Mountains 2 Beach Marathon and Half

Mountains 2 Beach Marathon and Half fills a weekend in Ventura, California, on April 17-18, 2027. Saturday holds the 5K at 7:30 a.m., the combo challenge entries pairing it with a longer race, and a kids 1K at 1 p.m.; Sunday starts at 6:10 a.m. with the marathon (26.2 miles), the half marathon (13.1 miles) and the 10K. The USATF-certified courses are Boston qualifiers and run from mountain scenery and citrus groves down the Ventura River valley to a finish at the Pacific. Aid stations are well stocked, community support is strong, and a beach festival with food trucks, music and a beer garden follows.

A net descent to the ocean flatters your splits early, so hold back in the opening miles: the quadriceps damage from running downhill fast shows up at mile twenty, not mile five.