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Newport Marathon (RI) Runner Comments
Back to Newport Marathon (RI) Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 3.1
Number of comments: 138 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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F. P. from Spokane, Washington
(10/24/2007)
 "Exceeded Expectations - Do It!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Newport Marathon (RI)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 This event is a gem in the field of marathons. One gets to enjoy a beautiful diverse run. You will enjoy country estates built in the 1800's, a downtown portion that reminds you of Marblehead, MA, beaches with surfers, a journey through a 1800 era military base and new home construction that makes Donald Trump envious.If you enjoy a journey through history, this is it. Plus the after-race lobster feed is the final touch. I lack adjectives and nouns to describe this unique course. This event exceeded all expectations that I had. Give yourself a treat and just do it. | |
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D. D. from Lee Center, NY 13363
(10/24/2007)
 "Where mansions and Mother Nature meet." (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Newport Marathon (RI)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I really enjoyed myself. The course was very scenic with a neat mixture of rolling hills, awesome mansions and crashing waves. Bellevue Ave., with its display of mansions, was certainly something to remember. The spectators, though sparse at times, were very supportive and upbeat. The water stops were well staffed and offered plenty of fluids (and some had power bars and candy). I think some,if not many, runners would have appreciated gu/gel packs, at least in the second half of the race. The post-race lobster and clam chowder was a great way to finish this experience. Overall, I would highly recommend this marathon for your 'To-Do' list. | |
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P. W. from Lake Placid, NY
(10/24/2007)
 "The course needed to be marked better" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Newport Marathon (RI)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course was great but was not marked very well and in some spots wasn't marked at all. There were some slower runners that made wrong turns and had to turn around and go back. | |
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K. D. from rhode Island
(10/23/2007)
"Beautiful, could be made better" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Newport Marathon (RI)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The Breakers marathon was a beautiful marathon. I have just three recommendations that would make this a great event.1) they need to put more water stops out on the course, every three miles in a marathon is to far for most runners, particularly this year with the temperatures being so warm. 2) Chip timing really needs to be considered for next year with over 500 marathoners, I found it difficult to get through the rush at the start. If not using chips, perhaps start the relay after the marathon. 3)The hill at mile 25 was both a mental and physical killer, maybe changing the course so the hills are in the beginning and not one mile before the finish. This was my 13th marathon and was overall a nice experience, I would do it again if some small changes are made. | |
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Nathan Snider from Greensburg, PA
(10/23/2007)
"Great Course" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Newport Marathon (RI)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The course was great, especially the first 15-16 miles. The last 10 miles were a little boring but overall it was the most scenic course I have run. I live in a fairly hilly area so the hills werent much of a factor except for the one at mile 25. If I had to make some recommendations I would recommend some more water stops, especially towards the end. I would also recommend different cups; it was hard to drink out of the plastic cups. Overall I really enjoyed the race and I would definitely recommend running it. Newport is a great town, and if you have never been there, the marathon is a great way to see it. | |
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S. B. from MA
(10/23/2007)
"Beautiful Course" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Newport Marathon (RI)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course for the first half of the marathon is beautiful. The start site was well organized and easy to find. The hills at the end of the course are challenging. The spectators, although few in number, were great. If I would change anything, it would be to add more water/Gatorade stations. Every three miles wasn't enough - especially in the last miles of the race! Perhaps post an elevation chart on the website. | |
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A. B. from Boston area, MA
(10/23/2007)
 "Beautiful course but logistics need improvement" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Newport Marathon (RI)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Positive Feedback: very nice finisher's medal volunteers at water stops were AWESOME and very encouraging spectators were sparse but those that were there were great. There was one family with what appeared to be a mom and kids, who had a black Halloween pail with candy, who were SO ENCOURAGING. They kept reappearing on the course. If they are reading this: THANKS!! course is beautiful fluid stops were well-stocked with not only water and Gatorade, but with junk food (which I didn't take but it was nice for other runners) nice goody bag at registration nice poster that you could pick up for free at registration Constructive Feedback: need more port-a-potties at the start (only 4 for 1,000+ runners and volunteers) need chip timing (especially when it's a Boston Qualifier like this one) more fluid stops. They did advertise ahead of time where the stops would be but there weren't enough. Plus, they were not always as advertised (i.e. they said a stop would be at mile 9 but it was more like 9.6; this makes a difference!) The final stop was at something like just past mile 22. You need AT LEAST one more before the finish for a marathon (especially when there is such a big hill at approximately mile 24.5). Thank God for the WONDERFUL neighborhood woman who set up her own stop at mile 23!!! She was a lifesaver. they advertised that medical personnel would be biking the course between fluid stops to assist runners who needed help in between stops. I did not see anyone serving in this capacity. I asked one guy who was on a bike in a yellow jacket if he knew about the water stops but he did not, so I am assuming he was not officially with the race. Gatorade at the stops was more like flavored water; it was very diluted response time to pre-marathon email questions was very slow. With 10 days to go to the marathon, I had to wait 6 days for a response. In the months prior to the marathon, response time to emails was even worse. course changed but the changes were not reflected in the race guide or the map (they were reflected on a giant map on the wall in the registration tent). I had already given my family the original information, which was wrong. This race has so much potential. With a few changes, (# of fluid stops being the most important one) it could be a PHENOMENAL race. I know there have been a lot of comments about the difficulty of the course but I drove the course twice beforehand so I knew what to expect. Also, as much as I FULLY support slower runners, they did advertise that the course would not be supported after 6 hours. | |
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R. C. from Boston Area, Massachusetts
(10/23/2007)
"An excellent race, highly recommended." (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Newport Marathon (RI)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 75th marathon but my first in Newport, and I thought it was very nicely done. The course is beautiful, especially the first half; though the slightly hillier second half proved hard for me. (But I also know I didn't train enough!) | |
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Rick Dorsey from Brunswick, ME
(10/22/2007)
"Beautiful first half, room for improvements" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Like the way I run, the Breakers Marathon started out strong with beautiful ocean vistas, waves crashing, outrageous mansions to run by and a sense of community and festivities. But as the race progressed, I felt it lost its stamina, much like my running. Like others have said, course directions lacked in the late miles. The kids from the Civil Air Patrol were there to help out point us in the right direction. But the second half felt more lonely than the first half, more like a solo training run. And I'm still trying to find all the lobster and chowder that others have talked about. I didn't see anything at the finish line, only some bananas and water. I never knew the post-race festivities were back at the starting line, about 1.5 miles away. The course was definitely rolling, with a short stretch of concrete between miles 9.5-10.5. Gawk at The Breakers mansion, though, and that should take your mind off of that. The hills come in the second half, with a mini-killer at mile 20 and a major-killer at mile 24.5. The only mile marker I never saw was at mile 4, in the Fort Adams section. Suggestions for the future races: 1. If the budget allows, sell some race paraphernalia. This my 10th marathon, I'm proud to show off my trinkets. 2. Please try to coordinate with local hotels about late checkouts for marathoners. Not being able to shower and change prior to my drive home to Maine chapped me a bit. 3. Small thing: Please put the year on the finisher's medal, to help distinguish it from other years. 4. Try and do something to jazz up the back half. If possible, finish near the Tennis Hall of Fame or the Newport yachts. The finish line now seemed kind of randomly placed. I'm happy to be able to add the Breakers to my marathon resume. It's certainly not an 'easy' run, one that requires adequate hill training if you plan on a fabulous time. | |
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S. T. from Providence, RI
(10/22/2007)
"beautiful, but hilly" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Newport Marathon (RI)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I think I started out too fast, and was burned out by the second half (where all the hills are). The first half was beautiful, right on the water and by the mansions (which i didn't really pay attention to). The second half went more inland, and was a bit more boring and hilly. The hills were probably not that bad, but I didn't train for them and certainly didn't run as fast as i had hoped...the worst hills were at the end (around miles 20-26) There wasn't a lot of traffic, which is good because they don't block off the roads for most of the course. But there were also very few spectators. There were clumps of people at aid stations and maybe one or two people on the side of the road every few miles, but that was it. It was rather lonely in that respect, but i guess you can't expect something huge in Rhode Island... the best part was the LOBSTER at the end! and the trophies were very cool (a blue glass wave). There was also an interesting variety of cream cheeses for the bagels. My one complaint is that the finish was too far from the start, and they didn't have enough buses coming frequently enough to bring everyone back after they finished running. I had to wait about 30 minutes in line to get a bus back, and then had to sit on the floor of the bus because there wasn't enough seats. this was VERY hard to get up from after running a marathon. |
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