Ventura was my 20th marathon. I was excited to run and hopeful for a PR. The pace groups were awesome. They kept the encouragement going w/ helpful pointers along the way. I hung w/ the 3:35 pacers until mile 11 and broke off. Now I'm regretting it, but hey, lessons learned! There's a couple of false inclines, but nothing big until the overpass/bridge at mile 9. The aid stations were fully manned, cheering runners and making sure we remained hydrated. Breaking off at mile 11 caught up to me at mile 17, the overpass/bridge. I kept on and walked at mile 21. By now, it's hot and feels like we're in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, the course was full on aid stations. Even spectators set up their own stations with ice cloths, fruit and Gatorade. Toward the end, the 3:40 pacers caught me and wouldn't let me fall behind. I finished w/ 3:39:17 (per my gps) and felt great. I didn't PR, but now I know, "Stick with the pacers at least until mile 20!" Overall, it's a 4 star race. It would've been 5 had the aid stations had paper instead of plastic cups. Runners can't tip it! Even w/ the cups, I'd come back for this one. I want that bridge again!