Pros: Beautiful scenery, Free race photos, Free runner tracking, TWO Free beers after the race, Awesome medal if you complete the series

Cons: No race expo, Shuttle to start, No chocolate milk at the finish

There was no real race expo here, more of just a packet pick up, which was held in a very small conference room at the Main Stay Hotel. I got there as soon as it opened. I waited on line for a few minutes to get my race packet; it seemed to take quite a while for only the 5 or so people that were on line before me. I was sent to another table to grab my t-shirt. There were a few other vendors in the room – one from the Newport running store and another from the Velofix bike shop. It seemed to be getting crowded so I left as soon as I got my shirt.

On race morning, we drove from our hotel to the parking area. We stayed at a hotel in Middletown, RI – much cheaper than the ones in Newport – and only 5 minutes from the parking area. We just missed the shuttle (school bus) that was there when we arrived and had to wait for the next one. We still got to the race start at Easton’s Beach with plenty of time to spare. Although I’m not a huge fan of shuttling to the starting line, this went fairly smoothly.

Once at Easton’s Beach, we walked around for a bit to try to stay warm. They had plenty of porta-potties there, although I was glad I used one when I did because the line got very long right before the start of the half marathon. The marathoners went off at 7:30. Then it was our turn at 8:00! We had driven the course the day before, so I knew there was a huge hill at the beginning; I also knew we got to run down the hill at the end! The first part of the course was through a neighborhood in Newport, we then went down to the Harbor where there was a beautiful view of the some boats and the Newport Bridge. We continued on to Fort Adams, then along the coast for a few miles past Brenton Point. Past Brenton Point we ran by some of the Newport Mansions on our way back to Easton’s Beach. The course was absolutely beautiful. Slightly windy running down by the ocean but totally worth it!

The aid stations were about 1.5 miles apart – perfect. They had porta-potties, water, Gatorade, and Clif energy gels and blocks.

After the race I was able to find my fiance quickly as it was not very crowded at the Finish Line. We took a walk closer to the beach so I could get a picture with my medal! Afterwards I headed to the finisher tent to grab some food. They had bananas, bagels, risotto chips (? Didn’t try those), a few other small snacks and PIZZA. For some reason I was obsessed with the fact that they had pizza. My stomach definitely wasn’t feeling up for a slice at the time, but I’ve never seen pizza at a race finish before. Sad to report that there was no chocolate milk here.

After walking around for a bit I decided I was ready to claim my free beer! Who doesn’t want free beer?! And Shipyard at that! The only downside to this was that the “Beer Garden” was very small and it was underneath the boardwalk in the shade so it was pretty chilly in there!

Lastly, race swag. The shirt was awesome! I love anything nautical/anchors so I loved it. Good fit (love when they have womens sizes) and comfy too. The medal was nice too. I didn’t realize this when I signed up, but this was a series of 5 races in Rhode Island. For each you get a race specific medal; but if you sign up for 3 or more you get an additional medal that looks like a ship wheel; which each of the race specific medals connecting via magnet to the ship wheel. So awesome! I was very tempted to sign up for 2 more, but I’m not sure I can fit them in my schedule!

Because of my work schedule, I wasn’t able to attend the race expo! My friend picked up my bib and swag for me. This race was pretty far from home for us so we got a hotel room. The ones right at Hershey Park were somewhat expensive, but we found a cheaper one elsewhere in Hershey, still only 5 minutes from the race.

The morning of the race we drove to Hershey Park; I think the Hershey hotels offered a shuttle. Plenty of parking here! I liked that we could park the car and walk to the start line, didn’t have to take a shuttle or check our bags.

We had checked out the course map including the elevation changes so I knew to expect some hills, however they weren’t really that bad! In the beginning we ran through the park which was pretty sweet (sweet, chocolate, get it? Ha!). We went through the town of Hershey and then through the neighborhood where the kids attending the Milton Hershey School live. At this point I was feeling pretty tired and ready to be done running. Then I saw all the kids outside with signs, cheering us on and giving us high 5’s! It was pretty early in the morning and I was surprised by how enthusiastic all of the kids were. I work with high school kids and I know that most of them would not be thrilled to be up early on a Saturday morning cheering on a bunch of people running that they don’t even know. So to see these kids made me so happy and gave me energy to finish the race! Around Mile 11-11.5 they were handing out snack size Hershey bars! I took two from the nice lady and shoved one in my mouth right away. As soon as I did that I saw our friend up ahead ready to take a photo – oops! I thought for sure I would have chocolate in my teeth for the photos but I got lucky! With about a half mile left I ate the other Hershey bar and powered through to the finish for a time of 2:09:51. Beat my goal time by 6 minutes!

I don’t recall anything about the aid stations; so I guess that means they were average and met my needs. (I carry my own gel so I guess all I need is water/Gatorade).

They were handing out bananas and other snacks as you came out the finish chute. I took a few things and made my way to the car. I grabbed my phone to take some photos and made it back just as Christina was finishing. We took some photos but other than that not a lot to do after the race so we headed back to the hotel to shower and go to the park – race entry came with a free ticket to Hershey Park After Dark !!
Overall I really enjoyed this race and the whole Hershey experience. One negative was the long sleeve shirt – I got a small and it was still huge on me; but the Reese’s cup medal (my favorite!) totally made my day!!

This was my first official half marathon, after the RunDisney Wine & Dine Half was shortened due to weather issues.
The race expo was at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center. In order to avoid traffic/long lines, my friend and I met there as soon as it opened. We got our bibs & shirts quickly, but many of the vendors weren't open yet. We took a quick loop around but didn't see anything we needed to have. Great venue for the expo though, with quite a few vendors!
On race day I drove myself and met my friend Lisa in the parking area. I'm always super nervous about not finding the right parking area, or not getting a good parking spot for races and most of the time end up being one of the first people there, which was exactly the case on this day! So no issues with parking for me. We got ready in the parking lot - hair, KT Tape, lacing up the shoes, etc. and then made our way to the starting line.
Lisa and I had run the beginning of the course a few weeks before so we knew what to expect. BIG hill in the very beginning, run through Marist campus, another more gradual hill through Poughkeepsie, and a small hill to get on to the rail trail. We first went East (away from the walkway) and then turned around. By the time we got to the Walkway it was sunny, slightly windy, and HOT. If there was one thing I would change about this race, it would be to run the Walkway first, then the rail trail portion. We ran to the Highland side and turned around. There was a nice church choir singing on the Highland side which was very motivational! Other than this, there were not many “fans” along the race route which was kind of disappointing. Back across the walkway, and down the same route through Poughkeepsie and back to Marist. HUGE hill RIGHT before the finish line, luckily there was a lady at the top cheering people on; I also knew my good friend Tara was at the finish line waiting for me so I just had to make it up that hill! Aid stations along the route seemed to be at a good distance apart and were clearly marked where to find water vs. Gatorade.
After the race, they had a huge tent set up for snacks and athlete recovery which was nice. I was happy when I found some chocolate milk – my favorite post long run “snack”/recovery drink! I waited for Lisa to finish and then we took some photos by the river.
Now, I run and ride my bike on this route at least once a week. I almost regret spending money to race somewhere that I already spend so much time. So, I would not recommend this race for my local friends. BUT, for someone who has never been on the Walkway Over the Hudson, it may be a more exciting experience, as the Walkway and views are very beautiful. Also, the expo, post-race experience, and swag were all good!