The 17th Amica Newport Marathon and Half Marathon runs Sunday, Oct. 11, bringing more than 5,000 runners to Newport and Middletown.
Both races start at 7:30 a.m. at Easton’s Beach, with runners going off in waves by pace. The shared first half covers Memorial Boulevard and Thames Street, past King Park and Fort Adams, around Ocean Drive and through the Bellevue and Ruggles avenue area before returning to the beach. Half marathoners finish there; marathoners continue into Middletown for a second loop through Sachuest and Indian Avenue before coming back. Both courses are USATF-certified and the marathon is a Boston qualifier.
Roads stay open throughout, with Newport and Middletown police managing traffic. Drivers should expect delays and temporary stoppages between about 7 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Organizers are asking drivers to avoid these areas, or use extra caution, during the following approximate windows Sunday:
- Memorial Boulevard at Easton’s Beach — 7:05 to 7:55 a.m.
- Thames Street — 7:35 to 8:30 a.m.
- Fort Adams — 7:45 to 9 a.m.
- Brenton Point — 8 to 9:45 a.m.
- Ochre Point, Ruggles Avenue and Narragansett Avenue — 8:15 to 10:30 a.m.
- Indian Avenue — 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Wapping Road — 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
There’s no parking at the start and finish. Marathon participants park at Second Beach and half marathoners at Aquidneck Corporate Park, with shuttles running from 5 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Spectators can use the shuttles, with runners getting priority, and can follow runners through a live tracking app supported by Run Newport.
The race has raised more than $700,000 for local nonprofits. This year’s charitable partners are the Aquidneck Land Trust, the Boys & Girls Club of Newport County, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and the Newport County YMCA.
Course maps, parking details and runner tracking are at newportmarathon.com.
