The marathon has an official distance of 42.195 kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards). Most of us marathoners refer to it as a 26.2 mile race. Let's put some perspective on that. We're talking roughly the distance from the Muvico Theater in Thousand Oaks to Downtown Ventura (Main St at California St).

FindMyMarathon.com shows that there have been over 500,000 marathon finishers annually in the United States in recent years. That’s a lot of mileage!

Until fairly recently, there were no marathons run on Ventura County soil. When I began running in the mid 1990s, the closest marathons to us were in Los Angeles, Santa Clarita and Culver City. Now there are marathons in Ventura, Ojai and Camarillo.

While it's fun to travel to faraway lands to run a marathon, there's something to be said for sleeping in your own bed, waking up early, and driving out to run a local marathon. So how about a rundown of local marathons within a one hour range of Ventura County!

Los Angeles Marathon (www.lamarathon.com)

• Time of Year: A Sunday usually in March

• Course Description: The course route has changed a number of times over the years, but most recently the point to point "Stadium to the Sea" route from Dodger Stadium to the Santa Monica Pier has proved extraordinarily popular. The course takes you through sections of Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Century City, West Los Angeles and Santa Monica. There are race day shuttles that take runners from Santa Monica to the start.

• Other Events: 5K

• Pricing: Registration starts at $175 for the 2020 event on March 7, 2020.

• Other: On a personal note, I set my personal best time on this course back in 1997. This is THE race to do if you enjoy lots of crowd support along the course.

Mountains to Beach Marathon (www.mountains2beachmarathon.com)

• Time of Year: Late May; generally last Sunday of May.

• Course Description: Point to point course that starts with a 10K loop in Ojai, then 10 miles of bike path to the Ventura oceanfront, down the Ventura Keys to Marina Park and back to the Ventura Pier. Net downhill of 700 feet makes this a fast course.

• Other Events: Half Marathon, 5K

• Pricing: 2019 event pricing ranged from $99 (early bird) to $134.

Camarillo Marathon (www.camarillomarathon.com)

• Time of Year: The Camarillo Marathon is now in the mid-August time frame.

• Course: Starts at Pleasant Valley Fields, goes along the Camarillo Bike Path and nearby roads. New course.

• Other Events: Half Marathon, 5K, 10K

• Pricing: $130 for the August 11, 2019 event.

Lexus Ventura Marathon (www.venturamarathon.com)

• Time of Year: The inaugural event was Sunday, September 8, 2013. The event now takes place in mid to late October on a Sunday.

• Course Description: The course starts in Ojai down the bike path to finish at the Ventura Pier. There were 687 finishers in the 2018 event

• Other Events: Half marathon, 5K, kids fun run, bike rides.

• Pricing: Pricing for 2019 event currently $120 to $130.

Santa Clarita Marathon (www.scmarathon.org)

• Time of Year: Generally runs on the 1st Sunday in November

• Course Description: The course starts and finishes at the Valencia Town Center and has a number of out and back turns, mostly along bike paths. One of the more low key marathons in the area, with around 350 to 400 finishers.

• Other Events: Half marathon, 5K, Kid K

• Pricing: Usually in the $80 to $100 range. Registration opens July 1st for 2019 event on Nov 3rd

Seaside Marathon (www.seasidemarathon.com )

• Time of Year: Mid-February

• Course Description: Two out and back runs along the boardwalk and bike path and shoulder of Highway 1 in Ventura. (Same course as Surfer's Point Marathon.)

• Other Events: Half marathon, 5K

• Pricing: Pricing for the 2020 event ranges up to $130 depending on timing.

Surfer's Point Marathon (www.surferspointmarathon.com)

• Time of Year: Sunday in mid-November

• Course Description: Course is along the ocean/Highway 101, starting at Emma Wood State Beach Group Campground in Ventura.

• Other Events: Half marathon, 5K, 10K

• Pricing: Ranges from $95 to $130 for the 2019 event on November 10th

Just a little farther but still possible to commute to if you are an early riser:

jetBlue Long Beach Marathon (www.motivrunning.com/run-longbeach)

• Time of Year: Early to mid-October range on a Sunday

• Course Description: I've run the Long Beach Marathon several times and it is probably the most twisty, turny course I've ever run, yet it is still a reasonably flat and fast course. It starts and finishers in the heart of downtown Long Beach near Shoreline Village. There are sections along the beach, then it turns inland, up and around Cal State Long Beach, and back to the finish. Generally over 2,000 finishers.

• Other Events: Half marathon is hugely popular

• Pricing: $129 for the 2019 race

Surf City Marathon (formerly Pacific Shoreline Marathon) (www.runsurfcity.com)

• Time of Year: Generally run on the 1st Sunday of February

• Course Description: Much of course runs on PCH, streets and bike paths in and around the Huntington Beach Pier with views of the Pacific Ocean. This race generally sells out each year with between 2,000 and 2,500 participants.

• Other Events: Half marathon

• Pricing: $100 for 2019 race

OC Marathon (www.ocmarathon.com)

• Time of Year: Generally takes place the first Sunday of May

• Course Description: The marathon starts in Newport Beach, runs past Balboa Island in kind of a figure eight-ish pattern in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and adjacent cities. The race generally has around 2,000 participants. The race finishes at the OC Fair and Event Center.

• Other Events: Half marathon and 5K

• Pricing: 2019 event starts at just $80!

Marathons No More

There was a Pasadena Marathon in recent years but organizers announced it has been cancelled.

Malibu Marathon was cancelled in 2014, though the half marathon and 5K continue on (www.malibuintmarathon.com).

The Santa Barbara International Marathon also ran its final event in 2014, though a Veterans Day Half Marathon continues. www.sbmarathon.com

Looking for marathons around the world? My favorite place to find them is www.MarathonGuide.com. They do a great job of compiling a massive amount of information strictly about marathons.

CLICK HERE for other local races...5K, 10K, half marathon, etc.

I've run over 30 marathons or so through the years and periodically babble on about my training, experiences and other random running and training related items THIS LINK.

And last but not least, here are 26.2 training tips for running your first marathon.