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Marathon Details - Providence Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > RI > Providence > Providence Marathon

Providence Marathon

Providence Marathon & Half Marathon

Providence, RI USA

~~May 5, 2024~~ - CANCELLED

http://www.providencemarathon.com

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2023 2022 2021 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

Mostly Flat. Some hills. Bike path and waterfront. Bridges.

Contact Information

Name:	Susan Rancourt
Address:	Rhode Races & Events 3 Mayo Dr. Warren, RI 02885
Phone Number:	401-427-7764
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (169)

Course 3.6

Organization 3.4

Spectators 2.9

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Number of comments: 169 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 17 > ]

S. K. from Columbus ohio (5/22/2023) "Bigger cups please" (about: 2023) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Plenty of manned fluid stops but served up in the cups that used to be used at the dentist office. Maybe 2 ounces? Electrolyte drinks mixed differently at each table. Some were fully concentrated without water added and undrinkable, some were diluted correctly. Course was ok. Only 1 timing mat on the course at about mile 12.7. I wish we did not have to run some of the race on the shoulder of a bridge. The course was well marked. Had an hour early start which is nice. Course stayed opened longer than announced. Medal is nice. Good beer at finish but not a lot of nutritional goodies unless you had money for the food trucks. Nice hoodie. Hotels were conveniently located to walk to start. Food in Providence is excellent. Just needs some slight fixes to make it a better race.
N. S. from FL (5/8/2023) "Not Flat, But Nice Course" (about: 2023) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'll echo earlier comments, because this was still being advertised as 'our flat & smooth course'... rest assured, it is rolling hills, particularly in the front section of the course (so the front end and the back end of the full marathon course). That said, the organization is very good... really not an expo to speak of, just a simple bib pick up... very nice heavy duty hoodie too. The course is mostly nice in Providence, but the best part is the bike trail section, residential areas, and the fabulous views of Narragansett Bay. Other parts not as scenic, but you don't expect it to all be... some shoulder of the highway stuff and industrial area stuff thrown in. Pleasant surprise was the number of spectators out!! Very enthusiastic, and the water stops were all good. It was hot this year (obviously nothing organizers can do about that). Providence is a lovely place to visit!!!
B. F. from Boston, MA (12/5/2019) "Excellent Organization, Rolling-Hills Course" (about: 2019) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 As other reviews have stated, the course is not FLAT flat. There are rolling hills, placed at some tough sections of the course (including near the end). However, the aid stations and the people manning them are FANTASTIC. Plenty of aid and plenty of friendly, cheering volunteers. Packet pick-up is easy and parking is conveniently located at the mall, right next to the start. Post-race was awesome, great beer choices. This past year was rainy so definitely a lack of spectators, but based on this course (and the half-marathon I've done in the past), plenty of the course is not spectator-friendly anyways.
Kevin McAree from Fort Lee New Jersey (5/6/2019) "Do your hill training." (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Was listed as a flat course but if you are going to do this race be expected for hills. So do your hill training. Water stops were excellent. It was raining but there is not much you can do about that except try not to run through the puddles. Don't know what else to say to help other prepare themselves for this race.
R. F. from NY, NY (5/6/2019) "Nice small race" (about: 2019) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 First time running Providence. The course has some nice parts, the bike path through the parks and by the water in particular was great. Small downtown piece was good too but I felt not going anywhere near the beautiful Statehouse Capital building was a huge error. There are some other drawbacks, some pieces are on a small section of highway and it gets clustered, other pieces are just boring. Warning, this is hilly, most of the race is rolling hills but there are a couple of SHARP ones at the Mile 23/24 piece that killed people at the end. Small race and rain so not a lot of spectators but the ones that were there were enthusiastic and appreciated. Last thing, I want to give infinite credit to the race as there were plenty of aid stations and they were well stocked. Beyond liquids all had gel or bananas or something else. Huge tip of the hat there. Overall, worth it. Providence is a cool city too, if you are a 50 stater this is the obvious RI choice. Beyond that, a solid small race.
M. M. from Guilderland Center, NY (5/13/2017) "Very good race with a couple flaws" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Overall I really enjoyed this race. Nice course, well organized, and plenty of good hotel options close to bib pickup and the start/finish line. As for the course, I'll offer one comment, not as a criticism, but rather a warning: there are a few fairly tough hills during the last few miles. Be careful. Saw a lot of bonking from miles 23-25, almost including myself. Which brings me to the after-party. Great beer choices from Shipyard Brewery. Very nice touch. A couple complaints. The first is minor. I felt that only awarding 1st place for the age-groups, especially given that they were already split into 10-year groups, rather than 5-year, was a little stingy. I don't think I've ever been in a race with over 1,000 runners that didn't recognize 2nd and 3rd place. The second complaint is far more serious, but is actually in reference to the 5k race, not the marathon. My son-in-law, who is working himself back into marathon shape, had chosen to do the 5k. He was walking to the start line at 8:07, 8 minutes before the scheduled 8:15 start, when he heard the announcer call 'on your marks, GO!'. Granted, with chip timing he was still able to 'race the clock', but starting a race minutes ahead of the scheduled start time is inexcusable.
G. H. from Illinois (5/11/2017) "An average experience" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I'm working on 50 states. I've run a lot of different races. Here's my take: I think my biggest problem with this race is the fact that it is billed as 'flat.' Being a midwesterner, my definition of flat might differ, but this is NOT a flat course. There are some pretty challenging hills in the first 3-4 miles and then you hit them again at the end. To me, when I'm trying to establish a good pace at the start and when I'm hitting the wall at the end are the wrong times for hills. The course was really pretty in some parts. I loved running by the water. Average medal, below average t-shirt. Organization was not good. Example: On my watch, mile 19 came at 19.36 miles. Mile 20 came .8 miles later at 20.16. One mile sign was blown down. A volunteer tried to point me down the wrong path at one point. Finish line: food was good. But where was the drink? They handed out TINY bottles at the finish line, but there was nothing to wash down my food at the tent on the other side of the barriers. I just ran a marathon. Can I have some more to drink? Speaking of drink: Gatorade was pretty hard to find on the course. Expo wasn't worth the time. Omni Hotel is overpriced, but is located conveniently to start/finish and the late checkout was a huge plus. I'd pay a premium to stay here.
J. D. from New jersey (7/15/2016) "Good, one course complaint" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I thought the marathon was well organized. I recommend it. One complaint I had was course confusion around mile 25. You come to a fork where the course path was not clear. To the left was a park path along the river and to the right was an empty road. There were cones, but they didn't indicate which direction to go, and there were no staff. A few of us looked at each other confused. I think we picked correctly, but at that point in the race, it's frustrating to think you may have just run off course. But other than that, happy I ran Providence.
M. S. from Boston MA (5/16/2016) "Pleased with the Race" (about: 2016) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran Providence in 2016. I enjoyed the experience. Very little of the race is actually in Providence, but the start and finish is. The highlights of the course were the pedestrian paths through forest and wetlands. I also enjoyed the turnaround point where the only thing separating you from the ocean is a scenic golf course. I also enjoyed a scenic neighborhood close to the turnaround point. There were some fans at the finish, but overall a pretty quiet race. The course is set up to have fans see you multiple times which I liked. The tech shirt is great (I rarely keep them, but I will definitely use this one). I like the anchor medal too. The race starts and finishes at a nice park which is close to hotels and the train station which makes travel logistics for both the trip and the race day very simple. Overall I found the course pretty flat and most of it is below sea level. There are some notable hills though, especially the last few miles which are exacerbated by tired legs.
Anthony Cardosi from Londonderry NH (5/2/2016) "Great Course!" (about: 2016) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This is a great course to run. Fairly flat throughout but some good scenery along the way.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 17 > ]



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S. K. from Columbus ohio (5/22/2023) "Bigger cups please" (about: 2023) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Plenty of manned fluid stops but served up in the cups that used to be used at the dentist office. Maybe 2 ounces? Electrolyte drinks mixed differently at each table. Some were fully concentrated without water added and undrinkable, some were diluted correctly. Course was ok. Only 1 timing mat on the course at about mile 12.7. I wish we did not have to run some of the race on the shoulder of a bridge. The course was well marked. Had an hour early start which is nice. Course stayed opened longer than announced. Medal is nice. Good beer at finish but not a lot of nutritional goodies unless you had money for the food trucks. Nice hoodie. Hotels were conveniently located to walk to start. Food in Providence is excellent. Just needs some slight fixes to make it a better race.
N. S. from FL (5/8/2023) "Not Flat, But Nice Course" (about: 2023) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'll echo earlier comments, because this was still being advertised as 'our flat & smooth course'... rest assured, it is rolling hills, particularly in the front section of the course (so the front end and the back end of the full marathon course). That said, the organization is very good... really not an expo to speak of, just a simple bib pick up... very nice heavy duty hoodie too. The course is mostly nice in Providence, but the best part is the bike trail section, residential areas, and the fabulous views of Narragansett Bay. Other parts not as scenic, but you don't expect it to all be... some shoulder of the highway stuff and industrial area stuff thrown in. Pleasant surprise was the number of spectators out!! Very enthusiastic, and the water stops were all good. It was hot this year (obviously nothing organizers can do about that). Providence is a lovely place to visit!!!
B. F. from Boston, MA (12/5/2019) "Excellent Organization, Rolling-Hills Course" (about: 2019) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 As other reviews have stated, the course is not FLAT flat. There are rolling hills, placed at some tough sections of the course (including near the end). However, the aid stations and the people manning them are FANTASTIC. Plenty of aid and plenty of friendly, cheering volunteers. Packet pick-up is easy and parking is conveniently located at the mall, right next to the start. Post-race was awesome, great beer choices. This past year was rainy so definitely a lack of spectators, but based on this course (and the half-marathon I've done in the past), plenty of the course is not spectator-friendly anyways.
Kevin McAree from Fort Lee New Jersey (5/6/2019) "Do your hill training." (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Was listed as a flat course but if you are going to do this race be expected for hills. So do your hill training. Water stops were excellent. It was raining but there is not much you can do about that except try not to run through the puddles. Don't know what else to say to help other prepare themselves for this race.
R. F. from NY, NY (5/6/2019) "Nice small race" (about: 2019) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 First time running Providence. The course has some nice parts, the bike path through the parks and by the water in particular was great. Small downtown piece was good too but I felt not going anywhere near the beautiful Statehouse Capital building was a huge error. There are some other drawbacks, some pieces are on a small section of highway and it gets clustered, other pieces are just boring. Warning, this is hilly, most of the race is rolling hills but there are a couple of SHARP ones at the Mile 23/24 piece that killed people at the end. Small race and rain so not a lot of spectators but the ones that were there were enthusiastic and appreciated. Last thing, I want to give infinite credit to the race as there were plenty of aid stations and they were well stocked. Beyond liquids all had gel or bananas or something else. Huge tip of the hat there. Overall, worth it. Providence is a cool city too, if you are a 50 stater this is the obvious RI choice. Beyond that, a solid small race.
M. M. from Guilderland Center, NY (5/13/2017) "Very good race with a couple flaws" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Overall I really enjoyed this race. Nice course, well organized, and plenty of good hotel options close to bib pickup and the start/finish line. As for the course, I'll offer one comment, not as a criticism, but rather a warning: there are a few fairly tough hills during the last few miles. Be careful. Saw a lot of bonking from miles 23-25, almost including myself. Which brings me to the after-party. Great beer choices from Shipyard Brewery. Very nice touch. A couple complaints. The first is minor. I felt that only awarding 1st place for the age-groups, especially given that they were already split into 10-year groups, rather than 5-year, was a little stingy. I don't think I've ever been in a race with over 1,000 runners that didn't recognize 2nd and 3rd place. The second complaint is far more serious, but is actually in reference to the 5k race, not the marathon. My son-in-law, who is working himself back into marathon shape, had chosen to do the 5k. He was walking to the start line at 8:07, 8 minutes before the scheduled 8:15 start, when he heard the announcer call 'on your marks, GO!'. Granted, with chip timing he was still able to 'race the clock', but starting a race minutes ahead of the scheduled start time is inexcusable.
G. H. from Illinois (5/11/2017) "An average experience" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I'm working on 50 states. I've run a lot of different races. Here's my take: I think my biggest problem with this race is the fact that it is billed as 'flat.' Being a midwesterner, my definition of flat might differ, but this is NOT a flat course. There are some pretty challenging hills in the first 3-4 miles and then you hit them again at the end. To me, when I'm trying to establish a good pace at the start and when I'm hitting the wall at the end are the wrong times for hills. The course was really pretty in some parts. I loved running by the water. Average medal, below average t-shirt. Organization was not good. Example: On my watch, mile 19 came at 19.36 miles. Mile 20 came .8 miles later at 20.16. One mile sign was blown down. A volunteer tried to point me down the wrong path at one point. Finish line: food was good. But where was the drink? They handed out TINY bottles at the finish line, but there was nothing to wash down my food at the tent on the other side of the barriers. I just ran a marathon. Can I have some more to drink? Speaking of drink: Gatorade was pretty hard to find on the course. Expo wasn't worth the time. Omni Hotel is overpriced, but is located conveniently to start/finish and the late checkout was a huge plus. I'd pay a premium to stay here.
J. D. from New jersey (7/15/2016) "Good, one course complaint" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I thought the marathon was well organized. I recommend it. One complaint I had was course confusion around mile 25. You come to a fork where the course path was not clear. To the left was a park path along the river and to the right was an empty road. There were cones, but they didn't indicate which direction to go, and there were no staff. A few of us looked at each other confused. I think we picked correctly, but at that point in the race, it's frustrating to think you may have just run off course. But other than that, happy I ran Providence.
M. S. from Boston MA (5/16/2016) "Pleased with the Race" (about: 2016) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran Providence in 2016. I enjoyed the experience. Very little of the race is actually in Providence, but the start and finish is. The highlights of the course were the pedestrian paths through forest and wetlands. I also enjoyed the turnaround point where the only thing separating you from the ocean is a scenic golf course. I also enjoyed a scenic neighborhood close to the turnaround point. There were some fans at the finish, but overall a pretty quiet race. The course is set up to have fans see you multiple times which I liked. The tech shirt is great (I rarely keep them, but I will definitely use this one). I like the anchor medal too. The race starts and finishes at a nice park which is close to hotels and the train station which makes travel logistics for both the trip and the race day very simple. Overall I found the course pretty flat and most of it is below sea level. There are some notable hills though, especially the last few miles which are exacerbated by tired legs.
Anthony Cardosi from Londonderry NH (5/2/2016) "Great Course!" (about: 2016) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This is a great course to run. Fairly flat throughout but some good scenery along the way.

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Marathon Details - Providence Marathon