The course is flat and fast but not overly exciting. However, the race organization, swag and food make up for it. The race is at Hampton Beach just outside of … MORE
The course is flat and fast but not overly exciting. However, the race organization, swag and food make up for it. The race is at Hampton Beach just outside of Portsmouth. It spends the first part of the course winding its way back and forth around the little beach town. Then it heads out along the water into the neighborhoods up to the north and then back. Great crowd support and lots of aid station. The race is pricey but you get a cool medal and a really nice zip up hoodie plus a mini lobster roll, clam chowder, 2 beers, and live music at the end.
If you have a friend/relative running shorter distances, this is a great race for the 5k. Again pricey but you get all of the same stuff as the half runners.
Another plus they allow morning packet pickup which is nice for a bigger race. Do heed parking warnings for race morning. There is one road into town and it does get backed up. We were in a several mile back up but followed some other cars that took a left at a stoplight onto Landing Rd and came around the north side to parking/race activities. Bring cash, many beach lots only take cash. It’s the only part of the race that is a bit of a cluster. Or you could get there SUPER early but who wants to do that. 😉
But all said, this is a great race!!! Highly recommend.
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Great Beach Race
The course is flat and fast but not overly exciting. However, the race organization, swag and food make up for it. The race is at Hampton Beach just outside of … MORE
The course is flat and fast but not overly exciting. However, the race organization, swag and food make up for it. The race is at Hampton Beach just outside of Portsmouth. It spends the first part of the course winding its way back and forth around the little beach town. Then it heads out along the water into the neighborhoods up to the north and then back. Great crowd support and lots of aid station. The race is pricey but you get a cool medal and a really nice zip up hoodie plus a mini lobster roll, clam chowder, 2 beers, and live music at the end.
If you have a friend/relative running shorter distances, this is a great race for the 5k. Again pricey but you get all of the same stuff as the half runners.
Another plus they allow morning packet pickup which is nice for a bigger race. Do heed parking warnings for race morning. There is one road into town and it does get backed up. We were in a several mile back up but followed some other cars that took a left at a stoplight onto Landing Rd and came around the north side to parking/race activities. Bring cash, many beach lots only take cash. It’s the only part of the race that is a bit of a cluster. Or you could get there SUPER early but who wants to do that. 😉
But all said, this is a great race!!! Highly recommend.
Great event. Awesome post race party!
Gorgeous course, well organized and an amazing after party. Best half marathon around in the fall! You will not find a better combination of a fast, scenic course with lots … MORE
Gorgeous course, well organized and an amazing after party. Best half marathon around in the fall!
You will not find a better combination of a fast, scenic course with lots of runners and a great celebration! I would highly recommend this race.
5k in 2022 & 2023. 1/2 Marathon in 2024!
I ran the 5k race in 2022 and 2023. And since my husband was running the 1/2 Marathon, I was standing around waiting for him to finish. Well, 2024 is … MORE
I ran the 5k race in 2022 and 2023. And since my husband was running the 1/2 Marathon, I was standing around waiting for him to finish. Well, 2024 is the year I join him and we finish together!!!
Rockfest Half-Marathon is spectacular!
This is a well- run, well-attended and beautiful half-marathon. A can’t-miss for NH races. This is a bigger race, so it’s worth getting to the start line early! We enjoyed … MORE
This is a well- run, well-attended and beautiful half-marathon. A can’t-miss for NH races.
This is a bigger race, so it’s worth getting to the start line early! We enjoyed seeing the sunrise on the beach before the 8am start. Parking is paid and the city enforces that!
The start was crowded but well managed and the energy was fantastic.
The course was well marked, mostly flat, and well supported with water/Gatorade stations. There were plenty of ocean views and lots of enthusiastic spectators and musicians.
The finish line food and refreshments were great. Lobster rolls, veggie wraps, chowder— it was perfect. There was beer available or soda for those who prefer— it was a little weird that beer was 1 ticket while soda was 2 tickets, but not a big deal IMO. The continued live music was the icing on the cake.
Swag is top notch. One of my new favorite hoodies plus a sweet medal.
This is one of the best half marathons I’ve ever run, and I’ve run quite a few. Highly recommend!
Loved the course, atmosphere, & support
The course has changed for the better since I last ran it several years ago - lots of waterfront views - both marsh and ocean - interspersed with great neighborhoods. … MORE
The course has changed for the better since I last ran it several years ago – lots of waterfront views – both marsh and ocean – interspersed with great neighborhoods. Mostly flat, with enough easy uphill to keep it interesting, and you cannot beat the chowder and lobster roll at the end! Glad to have come back to Smuttynose Rockfest!
Love The Beach View!!!
If you loves going to the beach this got to be on your bucket list. Got in it to support my nephews and his girlfriend. The bonus is the ocean … MORE
If you loves going to the beach this got to be on your bucket list.
Got in it to support my nephews and his girlfriend. The bonus is the ocean breeze and views while running.
A Must Do Race
I paced this race for Beast Pacing for the 2:50 group. Everything from the production, communication, to the swag, to the RACE MEAL (lobster rolls and clam chowder) was AMAZING!! MORE
I paced this race for Beast Pacing for the 2:50 group. Everything from the production, communication, to the swag, to the RACE MEAL (lobster rolls and clam chowder) was AMAZING!!
Beautiful seaside course!
Loved this race! Beautiful location, great swag with clam chowder and lobster rolls at the finish. Very flat with a small bridge thrown in for beautiful sights although very windy! … MORE
Loved this race! Beautiful location, great swag with clam chowder and lobster rolls at the finish. Very flat with a small bridge thrown in for beautiful sights although very windy! Highly recommend!
Windy!
PRODUCTION: I arrived at 6:00 a.m. as suggested by the pre-race email and was able to find parking right near the start/finish area. Parking was free for the event. Roads … MORE
PRODUCTION: I arrived at 6:00 a.m. as suggested by the pre-race email and was able to find parking right near the start/finish area. Parking was free for the event. Roads were closed for the race and it felt very safe. There was no starting banner or pacing corrals, so I made a guess about where to seed myself in the big start line crowd. There was no pushing or anything at the beginning, though, and despite being in such a large start funnel, I felt safe. They had speakers blaring music in a couple places and a live band at the Seashell Stage, but the vast majority of the run was quiet. The volunteers were friendly and enthusiastic. I had to visit the medical tent at the end of the race due to injuring my IT band, and the provided good care.
COURSE: Extremely flat with just a few little rollers in the residential areas. A lot of it was along the ocean, but due to the height of the wall, it was impossible to see the sea as I ran. The out-and-back course included passing the finish line around mile 6, which was kind of a heartbreaker. If you plan to run this race, definitely bring more layers than you think you’ll need unless you’re confident in being able to maintain a fast pace throughout. Despite being in the 50s, the ocean winds were brutal and definitely made the run less enjoyable as I didn’t have gloves or a hat/earmuffs.
SWAG: Awesome tech hoodie and big medal that looks like a vinyl record.
AFTER-PARTY: Because I injured myself on the route and had to walk the second half of the race, I arrived at the very end of the after-party, so I can’t give an accurate review. The lobster sliders were decent, and the hot chowder was a blessing given how cold it was. I didn’t use my beer tickets as I didn’t think consuming alcohol would be a great idea given the injury. The host (same fun guy from the Smuttynose Will Run for Beer 5K) kept up his energy and enthusiasm as he encouraged slow runners at the finish line.
OVERALL: I enjoyed the flat course, enthusiastic volunteers, and ocean views. I didn’t enjoy the wind or lack of accurate self-seeding at the start line. Love the swag. I’d consider running this race again next year if I’m able to return to distance running.
Windy but great!
Running through the remnants of Hurricane Ian brought strong winds but this didn’t dampen the race! Great support, excellent communication, fun after party with great food. Slight glitch with timing … MORE
Running through the remnants of Hurricane Ian brought strong winds but this didn’t dampen the race! Great support, excellent communication, fun after party with great food. Slight glitch with timing system, took hours to load my time and was worried it didn’t track me as doing it. It all got resolved. Super fun race, gorgeous little town.
Windy this year, but still flat & fast!
SO WINDY from hurricane Ian. Otherwise would have been a PR. Well organized. Easy bib pick up (no expo). Great zip-up jacket and finisher medal! Fun MC, great music and … MORE
SO WINDY from hurricane Ian. Otherwise would have been a PR. Well organized. Easy bib pick up (no expo). Great zip-up jacket and finisher medal! Fun MC, great music and each runner gets 2 beers, a lobster roll and chowder! Tons of hotel options close to the start line (although most of the boardwalk/beachfront shops and restaurants were closed for the season).
Flat course along Hampton Beach
This was my first time running Smuttynose, and I had an amazing time! We stayed in Hampton Beach on Saturday and Sunday nights so we didn't have to worry about … MORE
This was my first time running Smuttynose, and I had an amazing time! We stayed in Hampton Beach on Saturday and Sunday nights so we didn’t have to worry about driving in on race day. Packet pickup was easy and quick on Saturday afternoon. The 3/4 zip fleece pullover was really nice. They had other merchandise for sale there as well.
We were able to just walk 10 mins to the starting line from our hotel in the morning. As race conditions go, the weather was just perfect. Overcast and 59 degrees with a slight wind. However, I have heard in years past, it can be cold, windy and rainy! The starting line didn’t have any porta-potties, so you either had to walk a few blocks to the finish to go or hold it! We got started right on time at 8am. Though crowded, it wasn’t unmanageable and it thinned out enough to pass runners if you needed to. The mile markers were way off from what my Garmin GPS showed. Mile marker 2 showed up when my watch said 1.66. And then my watch showed 2.73 at mile marker 3. I don’t know what happened there! The first 5 miles or so run through Hampton Beach and then after that you run along the ocean northwards. It’s out and back so the faster runners had to navigate through the large packs of slower runners and there weren’t any cones to separate the runners running in different directions. Aid stations were about every 2 miles so it felt sufficient to me.
The finish line was well organized, with people handing out water and bananas. Food tent lines moved quickly, giving out clam chowder, minestrone soup and lobster rolls. A vegan wrap was also available. We were given 2 beer tickets that could be redeemed at the clam shell stage or at bars across the street.
Highly recommend this race to anyone looking for a fast course and a great party afterwards.
Fast, Flat, Scenic & Vegan Options!
I will start off by saying this is an awesome race and probably my second favorite half marathon of the year after Surftown. This race is produced by Loco Running … MORE
I will start off by saying this is an awesome race and probably my second favorite half marathon of the year after Surftown. This race is produced by Loco Running who is the other big race company in NH besides Millennium. However earlier this year Loco was bought by a larger national race company Ventures Endurance so this was the first time Ventures Endurance produced the race. The people from Loco are still involved. I did think the event was overall well organized but there were a few minor issues I’m guessing that were likely a result of the change in management which is to be expected. My dad also ran the half marathon and my mom and her high school students volunteered at some of the water stops so it was a family event for us. Pre-race communication was pretty sparse. There was an email sent Friday. It had the basic information but there could have been more specific details. The race starts at 8am but my mom had to get there at 6:30am to set up the water stop so we woke up super early since it is about an hour drive from my parents house. Parking was very easy and free that early. I thought packet pick-up could have been more organized. I was originally registered for Half at the Hamptons which is another Loco race back when it was owned by Loco earlier this year but that got moved to a date I couldn’t do so I opted to defer to this race. However unbeknownst to me, there was a waiver for this race I never filled. After I waited a few minutes in line for my bib they told me I couldn’t pick up my bib because I hadn’t signed the waiver and that I had to speak to the woman at the end of the registration table. However after waiting in line to talk to the woman at the end she had no idea what I was talking about because the actual woman I was supposed to talk to stepped away for a few minutes. She eventually came back and I figured it out and electronically signed the waiver with her and then had to wait in line again to get my bib. Not a huge deal but kind of annoying waiting in so many lines and there would have been a few much simpler solutions. The simplest being having paper copies of the waivers at the bib pick-up stations. I understand wanting to go paperless so 2 other solutions would be to have emailed people without a waiver beforehand and/or having it so the bib pick-up people could also do the electronic waiver. After the bib pick-up drama the rest was pretty smooth. It was easy to get the fleece pull-overs. They are extremely nice. One of the nicest clothing articles I’ve received from a race. The start of the race was relatively smooth. My only critique of the start is there were no porta-potties by the start line only at the finish line which was a couple blocks away. They had runners line up in self seeded waves. I went to the last one which was 11 min/mile or more and waited near the front figuring I would be one of the faster of this group and everyone around me was running a similar pace. The race is chipped time with a timing mat at start and finish since this is a large race and it took a couple minutes for the end of the line to get to the start. This was one of the biggest races I participated in since the pandemic though not as big as usual years which made the race extra fun. However there were pretty much no covid protocols. Whether this is a good or bad thing I will leave up to you. The course is super nice and super flat. The first section is a short loop down the main area of Hampton Beach then through some beach neighborhoods and then an out and back along the ocean back to the main Hampton Beach street followed by a lollipop loop the other direction along the ocean and through a neighborhood then back along the ocean to the finish along the main street. You do pass the finish line a few times. This can be frustrating for some people but it also great for spectators. Unlike Surftown and Surfcity where you couldn’t really see the ocean for most of the race, there were absolutely gorgeous ocean views this race. The neighborhood though was much nicer in Westerly, RI. There were some friendly spectators here but no celebrity mansions. The course is pretty much pancake flat until the neighborhood where there are some minor hills. Total elevation under 200 feet. Weather was gorgeous today. This is often a cold and windy race according to my dad whose run it a few times before but today it was in the low 60s and there wasn’t much wind. Compared to Surftown there was no wind. It was barely a factor today. However I didn’t think there were quite enough aid stations for a day this warm. The volunteers were great and I’m not just saying that because my mom was running 2 of the aid stations. They genuinely were but I think there was only 5 aid stations and they were about 2.5 miles apart. This would be enough for a cold day but today was a little humid and I sweated a lot. Luckily I was carrying water. Half the aid stations were just water and half had water and gatorade. There were also volunteers handing out gels. I appreciated the gels but I thought it was odd the gels were given out about 1/2 mile from a water station as I like to wash down my gel with water again luckily I brought my own water. There was plenty of porta potties on course which was good since I needed one since I couldn’t go right before the race. Also the roads were either completely closed off or half the road closed off so you never had to worry about dealing with traffic. Course was really easy to follow too. My biggest critique of the course is the mile markers were crazy off. The mile 1 marker was correct but the mile 2 marker came up at 1.67 miles. The 3rd and 4th also came about a quarter mile short. I was nervous the race was measured wrong but luckily the mile 5 marker was in the right place and they were mostly right after that though seemed to be off by like 0.1miles here and there. Anyways between the beautiful weather, fast course and exciting atmosphere I was super fast today and realized if I pushed myself the last 3 miles I could actually break 2:30 something I hadn’t done since January and I did it! This was actually my fastest half marathon this year and my fastest since the New England half nearly 1 year ago and second fastest since the pandemic. At the finish line you get your medal. It is a nice medal. I would say compared to other half marathon medals it is above average though not a top 25% medal. The medals always have the cute harbor seal that is part of the Smuttynose label which I like. At the finish line there are bananas and water. Then you can go to a food tent where there are lobster rolls and clam chowder and even better they had vegan minestrone soup and hummus wraps. The hummus wraps were freshly made and delicious. The soup was pretty good too. There was also a booth with hint flavored water. Overall this was a really fun race and a great and fast course. The swag was very nice along with the post race food. There were a few minor details that could be fixed but I think they will once the new management company is more familiar with things. Would definitely recommend this race for NH or just in general. There are a few other races I want to run that occur on this weekend but I will definitely consider this one again!
The organization was outstanding
Not only was the race organized extremely well, but the swag was fantastic as well as the food afterwards. Clam Chowder and Lobster! Loved it. Flat course, but a bit … MORE
Not only was the race organized extremely well, but the swag was fantastic as well as the food afterwards. Clam Chowder and Lobster! Loved it. Flat course, but a bit windy which made it a bit more difficult, but loved it. Worth returning.
Nice Choice for a 50 Stater
We went to run the Smuttynose as our New Hampshire race. this was state #35 for me. We flew into Boston and the drive to Hampton was right at 1 … MORE
We went to run the Smuttynose as our New Hampshire race. this was state #35 for me. We flew into Boston and the drive to Hampton was right at 1 hour. The town is “rustic” and the people are very friendly. You won’t find any Marriotts or Hiltons in Hampton. We stayed about .5 miles from the start and was able to watch the sunrise on the ocean from our room.
The race was well organized. Instead of a shirt they gave a 1/4 zip fleece.
The fleece is a nice fleece. The medal was fine (not fancy) but is also a bottle opener. (The race is sponsored by a brewery). The course was flat except for a couple of small hills in the neighborhood part of the run. The race is mostly up and down the road next to the beach and the crowds were pretty nice through most of the race. I would have given the difficulty a 1 except you have to run into the prevailing wind for the final 3 miles or so. The post race party was fun with some live music. There were 4 places you could get your post race beers and 2 of them had live music. The only reason I did not give this race a 5 was because you only got a bottle or water and a bag of chips as finish line food. No chocolate milk, not gatorade, no bananas, etc. They did have lobster rolls and clam chowder, which I was told was very good. But that isn’t my type of finish line food. All in all, a very good race experience in a nice little town.
I would definitely recommend this race to anyone looking to complete a New Hampshire race. Also, kudos to the Grandview Motel (where we stayed) and Lola’s Kitchen (little shop next to our Motel where we got coffee, water, etc.)
Flat and Fast
Nice race along the Atlantic. Hampton Beach. Really flat. Runs along the ocean but due to the retaining wall, hard to actually see the water. Well organized. Good communication and … MORE
Nice race along the Atlantic. Hampton Beach. Really flat. Runs along the ocean but due to the retaining wall, hard to actually see the water. Well organized. Good communication and support. Great swag and after race snacks! And how can you not run a race called the Smuttynose!
Great family racecation
The packet pickup is very efficient and the 1/4 zip is good quality. Get there early (6ish) if you want free parking. There are plenty of porta potties and public … MORE
The packet pickup is very efficient and the 1/4 zip is good quality. Get there early (6ish) if you want free parking. There are plenty of porta potties and public restrooms before the race. The course is relatively flat and includes running over a drawbridge, through the touristy beach area and residential housing. There were mile markers at each mile and sufficient water stops and one gel stop. The only clock is at the finish line. The food tent was great and the beer tickets could be redeemed at multiple venues which helped with the crowds. The medal was a cute bottle opener too. Additional merchandise like short sleeve tech shirts were on sale at packet pickup and post race for reasonable prices.
Had a Blast Running This One!
This was my 2nd of a BtoB so I took my time and glad I did. What a fun race! Enjoyed the crowds and kept stopping along the course to … MORE
This was my 2nd of a BtoB so I took my time and glad I did. What a fun race! Enjoyed the crowds and kept stopping along the course to chat & drink. Great chilly wx with sunshine. Nice after party too if that’s how u roll. Nice fleece pull over too. Flat fast course too.
Flat & Beautiful Course! Well Organized!
This was by far one of my favorite half marathons! Fast and flat, right along the ocean! Great after party! Well organized with email communications regarding packet pickup/parking and race … MORE
This was by far one of my favorite half marathons! Fast and flat, right along the ocean! Great after party! Well organized with email communications regarding packet pickup/parking and race day start/finish line.
Great Race
A very fun race with great scenery and well run, lots of great volunteers. Great venue at the end with good tunes and food, great fleece and medal as well. MORE
A very fun race with great scenery and well run, lots of great volunteers. Great venue at the end with good tunes and food, great fleece and medal as well.