I've run Newport now six times. I've had many highs on the course and some lows. I've run it full power, conquering my goals for that year and run it injured, just do celebrate that I was able to run that day. Most years I've run Newport with friends and have had the honor to train with friends. Training is done during my favorite time of year, winter! As I come out of winter training, the weather clears up just enough to have a comfortable run at sea level.
I ran Newport in 2017 with a huge group of friends and walked away not sure that I would ever run the full marathon there again. I went on to run marathons in a few other cities and experience some other sites. As I grew as a runner and saw the capability of qualifying for Boston, Newport was suddenly drawn to my attention again.
Newport OR has a road that connects to Boston, Massachusetts, US Route 20. This was intriguing to me and I had to find the sign that said Boston on it. Over the years. I've taken several pictures by the sign in Newport leading to Boston. For years. Boston has only been a dream and I didn't know if I would ever get there. I've come close and I fallen into injury and thought it would never happen.
2022 came and I was ready to take charge again. I hired a coach and started training for Newport 2022. In June of that year, the sign to Boston became a pivotal statement for me. Every time I would go to Newport I had to find the sign and it just somehow encouraged me that I would take that road someday. My training for Newport was the best training cycle I've ever gotten through. From feeling good the whole time without injury and really being in the correct mindset. I was fortunate enough to have my husband also training for Newport in an attempt for a BQ as well. Both of us trained through the last bit of covid and it was really something we needed at the time. Going out together every Saturday for a long run was really good for our relationship. Running was our friend and we were loving the excitement of training for a marathon again.
June 4th came and many of our friends joined us that day by running the half marathon or to support us by making signs and standing alongside and screaming for us to do it! It was surreal. We woke up that morning and it was raining. I was excited and my husband was stressing. He doesn't care for the rain. Go figure, we live in Oregon! Hahaha. We did a warm-up up to the starting line and I just tried to take it all in. I had some co-workers meet me along with my Mom at the start. I knew I had friends along course and at the finish line and I felt fresh and ready to go.
The race itself was wonderful. Newport does a wonderful job with aid stations every two miles. The starting line at Newport is something I absolutely love. It starts up at the Yaquina Bay State Park up above the Newport bridge. We're up high and you can see out over the bay and it's absolutely beautiful. There's always plenty of porta potties along with a public bathroom. I love the first four and a half miles of the course. We start by heading out towards Nye Beach . We turn right up into some neighborhoods and people are out cheering us on from their lawns. I love weaving through the neighborhoods. From there we circle around Nye Beach and get a glimpse of the ocean. Running by the chowder bowl always gets me because I would love a bowl of chowder about then. I know better though. The chowder can wait till after the race and it'll be well worth it. We then run along the road back to where we started. The crowd is thickened through here. People are walking up to the starting point that are doing the half marathon. People are also standing along the road cheering us on from the hotels. It's such a fun few miles. As we make our way back up into the park and go pass the starting point, all the half marathoners are there cheering us on along with the race director and his crew. You can look out over the bay and see the water and there's just nothing like it.
From there we head down the hill and under the Newport bridge. Oftentimes the sun has been shining through about this time but it's not hot. Typical weather for Newport is perfect. Running weather 40s to 60° with sometimes a light mist. We make our way from the bridge down along the bay and run past Ripley's Believe It or Not. I always hold my breath briefly about this time as there is the smell of fish it's very potent. I also feel like this is part of the experience and I love it. We then run across the wooden sidewalk to the right. Looking out over the bay knowing we will soon make a right turn and there will be more people.
At mile four and a half we go by the Embarcadero to our right and to our left is what will be our big finish line. We go up a slight hill and make our way up Yaquina Bay Rd onto the "out and back." This is when everything settles in and things are definitely getting real. It's time to really focus in and ride these miles out.
As we approach mile 8.7, we hit the turnaround for the half marathon. I always get a little upset here because I've never done the half marathon. I have to keep going. The marathoners keep going straight the half marathoners turn around and go back. As a marathoner, mile 15 and a half comes pretty fast. That's the turnaround for Newport. It seems so simple, less than 10 miles back to the finish line, but this is where things get pretty brutal.
During training for Newport I often would do out and backs just for some mental fitness. The crowds aren't as thick now and we are definitely spread out as runners. The positive thing about the out and back is you see runners both going out and coming back. You see everybody. I often have friends running with me and this is the opportunity to see them no matter what our pace is. I love that about Newport.
For 2022 I was running strong until about mile 20 or 21 when my stomach cenched up and I was forced to stop at a porta potty. Thankfully Newport does have porta potties out along the course. I had to stop but felt so much better after. I tried to get back in the mindset and finish this marathon. I did the best I could, although slowing down slightly. I made it into the finish line where my husband and friends were waiting for me.
I had done it. I had qualified for Boston with an 11 minute buffer. The bonus was, my husband had qualified as well. We had a long year ahead of us as we still had to register for Boston, get in, and plan a trip. This all just got real!
Before going home that weekend. We made sure we stopped and got a picture of the sign leading to Boston. I took that photo as motivation for the next 10 months. Boston wasn't until the middle of April 2023. It seemed like a lifetime away.
To keep my mind busy, I did some little fundraising like selling cookies, collecting old sneakers and recycling them and collecting cans. It became this amazing thing on social media where people wanted to take part. The support from my community was overwhelming. It's something I'll never forget. The outpouring of love for my husband and I has been amazing.
April finally came and my husband and I ran Boston Marathon. I had a list of things I wanted to do while we were in Boston and one of them was finding the sign that said Newport Oregon. It became this game because it wasn't as easy to find. We searched online and zoomed in on pictures to find out exactly where the sign was. It was a glorious moment when we found the sign, took a whole bunch of pictures and then walked around a little bit. As we came back through we met a guy name Jeremy. Jeremy and his friend Robby had posted on social media a similar story to my husband's and mine. These guys lived in Newport, had qualified for Boston and made it a point to get pictures at both ends of the road as well.
We had a wonderful conversation with Jeremy as he was waiting for Robby to get their photo. I am hoping to meet up with both of them for Newport 2023.
My husband Jerry and I can't help but go back to Newport 2023 to go full circle. We qualified there in 2022. We had a glorious experience and met on the other side of the US Route 20 for Boston 2023. To come back and do the half marathon as a celebration run is something we can't resist.
Newport Marathon and half is highly recommended. It's not a huge marathon so don't come expecting huge crowds. Come, expecting a great experience at sea level on an out and back course with the coolest loop ever at the beginning of the race. Expect water and support every 2 miles and know that your family and friends can take a bus out on course. Newport does a great job getting people out on the course to cheer family and friends on. You can expect decent weather for Newport. Like I said earlier, I've run this six times. Five times it's been good weather. There was the year of the heat. That was very unexpected and it was only the one year.
Newport also has the coolest finishers medals for both the half and the full. They are all handmade and hand stamped from glass. They are absolutely beautiful and each year I have a different color weaved into the glass. After you run Newport, grab a coffee on Nye beach and take a walk at low tide. You can go both ways on the beach over two miles each way. On your way back up, grap that bowl of chowder! You earned it!
If you're going to be at Newport Marathon 2023 doing the half or the full in June, please reach out. I would love to meet you and celebrate with you as I celebrate coming full circle with my husband!
Read more about US Route 20 here!
Register for Newport Marathon and Newport Half here!
