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Apr 28, 2024

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 41 to 51]

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J. T. from Raleigh, NC (10/18/2011) "Beautiful location with organizational issues" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Newport Marathon (RI) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 The Newport Marathon has some of the most amazing scenery of any marathon you will run, but as others have noted it suffers from organizational issues and back-of-the-pack / 50 states / maniacs should be cautious. THE GOOD: 1. The Location. Amazing scenery and vistas. 2. The Course. If you like challenging courses (hills and running into the wind) then this is for you. 3. Aid Stations. Well stocked with cheerful volunteers. 4. Tech Shirt. Nice but basic long sleeve tech shirt. 5. Medal. Nice multi-colored cast medal. If you run a lot you'll have some nicer ones but also plenty that aren't as nice. The BAD: 1. Small Expo. Don't plan on buying any forgotten items or getting deals on running gear. 2. Early Expo Close. We ran Hartford on Saturday but with the 5pm expo close we actually came to Newport on Friday to do packet pickup before we went to Hartford. 3. Open Course. Expect to be passed by huge tour buses from behind while running along twisty narrow oceanside roads. 4. Post race food. Don't expect hot pizza unless you finish at the front of the pack. The UGLY: 1. At 6 hours I saw the volunteers abandon the gear drop. That's right, if you didn't pick up your gear at 6 hours then it was just left sitting in the open with nobody watching it. This is inexcusable. 2. This is a mandatory parking shuttle event. Even though the organizers had published in several places that shuttle buses would run until 4:00pm, they discontinued the service at 2:30pm. Be prepared to pay $20 to get back to your car if they stop running the buses early.
B. H. from Burlington, NC (10/18/2011) "Windy, but beautiful" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Newport Marathon (RI) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I thought this was a great course, and while the first half had awesome beauty, the second half is still very pretty compared with some courses. The wind was pretty brutal, and the hills were harder than I expected. The spectators were great. Overall, I thought it was a really good small marathon.
p. e. from valatie ny (1/5/2011) "Beautiful scenery, but needs some organization" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Newport Marathon (RI) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 It needs organizational work. The race was starting and buses were still arriving. Get to bus pick-up early. Really beautiful course, but it was challenging, with a hilly second half loop. It's worth the trip if you want a challenging run. Tough to PR on. Small pre-race expo. There are just bagels and PowerAde and Harpoon for the back-of-the-pack runners (5+ hours); run fast if you want pizza.
K. G. from Connecticut (10/30/2010) "Disappointing time" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Newport Marathon (RI) COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The idea of running in Newport is so appealing; it is a beautiful New England town. That was what drew me to this race. I wanted to run a beautiful course through stunning Newport. I received that, for HALF of the race. The rest was disappointing, putting it mildly. To explain: I get the impression that this is a half-marathon, with a marathon thrown in because, well, I'm not sure why. Maybe they think they might as well use the police they've hired for the day; I really don't know. The half-marathoners and full-marathoners run together for the entire half-marathon course, right up to the finish line for the half. (It's very disheartening to hear "You're almost there!!" from spectators when you have 13.5 miles left!). The half-marathon course is lovely: beautiful beach views, mansions, enough hills to keep it interesting, but not debilitating. It was spectator-friendly, which kept the runners' spirits up. When the half-marathoners finished, we continued on to 13.1 of the worst type of miles: out and back, with nasty hills. You can't enjoy the downhills, because you know you're going to be running back UP them on the way back. It was so disturbing to glance behind you at mile 16 to see the mile marker for mile 23, knowing you had such a long "out" to run, before you got to turn "back." Plus, many of those miles were through ordinary suburbia; I could have been running at home. It was hard, and boring, with very few spectators, and drivers in cars glaring at you for holding them up (they don't close the roads fully, and cars can sneak on). I don't understand why the marathoners can't run the half marathon loop again; it was a much nicer course. At the very least, I think they could have figured some way to have the second half be a loop, and not a gruesome out-and-back. I could be wrong, but it really seemed like they put more conscious thought into the half-marathon course. Other issues: the shirts are terrible (no date??? I know they want to use them next year, and wanted to save money, but the shirt is not the place to skimp), the medals are ordinary at best, and there was nothing else, souvenir-wise, to buy. Nothing. No finisher shirts, no mugs, no jackets, nothing. The expo was tiny, with LIMITED parking at the hotel. Also, there were only water stops every two miles, even towards the end. That isn't a problem for me, but for a lot of runners, that was a big issue to face towards the end of the race. Positives? The volunteers who were there were wonderful. Some dressed up in costume, they spoke clearly, telling you which tables had water, and which had Gatorade, and they were just the right amount of encouraging. Great job. The food at the end was pretty good, too, although the pizza was cold by the time I got there. But the volunteers, again, were wonderful there! The shuttles to and from the parking lot were terrific! There were plenty of them, and they ran frequently. The bus drivers were friendly and accommodating. The start and finish, right on the beach, was lovely, with stunning water views, right by the entrance of the cliff walk, near enough to some businesses as well. My husband was able to walk to a coffee shop, and hang out there, then come back to the beach to wait for me. Good choice! Also, there was a place to wait inside before the race, which was nice since there was a chilly wind. Although there were some positives, they were not in the important parts of the race (except the volunteers - they are always important). The main thing, the course, was no fun. I was hoping for a magical, inspiring run, with great New England beach views, and I'm sad to report that in that arena, this race fell way short. Although I might consider doing the half again, I doubt I'll be back for the full.
Dick White from Cocoa Beach, Florida (10/21/2010) "On The Jagged Edge Of The Eastern USA" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Newport Marathon (RI) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Newport, RI is #48 in my quest for 50 states plus DC. GREAT COURSE!!! It rolled enough so as not to kill the quads, but the second half was a cumulative downhill. AND... The course is BEAUTIFUL!! Rock cliff views, mansions, yachts, lighthouses, beaches and a quaint little seaside village where 1 1/2 pound lobster dinners were served up for under $20. I'm sorry - did I hear someone complain? Yes, I agree there could have been more volunteers at the Haunted Village - maybe next year you could bring a few. More age group awards would be appropriate - but I still wouldn't have won one. And I'm sorry it rained last year - but the WEATHER was GLORIOUS this year: not a cloud in the blue sky and 45 to 60 degrees over my 4-plus hours. FANTASTIC!! My thanks to the wonderful, friendly volunteers. I will gladly recommend this race and your community to anyone looking to marathon Rhode Island.
L. P. from Boston (10/19/2010) "Disappointment" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Newport Marathon (RI) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I disagree about this being a flat course - I thought the hills were very hard, especially the ones between 18 and 24. I would not try to qualify for Boston on this one. Also, there were not enough water stations or people on the route to help. One person fell over and the closest volunteer had no walkie-talkie.
k. m. from Atlanta GA (10/18/2010) "beautiful course" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Newport Marathon (RI) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 A beautiful course and a nice day for running. Packet pickup was smooth, and the shuttle was fine... though I knew to grab the earlier shuttle and I also knew to drop my bag off upon arrival - otherwise it would not be pretty. My big whine, which I know the solution to involves running faster, is that it is geared toward the half marathon runners. What a bummer running for the folks at or over 5 hours: no food, and the Harpoon Brewery crew was just closing. I feel bad for the guy I met who was doing his 49th state; when finished, he had nourishment... that is not right. Anyway, the spectators present were fine, and the water stops were everywhere. Plenty of porta-johns as well.
E. Z. from Bristol, Ct (5/22/2010) "Beautiful Course, Poor/No Organization" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Newport Marathon (RI) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. From the time I got up at 3 a.m. to the end of the day, it did not stop raining. It was pouring the whole time. It was like buckets of water were pouring down on your head, nonstop. The race was poorly set up. There was no organization. There were NO BATHROOMS!! There was supposed to be one at every station, but I only saw one bathroom at the very end of the race. There were many people frantically searching for them, and then they ended up going off-course to urinate behind trees. It was nice that there were water stations about every 2.5-3 miles, but it would be nice for signs that said when there would be food stations. There was one at about mile 16-17 and one at about mile 20. To get there, there was bus transportation that made it very easy. However, there was about only 1 bus to get back, and it was refusing to bring people back to their cars. Management would do nothing, even though they promised that the buses would be going back both ways, and they were very rude about the whole situation. It was a beautiful course, even though it was pouring. We ran by the coast almost the whole time. There was a nice view at the finish line, and where you were going past when the half's ended - the shore with waves crashing against the barriers, almost hitting you. Mile markers were set up, but some were very hard to see. Fans in cars were waiting at various points, and they cheered everyone on. At the food station at about 16, there was a whole set-up where people were dressed up in Halloween costumes with music playing. Food ran out quickly, though, so I wouldn't depend on it. At the finish line, there was confusion about where to go because there were no signs. We received a medal at the finish, and a bag with a shirt in it at the start. They should distribute those at the end, though, because there was no place to put them. Overall, it was a beautiful, flat course, but it was not organized.
M. M. from New England, USA (3/16/2010) "Great race, great fans - sign me up again!" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I thought this race was great. Although we all experienced New England weather, the event made up for it. The course was very scenic and also brought on a few simple challenges, which I enjoyed. I also like the location, which I made into a weekend get-a-way. Just signed up for next year... looking to PR!
J. K. from New York (2/24/2010) "Could have been beautiful" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Newport Marathon (RI) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Similar to every other comment: the nor'easter blowing through made this one of the more challenging races I have ever run. Thanks to everyone who was out there cheering; it made finishing possible. Two whines from me: 1. Running past the half marathon finish line in the rain, everything was so poorly marked that I had to ask someone where to go to find the next half of the course; 2. There were no finish line photos.

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