October Marathon of the Month: Breakers Marathon, Newport, Rhode Island

It's actually called the "United Healthcare" Breakers marathon (and thank you sponsors for all that you give to the world of running in exchange for having your company name in the marathon title). Last time I checked nobody paid me for a name drop on my blog title, hence the omission. ;)

For those unfamiliar with Rhode Island (that would be all of us), Newport City is actually on an island called Aquideck in the southern coastal region of the state. It's known as a New England summer resort and also known for the famous Newport mansions, which the marathon runs by. Although undated, the results and reviews on marathonguide.com go as far back as 2005, making 2014 the 10th annual running of the marathon. I have contacted the race organizers for verification. (Stay tuned).

Ok so here are the stats:

Size:

Although the recent reviews read as if this marathon is suffering growing pains, the race results over the past three years have been about the same: Approximately 1000 for the full and 3,000 for the half marathon. This is a nice, manageable size, in my opinion.

Expo:

In the past the expo was held in a tent positioned next to a local running store, which seemed to be a non-issue until this year. I'm not sure why there were ridiculously long lines when the number of race entries didn't dramatically increase. At any rate, unless this changes, I wouldn't expect a large venue with a lot of participating vendors. For a marathon of this size that is expected! I always try to get to expos as early as possible, and in this case I would strongly suggest that.

Course:

Here is the course description taken from their web page:

The UnitedHealthcare Marathon and Half Marathon cover a rolling course on scenic Newport and Middletown roads. Starting by the water in downtown Newport, the course runs through some of the most scenic spots on Aquidneck Island, including along historic Thames Street in downtown Newport, around Fort Adams State Park, past Hammersmith Farm and the Newport Country Club, around scenic Brenton Point and Ocean Drive and past the famous Bellevue Avenue mansions. 

All three USATF certified races take advantage of Newport and Middletown's rich history and beautiful oceanside scenery to offer some of the most breathtaking runs in the country.

True, most people commented on how stunning this course is, but the most beautiful parts are on the first half of the course. The first half is a loop that runs back to the start, and the full marathon runs past the start/finish to run a series of out and backs in the opposite direction. I have done a few marathons that ran past the start/finish and it is not fun, so prepare mentally for this. (Seeing the start/finish and then the quietness after parting with the half marathoners). The second half is still quite nice scenery-wise though--just not as pretty. I'll take that.

Logistics:

The race starts and finishes downtown, but there appears to be parking issues, so they have a shuttle bus system for parking. Proper handling of this seems to be a challenging task for the race organizers, as there are many negative reviews with regards to long waits and race delays, so this is a negative...unless you stay at a hotel within walking distance to the start/finish, which is possible.  A race delay of 10-15 minutes may be expected. 

Swag:  

With a small race there won't be much in the way of race apparel for purchase, but the given tech tops and medals are fine. In fact, I love last year's medal, a Rhode Island state shaped medal, which is very unique. 

Post race party: 

Here is a picture of the finish area, which I think is sweet! There may or may not be "food" at the finish, so this could be a negative, but this is pretty much a non-issue for me. They don't mention beer though. :(

Destination Marathon: 

Newport is about 90 minutes from Boston, so traveling to this marathon is pretty easy. (And probably a nice, scenic drive from Boston too). Be warned: Newport is expensive! The host hotel rate is over $300 a night, yikes, won't be staying there! Other hotels in the area are cheaper. Marathon fee ranges from $80 to $110 on race day, which isn't too bad, considering how marathon prices keep going up! There are lots of things to see and do in Newport and the surrounding area: lighthouses, breweries, museums, historical monuments and structures, and great seafood restaurants.

One more thing: Next year this marathon is slated to be Kathy Murgas' final 50 states marathon! We plan on making this race--planning on the full, but the half is a plan B if training goes awry! Regardless, the "post race celebration" will be epic I'm sure. Don't miss out.

Here is the link to the race web-site:

http://www.uhcmarathon.com/

Marathon #21: Portland Oregon Marathon 2007

Look at the fall colors in background

Luckily I have my original race recap to post, so I don't have to rely as much on my memory. The main thing that stands out over time is that Portland is an urban marathon. I think people come to this race expecting to run through rural areas surrounded by evergreens. For an Oregon marathon it can be labeled as ugly. I think that's fair. Portland could do a much better layout of their city as well, but  I really enjoyed this marathon, as I enjoyed traveling to Portland in general. Since I participated in the Hood to Coast relay 6 times I had been there quite often. (For those that don't know, the relay is about 200 miles in distance, and teams of 12 run from Mount Hood to Seaside, traveling through Portland about 1/3 of the way into the race). I came to run this marathon with Codi and Linda, with our significant others in tow.
So here is the recap:

Pre-marathon: 
The expo was crowded and chaotic, so we pretty much got in and out as fast as we could. Odd thing: We received high tech long sleeved Finishers shirts. They said "2007 Finisher on them". Later we had dinner at La Terrazza, which was great. 

Marathon morning:
Codi and I walked to where we said we'd meet Linda (at the 3:30 pace marker), and I told Codi, "I'll be right back". (I want to point out that I had no intention of returning...there was no way I was going to try to run that fast!) With 5 minutes to gun time I am still in a long line at the port-o-potties, but I am having a lovely conversation with an older guy who is running his first marathon. He is telling me all about the Northwest Passage Relay in Washington and how wonderful it is. (We are doing that relay folks!!!). I bailed on the port-o-potty and ran to the starting area. I was on the curb, trying to squeeze into the lone fence entry when the race started.

Marathon:
Crazy start--lots of turns initially. I tried to pretend the need to pee was just nervous energy until around mile 5 when I saw a port-o-potty door fly open. I nearly took out 2 runners as I lunged into it. After 20 marathons this is a first for me! I am literally staring at my watch ticking away precious seconds, and whoosh, I fly out of there like Superman. I have no idea where I am in regards to pace, missing 2 mile markers in addition to that moment of madness and the crowded start, and of course everyone and their mother is flying past me, freaking me out, until I calm down and get my head on right.
Doesn't it freak you out though? Like somebody with disco tights on or somebody who clearly carbo-loaded for 15 years, or somebody hunched forward like he's been ringing the bell tower-- they are all passing you???

There's an out and back for miles around 8-12 or so. We were warned it was ugly, but it was even uglier than ugly. Imagine warehouses on one side and abandoned railroad cars with graffiti on the other. The advantages were that you could see the lead runners and I managed to see Linda (missed Codi), and I saw that I was right behind the 3:45 pacer, so this was good. Also, a rainbow came out!

After that, the guys were there to cheer us on for the last time as we headed north. I told Toby, "no PR for me today. Having fun". I just didn't feel I had it in me to leave my comfy place and speed up to glob onto the 3:45 group. Besides, the climb was coming.

It's a nice long quiet stretch leading to the climb to St. John's bridge. The climb itself is pretty significant, and I'm guessing it's as long as a half a mile or more. On the way up I hear my name and look back and see Codi walking. She says she's ok and will finish and not to worry. But I still do, because I know her knee has been giving her grief in training, especially on hills. 

St. John's bridge was the highlight of the whole run. Even though it was an overcast day, you could still see the Cascades and see the river on both sides. SO PRETTY.

After the bridge we ran through residential areas alive and crazy with people all over, parties on front lawns, bands playing, cheer leaders, kids to high five, all kinds of stuff.  Portland really gets into the marathon. 

The run back into downtown had its moments of ugliness. We battled a head wind, especially across the Steel bridge. Some parts of the course were dreadful at this point, but my last marathon was Big Sur, so anything is ugly after that...and..it was those last few miles. Ugliness from within! As I approached the finish I realized I was going to hit it at yet another 3:51. AGAIN! I couldn't speed up and didn't want to slow down, so 3:51 it was. I found the guys and Linda, who told me how the 3:30 pacer blew them up. She still did a respectable 3:47, and Codi still came in with a 4:07 PR, so all was good!

The finish area was decent and not too crazy. We got out of there though, cleaned up, and headed out to Multnomah falls! From there we ate, walked to the top (and down--ouch), went into the lodge, parked ourselves in the couches by the fire and closed it down.

In conclusion, a great marathon and a great city to travel to. FUN TIMES.

Happy finishers!

The gang