Rock N Roll Providence Half Marathon Course Preview
The Rock n Roll Marathon series presented by Competitor will be hosting the inaugural half marathon in Providence, RI on Sunday, August 7th. The race will begin at 7:00 AM so hopefully heat will not be much of a factor on race day. New England can get hot and humid during August of so the early race start is a good thing!
For those of you who have never been to Providence, here is a course preview and some historical information to guide you through race day. Providence is one of the most historical cities on the east coast, and was founded in 1636. You will see many landmarks throughout the course.
The race begins in front of the train station, on the right side of the State House. The lawn of the state house is a great place for runners to meet before the start of the race. The RI state house was built at the turn of the 1900's and is composed of white Georgian marble. For those of you who may have seen the movie Amistad, the exterior of the building served as the US Capitol.After the start line, you will immediately begin to run uphill along the side of the State house. The hill is a short one, and you will heading downhill along Canal Street by the 0.5 mile marker. You will see some nice views along Canal Street to your right. If you look behind you, the State house and starting area will be in sight. A quick left and right up will bring you to North Main Street where the race will move against the direction of traffic. The next mile is relatively flat.
At mile two, you will turn left and head back northwest on Benefit Street. Historic Benefit Street began to develop in the 1780's. As you run along Benefit, you will notice most of the buildings are from the 18th and 19th century. Many of the historical buildings will have plaques on them with the year the building was constructed. If you look to the left, you will be able to see the Providence skyline at the bottom of the hill. About a half of a mile down Benefit Street, keep your eyes to the right for a large, white church. The church was built in 1775 and it is the first Baptist church built in America. The campus of Brown University will also be on your right throughout Benefit Street. Brown was founded in 1764 and many of the buildings on campus are from the 18th century.
When you reach mile three, the course moves from the downtown area to the north of the city along North Main Street. I’m not going to lie, from miles 3 through 5 is pretty boring. North Main Street does not have a lot of shade and there isn’t anything exciting about it. The one good thing is its nice and FLAT! Use the next few miles to mentally prepare for the hills that are approaching starting at mile five!
After the long stretch of North Main Street, you will turn right on Hillside Ave. There is a reason why this street got its name! The course turns uphill through a residential area before you eventually head down hill and take a right on Blackstone Blvd. The 1.5 mile stretch of Blackstone Blvd is a much better upgrade to the course than North Main Street. The best part of
Blackstone is you will be heading back in the direction of the downtown area and the finish! You may even be able to catch a glimpse of the downtown skyline too. There is a park and stonewall to your left throughout the Blvd and it is well shaded. After the stonewall ends, you will take a left into a residential area. The course will go downhill and along the Seekonk River. Use the downhill to catch your breath because one of the biggest hills on the course is approaching at the 7.5-mile marker. Once you get over the hill, you will run through Richmond Square. There will be some great views along the water and finally you will reach Pitman Street. The course then shifts from the view of the river to a gradual downhill in the east side of 
Providence once you reach Gano Street.. The downhill will last for at least a mile. At the nine mile marker, you will run under the highway and India Point Park will be on your left. This is another area that has some great views and you will finally get a great view of the downtown to the right.
Next, you will cross over the Point Street Bridge and back into downtown. The last 2.5 miles of the race will have you twisting and turning through the narrow streets of Downtown Providence. Eventually, you will find yourself on South Water Street. Once you take a right on Memorial Drive (12.6 mi) , you can now rest assured you are in the home stretch! You will see the Providence Place Mall in front of you and the State House to the right. When you finally get to the mall, take a right and head straight up to the State House. Remember to save some energy because the last 0.3 miles is uphill to the finish!
Overall, I think the course is great and gives people who have never been to Providence a great feel for what the city has to offer. There are quite a few good-sized hills but there are also large stretches of flat terrain. Either way, I think it’s going to be a great weekend!
Finish Line Shot # 1:
Finish Line Shot # 2:
Water Fire:
