Newport Rhode Races
Newport, RI
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K, 1 Miler
- Road (Paved), Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
Join the City-by-the-Sea for this stunning marathon, half marathon and 5k. Newport Rhode Races partners with the Annual Newport Daffodil Days Festival to give you a true Spring Newport Experience. Our courses will pass along many of the over 1,200,000 starting to bloom around the City by the Sea. (We’ll … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Apr 18):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 53 | 58 | 49 | 56 | 50 |
| L (°F) | 46 | 36 | 42 | 47 | 32 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Scenery is awesome!
The course views are awesome! I enjoyed Newport and seeing all the beautiful views of the ocean and the architecture along the course, just stunning! The course is hilly but … MORE
The course views are awesome! I enjoyed Newport and seeing all the beautiful views of the ocean and the architecture along the course, just stunning! The course is hilly but really well laid out. The packet pickup did not offer much. There was some confusion around availability of shirts, but it was addressed. I think the downfall of this race is the start. Busses bring you there hours in advance, it was chilly and there was no where to really warm up for everyone. The lines for the bag drop were LONG so either drop your gear early and be cold or start the race late. The finish line party and food was average. Overall a decent race in a very picturesque setting.
Meh: nice course - not best production
Pros: nice course, nice houses, ocean views, cool weather. Second half of marathon quite hilly. Peaceful running (if you like that). Cons: I peed on a wall in front of … MORE
Pros: nice course, nice houses, ocean views, cool weather. Second half of marathon quite hilly. Peaceful running (if you like that).
Cons: I peed on a wall in front of everyone. Line for port a potties was never ending ( 4000 runners, 50 toilets?). Had to find my own race medal in a box – nobody around giving them out. Nobody around post race for info on where to go. Waited freezing 30+ min for bus back to car lot.
In general I’m pretty forgiving and still had so much fun! However sadly would not run again.
Beautiful scenery, weak production
PROS first: Great pre-race communication, beautiful course, nicely sized event, well marked course turns and adequate hydration stands. I appreciated the reusable cups at the water stations and the free … MORE
PROS first:
Great pre-race communication, beautiful course, nicely sized event, well marked course turns and adequate hydration stands. I appreciated the reusable cups at the water stations and the free photos!
CONS:
START: too few port-potties so long lines (though a great arrangement for lines!), poor signage, race went off 3 minutes early so we missed the start – missing pacers and the pre-run energy with other runners. The start was too close to the access point and poorly marked so a whole crowd of us went the wrong way around creating a single file path over the dune. They need high signage both for the tents and the race access points so you can see it over the crowds.
RACE COURSE: Oddly they had the cones over to the side like we were going to run single file, port a potties were in front of the water tables so the lines blocked good access to the water. For the marathoners, the finishing corral was blocked for the first runner and the signage actually told them to go the wrong way! They also needed to provide the thermal blankets, it was very cold!
Rhode Island checked off
This was a unique race taking in the best part of Newport, Ocean Drive. Started along Easton Beach with a good uphill then rolling landscape afterwards until you are headed … MORE
This was a unique race taking in the best part of Newport, Ocean Drive. Started along Easton Beach with a good uphill then rolling landscape afterwards until you are headed back down the hill to the finish. Expo was typical. Appreciated some local businesses especially TJs which had a yummy pre race Mac and Cheese. Shuttle to race dropped off almost 2 hours before race. It was a cool morning so appreciated being able to use the tents to stay warm. Post race food and water only in gates after finish gates and limited hydration. Post race shuttle not clearly designated and police on course did not seem to know either; this was frustrating, walked around for an hour trying to find it and ended up walking back instead along with a lot of other frustrated runners. Turns out it was only a 20 minute walk.
Scenic course with production issue
As others have mentioned, the course was incredibly scenic, offering views of cliffs, the ocean, the beach, and beautiful mansions for much of the route. It featured rolling hills throughout, … MORE
As others have mentioned, the course was incredibly scenic, offering views of cliffs, the ocean, the beach, and beautiful mansions for much of the route. It featured rolling hills throughout, with several appearing in the latter half of the marathon.
The only drawback for me was getting back to my car after the race. There weren’t enough buses at the finish line to transport runners and spectators efficiently to the parking areas. I waited about an hour for a bus, and with multiple stops along the way, the return trip took roughly 1.5 hours.
Overall, I’d still recommend this race for the stunning views 🙂
Beautiful course
Great communication and well organized. Course was beautiful with plenty of aid stations. I elected for the early start since there is a 6 hr cut off. So they allowed … MORE
Great communication and well organized. Course was beautiful with plenty of aid stations. I elected for the early start since there is a 6 hr cut off. So they allowed runners who were slower to start early so they could get the same finish line experience. I wish more races did that!
This one was fun. Awesome town!
More hills than expected. Nothing we couldn’t handle, just some rollers. End the end they crushed my legs though. Beautiful scenery. Plenty of spectators along the course. I would run … MORE
More hills than expected. Nothing we couldn’t handle, just some rollers. End the end they crushed my legs though. Beautiful scenery. Plenty of spectators along the course. I would run this one again in a heartbeat.
Great Half marathon
A very good race, fast down hill finish. I felt really good throughout the race. Race staging area was good, after race area was good, and volunteers we're great. MORE
A very good race, fast down hill finish. I felt really good throughout the race. Race staging area was good, after race area was good, and volunteers we’re great.
Scenic Ocean Side Race
Very scenic with views of the cliffs, ocean, beach, or mansions the entire course. It was a very windy day(15-20 mph winds) which dampened the race a little bit. Smaller … MORE
Very scenic with views of the cliffs, ocean, beach, or mansions the entire course. It was a very windy day(15-20 mph winds) which dampened the race a little bit. Smaller race with around ~1200 runners. Very well organized. It is a hilly course with some rolling hills at the end that can be rough. Swag was decent. Finisher shirt and medal were quality but they didn’t really have much other merch.
Solid Race w/hills. Lots of fast runners
Good race, definitely has hills. I enjoyed visiting the town of Newport. Expo: There is not really an "expo". It is a bib pickup. I picked up my bib in … MORE
Good race, definitely has hills. I enjoyed visiting the town of Newport.
Expo: There is not really an “expo”. It is a bib pickup. I picked up my bib in Newport the day before the race. I went around 2 pm, and the line was long. It took maybe 30 minutes. They do have a couple of local vendors, but not an expo. I stayed downtown Newport, and the bib pickup was about a 20-minute drive. Downtown Newport can get very busy and congested, so that added extra time.
Race Day: They offer an early start at 6:30 am for anyone who needs an extra hour. They will automatically assign the early start time if your estimated time is 5:30+. Love that it is inclusive! The regular start was at 7:30 am, and you need to take a shuttle to the start line. The last shuttle is at 7 am. A few people arrived late and missed the shuttle. Plan on arriving at the parking lot around 6 am; if you want to ensure you get to the start with ease. There is a staggered start for the 1/2 marathon, 15 minutes after the full marathon start.
Course: Asphalt and Concrete. All on the road. This course is hilly, more than I expected from the course map. It felt like 2 different races to me; 1st leg was the first 13 miles, and a 2nd leg with the remaining course. This is largely because of the staggered 1/2 marathon start. Once the fast 1/2 marathoners caught up to me, I felt like I was pushing my pace too hard to stay with the crowd. There are ~3,000 1/2 marathoners and ~1,100 marathoners.
It was a windy and chilly day. The race starts at Easton Bay and goes through some neighborhoods. You get a good view of Newport Harbor, but the highlight is running along the waterfront, Ocean Ave. Gorgeous even with the wind! You also run past some of the gilded mansions before returning to Easton Bay. The second half of the marathon was more relaxed for me, it covers some beautiful neighborhoods and along a bay for a bit. There was a short, steep hill at mile 18 that I had to walk. Around mile 20, many people started doing run/walk intervals. It was just a hilly course, and the 30 mph wind gusts did not help. You finish where you started at Easton Bay.
Fuel/Hydration: They have water and Nuun hydration about every 2 miles. Hydration was never an issue in the second half. At the 6-mile table, you got just a splash of water in the cup provided… just too many people. Luckily, I had my water belt. There were bananas and gels occasionally. I brought my own gels, so I didn’t need the ones provided. Post-fuel is bananas, Domino’s pizza, bagels, and donuts. I loved the focus on the environment, silicone cups used throughout the course, and a bucket about every mile so you could try to get your trash in there.
Other: Crowd support is great for the 1st half, People are out and cheer you on! The 2nd leg is pretty quiet. The roads do not close down. They are reduced to one side. Many cars on the roads, but they were all very respectful of the runners. Volunteers and police were extremely nice. I felt this course had a lot of faster runners. I finished in the bottom ~25% with a time of 4:44… No issues, just surprised by it.
First Marathon - would do it again!
This was the 1st marathon I've ever done, and I really enjoyed it. Logistically speaking, we picked up our packets the day before the race. They didn't have a large … MORE
This was the 1st marathon I’ve ever done, and I really enjoyed it. Logistically speaking, we picked up our packets the day before the race. They didn’t have a large expo – they just had a few smaller vendors at the bib pick up and at the start/finish line of the race. I really enjoyed the scenery – you got to weave through the pretty neighborhoods and run along the water. This is also a good course for spectators because the runners would pass by specific spots more than 1x. The course itself was listed as “moderately hilly” but I didn’t think it was that bad (of note, I am able to train on hills during most of my runs). Small hills here and there from what I recall, but the hardest hill was at mile 23. They are mostly short and easy to get through though. I got extremely lucky with the weather that day, as it was cloudy with temps in the mid-high 40s. There were plenty of aid stations along the course. I would definitely do this course again!
Beautiful course
For you 50 staters, I would highly recommend this venue! Beautifiul are and well run event. The packet pickup and expo was pretty small, but well run and easy to … MORE
For you 50 staters, I would highly recommend this venue! Beautifiul are and well run event. The packet pickup and expo was pretty small, but well run and easy to get in and out of. This course does have a 5 1/2 hour cutoff for marathoners, but they do offer an early start if you are slower. Know ahead of time if you are starting early, the course is marked, but it is not closed to traffic, so you will need to pay attention at intersections. Also, the aid stations will not start up until the race officially starts, so you will need to self support the first several miles of the event. My only complaint about the event was getting a ride back to where I was parked. Full and half distance runners parked in different areas and needed to get on different buses. The pickup area at the finish line was not organized and it was very confusing trying to find the correct bus to get on.
Beautiful Views, Iffy Production
This is a race with beautiful ocean views on a somewhat challenging course. The expo the day before was quite small, nothing more than a glorified bib pickup with a … MORE
This is a race with beautiful ocean views on a somewhat challenging course.
The expo the day before was quite small, nothing more than a glorified bib pickup with a handful of vendors. Information about getting to the race was good, we knew exactly where to go park for the marathon and there were ample shuttles there to get us to the starting line (spectators allowed on shuttles too).
The race started off right on time, marathon first at 7:30, then half at 8 and 5k at 8:30. This is probably the last good thing about the production, as the running lanes weren’t too crowded as a result. The first half of the course is a nice loop with a considerable amount of time with ocean views. Later during that first half the faster half folks started catching up so I had to take care while trying to run tangents so as to not block them. Aid stations were two miles apart so I carried my water bottle.
At the halfway point we crossed past the starting line and headed over to the challenging part of the course with some significant climbs, and is basically an out and back. We also experienced the joy of a water main break between the 14th and 15th mile markers, and hence cold and wet feet. Luckily it was closed up on the return. There is sporadic support on the course except in the starting and finishing section, where there was plenty of support. However, at the finish there was a big crowd just standing there waiting for other people, I barely had room after I crossed the line. I had difficulty finding the heat shield and food after the race, luckily my step daughter found what I wanted. The food tent was relatively empty when I went through it, though I did see pizza go in after I had left it. But all I really wanted was an orange.
The medal was one of the smallest I’ve gotten from a smaller sized race, though it does look nice. The shuttles that were so readily available to take us to the race were few and far between for the ride back to the parking lot, we stood in line for at least 45 minutes shivering. Even though the parking was two miles away I was thinking that even with my aching body I could have walked back quicker.
I would still recommend this race for the views alone.
Impressed with Scenery Not Production
Newport, RI is a beautiful town and is relatively close to where I live (about 1.5 to 2 hours) so I was excited for this race. The scenery definitely lived … MORE
Newport, RI is a beautiful town and is relatively close to where I live (about 1.5 to 2 hours) so I was excited for this race. The scenery definitely lived up to expectations. However the production was a major let down. I thought there was good pre-race communication with a helpful athlete guide that had the right amount of information in it. However a few participants I know received incorrect communication about an early start for the half marathon which was frustrating for them. As the race is a bit of a drive for me I did decide to stay in a hotel. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Middletown just North of Newport. This was a convenient location if you are just driving to the race like me as it was pretty close to the parking lot for the half marathon. However it is a couple miles away from the beach and the mansions so if you are hoping to spend the weekend in Newport you may want lodging closer to the beach. There is the option for race day packet pick-up but you have to pay $20 extra. The expo on Friday goes to 7pm but as traffic can be dicey coming from the Boston area I opted to pay extra for race day so I wouldn’t be stressed Friday evening. Race day morning I parked in the suggested lot in a business park. I had no issues parking or finding my car but I arrived early since I needed to get my packet and got prime parking right by shuttle pick-up. Absolutely no issues with the shuttle in the morning. The start area on the beach was set up well. I got my packet easily. Packet was just shirt and bib. The shirt is a nice, tech shirt. I’d consider it above average though since the swag is just a shirt and medal I marked swag as average as many half marathons you get something in addition to a shirt. There was gear check but I opted to just wear my shirt so I didn’t have to deal with it. It was comfortable to run it. I liked that they had a heated tent as it was a cool morning and you couldn’t wait in your car. For the race they had pacers and you lined up by pace. As it had a 3:30 time limit I stayed near the end knowing it was hilly and I wouldn’t be fast. This is a pretty big race with between 2000-3000 participants in the half marathon. While production for the race wasn’t the worst I’ve ever seen as there were no egregious issues it was some of the worst production I’ve seen for a race this big. I’ll start with the positives which is the course. It is beautiful and has a nice variety of scenery. It starts at the beach and then goes uphill (which means it ends downhill) and is then a loop through Newport. The start is mostly though neighborhoods and quieter areas. There are some fancy houses and some farmland with some farm animals. The best part is the middle of the race where you run right next to the water which was some of the best scenery I’ve seen in any race. At the end you run past the historic mansions which is also really cool and then go downhill to the finish line. There are a lot of hills but they are manageable and worth it for the scenery. There is intermittent spectator support. Not a real spectator filled event but enough pockets of spectators to keep you motivated. Now to the not as good which is production. There were adequate aid stations. However there were not enough porta potties and I lost 5 minutes waiting for one which meant I was chasing the time limit the rest of the race. I did manage to stay under the needed pace but again they were packing up the aid stations by the time I got there even though I was under the time limit and one aid station in the middle ran out of cups. Luckily I had a water bottle. As I said it my last review, aid stations should stay open for all participants under the time limit. There were a few other production issues as well. The course was mostly on coned off sections of road which was fine but there was not enough police support or course marshals. While I never felt in danger there were a few intersections where there was no one directing traffic and I had to stop and look both ways and make eye contact with drivers to make sure they were gonna let me pass. At a very, well-produced race runners shouldn’t have to think about traffic at all. I also thought the course could be better marked. Some of the turns were just marked with arrows on the ground. The finish was also really poorly designed for back of packers. I noticed they were putting cones away to the sidewalk and off the street before the time limit as I was running to the finish line. I finished under 3:30 gun time so I should not have to move to the sidewalk. The finish line area was also really crowded with people waiting in line for the shuttle and it was not that clear where to go. I noticed the person in front of me veered to the right into the parking lot area and I almost followed him but then saw the 13 mile sign was straight ahead along the road and asked a participant who finished if I was going the right way. Luckily I was. It does look like the runner who went the wrong direction figured it out as I saw a result of a participant about his age 1-2 minutes after me. The worst part about the finish area was the half marathoners came in from one side and the marathoners from the other and there were spectators blocking my path and I had to maneuver around them. I did make it to the finish line under the time limit even if you use guntime so there really isn’t an excuse for packing things up. The finish line and spectators were all focused on the marathoners but I did get a medal. The medal is nice. There was a food tent. There was pizza, donut, some bars and fruit. There was plenty of food for me. However I heard for the middle of the pack half marathoners they ran out of food and told them to wait an hour until the marathon food arrived. The absolute worst part was the shuttle at the end. The line was ginormous and there was a ton of spectators which is annoying. I’ve seen shorter lines for Space Mountain. It looked like it would take 30 to 45 minutes to wait in line. I realized the parking lot was only 1 mile away and it would be quicker to walk so I did exactly what everyone wants to do after a half marathon and walk a mile to my car. Overall I did think the race was beautiful but it was not well produced and not back of the pack friendly. I have also done the Surftown Half in RI which is even less back of the back friendly but was a much better organized race. If you can guarantee a finish time under 3 hours, do that race instead. While Newport is an easy location to visit for me, this is not a race I am eager to repeat. Last year I did the Helderberg to Hudson Half in Albany, NY this weekend and while that is about an hour further away I thought it was a much better race and plan to do it next year instead if both races are the same date. I’m definitely hesitant to sign up for this one again or another Rhode Race Half although it wasn’t a bad enough experience that I would never do one of their races again if they were the only local options with 3:30 time limits.
Great Ocean Views
This half marathon in Newport, RI is a great race with a course that provides breathtakingly gorgeous ocean views. The wind was the biggest issue for me (a runner from … MORE
This half marathon in Newport, RI is a great race with a course that provides breathtakingly gorgeous ocean views. The wind was the biggest issue for me (a runner from Ohio is not used to the constant seaside “breeze”), but nature is not something that race organizers can control. The one thing that can be addressed for future races is the number of porta-johns at the water stations… they provided only ONE at the stated locations. One porta-john at mile 10 of a half and full marathon is NOT sufficient. The finisher medals were nice, and the race shirt was great. Lots of crowd support, and super-nice volunteers. Thanks to Newport for a fun race experience!
Beautiful oceanfront course.
Gorgeous area. Start/Finish and many parts of the course have ocean views. Some rolling hills along the way, but not to tough. A bit of a breeze along the coast … MORE
Gorgeous area. Start/Finish and many parts of the course have ocean views. Some rolling hills along the way, but not to tough. A bit of a breeze along the coast made for a chilly start, and another area had high winds. Definitely recommend bringing a pullover long sleeve encase you need it. Many historic mansions dotted along the course. They do use shuttle buses from a more remote parking area. Remember exactly where you parked, they use several different lots in a large office/warehouse complex area. A lot of people roaming around looking for cars afterwords. Post race food was decent, Beer, Pizza, Donuts, and other snacks. Nice looking finisher medal too. My only negative was they use 10 year age brackets. That prevented my from getting an AG award, if they had used 5 year, like most others do, I would’ve placed 2nd. Oh well, fun time anyway!
Beautiful Course, a couple of issues
I was supposed to run the Providence marathon in April but it canceled and I was fortunate to get into this race for my RI marathon. I am extremely grateful … MORE
I was supposed to run the Providence marathon in April but it canceled and I was fortunate to get into this race for my RI marathon. I am extremely grateful and happy that I was able to participate. The course was beautiful and the town is lovely. So happy that I was able to visit Newport. The weather conditions were cool and very windy, but I’d say that mostly the weather was almost perfect running weather IMO. The wind sometimes helped a little and sometimes it was tough. Same with the hills.
For the most part, the production was good. Here are the positives that stood out:
1) Excellent pre-race communication
2) Plenty of buses to take runners from parking lot to the start area.
3) Plenty of port-potties in the start area!
4) Plenty of aid stations, porto-potties and volunteers on the course.
Here are a couple of issues that stood out:
1) Expo – the parking lot was small and a problem for some. The expo was in a small room (not an issue) but interestingly, they didn’t provide any bag for the bib and t-shirt. This may indeed be petty; I have been at very small races and don’t judge races by the expo or swag. It’s just that this made it tough to shop for a shirt, and my bib almost blew away whenever the door opened. Minor issue.
Major issue: 2) Shuttle buses after the race: There was a long group of runners and spectators waiting for buses to come by, and when they did, there was no organization for people to get on the buses. It was just chaotic and made people mad who had been trying to wait in a “line” that was not controlled. RACE ORGANIZERS – PLEASE ADD VOLUNTEERS TO THE EXIT BUSES NEXT YEAR.
I really enjoyed this race and the town and highly recommend it!
Beautiful Race, Production Lacking
Overall this was a beautiful race in a beautiful state. Easy to get to - I flew into Providence - about a 45 minute drive to Newport. Stayed in a … MORE
Overall this was a beautiful race in a beautiful state. Easy to get to – I flew into Providence – about a 45 minute drive to Newport. Stayed in a very nice hotel in Middletown down the street from the shuttle bus pick-up. Packet pick-up was just ok – a few vendors there with additional merchandise to purchase. Parking for the pickup was a problem. Expo could have been so much better. Start time was reasonable – 8:00 am. It was very cold and there was a covered tent to stand in while waiting for the race to start. Course was incredibly beautiful all along the way. A little hilly. Along the course – one water stop ran out of cups and of course it was near the end when you really needed water. Not that much volunteer support along the course. The real problem was after the finish line. No snacks to really speak of. The worst part was waiting in the cold rain for 45 minutes to get a shuttle bus back to the car parking area and at that point you just don’t feel like it. The shuttle was open to spectators so that’s why the wait was so long. Runners should have had a separate shuttle. The shuttle bus dropped off at a different spot than it did that morning and for someone who is directionally challenged – I couldn’t find my rental car in this massive industrial park area. For the beauty alone – I would definitely choose this race for Rhode Island.
Beautiful, true ocean side race!
Although it was foggy, this boasts an Oceanside marathon and it is actually that! The Oceanside homes and rocky views were truly gorgeous!!! I did an early start at 6:30 … MORE
Although it was foggy, this boasts an Oceanside marathon and it is actually that! The Oceanside homes and rocky views were truly gorgeous!!! I did an early start at 6:30 and so glad they offered that option after my poor performance in Little Rock post Covid. I would’ve made it in time but I think being able to relax about it allowed me to totally enjoy it! Swag was mediocre but not a necessity for me to evaluate this great race! Great volunteers, town support, and after party food. (Yet no chocolate milk). One late race water stop ran out of cups, I felt bad for those after me where I normally would be and sooooo need water at that time. The hills were as expected with a few large ones in the 2nd half. Good organization and marked course. Thank you Rhode Island for my state #47!!
Mansions and water
I really enjoyed this race. It seemed like the early miles went quickly. There were some rolling hills throughout the course, the largest being in the first mile, but nothing … MORE
I really enjoyed this race. It seemed like the early miles went quickly. There were some rolling hills throughout the course, the largest being in the first mile, but nothing too bad. The race is about as sea level as it gets. The course ran along the outside of Newport which provided occasional views of the bay. You travel through various quiet neighborhoods throughout and pass some of the famous mansions as well as Salve Regina University. I enjoyed the course. There seemed to be something interesting throughout most of the course which helped occupy my mind. The roads were in good shape and there was generally plenty of room. The full marathon started 30 minutes prior to the half, so you would have a lot of the back of the packers that you had to pass. It wasn’t a problem most of the time, but some liked to walk 3 wide. I do get a bit of a rush when I pass someone. There were plenty of water stops along the way and I believe there was gel as well. Spectators were sporadic, with the majority around the start/finish line. There were pacers, but no corrals. Runners are supposed to line up based on their projected pace. We all know there are always a few that go to the front and shouldn’t. The only negative was the end. It was along the boardwalk, which was open to the public and people did not respect or were not aware of the runners coming through.
The expo was small and basic. They did have a few items for sale, but everything was seamless. The shirt and medal were nice. The finish area had the usual bananas, water and snacks, but also provided pizza. I can’t eat much right after a hard run though. They provided Sam Adams to those over 21 as well. It was a smooth operation, but for Pete’s sake, stay off the sand dunes.