What a beautiful day to run and what a great course it was. Don did a great job organizing a very tough event. All of the police involved for safety must have cost a bundle. But I really appreciated the fact that they were there. I know it isn't easy to put on an event this size for the first time and I think it came off really well. I had a great time.

I was a little worried about the comment that the hills were runnable but would be a challenge for us flatlanders. It turned out that they were a challenge but definitely doable. I have to say that the guy in the wheelchair and his support group should have been an inspiration to everyone running, walking, or watching. I hope you made it to the end.

Pros:
Small races are where it's at.
The start was at a school which we had access to the gymnasium beforehand to stay warm.
Newport, RI is a very nice area to visit.
Gave out running shirts which I can use instead of T-shirts (I believe I have enough T-shirts already).
I wasn't running the 50-mile race.

Cons:
Not many spectators if you're into that.
Three loops had some scenic routes but a run down Oceanview would have been nice.
Medallions were not handed out at the finish line.

First, I would like to say that the efforts of all the workers that volunteered their time are appreciated. The following comments are from the heart and hopefully will make the Breakers the marathon that it has the potential in becoming.

Usually I do not have problems at all commenting about marathons; however, this one is unique in the fact that nothing was really terrible and nothing was really outstanding. The course is a definite at the top the postive list. E-mails were answered promptly. When we picked up our packets, a lady volunteer took the time to draw us a short cut map to the start. Sometimes starting place, etc. are taken for granted by people who live there.

There should have been more than one hotel listed for runners. We stayed in a beer budget hotel that charged champagne price with no late check-out. The pre-race dinner was fine except we were sitting at a table with two strangers and the server would only give us one check. (This is an uncomfortable situation for people who have just met.) It would have been great if there had been a hospitality committee. No one came by even to speak to us at the dinner.

The school provided a warm and dry place for runners before and after the marathon. The volunteers at the aid stations were very friendly and very encouraging. There should have been more water stops along with toilets throughout the marathon. Post-marathon food was not plentiful. Homemade soup would have tasted delicious. Canned soup is not very tasty, especially when it is cold.

The shirt is attractive; however, I would have paid more for a long-sleeved one.

Thanks again for your efforts. I am sure it will be a better marathon in the future.

I am a slower runner & by loop #3 the police were gone & runners had to fend for themselves against traffic on a narrow road w/ a narrow shoulder. Course was not marked. Needed arrows or signs. Water stops were adequate. Had to hunt for the finisher's medal. NO age-group awards for the under-age 40 runners. NO lap counters. I suspect some people did not run the full distance. Weather was OK. Finish-line food was OK. I am a 50-stater & I am glad that RI is out of the way. I would not do Breakers again.

Arrived in time to take the tour of the Breakers Mansion, which I enjoyed very much. Pasta dinner was arranged at a local restaurant and was excellent compared to most race pasta dinners.

We were allowed to wait in the school gym until the start. The weather was heavy overcast with a temp. of 44 degrees (with light rain later on). Temp. at the finish was 50 degrees. Doesn't get any better than that. Course was scenic compared with most and had some hills, but not bad. I was dreading doing 3 loops, but it went much better than I thought it would. Only glitch I found was at the finish I crossed the finish line and no one was there. I kept looking around for the medal and someone to direct me which way to go. Finally someone saw me and directed me to the school cafeteria for the medal and food. I came in near 5 hours and the food was mostly gone. They said there would be more in 45 minutes, but I could not wait as I had to check out of my motel and head for the Boston airport for an afternoon flight.

Overall I enjoyed the race more than a lot of the others I have run recently.

The course was well marked and well attended and was laid out on beautiful back roads and shorelines in the Newport area. It was rolling terrain but there were no long or steep hills and I found the course only moderately challenging.

The marathon had probably the largest percentage of older runners of any of the over 100 that I have run, which suited me fine since I am in that category as well. They were mostly 50 Staters, I assume, since this is Rhode Island's only marathon.

As it was an overcast and drizzly day, there were not many spectators, but the aid stations were well attended by friendly volunteers. There was nice warm soup and pizza indoors after the race.

I agree with most of the comments written by the others on this site. For a multi-loop marathon, it was scenic and had just enough rolling hills to keep it interesting. The few spectators that were out were enthusiastic.

The only improvements I would suggest are 1) Mark the course mile markers a little more clearly. I invariably found the wrong loop's numbers as I ran. Sometimes they were marked on the left, sometimes the right, sometimes going in the opposite direction, and 2) Space out the water stops (or even add one more) a little more evenly. Especially on the first loop, it was a long haul between the stop at the split till the next one at mile 6ish. Then, the ones at the school and at the one-mile mark seemed too close together.

Otherwise, I enjoyed it. I especially appreciate you holding off the rain until I could finish! ;)

Even though there was a little rain, the course was scenic. The course was fair with descents to offset the ascents. While the traffic on the course increased as the morning grew later, it was managed well enough, except at the intersection for the turn down the home stretch, which seem relatively dangerous. (It would have helped if the walkers had been more considerate and not walked side-by-side on the course, at least in the higher traffic areas.) The race started a little late, which was irritating. Nice awards ceremony and awards. Good post-race food for relatively small marathon. The organizer(s) should be congratulated for organizing an event in Rhode Island.

A first-year marathon is always a crapshoot as far as organization and ability to pull off the event. Things went mostly pretty well considering that. Pre-race info was alright, except a few items (more-detailed course map, overflow parking, etc.) could have been included. But by packet pickup, most essential information was covered. Points off for a late start. I liked the scenic course; trees, turns, shore, and country estates reduced boredom. Such a course has plusses and minuses for motivation, as faster runners have to be alert for slower participants (often in pairs/groups) and it's not always easy to distinguish faltering comparable-time runners with those being lapped. Second aid station on loop (@ start of spur) was improperly placed for the first lap, so many (all?) had no aid for appx. 5 miles. (Good thing conditions were near-ideal temp wise). Otherwise basics and amenities reflected forethought and experience of marathoners.

Having school for pre-/post-race shelter and clean-up was nice. Massage tables were not set up right away, so quickly departing sub-4 finishers might have missed that perk. There were some nice raffle prizes @ the awards ceremony. Volunteers were friendly and mostly helpful, but one aid station (the misplaced one) was too sparsely manned. The small numbers of spectators were decent cheerers. Will concur that the narrow, shoulder-less roads required attention and were likely borderline scary for the slower and ultra-distance finishers. Painted mile markers on road were easy enough for me to see; did like the clock at the halfway (and other distances) point.

I really enjoyed the 3-loop course. The weather was perfect, especially for someone who is used to running in Florida.