Clancy Creative/Newport Marathon

It’s Columbus Day Weekend in our city-by-the-sea, which also means it’s the season fro the annual Amica Insurance Newport Marathon and Half Marathon. Runners from across the country and around the globe will be in town to compete on 13.1 or 26.2 miles of Newport and Middletown’s most picturesque roadways. The event is produced by Gray Matter Marketing.

On Sunday, October 13th, both races will start at at 7:30AM sharp. The course starts at Easton’s Beach, heading up Memorial Boulevard to Thames Street, then down to King’s Park and around to Fort Adams. Runners will then complete the entire loop of Ocean Drive, bringing them to Bellevue Avenue and Ruggles before returning to the beach. Half marathoners will finish here, and the marathoners will continue past the beach towards Tuckerman Ave. and out on to Easton’s Point. They will then descend the hill at Surfer’s End and follow a loop out and back on Sachuest Point and Hanging Rock, before turning on to Third Beach Road and finally on to Indian Avenue. Their final few miles will be and out-and-back on Indian Avenue and neighboring roads before returning via Hanging Rock Road to Sachuest Point and finally up and over the hill back to the finish at Easton’s Beach.

Limited registration for either distance is available on Saturday, October 12th from 12-6 PM at Easton’s Beach Rotunda, or from 5:15-7 AM on Sunday, October 13th before the race start.

Amica Insurance is the title sponsor for the event, and more than 40 Amica employees participating in the Marathon or Half Marathon. This year’s event partners include Polar Seltzer, Southcoast Health Urgent Care, Fitzpatrick Team of ReMax Newport, NPT Healthworks, Ragged Island Brewing Company, Hippeas Snacks, Run Newport, Hoka, Oofos, and the University of Rhode Island.

The event has a long history of local charitable impact; since Gray Matter Marketing began producing the race in 2015, the event has raised nearly $300,0000 for nonprofits. As a total, this year’s event alone will raise more than $80,000 for local and national charities.

Of that total, $50,000 are direct donations to the event’s partner charities: The Aquidneck Land Trust, Clean Ocean Access, the Newport County YMCA, Boys Town New England, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center, and the Ronald McDonald House of Providence.

Further, runners have created their own fundraisers for causes close to their hearts; Allison Neves, from North Andover, Massachusetts, has raised the most money so far in her fundraiser to support The Samaritans in memory of her brother, Derek. This year, Amica Insurance will randomly select 10 fundraising runners to receive an additional $1,000 contribution from Amica Insurance to their charity of choice.  

Local Runners

More than 3,300 runners will take to the streets of Newport and Middletown for this weekend’s marathon and half marathon.

There are more than two hundred locals participating in Sunday’s event;

  • Newport: 95 ( 18 marathon, 77 half)
  • Middletown: 54 (3 marathon, 51 half)
  • Portsmouth: 37 (5 marathon, 32 half)
  • Tiverton: 13 (2 marathon, 11 half)
  • Bristol: 13 (2 marathon, 11 half)
  • Jamestown 10 (1 marathon, 9 half)

Local Traffic Impact

Newport and Middletown Police Departments will do their best to minimize traffic delays while also providing a safe running event. Memorial Boulevard in front of Easton’s Beach will close at 7:00 AM and traffic will be diverted. This area will be impacted until roughly 8:00 AM. Thames Street will be closed from about 7:30 AM to 8:15 AM. The remaining roads will mostly remain open with police details at intersections, so do expect some delays. Runners will remain on roads in Newport until approximately 11:00 AM and in Middletown until approximately 1:30 PM. Drivers are asked to be aware and drive safely where runners are on the road.

For more information, visit www.newportmarathon.com

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