Your plan in four answers
Set for April 18, 2027, about 25 weeks out.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Flat
- Taper starts
- March 31, 2027
Course
The Mountains 2 Beach Marathon course
The marathon is point to point: it starts in downtown Ojai at just over 700 ft and descends gradually to sea level over 22 miles, finishing near the historic Ventura Pier. The half starts in Oak View at the marathon's halfway point and runs gently downhill to the Ventura beachfront, and the 10K starts near Crooked Palm, around mile 20 of the marathon, and finishes at the beach.
Read the full course notes
All three start at 6:10 a.m. on Sunday on a course fully closed to traffic, with aid stations roughly every 1.5 to 2 miles. The Saturday Beachfront 5K runs out and back from San Buenaventura State Beach Park along the bike path and promenade past the pier to the Flagpole. The marathon is a USATF certified Boston qualifier, and the organizers note the new Boston downhill adjustment does not affect it.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- April in Ventura averages a high of 67 °F and a low of 51 °F, about as good as it gets for a spring marathon. Rain is rare, with about 0.9 inches across the month on roughly two days, and skies are clear about 72 percent of the time. The early start in the Ojai Valley can feel cool, so bring a throwaway layer for the shuttle and the start area. Winds average about 7.3 mph, and the organizers race rain or shine.
What to train for
A long, gentle descent is fast but works your quads, so add downhill running to your build: easy miles on gradual descents and a few marathon pace segments on a net downhill road.
Keep strength work for the quads and hips going through the cycle so the last flat miles along the coast stay strong.
Practice early morning long runs, since shuttles leave well before the 6:10 a.m. start. Every aid station has water, most have sports drink and some have gels, so rehearse your own fueling plan. With the marathon selling out months early every year and the half capped at 2,000 runners, register early and enjoy a beautiful build.
Sample week
A sample Mountains 2 Beach Marathon training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1 mile at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 6–7 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 10 mi with 6 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 16–18 mi, the last 4 mi at race pace
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on April 18, 2027, your taper starts around March 31, 2027.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon & Half on April 18, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Mountains 2 Beach Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon?
Most runners give a marathon sixteen to twenty weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon course hilly?
Flat. The marathon is point to point: it starts in downtown Ojai at just over 700 ft and descends gradually to sea level over 22 miles, finishing near the historic Ventura Pier.
What is the weather usually like at the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon?
April in Ventura averages a high of 67 °F and a low of 51 °F, about as good as it gets for a spring marathon. Rain is rare, with about 0.9 inches across the month on roughly two days, and skies are clear about 72 percent of the time. The early start in the Ojai Valley can feel cool, so bring a throwaway layer for the shuttle and the start area. Winds average about 7.3 mph, and the organizers race rain or shine.
When should I start tapering for the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon?
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on April 18, 2027, your taper starts around March 31, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Mountains 2 Beach Marathon training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.