Was working on your fitness one of your New Year’s resolutions? Have you ever had your eyes set on running in the Boston Marathon? A good way to get there is by signing up for the Ventura Marathon 2024.
What: Ventura Marathon 2024
Where: Ojai Valley to Surfer’s Point in Ventura
When: Sunday February 24th, 2024
Contact: Ventura Marathon email
Ventura Marathon 2024
The Ventura Marathon acts as a Boston Marathon qualifier. To qualify for the ultra-competitive Boston Marathon in April, runners must be at least 18 years old and complete one marathon in the previous year within specific time frames. For ages 18-34, you must finish in 3 hours for men and 3 hours 30 minutes for women. Ages 35 to 39 get an additional five minutes from that time. For runners ages 40 to 44, add another five minutes to the previous requirements. For a complete breakdown of qualifying times for every age group, please visit the Boston Marathon website here.
Back to Ventura’s race. If a full 26.2 mile marathon sounds too daunting to achieve, try the half-marathon instead. It provides a great opportunity to test out your skills and also acts as a New York Marathon qualifier. If you cannot pick up your race packet before race day, you may send a designated person to pick it up for you. Officials allow up to five hours to complete the half marathon and six hours to complete the full marathon. They also strongly discourage the use of headphones during a race. Why? They may pose a safety hazard by reducing the ability to hear emergency vehicles entering the race. While runners may run with a stroller, they do not allow dogs in the race or at the celebratory expo at the finish line due to insurance reasons.
And speaking of the festival, yes. Runners and spectators alike can celebrate at the Health and Fitness Expo at the finish line. Organizers set up a beer garden from 8 am to 1 pm. You must be at least 21 years old with a valid photo ID to purchase and consume alcohol on the event grounds. The Health and Fitness Expo ends at 2 pm.
Registration Information
Registration for the half-marathon costs $160 until the end of the day on February 16th. After that, it goes up. The full marathon costs $180 until then, with an increase expected on February 17th. To register for either one, please visit the marathon’s website here. Good luck!
Dave & Pat Zumbrun, your Ventura County real estate specialists
