Newport is a small race: 1k marathoners, and new for 2014, 250 half runners. All of the commentary I had heard or read before the race indicated that the course was fast, flat, and scenic, perfect for a first-time marathon, a PR attempt, or a BQ chase, and most of the run was alongside the Yaquina Bay or along the ocean. The first four-ish miles are closer to the ocean, and a bit crowded (with a lot of turns), but once you hit around mile 5, it's one big out and back til the turn-around at mile 15.2. The race is actually a fundraiser for the Newport and Toledo HS' various athletics and student organizations, so it's really cool to not only know that your racing is actually going to a good cause, but the students, themselves, (and their parents, probably) actually coordinate and run most or all of the aid stations along the course. If you're into or need huge crowds of spectators lining the course, big pace groups, and lots of fanfare, this definitely isn't your race. The spectators that were out there were awesome (and because of the out and back nature of the course along a country road, it's not exactly spectator friendly); the race actually did have a couple pace groups this year, at 3:05, 3:35, and 4:xx+, I think, for the first time; and the "expo" is more of a quick packet pick-up in a hotel's basement room the day before the race. Don't read any of that commentary as gripes about the race, though; I think the small-town and no-frills vibe of this race is what makes it awesome.

You might find yourself running sola for a lot of the race, and doing an out-and-back course can be challenging in and of itself (and especially in the absence of crowds and crowds of spectators), but if you know this going into the race, I'm sure you'll fare well.

More awesome and "personal touches" of this race included a beautiful and recycled glass medal to all marathon and half finishers, created by a Newport artist; probably the best finisher's shirt I've ever gotten from a marathon; and fun AG and OA awards for folks who raced well.

Just a couple small suggestions that I think would make this race even better: 1) somehow demarcate the outbound and inbound runners at the turn around and for at least a mile or so thereafter, perhaps by using cones so the runners know where they should go, since the runners shared one lane of traffic and made it kinda a clusterfuck for a while, 2) post a course elevation map online because even though the race is flat, it's still helpful to see where the undulations will occur, and 3) ensure that at the post-race festivities, there's a medical crew nearby at all times. The finish line (medals, water, electrolyte, medical) and the post-race festivities (food, band, beer, shirt, chowder, etc) were across the street and about a five-minute walk from each other, and my friends and I saw a guy in the festivities area pass out and possibly go into cardiac arrest, which was scary (but fortunately, he was fine). Things could have been really bad if he did go into arrest and the closest medical crew was 5 minutes away.

Anyway -- great race, great value, and definitely worthy of getting a bunch of your friends together to rent a house or a condo at the ocean for a weekend to run and play. And, if you want a lot more personal details, you can read my recap here: http://www.runningruminations.com/?p=1700