Newport Marathon - Race Reviews

This was a very well done small race and thoroughly enjoyable. The first few miles take you around in town and that is the only part with some rolling hills. After that, you go down along the bay and river and it's flat. Well marked, outstanding water stops and perfect weather. Coastal Oregon made for a wonderful week long trip and I would do this race again in a heartbeat!!!

Great to be back running the Newport Marathon after 2 years closed for Covid. This is a great event all the way around. Starting by the Yaquina Lighthouse with views of the ocean and the ironic Bay Bridge, it's all Oregon. Some small hills but mostly flat. Newport is a smaller town and they are all in for this event. The run is a fundraiser for the school sports programs and the kids enthusiastically are making things happen. Of my 200+ marathons, the finish line festivities are among the best, beer, clam chowder (all you want!), sandwiches, fruit, and other foods. Oh, and another beer. And good beer from the local micro brewery. Music and awards. Covered areas. Plenty of chairs. Super fun. We did get some Oregon liquid sunshine, but the temperature was fine and most of us just soaked it in. The first rain on race day in 22 years. Great shirt and "medal", hand made glass from a local artist!

First you get your Pacific Ocean views. Then the bay. Then the river. And throughout, the fluid stops maintained by enthusiastic volunteers. Did I get tired of all this water? No way! You would think 20 miles of out-and-back along the bay/river would start to look the same, but somehow it didn't. Beautiful scenery and other than a few hills in the first three miles, it was pretty flat. This is a race in a small town with big-time organization. Communication was outstanding, and the packet pickup was easy, though you'll be disappointed if you're one of those folks who likes to check out a lot of booths at expo (I'm not). I recommend the pre-race pasta dinner at the American Legion. Lots of food for $10 and goes to a good cause. Post-race bash was super with yummy clam chowder and beer. Glass medal is unique, and I loved the shirt. Not too many spectators, but they were spirited and dedicated (saw several who were cheering from their yards both times I passed, which for me was about two hours apart). This was my Oregon, but even if you're not a 50-stater, I recommend making the trip to Newport.

Have run this race 3 times. Weather at the Oregon coast is usually temperate so I feel like I can train for this race and have a good chance at a PR. Race is well organized. Lots of porta potties at the beginning, lots of aid stations with water, sports drink, and several with gels. I am always amazed at how well run this marathon is. First 4 miles are in neighborhoods with some turns. Then you run downhill to the bay and do an out and back along the bay. Flat and fast. Beautiful views. There are not a lot of spectators but the ones there are fun and friendly. Expo is very small, basically a packet pick up. Finishers area is fun with music, beer (full glass), big bowls of chowder, fruit, tables and chairs. Beautiful glass finishers medals too. Very unique. Can't say enough good things about this marathon!

I chose this marathon at the recommendation of other experienced marathoners, after I had inquired on their 'favorite' Oregon marathon. I know there are others, but this one clearly had their vote. Now I know why. This was the final marathon of my 50-state Plus DC journey. I started in 1996. I wanted a destination that was a place that others accompanying me would enjoy the town, the ride from Portland, and surrounding attractions. The wineries, Proxy Falls and other nearby options were amazing. The race director could not have been nicer, accommodating some unusual requests from me, for myself and for the other dozen IL runners who joined me in Newport. The race was amazingly professional in all the important areas. Great course, well marked, lots of water stops. They even have it so that cars are not allowed on the course in the lane we used to run on. That is Impressive. If you want to know your splits, take a race watch, since there are no times displayed. The road has a noticeable crowning. The fans get 5 stars since most of the fans were my family and they were very loud and supportive of me and many others.

Amazing event again this year. I love that they give you the shirt at the finish! I needed a fresh one for sitting around having clam chowder, sandwiches, fruit, etc. Great music. Plenty of chairs. Perfect weather and great organization. 50 Staters, this is your Oregon run!

First there was no Expo. The race organization did not give out shirts at the small packet pickup. I ran the marathon in record heat for Newport and was given a cheap shirt when I finished. When I asked about the stack of nice dry fit shirts I was told I could not have the shirt. I finished fairly early and placed 4th in my age group. There were not enough water stations and what was given was minimal. Tokens were given 1 each of two food items at the end of the race Cheap, Cheap, Cheap. Spend your hard earn money on a more generous marathon.

My fourth marathon and run under ideal conditions. Course support is exceptional with lots of water, gel and sports drinks. Beautiful course along the Oregon coast, weather was near perfect (mid 50s to low 60s).

Fastest run I've had in a year (25 marathons). Great course. Great organization. Don't miss the awards event! I enjoyed it even tho I didn't get anything. Love the shirt (finishers only!), and the glass finishers 'medal'. AND the medal and shirt are very distinctively different for the full and 1/2!

Loved this race. Almost all along water (through the historic downtown and by ocean before becoming an out and back along the bay with beautiful scenery). Aid stations and post-race were great, even for slow runners. Clam chowder, beer, fruit, PBJ sandwiches, and a band. Awards were AFTER everyone finished (which was nice). Early start have 8 hours, and even the slowest runners are cheered in. And for a good cause - supports the local schools. Only suggestion is to have signage at the Start area for the Early Starters coming through; VERY confusing where to go. Stayed at Embarcadero - reasonable, balcony, harbor view, shuttle to start, and right at finish.

The Newport Marathon is one of the more scenic races I have run, with nice views of the ocean the first few miles and a serene out-and-back along Yaquina Bay. It has the look and feel of a small town race, and a field size of about 1,000. There is some cambering in the road, which was giving me some knee pain for much of the race, so look out for that. My only real complaint is there seemed to be a lack of organization at times. The aid stations generally had people holding both water and gatorade, and several times I was unable to get the drink I wanted. They need to have gatorade at the front and water at the back, or gatorade-water-gatorade since it's an out and back. Also, they put the timing strip on the back of the tab that is normally pulled off for a bag tag, or can be otherwise safely discarded. Luckily I realized this before I left for the starting line, but I saw some bibs that appeared to have the tab missing. If they are going to put the timing strip in a weird place, they need to be more careful of warning people at the packet pickup instead of at the starting line. It's definitely a race worth doing, and you can get a pretty good time here.

This was a fun marathon to run and perfect weather as you approach the summer season. Course was very nice and what I liked most about this marathon is the local high school puts this on. There were so many young people volunteering and helping out which I think is awesome. Post race party was very nice also with home made food, band and post race beer. The town does a great job putting this on and it is a neat part of the country to visit.

This was my first marathon and I had a great experience: the whole town was friendly and welcoming and the course was flat and scenic. The medal is locally hand-blown glass and they raffled off glass globes at the awards ceremony (I got one). There's very little in the way of spectators along the course so the last few miles felt a little lonely and there's a bit of a hill the last mile (which felt steeper than it really is) but other than that everything was lovely. I qualified for Boston so my next marathon is going to be very different from this one!

This was my 2nd marathon after CIM. Beat my previous time by 18 minutes and qualified for Boston with 15 minutes to spare. Temperature is perfect.

This was my fifth marathon, and probably my favorite, not to mention my fastest. I've done the big city races, which can be fun, but this one was just so charming and low key. Logistics were a breeze. We stayed at the host hotel which is right at the finish (and about a mile from the start) and it couldn't have been more convenient, plus it had gorgeous views and was very reasonable. The weather was absolutely perfect on race day, 50s with light scattered clouds, and the course was incredibly scenic throughout. The first couple of miles are a little hilly and turny and go through the little downtown, and then you stretch out along the estuary for the last 16 miles, which is flat and fast. Spectators are infrequent, but it didn't bother me. The road is banked in a few places, but not terrible. I wish there had been more of an expo. I bought a t-shirt and would have loved a commemorative poster, since I have one from all the other marathons I've done, but they really don't have any merchandise available unfortunately. This is definitely a 'best kept secret' kind of race, and while I don't want it to lose its quaint appeal, they could easily double their profits by putting a little more into the expo and promotion of the event. Also, I liked that it's only a full marathon - no other races run at the same time.

This course is very scenic along the bay. The weather conditions were ideal, especially since the wind disappeared for the event! I wish there was a better expo and more information in advance of the race to create excitement (e.g. a Facebook page). However, this is a small town event organized by the local boosters where income from the marathon is used to support athletics, athletic participation scholarships, and extra-curricular activities at Newport High School. I understand the marketing budget is probably small, but better information in advance would have been nice. I believe that in addition to an increased marathon field, the Newport businesses/economy would benefit much more with a slightly different marketing approach. This is certainly a marathon worth running if you want to experience a great town in the great state of Oregon!

This was my 34th different marathon. Scenery-wise, it is one of the prettiest. Newport is a great destination place to visit - lots to see and do. The list of cons I have are few, and mostly just things worth noting: 1. There is no expo. Just a packet pick up starting Friday at 3:00 PM. 2. You get your shirt at the finish line. 3. This race is low key in all areas of the race with no fanfare anywhere except the finish line. Nothing at the start, the turn-around, or mile 20. I liked the peace and quiet of the course though. 4. There's some camber in the road to deal with - difficult to avoid sometimes when there were cars. The course is mostly flat, with a few steep hills early on and one at the end. The first few miles have a lot of turns and a brief stint on a gravel road, but it was fun to run through town and see the ocean. I love the recycled glass medal - very unique.

I am from Montana and when we see rainy weather we assume it will be cold ..not so in New Port. What a great experience to run in what i consider to be 'warm' mist. So dont let the idea of misty rain prevent you from signing up for this perfect marathon.. you will also likely meet some real life pirates while visiting the area.

I ran this marathon in 09 my husband ran it in 12. Very well organized event. All proceeds do not go into race director's pocket, but benefit local Newport organizations, they only pay for services they hire for the race - all the rest of the profits go to local organizations. Excellent spectator support - shuttle buses ran every 15 minutes to take spectators out on the course  really saves the gas! The runner support at the finish line was outstanding. A volunteer ran around and did everyhing for my husband. Can't beat the oysters on the course - if your stomach can take it! As fun as a marathon gets!

After a short jaunt through downtown Newport, we runners cruised alongside Yaquina Bay. The course was mostly flat and a net drop in elevation. The weather this year (2012) was warm enough for me to be shirt-free despite the periodic misting rain. Crowds were infrequent but enthusiastic. The aid stations were well-placed and well-stocked. I definitely would recommend this race.

I've done this one twice and it's beautiful with great flat terrain.

Beautiful location. Had just finished another marathon & not fully recovered, so had to go slow. Very hot day - should have been more water stops or at least ice in Dixie cups. Thank goodness for lady w a cooler of small bottles of water - saved me from overheating. Course was just beautiful, & I liked the ease of a low keyed well- organized race.

I love our coast and was thrilled to make registration this year! It was a perfect course, just the right amount of participants and spectators (as I prefer quiet, small, uncongested races) and, it was a great morning to run. Yes, it was very hot (for a coastie) but I still PR'd by 13 minutes, even with having to slow my pace the last 3 miles due to the heat. Having the cold water hose spray available at the finish was a critical move on this day. The only downside I remember is the noise in the crowded room at packet pickup-sound reverberating off the low ceiling was deafening. Adding chip timing would be a positive addition. But, hey, LOVE the medal.

I wanted to add to/correct my comments from 6/13/2011. Despite this race not being chip timed, my recorded time was dead on. Any human error was my own and my comments should not have implied otherwise. Great race. Nice course. Excellent people. I hope to make it back next year!

This was my first marathon so my comments are not coming from a wide breadth of experience. As promised the course was fairly flat. Most of the aid stations were well organized, although I did have to stop and run back to get water at one as they were not prepared for 5 runners in a row. I'm glad they are switching to chip timing next year as I didn't like the added pressure to find the optimum spot at the start. Also my garmin and gun time were off by 30 seconds. The length was different too, but I expected that. Although, chip timing is not fool proof, it does remove some human error. With the new Boston registration process, every second counts. Overall it was a great experience and the volunteers and fellow runners were all extremely friendly. Did I mention it was damn hot?

This was my first Newport marathon and I will run it every year I am able. Nice small town feel, locals treat you great. Loved the course. Not allot of people on the course for support which I am ok with. Water stops were well manned and stocked. weather was warm but it's the Oregon coast...you just never know. A note to the Race Director...Great job!! Friendly people from start to finish...Great views.

Exactly what a marathon should be. Not too big, not too small, not too formal, not too laid back, not too flat, not too steep. Not too expensive, not too cheap. If you can, get to Newport and do this race... you won't regret it. Everything was JUST RIGHT!

As a runner from Nebraska, I was welcomed by locals at this race as soon as I got out of the car - they were thrilled I'd come all that way to Newport to run. The course was very scenic and I loved watching the great blue herons, otters, and gulls along the waterway that occupies most of the course. Plenty of aid stations, and the oyster shooters (if you're brave enough to try one) are also a plus (I had to do just one!). Plenty of post-race snacks of good quality at the finish, and the half marathon is held on a separate date so it doesn't get overcrowded. Nice glass finisher's medal at the end, although I found the technical shirt to be a bit small (shirts are given at the end of the race when you finish). Course is generally flat and fast, as I finished in 4:18 with a consistent run-walk ratio of 2:1. Plenty of great places to dine and visit while in town as well. I was also very impressed with the overall awards, which are large, wood carvings of great blue herons.

I like this marathon because it is low-key and the Newport area is a beautiful place to visit. The field is small and you could probably show up to the race 15 minutes before the start and be fine. There are no walkers or slower runners from shorter races to weave your way through. The runners, organizers, and town in general have a friendly feel. The course has some steep but very short hills in the beginning. Then it is very flat. After two times, I've come to realize I prefer some rolling hills to work different muscles. Mentally, it feels a bit tougher too, since so much of the course looks the same (without spectators) and you double-back on a large portion of it. There really are no crowds for much of the marathon. I've also come to realize that crowds are a nice distraction for me during a marathon when I wouldn't really care for shorter distances. Finally, the course doesn't provide much shade if it's a sunny day (like 2010 race). The heat can take a toll if you've been training during the winter/spring and then have a sunny day. The medical, after-race attention probably isn't what you'd receive after a larger race either. The first time I ran (2009), I was dizzy and disoriented (and a fairly early finisher) and no one seemed to notice. I thought the finisher's medal was awesome. I'd consider it the best I've received from any race. So... some pros/cons depending on your racing style and preferences.

This is a great race with a small/medium-sized field (800 runners). The organization is great. Packet-pick up was quick. I did not get a chance to look at items at the expo, as I had to rush to make the pasta dinner (closes at 8 p.m.). The pasta dinner is a great deal - all-you-can eat pasta, garlic bread, salad (with or without shrimp) and dessert for only $7. The start line is within a half-mile walk of several hotels on Elizabeth Street, so you can take your time and still make the 7 a.m. start. They have a truck right next to the start line where you can drop your gear bag even 5 minutes before the start,  so there's no need to spend 30 minutes cold or throw away your warm-up clothes! No chip, so if you seek a fast time, you have to line up close to the start line. However, given the small number of runners, this is not an issue. The course is easy - a few short rollers within the first 4 miles, and a moderate incline at mile 26. The rest of the course follows the Yaquina River and is relatively flat with some very minor inclines. I really enjoyed the course, as it is quiet, peaceful and very scenic. Those who seek constant spectator support will be disappointed, as crowd support is relatively scarce (but people who are there are supportive). There is one photo op during the race, around mile 12. The other part I liked is the turnaround after mile 15. This means that you get to see the race leaders and encourage them - and they sometimes encourage you. I found this really cool, as it is not often the case in most marathons. Volunteers were great, except one station where they messed up with water cups and I could not get mine. They serve HEED, which I did not try, as I sticked to water and to the GUs I was carrying with me. The last 0.2-mile is downhill, which helps finish faster. The finish chute is great and the area where runners recover is close to non-runners. They have fruit, bagel, drinks, and rogue beer and chowder (both of which I did not try). You can also buy the picture they took at mile 12 for $10 at the finish. The medal is made of glass and it is not my favorite, but some people like it. Finisher shirt is technical and awesome but sizes are too small - you can exchange it later. I recommend staying for the awards ceremony, as it is very convivial and they have some items that they give away to people who did not place. Overall a great small/medium-sized marathon, highly recommended if you want to escape the megathons or if you seek a fast, mostly flat course. I did not BQ but got a 7-minute PR. The high rate of BQs in the previous year was due to a short course - they lengthened the course to a full 26.2 in 2009. The weather is usually cool but that year it was slightly too warm (65°F around 10 a.m.). A couple of very small negatives: - The race is on a Saturday, which is not super convenient for traveling. - The road around the Yaquina River is banked and you have to make a choice: avoid the banked areas and stay close to the central line, or run the tangents to shorten your run, but sometimes run on the banked areas. I chose the second strategy and ended up with exactly 26.2 on my Garmin, without physical problems linked to the banked road. However, I know that some people have had issues with that. - Because the other side of the road is open to traffic, you cannot really run the tangents when you face the runners coming in the opposite direction. But these are very minor things, and overall Newport is my favorite marathon from the 6 I have run, so I will definitely come back.

My first time in the Newport Marathon, and my sixth marathon overall. I was admittedly not well-prepared and coming off of an injury, but I still enjoyed the weekend immensely! One of the main problems I encountered was due to not carrying my own fluids (or at least my own water bottle). Dehydration was an issue for me, mainly because the aid stations from mile 19 to 24 ran out of cups. Major bonk action. This is something that could easily be fixed with more cups! Newport was a great, little town to finish the run in; I got to go grab a free pint at the Rogue and then ice my aching legs in the ocean. Not much crowd support, but I liked the small-town feel, and everyone was very welcoming. I definitely will come back and redeem myself next year with a fast time on this pancake-flat course!!

I say "most" because I love virtually everything about this marathon: The generally flat and scenic course. Great volunteers. More aid stations and mile markers this year. Fantastic weather, in a small-town race where you can actually find a place to park if you want to right near the finish line. The unique, handmade, glass medal is a nice touch also, something really different. BUT, it seems that when the course was changed after 2008, they added too much. I've now run the updated course twice (in 2009 and 2010). Both times my GPS Garmin measures it at 26.35. I run the tangents, taking as straight a line as possible. Upon comparing my Garmin with other runners GPS watches, it appears that the course is approximately 0.10 - 0.15 of a mile too long. For some runners this will not matter one bit. For others it could mean the difference between a PR/Boston qualifying time or not. I understand that GPS is not 100% accurate, but multiple watches recording the same distance would seem to give some validity to this distance issue. If there's anyone reading this that has some knowledge on this subject, I'd be curious to have it explained.

This was my second marathon. The packet pickup went smoothly and the gear for the race was priced really well. The start was quite unorganized. There wasn't really a chute and the gun sort of just went off with no real flair. Also, not having a timing chip made wanting to start up front really hard to ignore. But, I don't belong there. The miles were marked very well. After the 15-mile mark, the later aid stations were out of water and some of the porta-potties were gone. I finished in a little under 5 and there were still half of the participants out there. There really wasn't any post-race food except for chowder. The medal was awesome and the race was gorgeous. There were really no spectators.

Newport is simply a beautiful, flat, fast course. There are really only four hills (one in town, one in the park, and two on the out-and-back), none of which are any big deal. Final hill before the finish is gradual and not at all difficult; after that, it's a quick downhill to the finish chute. Miles were all clearly marked. Pre-race pasta feed was inexpensive, good, and plentiful. The race organization was fantastic, schwag bag was good, post-race food and drink (free beer! and more free beer if you stopped by Rogue!) were good, the T-shirt had a great design, and we had great support on the course. Volunteers were very friendly and enthusiastic as well. Weather this year was sunny and warm (10 degrees warmer than usual, I understand) but I'll take that over the rain any day. I PR'd by 10 minutes, and will be back as soon as I can, hopefully next year, to get my BQ. My only complaint (and not at all the fault of the race director) is that the people at the finish line hardly managed to cheer for any of the finishers! So I did as much cheering as I could as I waited for my peeps to cross. Oh, and Newport itself is a great place to visit, with lots of good food, drink, and things to do. I'll be back.

Overall, I enjoyed this race. Everything was well-organized (packet pick-up was efficient, bus transportation to start as advertised, started on time, very nice finisher's shirts, etc.). I didn't notice any absence of water stations (as mentioned in past comments), and the oysters at mile 20 were fun (shouldn't there be an official photographer there?). I stayed at The Landing right by the finish line and would highly recommend it! And Newport is a really fun little coastal town to visit. On the negative side, those LONG miles out and back along the river were endless, and the sun was unrelenting (with only a few stretches of shade). I wish some of that "partly cloudy" weather had materialized! Also, I'm not impressed by the finisher's medal, although we got some background explaining it was locally crafted. You simply can't make out the design at all. It was nice seeing all of the maniac yellow, though, and the first few miles of the course were awesome (Nye's Beach, the harbor, etc.). So this is a nice, "low key" race with limited spectators, but an overall enjoyable way to see coastal Oregon and check off another marathon.

This was my first marathon, and I loved it. It was mostly flat, other than some small hills for the first 3 miles, and the hill at mile 4 that reappears at the end. It was great to follow the bay. I live in Texas, but grew up in the Northwest, and it was so great to run my first marathon where there was perfect weather, you could see the water the entire way, and where I had great memories (I went on my honeymoon to the Oregon coast). I ran it with my twin sister, which made it perfect. I do agree with other comments made - namely that it would have been nice to have mile markers the first 5 miles, so that I could have known my pace better, and that the HEED was a bit watered down. There's a very long break from mile 20-25 with no water, but my husband met us at mile 22 with Gatorade, which was perfect. We also brought our own GU ge; -at the race they had some at about mile 13 and mile 15, but it's Hammer Gel, which I'm not a fan of. I thought it was a very well organized race, and the volunteers were very helpful. We thought that the spaghetti dinner the night before was very good, as was the clam chowder at the end of the race. The weather was probably in the high 40's at the beginning of the race. It warmed up, and the sun was out for most of it, and then towards the end a fog came in off the coast, dropping the temperature quite a bit. I cried at the end - it was in the top-5 best experiences of my life, with the first three being my husband and 2 kids!

This was my third marathon, but my first in Newport. The course had more hills than I expected, though they weren't bad. They're mostly early on, although there is a gradual ascent from mile 25 to 26. There were more spectators than I was expecting, which was very nice. People running were very nice too. My only complaints are (1): there were no mile markers for the first five miles; with the hills and lots of turns in those miles, it was very difficult to judge pace, and I started out too fast without the mile markers. (2) the spacing of the water tables was a little far, especially in the last 6 miles (I think they were around mile 21 and mile 24?). But great tech t-shirt and Rogue beer at the finish!