't beat the course here - downhill for first 3 miles, uphill for next 2 to the highest point on the course, then solid downhill for next 10 miles, followed by gradual downhill for next 5 and flat 6 at the bottom. The first 18 are pretty scenic, while the Ventura part offers some nice beach views, but mostly neighborhood running. Organization was pretty good - they still need more port a potties at the start and having to walk a couple hundred yards to the start threw off my timing a bit. Also, they seemed to lack food/Gatorade at the end, but overall, pretty good race. I put up a PR and BQ and it felt like everyone was moving. Weather was perfect, too.
K. R. from Cincinnati, Ohio (5/28/2013) "Great overall with a few drawbacks" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mountains 2 Beach Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 We chose this race specifically because of the elevation drop as my husband was hoping for a BQ and I was hoping for a PR. Neither of us had really trained seriously this season so it was something of a long shot but we figured the downhill course would give us an advantage. The course is absolutely gorgeous for the first 16 miles and I did build up a comfortable cushion, but I lost it all when the wheels fell off around mile 20 (as did my husband). Neither of us met our goals but we both had our 2nd fastest times so it wasn't a total failure. We were unable to find any reviews about this event ahead of time because it was previously run under a different name: 'Ojai 2 Ocean.' Having now seen reviews under that name I can say I agree with them all. The last 6 miles are horrendous and I would much prefer doing a 2nd loop around Ojai rather than that nasty out and back through the endless neighborhood. This would also provide some measure of relief against the pedestrian traffic on the boardwalk at the finish. I nearly tripped and fell when I tried to navigate around some bicycles that came directly into my path. Some conspicuous signage like 'Caution: Marathon in Progress' would have been nice! Crowd support was minimal but the scenery more than made up for it. Aid stations were fine but the finish line food was sparse. I don't know if they had more earlier, but by the time I finished it was just oranges, bananas, water, and Gatorade. When I am ready to run for a BQ, I will return to this race. Overall it was great if you can overcome the last 6 miles.

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