The race starts in the lovely small town of Ojai, in the mountains above Ventura. There are several choices of shuttle times from the downtown area. The race starts at 6am and the first shuttle is at 4am. They tell you to be there 30 min before your shuttle, and my 4am shuttle actually pulled out at 3:43, they are not kidding!

The expo was held at the county fairgrounds. There were about a dozen booths. No "goody bag" at all. Not even a gear check bag was handed out there. You had to get one at the start line.

There was a wave start for the marathon - just 3 waves. Many people choose this race to BQ. The first 6-7 miles are a loop around Ojai before heading down the mountain. From roughly miles 10-15, the course is along a shaded bike path where it meets up with the half marathoners. It was very scenic through the valley. There are TONS of water stations along the way, with a few of them handing out gels. From about mile 16-19 the course is back on roads, plenty of downhill, but I was actually hoping for more downhill. Miles 20-23 were back on the path again, but in a much more industrial and exposed setting. Not much in the way of spectators. The last few miles were through downtown Ventura, straight into the sun. The finish is at the beach, which is always rewarding.

The half and full participants get the same medal, which I do not like. The ribbons are different, but I wish we would have medals indicating our distinct distance. They were nice wooden medals though.

The race also offers free finishers pics! I would definitely recommend this race, especially if you are looking for a BQ.

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