State 36: Newport, Rhode Island
April 2025

The Newport Half Marathon was my 36th state and it’s one of the prettiest races I’ve run. I would overall recommend this race if you’re looking to run a race in Rhode Island, however, there were a few logistical areas that need improvement, which I detail below.

General Travel Logistics:

If you live within a 5-6 hour drive and own a car, I recommend driving to this race because the airport and Amtrak station are a 30-40 minute drive from Newport.
If you’re flying, the easiest airport to fly into is T.F. Green International Airport. I had a direct flight from Chicago.
I highly recommend renting a car if you are flying. It was just over $100 for the 36 hours I was visiting. There is a bus that runs very infrequently and there are Ubers, but renting a car if your best bet if your time is important to you.
There are host hotels on the race website but they were booked by the time I signed up for the race. I stayed in an AirBnB about 2 miles from the race start/finish line and about a mile from the general downtown area. It was cheaper than many of the available hotels and it was a perfect stay for the trip.

Race Logistics:

Packet Pickup:
This was one big area of improvement for the race. I stood in line for almost 45 minutes to pick up my bib and shirt. Yes, I went on Friday within the last 3 hours of packet pickup, but that was the only time I could go because of travel. It was held in a small room on the second floor of a building and the line wrapped throughout the building and outside. Putting it in a gym or a larger room would’ve made this a much better process. There were a few small vendors, but not really an expo.

Start Line:
The starting area had pace signs and you were supposed to line up by your expected pace. As most races these days, it was pretty crowded at the start area. I wasn’t going for a time so it didn’t impact me much. I didn’t use the portapotties at the start, but there were lines like any other race…I have no idea how quickly they went. I ran to the start line from my AirBnB, but if you are driving, note that you need to either be dropped off or take a shuttle to the start/finish area. You can’t park in the start/finish area. They detail this in the athlete guide they send out.

Aid Stations:
These were a mess. I HIGHLY recommend carrying your own water, unless you’re okay with stopping and losing time. Most of the stations weren’t even set up when we got there and volunteers were scrambling to fill water cups. We had to stop and wait to get water. Most stations also weren’t clearly marked with what was water versus Nuun [the electrolyte drink on course].

Finish Line Festival:
This was done well for a smaller race. I thought they had good food at the end – bananas, bagels, donut holes, pizza, and more, plus beer + seltzers from a local brewery in a separate tent. I had seltzer and it was really good + refreshing.

Course Highlights:

It’s a really pretty course. You run along the water for a decent chunk of miles. You also run by a bunch of the big mansions.
It’s moderately hilly. I looked at the course elevation ahead of time, so I expected hills, but there were quite a few, so if you live in a flatter area, try to make an effort to do some hill work in your training.
It starts and end along the water!

Race Goodies:

The medal is nice! And if you’re doing multiple Rhode Island races, you can earn another medal and other swag.
The shirt was nice enough – I have a ton of race shirts, so I likely won’t wear it much, but it was a dry fit material and short sleeve.
There are FREE race photos, which is a perk!

Food + Drink Highlights:

Bar ‘Cino – I ate dinner here on Friday. 10/10 recommend. I had a pizza, marinated olives, and a glass of wine. They also give you bread. The food was really good and the service was excellent. Make a reservation, as it was very busy.
Simple Merchant Coffee – Highly recommend going here if you like good coffee. I even bought some beans to bring home with me to Chicago because it was great quality.
Drift Café – YUM! I went here after the race and got cold brew, a smoothie, and a breakfast wrap. All were very good and I would 100% go back here again. I got my items to go, but there is seating available.
Newport Lobster Shack – Many of the seafood spots weren’t yet open for the season, but this place was. I got a cup of lobster bisque and it was delish!
Pivotal Brewing Company – If you like craft beer, this is a spot to go. I got a flight of 4 small beers and all of them were good. As someone who goes to a lot of breweries when I travel for races, it’s pretty rare that I like all the beers in a flight, so that’s saying a lot! The location in downtown Newport is new [it opened the weekend I was visiting], which is likely why the website primarily talks about their main location.
La Vecina Taqueria – if you’re in the mood for Mexican, I recommend this spot. It’s the same owners as Bar ‘Cino. I didn’t have a huge meal, as I wasn’t super hungry, but the tacos and chips + salsa I had were good enough that I would go back.
Ma’s Donuts – They had these at the finish line, but I went to this spot as I was heading to the airport on Sunday morning. They have a variety of breakfast sandwiches and coffees, along with donuts. The sandwich wasn’t anything to write home about but quick and good in a pinch.

*Lobster bisque from Newport Lobster Shack*

Exploring Newport:

I admittedly didn’t do a ton in Newport, outside of the race and eating, but there are definitely things to do outside of the race!

Walk about downtown on Thames Street and Bowen’s Wharf. I did this on Saturday and stopped in a few local shops. Definitely a fun afternoon activity post-race!
The Cliff Walk is popular. I didn’t do this because I felt like I saw a lot of the water and cliffs on the race course, but if you want more of this, check it out.
The Newport Mansions, with The Breakers being the most popular one. Again, the race went by these, so I didn’t feel compelled to go back.
Stroll around and see the daffodils. Newport has some special activities in April to celebrate all the daffodils. You can find more info here.

Newport Half Marathon