Marathon Details - Ocean State Marathon

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

Ocean State Marathon

Cerrone Ocean State Marathon & Half-Marathon

Providence, RI USA

October 12, 2003

http://www.osm26.com/

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Marathon Results

By Year:

2003 2002 2001 2000 Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

Point to point certified Boston qualifier. Only marathon in Rhode Island.

Contact Information

Name:	Ocean State Marathon
Address:	5 Division Street East Greenwich, RI 02818
Phone Number:	(401) 885-4499
Fax Number:	(401) 885-3188
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (25)

Course 3.6

Organization 3.9

Spectators 2.7

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Number of comments: 25 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

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S. F. from Salem, MA (9/27/2004) "It was a good race, for my first" (about: 2004) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Ocean State Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was my first 1/2 marathon. I was happy that it started on time. The traffic control was ok. Several cars around the Roger Williams Park area tried to cross my path. I was surprised that most of the race we were kept inside the breakdown lane. The course itself was good. Some hills, not too bad. The largest hill behind the Providence Place Mall was a challenge. There were not many spectators. But, the ones who were there were very supportive. My biggest complaint was after crossing the finish line. There was no water! We had to go to the 5th floor of the convention center. When I reached it, my only choice was apple juice. Overall, it was a very positive experience and I would run it again.
D. W. from Highland Falls, New York (12/12/2003) "Very Disappointing " (about: 2003) COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I have run quite a few marathons in all parts of the country. If this was not the worst, it was right at the bottom. I do not recommend this marathon. It simply was not well done.
J. C. from Albany, NY (10/30/2003) "Rain, rain go away!" (about: 2003) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 First, I thought the hills at 19.5 and 22 were much tougher than shown on the map. (The fact that you run up Hill Street and in a neighborhood called 'The Summit' tells you something). Race organization was fine, the course scenery was okay with some nice sections and some bad ones, but those hills completely knocked the starch out of me. Some of the experienced runners said the course was designed to have a Heartbreak Hill at 21 similar to Boston. True? It poured the entire race this year, and the race organizers can do little about that, but it kept the spectators to a mininum. Not bad, but oh those late race hills!!!
Ronald White from Tulsa, Oklahoma (10/29/2003) "Fun, but can be better" (about: 2003) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Our group traveled all the way from Tulsa, Oklahoma to run this marathon. Why? Because Southwest Airlines flies there! First the problem areas: 1. Traffic control was horrible. I had to yell at several cars that pulled out of unmanned intersections in front of me. I was almost run down by a speeding black Cadillac in Roger Williams Park. (I promise I had not previously yelled at this car!). Many drivers were not courteous or understanding--lots of honking, gesturing and scowling. 2.The course markings, especially through Williams Park, were abysmal. The road wasn't closed, but the cones were so far apart that neither drivers nor runners knew which side of the road was proper to travel on! 3. There was apparently very little publicity about the race. No one we spoke to in Providence knew anything about it! Positives: 1.The police officers and volunteers that showed up were quite friendly, albeit in a rather dour New England way. 2. Except for the traffic problems, the organization was fine. The start near the State House was fabulous--although more porta-johns would be nice. Great medal! Good finish line assistance--but a free beer would have been appreciated. 3.Scenery, schmenery! Providence is a very interesting city, and this race gave this first-time visitor a very good tour of it. 4.The hills WERE challenging, but also interesting. Hello--it's a MARATHON! It's supposed to be difficult. 5. The fans were fine considering the awful weather. Hell--I was crazy to be running it. I never would have stood out there and watched it. Yankees have more sense than I expected. In short, the OSM is a unique alternative. If it gets a few additional sponsors (esp. a newspaper or P.R. firm) and a few hundred more volunteers, it will qualify for five stars. Providence itself was a good time. Great restaurants! Our group especially enjoyed our stay at the Jacob Hill Inn in nearby Seekonk, MA. Thanks Bill and Eleanora Rezek!
C. C. from Providence, RI (10/29/2003) "Very good local race; could use more fan support" (about: 2003) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I found this race to be very well organized and executed (as opposed to some comments below - actually, A.D. and R.P. either ran the race together or are the same person!). The course does have hills, but New England is just a hilly place, and in light of that, this course is very fair. The pavement was rough and choppy in several places, but far better than other urban courses like NYC, for example. I personally had no trouble with traffic, and saw many fewer cars than normal along the route. Every intersection (for the marathon) had a volunteer or police officer, and I thought the course map was perfectly accurate - in fact, the elevation map shows more accurate detail than other race's elevation maps do. I know there was some trouble with the half-marathon course markings - a friend got lost. But this was the first year for the 1/2, so I imagine this will be fixed next year. Aid stations were terrific and volunteers were plentiful in spite of the unfortunate weather (cold, raining, windy). Support on the course was excellent. In response to A.D. and R.P.'s comments about the course not including lovely Benefit Street - there is almost no way to incorporate Benefit Street without adding a significant hill (either up or down), so I didn't mind that some scenic areas of the city weren't included. Community support for the race leaves something to be desired - spectators were sparse and the local press does not do a good job of getting local people excited about the watching or participating in the event. All in all, the race director and volunteers should be commended for the very good job they did with this local marathon.
L. J. from Newport, RI (10/28/2003) "Overall only average" (about: 2003) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Pasta dinner good. Great post-race food! Volunteers at the water stops very friendly. Course was not closed to traffic. I found that very unsettling, especially on a bad weather day. Many pot holes to watch for. The hill on Irving Street was not too bad once we got to it. There was a water station around 8 mile point that was on the opposite side of the street. I had to cut across live traffic to get water. My running partner and I noticed a spot on the same side as we that would have worked better. Was the sports drink Gatorade or Ultima? Volunteers were calling out 'Gatorade'. They promoted Ultima. Were are the spectators?? The course could be 'prettier.' Why not run near famed Brown U?
J. H. from Massachusetts (10/27/2003) "Questionable course management" (about: 2003) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 I ran in the half marathon and found that after the half split from the full, organizers seem to have ignored those running the half. There was no one to give directions and the roads were frighteningly busy. I ran off course once and had to stop to ask for directions twice. Come on. I'm originally from RI and was hoping to find the great race that I had read about in so many sources. Please make improvements so the marathon can survive.
A. D. from Columbus, OH (10/17/2003) "Not a bad race, but could be much better" (about: 2003) COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 There are a few hills in this course. The hardest hill comes around the 21-mile mark. It's their version of Heartbreak Hill. The other hills aren't too bad; mostly short and steep little things. The road surface was terrible for a good portion of the race. There were potholes and patches all over the road so you had to really watch where you put your feet. The roads were not closed to traffic either. The Sunday morning traffic wasn't bad, though. The course chooses to ignore the historic Benefit Street. This is a shame because it's the nicest street in Providence. They should include it in the route instead of sending us along the litter-strewn road that makes up miles 16-18. The spectators stayed home. There was nobody, and I mean nobody, out on the course. At the finish line there were fewer than 50 people. I suspect that this was largely due to the weather, though. It was rainy and windy. If you're looking for a fast Boston-qualifier, this is not the course for you. It has some hills, and a ton of turns. Having said that, Providence is a nice town to visit for a weekend.
R. P. from Madison, WI (10/14/2003) "Some hills, poor road quality, not very scenic" (about: 2003) COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This course has some hills. There are a couple of short sharp ups and downs in the first half of the race, some rolling hills in the middle at Roger Williams Park, and their version of Heartbreak Hill around mile 21. Although not extremely hilly, this course is far from flat. The quality of the roads was bad. There were lots of pot-holes and patched areas which meant that you had to pay attention to where you put your feet. Most of the roads were also open to traffic so you had cars driving beside you and cutting across the course in front of you. Many of the intersections were not staffed by police or volunteers. By far most of the drivers were courteous to the runners, but I prefer to have a course closed to traffic when possible. The traffic was light, though, so it's not that big a deal. Providence is a very pretty city, but the race course managed to avoid some of the nicer spots. It would have been nice to run along Benefit St. or through the Brown U. area, but we didn't do that. Roger Williams Park was nice as was the downtown area along the riverfront, but there were many other areas where there was nothing to see except highways and road litter. The spectators were non-existent. That may be due to the weather which was rainy and breezy. There were less than 100 people at the finish line and probably less than that throughout the entire first 26 miles. I would not recommend this marathon for anybody looking for a fast time due to the hills and the poor course selection. It was fairly well organized, though. It started on time. The water stops were adequate. Nothing special here. This was a below average marathon.
B. S. from Houston, Texas (10/13/2003) "Dangerous Course" (about: 2003) COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Moderately hilly course with a few scenic areas. Unfortunately, it also ran through some very rundown, trashy areas. There was a lot of glass on the ground from broken bottles and smashed car windows. The dangerous aspect was that they didn't close any of the streets, and cars were everywhere on the course. We ran next to city buses, semi-trucks and too many cars to count. Generally, the course ran with traffic instead of against it so you couldn't even see what was coming up behind you. There was very little traffic control. Most of the major intersections were staffed by police and volunteers, but none of the 100's of secondary side streets were blocked or protected. On a couple of streets barricades had been removed. Traffic cones marked the course, but they were so few and far between, and confusing enough for motorists that numerous cars were driving on the course. In many places cars were parked on the course and runners were forced to run into the street to go around them. If OSM doesn't improve either the course or road closures, then eventually someone will be maimed or killed running this race. I ran both races this past weekend, and a safer, more scenic alternative is Hartford, CT.