Rich Sparacin's Staging Area

This was my first Backyard Ultra and I loved every minute of it. SRC did a great job putting this together and everything ran smoothly. The trail course was a nice loop with some technical aspects to it and a few hills. The road portion at night could be very mind numbing as it’s out and back several times.

Overall, the atmosphere was great and I look forward to running this again next year.

I ran this back in 2021 when they came back from the shutdowns. It was a great time but it was a watered down version of the race and I really wanted to experience the true NYC Marathon.

The Support on the course is second to none. Lines of crowds lined up pretty much from the moment you get off the Verrazano Bridge at Mile two till you hit the 59th St Bridge in Long Island City. On the 59th St Bridge, things go quiet for about a mile and half as you cross the Bridge but as you get closer to running off the Bridge, you can hear the crowds from 1st ave getting ready to cheer you on. The moment you are off the Bridge it’s pretty much deep crowds cheering you from Manhattan to the Bronx and back to the Central Park finish.

After the race can be tough as you will have a long walk from the finish till you exit the park and there no official after party, but once your out and you have your medal and finisher poncho, you will get cheered as you walk through the door of many of the bars and restaurants.

This is a must do Marathon and I can’t wait till do it again.

This was a smaller marathon with about 650 completing the full and 188 the half. With that said the giveaway shirt was nice but they ran out of my size and all I could get was a size smaller. Don’t expect an expo but the bib pick-up did have the Run Newport store their for fuel needs, shoes and they did have some hats and visors for sale.

Race morning was fine. Took an Uber to the start. I was staying in Newport and to catch a shuttle I would have had to go to Middletown just to get back to Newport. There’s no parking by the start/finish so Shuttle/Uber/Biking or walking are the options.

The marathon started a half hour before the half but you run the same 13.1 miles which is mostly rolling hills that has you run along Ocean Drive. You’ll see some nice houses and on a clear day, an awesome view of the Ocean. We had fog. There is a small stretch running by some of the old historic mansions before making your way back to the start.

At 13.1, you pass the half finish line and make your way out in the opposite direction. I was expecting this to be more flat than it was. There were two out and back sections of this second half complete with more rolling hills with some decent views of the water but more neighborhoods. There was a water stop used for mile 19 and 21 that ran out of cups as I approached it again at 21. Luckily spectators were handing out bottled waters.

Though the spectators were light they were very cheerful and uplifting.

The finish/after party was run well. Lots of Pizza. Beer from Sam Adams but it was there not so good summer beer. There was no one handing out heat sheets but I saw some runners with them. They had some PT tables which was a plus.

Overall it was a fun Marathon with some minor hiccups and surprises I should have been prepared for. A nice Marathon if you need to complete Rhode Island.

Ran the half marathon and felt this was an over priced event. The Half cost $130, the 10K was $84. It might have been cheaper early on but it doesn’t matter. The course is ok as you run over the Great South Bay of Long Island but there is very little support. The Marathoners get even less support. Some of the miler markers were missing and there was not one timing clock from start to finish except at the finish line.

The medal is disappointing. In fact no matter what race you ran, whether it be the full, half or 10K, everyone received the same medal.

The giveaway shirt was cotton and like the medal, no matter the race, everyone got the same shirt.

The after party was ok, suffered due to the rain but the party ended well before the last finishers of the race.

This was my 7th marathon and my first NYC and though this was a much more tamed down version it still was ridiculously awesome.

The expo was clearly not as large as previous years and I’m sure in the future it will return to the much larger expo people are used to. The giveaway shirt was good and the New Balance section still had a lot to offer though very pricy.

The race itself was outstanding. The crowd support was great, the volunteers were perfect. There were definitely enough aid stations plus many unofficial aid as well.

The finisher medal was top notch. Thought they would have done something better this year with the Poncho since it was the “50th” anniversary (debatable.”)

Overall, can not wait to run this again!

This was a mostly flat course with a few rolling hills that ran beside the Mohawk River most of the race. There was one portion for a few miles that ran along a street that was not closed to traffic but traffic was light. Much of the race was along the Mohawk trail/path so there was not a big need for road closures.

Due to Covid, the aid stations were to refill your own water cup but I would expect that to change by next year.

Not much crowd support but with this race I never felt the need for it. Plus the weather conditions were not favorable for crowds.

It was about 45 degrees with a cold rain but it made the race easier to handle on Memorial Day Weekend. Looked like there could have been a decent after party but I think the rain prevented that from happening. The start and finish are right by a Brewery/Restaurant and Hotel/Casino.

I would recommend this for first timers and would probably run the 10 Miler course if I ever return to the area.

Philadelphia 2017 was my first Marathon that I had run so it is hard for me to compare to any other. With that said, This was a fun experience for me.

I thought the Expo was organized well, and easy to move around. A good place to buy those last minute Marathon needs.

Due to the heavy rains the morning of the Marathon, I thought the organizers did a good job letting people stay dry in the tents while waiting for the start.

The course itself was fun, mostly flat with some inclines that were manageable. I enjoyed the first half better than the second half. Running through the city streets past the historic sites was very enjoyable. However, passing the Art Museum (Rocky Steps) and then completing a 10K to Manayunk and looping right back to the art museum and finish line for another 10K was not as enjoyable. Of course the strong 35 mph wind gusts while running towards Manayunk that slowed my pace down may give me a biased opinion on that.

The crowd support was positive but I wish there would have been a bit more for a Marathon of this size. It was the crowd support in Manayunk that kept me going and I wish that kind of support would have been through out the race.

The after party was fun, but wish they would have given at least a free beer instead of charging. I didn’t feel like going to the truck right away for my bags as that was a lot further away.

I loved how they made a weekend out of it. The half marathon was the day prior so I was able to go out and support the half marathoners including my wife and she was able to watch my race.