The BankNewport 10 Miler is one of the most scenic road races in the country, highlighting the best that The City by the Sea has to offer. The course is a ten-mile run/walk that starts and finishes at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island. The race starts outside …
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The BankNewport 10 Miler is one of the most scenic road races in the country, highlighting the best that The City by the Sea has to offer. The course is a ten-mile run/walk that starts and finishes at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island.
The race starts outside the east walls of the Fort before leaving the park and taking a right onto Harrison Ave. The course then takes a slight right onto Ridge Rd and continues on to the famed Ocean Drive from mile two through six, featuring unparalelled scenic oceanfront racing. The course will then turn left onto Bellevue Avenue for one mile and run past many of Newport’s world famous mansions. Participants will then work their way back towards Fort Adams for just under two miles, before turning right into the state park once again and finishing inside the walls of the Fort!
The race provides a relatively flat course with some rolling hills. The majority of the race is just above sea level.
A post-race beer garden from local craft brewery Ragged Island will be offered following the event. All registrants 21+ will receive a complimentary beer with additional beer available for purchase onsite.
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OVERBOOKED (at least felt it)
I have big time mixed feelings about this race. Despite the headline, the production company was still handing out bibs for sale. It was Newport, it was bougee, and it … MORE
I have big time mixed feelings about this race. Despite the headline, the production company was still handing out bibs for sale.
It was Newport, it was bougee, and it was CROWDED. I left my house super early, and somehow still was pretty much late. Logistically the place you park in Newport is one way in, one way out. The volunteers(?) seemed disjointed at best and confused at worst at figuring out where to park us on the grass. We had to hoof it about 1 mile (poor me, ha) to Fort Adams. To get to the chute was confusing, and it was way overcrowded for this race. There were not enough portas to keep up with the demand, and the lines were egregiously long. They “kind of” started us in waves, and so it was goofy getting started.
Once we got off the race was fine. The scenery was bar none–coastal Newport, mansions, rich folks, and the weather was perfect. Rolling, gentle hills throughout, Strava tells me 337 feet of gain over 10 miles which isn’t much, but it was enough to notice it. Honestly, an excellent loop to do 10 before a half if you are trying to PR a half the next week. I felt incredibly safe, and the roads were totally 100% shut down–something that is getting harder to come by in races in New England lately.
After the race, the finisher medal was fairly generic, and was a little let down compared to years past. The music was very loud and disorienting, and the snacks provided were some fruit, and I did not see any carbs or much anything of substance available.
Getting outta there was a nightmare–again, one way in, one way out. Weekend Newport traffic…
Was overall fine, but I am going to sit this one out for next year. A bit of a “party race” flavor which I am finding out I am not so much into… Too logistically complicated and not worth the anxiety for something less than a half.