It was my first time running the Newport Marathon. The Newport Marathon took place on October 9, 2022. It was a great day for a Marathon. The weather was sunny, in the 60s. The views were spectacular. 

It’s a USATF-certified course, so the official finishing times can be used as qualifiers for other big races, such as the Boston Marathon.   

Newport Marathon Race Format 

The Newport Marathon starts and ends on Easton Beach with beachside views. Marathoners and Half-Marathoners do exactly the same route at the same time. The half-marathoners end their run at Easton Beach (start line), while the marathoners keep going to the other side of Newport—the less scenic part.

The Newport Marathon went through downtown Newport, along the beautiful coastline, and then into the famous classic mansions district. After the mansions, this is around the time when the half-marathoners end. The other half of the race was mostly in rural residential areas with less spectacular views, but still, we were surrounded by ocean views.  

The Newport Marathon was hillier than I thought, especially in the race’s second half. The total elevation on their website states 847 feet, however, my watch recorded 1,125 ft of total elevation gain. The maximum elevation was 105 feet, which isn’t bad if it’s a gradual incline, but going from sea level to 105 feet, one can definitely feel that. 

The Newport Marathon started at 7:30 A.M. Not everyone started at the same time. We were released in waves depending on the individual’s pace, which is standard practice. The race kicked off without a hitch. 

Pros and Cons of The Newport Marathon

PROS 

Weather

The weather was perfect. I thought it would be chilly being October by the Ocean, but it was great. It was sunny and in the mid 60s.

Bathrooms

They had two bathroom options: the porta-potty and the indoor stall options. The indoor options had very long lines, especially before the race, whereas the porta-potty’s had very manageable lines; there were plenty of porta-potties to accommodate everyone. So if an individual like myself didn’t mind porta-potties, they would have no problems going to the bathroom at this race.  

Gear Bag Drop

This was a welcomed surprise! The Newport Marathon had a free bag drop-off area. They also had paid lockers that one could rent for these types of events. The free bag drop-off area seemed very secure; they had employees watching the bags in a designated area where non-employees weren’t allowed. All they required was to write the bib number on a piece of tape applied to the bag. There was no line to this area, unlike the paid lockers, where there was about a 10-minute wait. 

Aid Stations

There were plenty of aid stations along the route. There was an aid station about every two miles. Each aid station had standard running nutrition such as bananas, GU gels, Gatorade, and water, possibly more, but I didn’t see it because I always bring my own food—Top 5 favorite foods to eat on the run. 

After the race there was more food such as pizza, although it was a bit cold, but understandable. 

There were also bathrooms almost at every aid station. 

Awards 

The Newport Marathon gave out unique finishing medals. The finishing medal was made to look like a compass with a rotating needle, fitting for a place known for its boating. 

Massages

At the end of the Newport Marathon, there were massage therapists there. Although the line was long for massages, it was nice to have that option. They had massage therapists there with massage guns.

CONS

Parking

This was hard to put in the CONS section of the review because there was plenty of parking. However, we had to take shuttles to the starting line. We had to take everything with us onto the shuttle; if we forgot something, we would have to take the shuttle back to the car, which was about a mile or two away. I had to leave the shuttle because I left my headphones in my car; luckily, the shuttle was still waiting for racers.

Here’s a positive spin on this: There were many shuttles, and the wait time was very short. The race organizers did a great job accommodating all runners. At the end of the race, I had no issues taking the shuttle back to my car, and there was almost no wait time. Luckily, Newport has plenty of beaches that have loads of parking. 

Merchandise

Everyone received a t-shirt, but it wasn’t the standard quick-dry running t-shirt. The t-shirt was cotton. It seems like they went with a cheaper version of a t-shirt than in previous years, according to some runners I’ve spoken to. 

Beer Garden (where is it?) 

One of my favorite parts of finishing a grueling race is having a cold beer at the end. This race advertised that they would have one free beer at the beer garden. My friends and I couldn’t find a beer garden anywhere. If it existed, there were no signs pointing us in the right direction. Needless to say, we were slightly disappointed. 

So if you’re from out of town looking for a marathon, you will not be disappointed with The Newport Marathon!

---

Thanks for reading! Please Subscribe to Receive Our Latest and Greatest Updates!