Providence Marathon - Race Reviews

Plenty of manned fluid stops but served up in the cups that used to be used at the dentist office. Maybe 2 ounces? Electrolyte drinks mixed differently at each table. Some were fully concentrated without water added and undrinkable, some were diluted correctly. Course was ok. Only 1 timing mat on the course at about mile 12.7. I wish we did not have to run some of the race on the shoulder of a bridge. The course was well marked. Had an hour early start which is nice. Course stayed opened longer than announced. Medal is nice. Good beer at finish but not a lot of nutritional goodies unless you had money for the food trucks. Nice hoodie. Hotels were conveniently located to walk to start. Food in Providence is excellent. Just needs some slight fixes to make it a better race.

I'll echo earlier comments, because this was still being advertised as 'our flat & smooth course'... rest assured, it is rolling hills, particularly in the front section of the course (so the front end and the back end of the full marathon course). That said, the organization is very good... really not an expo to speak of, just a simple bib pick up... very nice heavy duty hoodie too. The course is mostly nice in Providence, but the best part is the bike trail section, residential areas, and the fabulous views of Narragansett Bay. Other parts not as scenic, but you don't expect it to all be... some shoulder of the highway stuff and industrial area stuff thrown in. Pleasant surprise was the number of spectators out!! Very enthusiastic, and the water stops were all good. It was hot this year (obviously nothing organizers can do about that). Providence is a lovely place to visit!!!

As other reviews have stated, the course is not FLAT flat. There are rolling hills, placed at some tough sections of the course (including near the end). However, the aid stations and the people manning them are FANTASTIC. Plenty of aid and plenty of friendly, cheering volunteers. Packet pick-up is easy and parking is conveniently located at the mall, right next to the start. Post-race was awesome, great beer choices. This past year was rainy so definitely a lack of spectators, but based on this course (and the half-marathon I've done in the past), plenty of the course is not spectator-friendly anyways.

Was listed as a flat course but if you are going to do this race be expected for hills. So do your hill training. Water stops were excellent. It was raining but there is not much you can do about that except try not to run through the puddles. Don't know what else to say to help other prepare themselves for this race.

First time running Providence. The course has some nice parts, the bike path through the parks and by the water in particular was great. Small downtown piece was good too but I felt not going anywhere near the beautiful Statehouse Capital building was a huge error. There are some other drawbacks, some pieces are on a small section of highway and it gets clustered, other pieces are just boring. Warning, this is hilly, most of the race is rolling hills but there are a couple of SHARP ones at the Mile 23/24 piece that killed people at the end. Small race and rain so not a lot of spectators but the ones that were there were enthusiastic and appreciated. Last thing, I want to give infinite credit to the race as there were plenty of aid stations and they were well stocked. Beyond liquids all had gel or bananas or something else. Huge tip of the hat there. Overall, worth it. Providence is a cool city too, if you are a 50 stater this is the obvious RI choice. Beyond that, a solid small race.

Overall I really enjoyed this race. Nice course, well organized, and plenty of good hotel options close to bib pickup and the start/finish line. As for the course, I'll offer one comment, not as a criticism, but rather a warning: there are a few fairly tough hills during the last few miles. Be careful. Saw a lot of bonking from miles 23-25, almost including myself. Which brings me to the after-party. Great beer choices from Shipyard Brewery. Very nice touch. A couple complaints. The first is minor. I felt that only awarding 1st place for the age-groups, especially given that they were already split into 10-year groups, rather than 5-year, was a little stingy. I don't think I've ever been in a race with over 1,000 runners that didn't recognize 2nd and 3rd place. The second complaint is far more serious, but is actually in reference to the 5k race, not the marathon. My son-in-law, who is working himself back into marathon shape, had chosen to do the 5k. He was walking to the start line at 8:07, 8 minutes before the scheduled 8:15 start, when he heard the announcer call 'on your marks, GO!'. Granted, with chip timing he was still able to 'race the clock', but starting a race minutes ahead of the scheduled start time is inexcusable.

I'm working on 50 states. I've run a lot of different races. Here's my take: I think my biggest problem with this race is the fact that it is billed as 'flat.' Being a midwesterner, my definition of flat might differ, but this is NOT a flat course. There are some pretty challenging hills in the first 3-4 miles and then you hit them again at the end. To me, when I'm trying to establish a good pace at the start and when I'm hitting the wall at the end are the wrong times for hills. The course was really pretty in some parts. I loved running by the water. Average medal, below average t-shirt. Organization was not good. Example: On my watch, mile 19 came at 19.36 miles. Mile 20 came .8 miles later at 20.16. One mile sign was blown down. A volunteer tried to point me down the wrong path at one point. Finish line: food was good. But where was the drink? They handed out TINY bottles at the finish line, but there was nothing to wash down my food at the tent on the other side of the barriers. I just ran a marathon. Can I have some more to drink? Speaking of drink: Gatorade was pretty hard to find on the course. Expo wasn't worth the time. Omni Hotel is overpriced, but is located conveniently to start/finish and the late checkout was a huge plus. I'd pay a premium to stay here.

I thought the marathon was well organized. I recommend it. One complaint I had was course confusion around mile 25. You come to a fork where the course path was not clear. To the left was a park path along the river and to the right was an empty road. There were cones, but they didn't indicate which direction to go, and there were no staff. A few of us looked at each other confused. I think we picked correctly, but at that point in the race, it's frustrating to think you may have just run off course. But other than that, happy I ran Providence.

I ran Providence in 2016. I enjoyed the experience. Very little of the race is actually in Providence, but the start and finish is. The highlights of the course were the pedestrian paths through forest and wetlands. I also enjoyed the turnaround point where the only thing separating you from the ocean is a scenic golf course. I also enjoyed a scenic neighborhood close to the turnaround point. There were some fans at the finish, but overall a pretty quiet race. The course is set up to have fans see you multiple times which I liked. The tech shirt is great (I rarely keep them, but I will definitely use this one). I like the anchor medal too. The race starts and finishes at a nice park which is close to hotels and the train station which makes travel logistics for both the trip and the race day very simple. Overall I found the course pretty flat and most of it is below sea level. There are some notable hills though, especially the last few miles which are exacerbated by tired legs.

This is a great course to run. Fairly flat throughout but some good scenery along the way.

We stayed at the Omni Hotel right at the start. The good news is that all marathon runners get late checkout and the marathon start/end is literally at the next block. The bad news is that the Hotel is overpriced, not soundproofed, under maintained and does not have it's own restaurant ... good luck getting a quick breakfast. I was running the marathon with my wife and we were aiming at 4:30. We were very pleased to see that there was a 4:30 pacer provided. That said, the poor woman was clearly overpowered, she ran way too fast for the first couple miles and then did not get relieved at her expected 12 mile mark ... she tried to keep pace but just could not and was slowing down more-and-more until she was relieved many miles later. I almost wanted to take over, but was committed to making sure my wife finishes, regardless of time. The marathon started 15 minutes late and that was a bit annoying. There were just enough water stops  I would have said 'plenty', but there was a long stretch without one. There were relatively few spectators and most of them were parents of the Dreamfar kids (High School Marathon project). It seems that there is no awareness in the city about the marathon  the waitress in a nearby restaurant we were the night before had no clue there was a marathon going on the next day. However, the biggest disappointment was the route. The route was less than scenic for most of the first two-thirds of the race. There is a long stretch on a bike trail at some point and that is great. I only wish the entire race was on that bike-trail, it would have made all the difference. There were a couple of hills, but nothing worth fretting. There is a short-but-steep hill towards the very end that literally every single runner we saw walked up, but you will not lose much time  it really is short. After the race, we wanted to grab lunch in downtown, but most of the restaurants are closed Sundays. :( Too bad, the city could have so much going for it.

My partner and I are 50 staters so were attempting the marathon in each state. This was our RI race. As we ran a marathon in NJ the day before, I decided to take it easy and run with him who is naturally a 5:30 ish runner. Here's my take on the race: 1.) Very small and underwhelming expo. Why anyone would pay 200 to 300 a night for a hotel room is beyond me. We stayed at the airport for literally a third of that and its 9 min from DT. 2.) Yes the course is hilly but not overly bad and its more hilly up front so I'd take it easy at first knowing its flat for the majority of the middle half of the race. My gripe with the course is that if that was what Providence has to offer why would anyone live there? We were either running on the shoulder of a somewhat busy unscenic road or on a bike trail. As others have mentioned the roads are bad with potholes etc and I agree the non race runners and bikers on the trail were oblivious to runners. 2.) We finished in 5:47. There was nothing besides bananas at the finish. No pizza. Nothing. When I inquired about pizza which was advertised, the said they ordered a couple more for the 'straggler' runners but that's it as they were over their agreed allotment. Yes the person at the pizza counter actually said this. 3.) The race started late once again which seems to be a yearly thing. 4.) The medals are actually nice. 5.) Very little spectators. 6.) Their website is as if a 10 year old made it. Try finding any info on there. It's a shame RI can only put on a race such as this. I will say we have run all over the country and use this time to gauge areas we want to return to for family trips. RI isn't one of them.

This was only my 2nd marathon, my first being Philly, so I was shocked (in a good way) by the intimacy of THIS 'city' marathon! Hotel booked was at Omni just steps from start/finish. Prices were very reasonable and accomodations were great. It's connected to Expo (packet pickup) and mall. There was a cheer competition going on, but the Desk Agent mentioned they were putting marathon runners and cheerleaders in opposite towers. Phew! Expo left a little to be desired (I did the upgrade package and wouldn't recommend it). The shirts were so over-sized and ill-fitting. I was kind of bummed out, as I've been to local half marathons with nicer shirts. Maybe in the future they'll offer women's sizing instead of unisex?Then again my previous experience was Philly's huge expo. Overall though, I found everything to be well-organized and got my bib quickly. Race day I was surprised when I lined up by pace to be maybe 10 deep from the start. (I'm not that fast - 4hr marathon). Just shows how small it was - which is great! Loved that the blue trailer lockers were there to store your stuff. Plenty of potties w/ minimal wait as well. They thankfully also had different start times for the half and the full. I didn't think the course was THAT hilly. A noticeable hill around mile 6 and mile 20... and then a really steep horrible hill at around 22 that I had to walk up. (Everyone was cursing it)! Also, you run through a park area around mile 23/24 with cobblestones for 1/4 mile. UGH. Cobblestone - really?! Otherwise, it's a fairly flat course. Most of it is on bike paths (and streets weren't heavily embanked either). I did hate how they couldn't close the paths off to bike/pedestrian traffic. No major issues while I was running, but it was a pain having to weave through more people that didn't care to move out of the way of the action. Not as much crowd support compared to bigger cities, but those that were there were energetic and positive. I carried a fuel belt so didn't notice any funky water stop placement. Only around mile 23 was there an issue with the water stop. There was so much wind, they couldn't keep dirt out of the cups. They resorted to individual pours which bottlenecked things a bit. The only real negative I encountered were the 25-30mph headwinds I dealt with for the last 10 miles. This is out of anyone's control though. Had it not been for the wind I probably would have PR'd. Found food to be plentiful at the end (at least when I finished). Fruit, turkey wraps, and of course the beer tent. (I was too nauseous to eat any of it, but it looked good)! Didn't even realize there were food trucks - just too out of it at that point I guess! I do recommend this race and would even race it again in the future if I needed a local Spring marathon and didn't want to travel too far. (I live in MA).

This was my first marathon and I thought the route was very scenic. No there weren't a lot of spectators along the route but I didn't expect there to be that many. People complained about the hills but they did post an elevation map. Like any race, you should know your course. Aid stations were listed too. As for the wind, not much anyone can do about the weather. I received my medal and a heat wrap after I finished the race. For those people that complained about the volunteers, volunteer at a race. It was my first time to Providence and I really enjoyed the city and would love to go back again. My one disappointed was that on Saturday night I couldn't enjoy all of the food trucks that were out! It would not have made a great race day.

Overall, enjoyed the race...just a stone's throw from Boston where I was visiting for the weekend (hr 20 min drive) The Good: Very easy getting into/out of town race morning, simple race pack pickup available on morning of the race-I LOVE this being an out of towner, considering most races do not do this, this is a huge perk and is something I look for when picking a race; very nice finishers medal, I really enjoyed the course, I thought it was a fairly flat, scenic course; aid stations had plenty of aid, volunteers at aid stations were friendly and helpful, plenty of port a potties at start, police officers did a great job of traffic control, results posted very quickly, love when marathon given its own start separate from 1/2ers The bad...running through a park system and the weekend bikers out riding their bicycles 20 miles an hour and not really seeming to care about the runners, the aid stations had plenty of goodies, but they had wierd spacing, some very close together, other times longer distances between aid stations (that being said, i never felt stations were ridiculously far apart); at the finish line, typically my experience has been volunteers out handing medals to finishers are extremely enthusiastic, help guide absolutely exhausted runners to where food is, etc...in this case I finished, got a foil warmer, no one stopped me and I realized, oh crap, i didnt get a medal...had to walk back adn tap a volunteer on the shoulder to get a medal, who then quickly handed it my way without a word...also got no guidance anywhere as to where any food was; I was given a bottle of water and gatoraide, which happened to be quite warm...I did LOVE the line of food trucks, however not knowing about this, I had no money since mine was all in my car in the parking garage-and no way was my tired self walking all the way back from my car to get some of that food! (advertise the food trucks being there!) Ive seen other races do a great job of creating a pre race buzz via email and social media, and this race unforunately didnt do that The ugly....no one has control over it...but the STRONG winds against/crosswinds the last 5-6 miles were tough! Overall, an enjoyable race

Having heard complaints about the last half of the Newport marathon course, I chose Providence to cross Rhode Island off my list. The area hotels were not gouging you like most do during big city marathons. The city was a bit hectic with the circus in town and parking was tight if you were arriving around the same time as the start of a performance. The course could be described as rolling hills. There was a bit of wind during the race and additional water stations would have been nice but they were about 2-3 miles apart. I found the breeze off the bay to be refreshing. Here are my cons: 1) Thru no fault of the race directors but the course ran by a classic car show and there was someone at the entrance that tried to stop runners to let the cars thru. Most runners kept running but I did see one car just go thru the crowd and resulted in many curses from runners who were nearly hit. 2) There was not much food. The directors need to provide more than a banana and a 1/4 of a chicken tortilla. There was unlimited beer and it was good beer (no coors light or bud light) so that helped. I don't expect buffet but I hope for at least 600 calories to help replenish the 3000 I just burned. The race was nice. I would not go out of my way to repeat but the directors did their best to hit the highlights of the city. It would have been nice if Hasbro (which has it's corporate headquarters a few blocks from the start) would be a sponsor.

This was my 14th marathon so I like to think I know a thing or 2 about what to expect. This was exactly what I expected. This was my first small marathon and it actually was nice break from all the craziness involved in the major marathons. The start was easy to get to and seed yourself in. There were pace groups and it was easy to navigate the course with less runners then my usual experience. The course has hills yes.. but the only one that really got me was around 21& but at that point anything will get you. I have run some hilly courses this didn't seem to be that bad to me. The wind was the only real issue I had with the race which is out of anyone's control. The water stops did seem to be spread out and the gatorade was only available at certain stops and was very warm/watered down. I would also recommend bringing your own water bottle just in case. There were times i needed water or expected it at a major mile marker so I could take a GU but then there was no water stop. The whole race joy thing I guess was a disappointment. The idea was great&kudos to Providence for trying to get a tracking system. I know it didn't work..When I figured out that you had to carry your phone with you for real tracking and pay $1 for the service I opted out. The only tracking you get for free is the half marathon split which didn't work. The expo was very small.. seemed to be just thrown in the convention center in a random spot due to the event going on there that weekend. There is no real direction of what to do.. who has your bib.. etc.. But as I said this is a small marathon and I pretty much knew going into it this is what it would be like. With the hills and wind I still ran a BQ here which was my goal. The crowds at the finish line were fantastic.. the volunteers along the way were great. I didn't partake in the after party they had b/c my hotel was so close I decided to head there instead. The food was fine I thought.. i don't know what people expect at the end of a race? They have your typical banana's .. etc. I mean it's a race. There were food trucks there that you can get food from as well if you need more or want something different. In fact I loved that idea. Overall Providence was a decent experience. The course was nice, the crowd was nice. It is what it is.. it was a beautiful fun day.. crossing the finish line still feels the same as it does in a major marathon. I would consider it again. The positives outweighed the negatives for sure.

In addition to the review I just previously posted, I wanted to address some of the specific negative feedback that was posted about this race in order to give a more balanced and fair perspective to others considering this race. 1) 1 Sensor on Bib - I've run 33 marathons and most bibs have 1 sensor that I wore. Bottom line - Did your time get recorded? 2) 'No water from Mile 1 to 6' - That is simply not true. There was a water stop right before Mile 3 and another one right around Mile 4.5. How he/she missed those water stops I do not know but they were there. 3) To the person complaining about having to backtrack to get his/her medal after getting their heat wrap, the volunteers giving out the medal were literally stationed directly alongside the volunteers giving out heat wraps. 4)As far as the complaint that they didn't like the course 'because of the hills'...Why register and run it then? The elevation profile was on the website. 5) As far as complaining there were no vegetarian options at the finish line.. A race is an athletic event and shouldn't be considered a buffet experience catering to all possible dietary needs. If you have special dietary needs, then you should pack your own food in your bag. Just grab a banana, water and/or Gatorade and then head to baggage pickup. 6)As far as not 'being made to feel special' at the finish line because the volunteers handed them the medal instead of kissing them while putting the medal gloriously around their neck, you have to understand that these are volunteers. After how many hours of handing thousands of medals to the half marathoners and marathoners, they should be appreciated and thanked. They can't spend too much time on each individual to 'make them feel special' since that would cause a big backlog of people getting their medals. I make it a point to thank each and every volunteer. 7) As far as 'lack of spectators', I thought there were more than enough spectators. It really wouldn't bother me if there were no spectators but there seemed to be good pockets of them. Keep in mind that this race is in Providence RI and to even compare that to NYCM is simply not fair. I thought the spectators were great and saw lots of funny signs. 8) As far as the long lines for packet pick up race morning...Simple solution was to have picked it up either the day before or 2 days before. Not many races, especially marathons even have the race day pickup option so that should be considered a big plus rather than draw complaints. Besides my previous review, another nice positive aspect about the Providence Marathon was that the race photography pictures are free to all athletes! That's a big perk! I think the race has a lot going for it. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 stars is that the water stations could be spaced out better but not sure how possible the logistics of doing that are.

Despite concerns from runners in previous years, it is 26.2, as advertised! The route is very scenic, don't expect much crowd support. There are a few hills, but if you train for hills, they are nothing to get excited about. My biggest takeaway is that the marathon is more on key with a quiet small town race. That is not a bad thing. Bib pickup was easy, the start/finish line area was easy to navigate and get where you needed to be, and there was sufficient amount of water stops along the route Be aware ahead of time though, do not expect a 'big city' race experience. If you do, you will be disappointed. If you expect lots of swag, food, water every mile, and thousands cheering you on, you will leave feeling disappointed.

I'm a bit surprised at many of the negative comments below me. The course was very scenic, especially the last 8 miles or so. Unfortunately, the scenic parts also meant lots of headwinds! It's a bit hillier than expected but nothing terrible. It's a nice mix of bike trails, streets and ocean running that serves well to distract you at the right moments. One of the things I really liked about the race was the separate start of the full marathon from the half marathon. No crowding on the course and you knew the person next to you was in the same race. I found the spectators to be more than enough. They all had great signs, enthusiastic and you knew there were there to specially support the marathoners since it's a separate course. As far as the water stops, they were very well run and stocked by enthusiastic volunteers. As far as spacing of the water stops, the only noticeable one was the gap of approximately 3 miles from Mile 20. However, I knew this having looked at their course map so I was prepared and drank an extra cup at Mile 20. I've run quite a few marathons and this is one of the easiest logistics wise. I took a Greyhound bus from NYC. The bus station where I got off was literally across the street from the start which is literally a block away from the Providence Biltmore Hotel where I stayed at which is 1.5 blocks away from the expo. Tip: Even though the Biltmore didn't advertise it, they were giving late checkouts to the runners who asked for it. As far as the expo, it was pretty much in the halls of the convention center. Very easy. Just walk to the end to get your bib and shirt. There were a few vendors there selling all the basic necessities. Expo was efficient as it took me all of 2 minutes to get my bib and shirt and leave. Traffic control was smooth, efficient and friendly. Never had any issues or problems with worrying about traffic. The only time I was nervous was running on the bike path when the occasional cyclist would come barreling down around 20 mph thinking they are in the Tour De France and disregarding the safety of the runners. Obviously, this is not the Providence Marathon's fault. The finish line experience was fine. As soon as I finished there were volunteers with wraps and medals. I don't know how someone could have walked past them if they tried since they were literally about 20 feet from the finish. As far as food, they had bananas, water, gatorade, pinwheel sandwiches, free beer at the Skating Center and some assorted other choices. I'm not sure why there were so many complaints about this. I'm the biggest foodie there is but races aren't supposed to be Las Vegas style buffets. The variety and quantity of food was more than adequate. Trivia - Yahoo named Providence one of the top 10 food cities in the U.S. and I took advantage of it. Nice, small city! Had a fun time in the city as well as the race and have absolutely no reservations about recommending it to others.

I knew, going into this race, that it was not going to be the NYC Marathon experience I had last November. That said, there are a lot of things that could have been done differently, regardless of size. Pros: *The small field of runners meant shorter lines at the start line port-a-potties. *The runners at this race were SO FRIENDLY *The course was very scenic. I enjoyed seeing various neighborhoods, running along the water, going though downtown. Cons: *Water stops were inconsistent. At one point, it was almost 4 miles between water/aid stops. That's too far in a marathon. Other times, they'd appear a mile apart. *Regardless of what the website says, the first half of this race is HILLY. Be prepared. *Very few spectators. I think this is a con for most, although truth be told - it was a nice change of pace from NYC where you had people screaming at you every step of the way! :) But if you need crowd support to motivate you, this is not the race for you. *Finish line: Very lackluster experience. I had someone sort of shove a medal in my face. Did not make me feel special or like I just accomplished something. Then the food selection was bananas and small slices of meat-filled wraps. So for the vegetarians, just bananas. This worked out well for me to get a local spring marathon in, but I wouldn't do it again. Nor would I recommend it for any first-timers.

Loved the course - very scenic; along water, through trees; on a bike path; some hills; pretty residential areas along the water. Super easy logistics. $2 bus from the airport (ask at Information Desk right before exiting the airport) - every half hour - right to downtown, which is right where start/finish is, Convention Center for packet pickup; and Omni, Biltmore, Courtyard. Biltmore gave 2:00 checkup. Couple water stations were kind of far apart. Volunteers were great.

The first half of the marathon is easier than the first. The second half seemed to b mainly up hill. Maybe I am wrong because it was just windy and I burned out.. But I think it was harder. My second half marathon slowed down by 10 minutes. First half was a 1:20.. Nice people in charge. Good race to test the waters of a marathon. I feel it sets the bar so a second one will make it easy to improve.

There isn't really much to write about Providence. This race is low key, relatively small compared to other major cities, and mostly a residential and bike trail race. They got rid of the switchback that most people complained about and my GPS was pretty close to 26.2 at the end, but there were tons of turns so you really have to take the tangents or you will go long. The aid stations were still weird, they'd be really spread out and then two would be right on top of each other. I highly recommend bringing your own aid if you are a slower runner. My actual trouble with the course was the wind, which is out of their control. There were headwinds and crosswinds for a significant percentage of the course and it definitely demoralized me and other runners and slowed us down. I'm pretty sure the slower pace groups may have been behind. It was cheap, there were hotels within walking distance to the start/finish and you could sit and drink beer with your friends after a low key race. Its not bad if you need to knock RI off of your fifty states. And kudos to the race director for listening to previous year's feedback.

I ran this course on 5/4/2014. The packet pickup was seamless but I noticed only one sensor on the bib. Typically, there are 2 sensors. I also noticed in the runner's booklet (pdf) that they wanted us to download and register the RaceJoy app for runner tracking. It's one of the worst app that I have used. Typically, in all the marathons I have run (this was my 7th), We get elegant instant messages at 10k, 20k, 30k, and finish line. The RaceJoy wants my family (each) to download the full app for 99 cents and wants me to carry my iPhone. How silly is that? Anyway, I started the run. There was water in mile market 1 (why?), then no water until mile marker 6 (wow). THen there was water at mile marker 6.5 and no water until mile marker 10. How silly is that? No one was manning the mile marker 3 water station. Why? The race proclaims that it's a flat course. This is a lie. It's quite hilly apparently but the race organizers wanted more entries and therefore they indicated that it's flat. There were more security (orange vests) privately owned, than there were volunteers. The crowd was very sparse as well. In the entire race, I don't think I saw more than 100 people gathered over the 26.2 mile course. Then it was windy - very windy. It was so windy that I ate dust and drank the ocean waves as it spat on our faces. Finally, at the finish, I received the medal and 1/4 chicken tortilla. When I asked for another 1/4 chicken tortilla, I was flatly refused. I was told that each runner gets one banana and one 1/4 chicken tortilla. The finish line festival was very sparse - so sparse that I hardly noticed others. I don't think I'll run this again.

Thank goodness this was marathon #10 for me. This would have been a horrible experience for a first timer. It was a not-so-great experience for me. THE BAD: Packet pickup: horrible. 6:15am on race morning, and there was zero energy. Quiet as a library. Volunteers were not directing racers as to which line (by race #) they should wait in, so several people waiting in the wrong line (thinking either line could accommodate any runner) were told to re-queue for the proper line. There was no signage either. Nobody told you where to find your race shirt - you just followed the crowd. When I got there (pre-registered for a small) all they had left were larges. Start was 10 minutes late. Race finish: I was wrapped in a heat sheet, and handed a bottle of warm water. No medal. I left the finish area, and asked another runner where to go for medals - he pointed back to the finish line. I had to go back into the finisher area where the current batch of tired runners were just crossing the finish line and ask for a medal. I was not directed to any food or other beverages. I helped myself to a second bottle of warm water, made an attempt looking for food and found a table with very tiny, very skimpy chicken wraps and bananas. I gave up and went back to my car which was well stocked with snacks. I learned that lesson after running NJ Marathon in 2010. RI Convention Center Parking Garage: advertised on the race materials as $10. Sign out front said $12. When I went to leave, I was told $13. I said 'What happened to $10?' The attendant said the website was wrong, but did charge me the $10. I did not like the course. I know that's personal preference, but I didn't care for all the hills. A great deal was also along water, and it was so very windy out on race day, that it actually felt like you were running *through* water in several areas. Course could have been marked better for the last 2 miles, but there were spectators to keep you on course. We ran through several quaint neighborhoods, and it was like the townsfolk were afraid of us. Very, very few people cheering from their homes, and I saw a few actually peeking out of their windows as if the streets were being unwelcomely invaded. THE GOOD: Plenty of port-a-potties at the start area. Many course marshals and police at all intersections. I never felt like traffic was an issue. Cars were always stopped in plenty of time for crossings. Tons of water stops with enthusiastic volunteers. There must have been enough port-a-potties on the course too, because there was rarely more than 1 person waiting. SUMMARY: I used this race to cross RI off my list, and it met that need. And also because I couldn't resist a race on Star Wars Day. May the fourth be with you.

While I understand part of the race takes place on the East Bay Bike Path, how about closing the path to bikes while the race in ongoing? Many of the cyclists are weekenders, therefore marginally able to handle their bikes in the midst of many runners. Therefore, they are unsafe. Promote runner and cyclist safety by closing the path to bikes during the race. Simple.

This was my first full marathon. The following were positive attributes: 1. The police did a great job preventing traffic from entering the race course. 2. Plenty of standing room at the finish line for spectators. The following were areas for improvement: 1. Some of the mile markers were off; two in particular that I remember were in the late teens and early 20s. I was moving pretty even-paced at just under 8 min/mile and I remember my consecutive splits being around 6:30 and 9. 2. The volunteers handing out water filled it to the brim, making it difficult to drink and making it splash easily. I have volunteered at 5 marathons giving out water, and one of the first things we're told is slightly less than halfway filled. 3. The finish food was nasty. Typically, after long distances, I can eat anything. However, I actually ate 1/4 of a bagel and threw the rest out because it was so inedible. 4. Not the most picturesque marathon; there were parts that were ok, but the good majority of it is run in ugly, gray suburbs.

The mile markers were way off at points. The 14 mile marker was off by .25 miles. I was running with a pack of runners and all our Garmins, Polars, GPS watches were reading similarlythe mile markers were long. By the finish line the course was almost .4 longfour-tenths of a mile long!!! That is ridiculous! I couldn't believe it. But sure enough, everyone I asked afterward ad the same results... 26.5-26.6 long. Just for kicks, I plugged the course into mapmyrun.com and guess what? 26.6 The race directors need to get their acts together. It is utterly ridiculous that they'd make a long course. FYI: in case you're skeptical because it lists itself as a 'USATF certified' course, consider that the distance it self-reported. A USATF official isn't out there measuring it. The organizers report the distance. Anything longer than 26.2x is an ultra marathon. So congrats to all the finishers... We all just ran an ultra. Sucks for all of us who missed our Boston qualifying time because of the long course.

Ran this marathon as a relatively last minute decision and signed up the day of the Boston Marathon, after the bombings. Got family in SE Massachusetts and came up from Georgia wanting to reconnect with my blood family and my running family in New England with BQ hopes. Well about the race, Race packet pickup was a breeze with plenty of parking in and around Providence Place both during the packet pickup and during the Marathon. I was able to get in or out without any problems. The Omni hotel was a great choice for the expo and pre-race gathering venue with ample restroom availability bewteen the hotel and porta-potties outside was fine. The pre-race organization effort was terrific, no coral issues and a phenominal and very moving National Anthem. The tone was emotional with this being the first major Boston area Marathon since the bombings. Police presence was just right, enough to promote feeling safe but not too much like you're in a police state. The officers were also very friendly and genuinely supportive of the event and it's runners. Post race food and beverages were plentiful and well attended to. They roped off a pretty good size courtyard area where you got your massages( as I believe, I didnt get one) and your complimentary Naragansett Beer which was a treat as I can't get them in GA. The course itself was a unique blend of suburban and metropolitan settings which made it cool. You started off in downtown Providence then made you way out to Barrington via Veterans Memorial Parkway. Right from the start, it appeared that the first few mile markers were wrong and I shrugged it off but then became concerned as others were off too. I ran with the runners hope that it will all work itself out in the end with the finsih line at 26.2x. Well the course in the first 10k took you over some decent hills that fresh legs could tackle easily and then out to Barrington where the course took you out to a point/penninsula with some nice ocean/bay views. The city felt far removed. Coming back out and away from the point, the course went for several miles along a relativley flat long section of wooded bike paths that I liked. Soon after that, you were making your way back to the city as you were reminded with some super Providence Skyline views from about 7-8 miles out which I found surreal with the thought that we are actually running to the city way off in the horizion. Several miles of this were on the bike path right on the river which was cool. Had Water and City Skyline views, best of both worlds. Was brought back to earth soon after that as you hit those hills that were no problem in the beginning with fresh legs but menacing on the back 10k. Additionally there was a short, steep hill around mile 23 or so that forced me to walk for a few seconds but per my Nike+ sport watch was good to go pace wise for qualifying for Boston. Soon after this hill you were entering downtown and my watch was around 25.0 with no sight of the finish line. I continued to run with hopes that the next left would reveal the finish line but it didn't and my watch showed 26.22 before taking that left. After making that turn, sprinted like hell when the finsih line was visible. When I finished the race, my watch said 26.45 and the official time was 3:25:05, I missed my Boston Qualifier by 5 seconds! This is my biggest complaint on the course, the Marathon needs to be at 26.2x or dont have one. The distance needs to be right and the mile marks also need to be right. I cut every possible corner and ran every possible tangent. The Course Distance Needs To Be Correct And The Mile Markers Need To Be Right! I spoke with nearly a dozen runners after the race and they confirmed my assessment. Look, they also only fielded a fraction more 13% Boston Qualifiers, it was the long course distance that did many of us in, not the hills, its a net zero gain, and not the weather as it was cool, overcast and a bit drizzley at race start. I think that the race organizers did have their act together and other than the markers and course distance, they got everything else right and sponsored a good race. There was were more GU and water stops there than any marathon I ever ran before. Spectators were great and so was law enforcement. Last thing I think needs fixing is the course distance and mile marker accuracy! Remember, Marathoners train for months for a particular race and its the race sponsors duty to them to get the course distance right! By the way, I BQd the following weekend, 5/19/13 at the Poconos Run for the Red Cross at 3:23:40 for a course 26.26 miles long per my watch and their official time. I would run the Providence race again more as a casual training run, if I'm home in Mass at the time but would not activley seek it out as a BQ race until they fixed the mile markers and the course length problem.

This was my marathon #6 and I think it was a nice race. I read the comments from previous years, and I think there were improvements. I think it was a well organized event starting at the expo (even though my bib# vanished and I got a new number), and during the race. The water stations were fine and there were plenty of gels. Nice people all around! My only complaint is that I was ready to PR and could not (I was looking for a 3:30). I found the course quite hilly and I am person who runs on hills. I cramped up on mile 19 and I think it was because I went too fast on the downhills of the beginning of the course. I was not expecting to see more hills, but one more at mile 25 as I was told. Not the case!! So, take the advertisement literally...it is 'relatively' flat. Still, this is a marathon I would recommend.

I signed up three weeks before the race when I realized I'd be in Providence anyways. Parking / finding expo. Easy, even on race morning. Packet pick-up. Easy, breezed through on race morning. They only had large t-shirts left (I know I indicated small online). Very basic shirt anyways. Pre-race. Easy gear check. Plenty of port-a-potties. I don't recall seeing water, but I wasn't looking for it. Race started about 15 minutes late. Course. Mile markers sometimes off +/- .2 miles. After a couple, I began relying on my garmin more than the course markers. At the end of the race, my garmin said 26.36 miles (I heard some other people saying they also got a bit over 26.2). Overall scenic course, pleasant. Some spots a bit tight between shoulder and on-road traffic but plenty of room for most of course. Aid stations. Oddly spaced and not enough of them. Plenty of water, gatorade, and gu at the stations they had. But stations should be longer, especially gu needs to be at least 150 feet before water. Not enough warning when a station was coming up. I bring my own honey stinger chomps for food (sugar in the gu messes up my GI tract), and like to eat them right before an aid station so I can drink water. Volunteers were very pleasant, but could have been better trained to hold water cups from bottom of cup, spread out a little more, shout at us what they're holding. Overall - some organizational problems, not a race I would set out to repeat but not one I would necessarily avoid either. Decent small-city marathon, could be improved with more accurate mile markers and more consistent aid stations.

First off, I came up with friends and we stayed at the Biltmore, which I highly recommend. It was super cheap and they let us have a late checkout for free, so we could shower and chill after the race. The start is also right outside the front of the hotel. Course is not easy, with some significant hills, especially towards the end. It is very pretty on the bike path and back in the neighborhoods. Water stations were well stocked and the spectators were pretty nice.

I stayed at the Omni (host hotel). Got almost zero sleep the night before the marathon, thanks to tons of drunk and drama filled high school students going crazy most of the night. Hotel security tried some, but... The logistics of the race were very easy. The start/finish and expo are all within a couple block area. So it was an easy walk from the hotel. The course was decent enough. There was lots of Gu on the course. Fluids were in large cups like most marathons and filled with the right amount of fluids. I thought there should be been another fluid station or two, but maybe that is just me. I met a lot of nice runners on the course and volunteers. The shirt was nice, the medal was nice. It has a small town race feel to it. Not sure what the past years were like, but based on some past comments on here, 2013 was better. I have no complaints, other than the hotel based on the drunk kids.

I'm a novice marathoner, having made this race my 5th overall and my 4th on the road. I've done a half dozen 70.3 triathlons, and quite a few half marathons. I know what a good venue looks like. Parking was easy and finding the event was easy. However, I didn't feel like the course was as advertised. I think there was a change in the 2013 course due to bridge construction placing a nice climb at mile 6. In fact, i thought the course was rather undulating, especially on the return from 23 to 26. I think the mile markers were off too. Some miles seemed very long, and I think I was duped into starting off too strong. I blew up later on in the race. But, I can only blame myself for that - more a nutritional error than mile markers being a bit off. But, there is that psychological piece you get from splits. I could have used some salt along the course. Maybe some sugar or flat coke?? Candy?? Sucks because I've begun to rely on the course for my nutrition instead of lugging it with me. The aid stations seemed oddly spaced. I'm so used to triathlons where the aid stations are at every mile, or at least, every other mile. Only large T-shirts were available.I was a bit bummed about that since most 5'11', in-shape guys swim in a large shirt. I'm pretty sure Active.com asked me my shirt size. I don't think this would be my 'go to' Boston qualifying race. Too bad too because I need a good spring race. I am still a big fan of the ING Hartford marathon. They seemed to have their act together - just saying my two cents.

Well the race organizers finally listened to the feedback and made some changes for the better. The course is much improved with elimination of the infamous bridge and switchback ramp! Water stops are still oddly spaced, especially on the bike path stretch from 18 - 21. Found aid stations were well stocked...multiples with Gu and almost all had Gatorade (at least for the front of the pack). Bottom line is the course is now much flatter, especially the 2nd half. Some rolling hills, but nothing too nasty. Just missed a PR. Still some issues in the last two miles where the half and full join up...faster marathoners are weaving through and dodging the half marathon pack. Medal nice...shirt OK. Plenty of food and drink post race. Much improved...and a much better BQ course than years past.

Take all the warnings of the race seriously. I ran this only because I did not do Boston because of the heat and did not want to waste the winter training base I established. I finished in just over 3 hours and never saw any bananas or gu. Like others said the cups were smaller than shot glasses, lucky for me I carried my own water since I read previous race comments. The shirt stinks and it is more like cotton then the dry-tek fabric advertised. The medal was the best thing about the race. Not one mile split was accurate and mile 25 was a half mile long. My gps has been pretty close to every race I race since I got it but at the end of the marathon it said 26.59 and I cut every tanget as possible. I was 3 minutes ahead of my previous marathon time at mile 26 but yet it took me over 4 minutes to run the last .2 of this course. Went from 7 min pace to 12 min pace over the last quarter is impossible for anyone unless they walk. Mile 25 of the marathon was after mile 12 of the Half. Shouldn't it be pretty close together? The water stops were very spread out at times over 2.5-3 miles apart, and Port-a-Johns were not at every stop like adverised. 2-3 years now they have run out of water, cups or food on the course. The course is not to hilly and the bridge at mile 25 would be an awful experience if you were in a pack, lucky for me I was with 1-2 others. There is no room to pass there, especially with walkers and bikers coming at you. The switchback kills any momentum that you have. There was a 360 degree turn around mile 9 too. Spectators were there at the water stops but not anywhere else. The police did a good job at managing traffic and the course was marked well. If you need a RI race to get your 50 states in come back in the fall and run the one in Newport. It has to be better than this. This race is not for serious marathoners!