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.

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.

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!

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.

This was my first half marathon and I did it in preparation for a full. The course was unbelievably beautiful - what I could see of it anyway. It was super foggy and rainy. I was absolutely frozen and soaked, but I was still able to appreciate the course. The organization was OKAY. My husband wanted a map to find me along the way and one of the organizers told him that they had no maps - and the registration took place in the Visitor's Center. The organizer wouldn't let him in even to check... but he ended up sneaking in through the back and immediately saw a huge wall of maps. Thanks a lot for your help on that one Mr. Organizer-with-an-overly-heightened-sense-of-authority.

THEN, we had to wait after the race in the FREEZING rain forEVER to get some bus to pick us up at an undisclosed location. A mob of us ended up flagging a bus down and basically bombarding the driver and forcing our way onto the bus before he could say "No." It was almost do or die at that point! We were all shivering uncontrollably. If it hadn't have been for the awesome hot soup at the finish, it would've been WAY worse. A+ on the soup.

Also, we couldn't find any information at registration concerning bag drop-off and only found out after the race that there was one when we stumbled across a massive pile of bags in our search for the non-existent bus shuttle. My husband was the one flabbergasted about that since he carried my bag while he sprinted from viewpoint to viewpoint in the freezing rain!

A spectacular course for the first half of the race, particularly the part of the course that goes along Ocean Avenue. I believe the second half of the course must have been revised from previous years because, while there some steady uphills, there were no "killer" hills. Pretty flat between miles 15-18, as you run to the wildlife sanctuary; then it was rolling between miles 18-25 in more rural Middletown, with a long gradual uphill at mile 20, and one tough uphill at mile 24. The weather for the race was god-awful: a driving rain the entire race, and 20+ mph wind gusts, even worse near the ocean. I guess it was good there was no heat to tire us out.

Race organizers did a solid job, given the conditions. My only recommendation would be to have more race volunteers at the end of half-marathon race. Because the half-way point of the race overlapped with the end of the half-marathon, we had to avert the half-marathoners and their supporters who were walking on the course as we were beginning our second half (forcing some of us to step in puddles to avoid them). Some race volunteers to clear the race course would be helpful.

Again, back to my original point: this is a beautiful course. I hope future runners of this race will have more accommodating weather.

A quick summary:

I live in Boulder, Colorado and my mother-in-law lives near Newport, RI. "Hey, why not come out and run the marathon? It's in October and it's beautiful that time of year!" Great idea. Right up until we landed on the Wednesday prior. Not one, but two nor'easters rolled through town that week. Of course, the second one came in around midnight before the race.
(Note: Weather in Denver for the marathon on same day: perfect.)

Anyway, the race must go on.

I've been on the coastal parts of the course in great weather and can attest that it is very beautiful. On marathon day? Not so much.

I have read comments from years back and concur pretty much across the board. The first half is excellent. The second half features two out-and-backs, which are not fun. And there are hills. Especially not fun is Purgatory Hill at mile 25. This is not a PR course. Add the fact that we ran into a wall of wind, and the experience was less than desirable.

The T-shirt was absolutely the worst I've ever received. You could BUY better shirts, but the included shirt was crap.

Passing the finish line at the halfway mark isn't fun. The half marathon finishes there and the marathoners are sent out towards out-and-back fun and excitement.

I won't lie; we had the worst possible running conditions you could ever imagine, but that is no fault of anyone but Mother Nature. It was a highly unpleasant experience, but I am proud of finishing. I was going for 3:20 to get to Boston, but the wind, rain, lake-sized puddle and cold took it out of me. I couldn't feel my hands or feet by the time I finished.

The expo was typical for a small marathon and the medal was OK.

Great job by the volunteers who braved the elements. Plenty of water, Gatorade and gel available.

I ran this marathon this past Sunday and I would like to give a great big thanks to all of the workers who braved the horrible weather to support us. At least we were running. The workers had to stay in one place.

I would especially like to thank you for letting me finish. I am in the 50 State Club and needed Rhode Island for my 45th state. I may have been able to make the six-hour time limit on a good day, but that wind slowed me up quite a bit. I also owe a great big thanks to the two ambulance drivers who let me in the back of the ambulance after I finished to warm up. Yes, and I also need to thank the doctor who drove me back to my car.

All of your efforts are really appreciated.

- Bill Theis from KY (Wild Willy)

We ran in a very cold and windy nor'easter this year. This was my second year in a row, and the changes to the course were appreciated, especially not having the big hill at mile 25. There are definitely more hills on the second half. A couple out-and-back sections, which I enjoy because I like to see where I am in the pack during the race and get a chance to look for friends. Organizers and volunteers were amazing. It was pouring rain, windy and freezing cold, yet every volunteer had a big, encouraging smile on their face. The best is the Mile 24 area (you pass by a couple of times going out and back), and the Halloween-themed water/aid station. Lots of fun. There weren't a lot of spectators due to the weather, but the crazy ones that were out there were fantastic.

The food at the finish was great; plenty of pizza and WARM soup hit the spot since I was freezing. Pasta dinner the night before was great and I really enjoyed listening to the comments from the race organizers and guest speaker Geoff Smith. Very nice finisher's medal and a change to a tech shirt (from cotton in 2008) - also a nice change. The race directors really seem to listen to feedback from past participants and make changes when necessary. Would highly recommend this race.

This was my first marathon. The mansions and ocean make for beautiful scenery, though the nor'easter the entire race was somewhat of a drag. There were many hills, especially in the second half, but this is New England and par for the course (pardon the pun). Spectatorship was dismal, but I can't blame them; the weather was miserable. Unless I missed it, there was no massage tent or food at the finish line, which I really could have used a hot burger at the time. Overall, no major complaints. If I was to run another marathon (which I won't!), I would definitely run Newport again. Thanks to the organizers!