Experience the gorgeous landscapes of New Hampshire by foot in the annual Loco Half & Full Marathon returning to Newmarket, NH this October! Join hundreds of runners as you enjoy iconic autumn foliage and winding country roads through FOUR New Hampshire towns. With its flat, fast course, this RaceRaves “Best …
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Experience the gorgeous landscapes of New Hampshire by foot in the annual Loco Half & Full Marathon returning to Newmarket, NH this October! Join hundreds of runners as you enjoy iconic autumn foliage and winding country roads through FOUR New Hampshire towns. With its flat, fast course, this RaceRaves “Best Marathon” nominated race is one of the easiest Boston Marathon® qualifying marathon in New England.
The fun continues once you cross the finish line at the post-race party in the Rockingham Country Club where you’ll find delicious food from Old Salt waiting to warm you up! PLUS, the 21 and over runners receive craft beers to wash it all down. It’s the perfect way to celebrate a job well done.
The Course
The Loco Half & Full Marathon offers runners a scenic 13.1 mile loop course along winding country roads through four coastal NH towns: Newmarket, Lee, Epping, and Newfields. Half marathoners will run one loop, while marathoners run two. The late October date usually provides ideal running temps in the 50’s, in addition to amazing fall foliage. The course elevation has a change of less than 100 feet – so it is flat and fast! For the past two years, over 32% of our marathoners qualified for the Boston Marathon! The race starts and finishes at the Rockingham Ballroom in Newmarket. There are just the right number of flat sections, a few rolling hills for working those different muscle groups, and a spectacular 3-mile section on the Rail Trail.
The first three miles are rolling and take you down a shaded road to Lee, NH. Next up, is an almost totally flat section until Mile 5. After which, you’ll head into a gentle incline into Epping (where you’ll likely see a pair of Clydesdale horses grazing in the field as you pass Clarke Farm. You’ll then run through Newmarket and up a small hill, before heading out onto the last 3-mile stretch on the beautiful Rail Trail. It’s relatively flat with almost imperceptible, gradual downhill sections. Take the time to look around and enjoy the views of beaver ponds and unspoiled forests!
There are six water stations on the loop course (meaning 11 for the full marathon):
WATER: Miles 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13.1, 15.5, 18.5, 20.5, 22.5 and 24
GATORADE: Miles 5, 9, 18.5 and 22.5
Energy Gel: Mile 6.6, 13, and 20.3
The course is USATF Certified at 13.10938 miles.
The course cutoff will be 5 hours and 45 minutes.
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Great views!
Very well set up production and organized. Weather is always great at this race. One of my favorites. Course is well marked and offers great scenery. Spectators will cheer you … MORE
Very well set up production and organized.
Weather is always great at this race. One of my favorites.
Course is well marked and offers great scenery. Spectators will cheer you on throughout the race.
Sign up today! Definitely on your list of repeat races.
Small town feel and well organized
My first time at this half marathon and my 6th half marathon to date. This is not the most exciting race since it's in a small town without many spectators, … MORE
My first time at this half marathon and my 6th half marathon to date. This is not the most exciting race since it’s in a small town without many spectators, and the race itself isn’t large, but the race production is solid and the scenery is nice.
The race started at 8 am and it was 39 degrees. If you arrive early enough you can park about 1/3 a mile from the racing start area and walk over, otherwise you park 1 mile away and take shuttle bus. The Rockingham Ballroom is where you pick up your bib number and race shirt and can hang out inside to stay warm – I received a very nice, thick 1/4 zip long sleeved shirt that I enjoy wearing.
The bag drop off and portapotti lines were a little crazy when I realized about 30 minutes prior to the race that I should probably head outside to do those things. I had just enough time that I wound up at the starting line less than 10 minutes prior to the start.
There were pacers for the half and full marathon so I took advantage of that and went with the 1:50 pacer for the first 6ish miles and then continued on my own.
There are rolling hills, it wasn’t quite as flat as I’d expected but nothing major, and the last 3 miles are super flat.
There are areas on the roads where cones have been placed and you’re supposed to stay between the cones and edge of the road, I believe this was around miles 4-7 or so, and in some of those areas it felt a little cramped with the other runners. You could pass outside the cones when there weren’t cars nearby.
The last 5k or so is run on a trail through the woods. At first this made me a bit nervous because although I do enjoy trails I also fear tripping on rocks and tend to slow down out of caution. The trails are very flat and there are some rocks here and there sticking out from the ground but overall it was pretty easy and safe so I was able to pick up the pace without much concern. The fall foliage is quite lovely both in the woods and along the roads.
Water tables at miles 2, 5, 7, 9 and 11, and there was some kind of race gel somewhere but I brought my own with me. Water tables were not crowded and were well stocked.
A few spectators here and there along the course offering encouragement.
Overall it wasn’t the most exciting half marathon or race that I’ve run, but I did enjoy the course and was very pleased with my time. The course is amenable to running a fast, possibly PR time.
Post race they had cups of minestrone, chili and rolls, bananas, granola bars and water. Oh and beer, if you like beer after a race. Not quite a feast but at least there was something good everyone. The minestrone and roll hit the spot but I am glad I brought a protein bar along as I needed more than that.
Marathoners do a double loop of that same half marathon course.
Lovely Small Marathon Down Country Roads
I ran this marathon as my 25th state and 40th overall marathon. It was a great choice! I flew to Boston and stayed in Exeter, about an hour from the … MORE
I ran this marathon as my 25th state and 40th overall marathon. It was a great choice! I flew to Boston and stayed in Exeter, about an hour from the Boston airport and 10 minutes from the race start in Newmarket. Packet pick-up was the morning of the race and very easy. The race course is a double-loop run down country lanes with beautiful fall color. Miles 0-5 and 13-18 do have some rolling hills–they are not very big or long, but there are several. Miles 10-13 and 23-26 follow a dirt trail through the woods. The trail is pretty flat, but I did need to keep a close eye out for stray rocks or tree roots sticking up–especially on the 2nd loop when my legs were tired. The aid stations were adequate and the volunteers both at the aid stations and the start / finish were all very friendly. I placed in my age group and the awards were socks and an adorable plaid running cap. The jacket given to all participants is very thick and warm and definitely one I will wear again. Overall I would give the Loco Marathon in New Hampshire a 5 shoe rating!
Scenic NH marathon
*Lovely, mostly flat, double-loop scenic marathon course. *Parking on race day was 1 mile from the start. Parking was plentiful, the marshals were efficient. Shuttles ran frequently and reliably. Very … MORE
*Lovely, mostly flat, double-loop scenic marathon course.
*Parking on race day was 1 mile from the start. Parking was plentiful, the marshals were efficient. Shuttles ran frequently and reliably. Very smooth.
*Aid stations were plentiful.
*There weren’t many spectators along the route; of course, that may have been due to the race-day rain, but my understanding is that this is somewhat typical. As one of the less-speedy marathoners, I found myself nearly alone for stretches in the second loop— no complaints about that, as it actually felt very peaceful and lovely to me.
*The course was adequately marked.
*Swag was a well-made tech shirt and one of the prettiest medals I’ve ever seen. Both among my favorites!
*Every volunteer I encountered was absolutely amazing. Every single roadside volunteer met us runners with smiles, cheers, fuel, water, etc. in spite of the raw, rainy weather. The volunteers running registration & bib pickup, course marshals, finish line crew and all others were equally wonderful. They were a big part of why I loved this race so much.
* I could not stay for the after party so can’t comment on that
* overall a wonderful race. I would have loved to see an early start option for those of us marathoners who will likely finish close to the 5 hour time limit, but other than that I have only great things to say about this marathon.