Registration Open for 2016 Newport Marathon

Registration is open for the Newport Marathon to be held in 2016.

The company that organizes the marathon, Gray Matter Marketing, announced the date of next year’s race on Friday — Oct. 9 — and that the race was a success last year, attracting more than 2,400 runners and raising $70,000 for local charities.

This year, they expect to sell out at a capacity of 4,000 — and fast. The race is steadily attracting more attention from serious runners around the world for its stunning course along Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic as well as mansions and historic Thames Street in Newport.

“We feel this is a premier running event, and truly one of the most beautiful marathon and half-marathon courses in the country,” said Matthew Gray, President of Gray Matter Marketing.

This year, the marathon will donate more than $50,000 to local charities including the Ronald McDonald House of Providence, the Aquidneck Land Trust, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, Boys Town New England and the Newport County YMCA.

Runners are encouraged to raise money for their own causes.

Gray Matter Marketing took over operations of the marathon last year after some controversy. It was a bit of a race itself, with Gray ultimately convincing the Newport City Council to vote in his favor after several public hearings. Gray Matter and the longtime race organizer, Eident Sports, both applied for a race named The Newport Marathon on the same date.

Gray, a former employee of Eident, said he was the locally-based company with a good track record running other races and events across Rhode Island since the company was found in 2012. His application included dollar-amount promises for specific charities to sweeten the arrangement for the city, which must cope with traffic and security when the race is held.

Council members were partially upset about a dune-trampling incident at Easton’s Beach the prior year and Eident faced scorn from several council members for that incident. They also said they were inclined to vote for the locally-based company and that led to to Gray Matter.

The competition for the permit became so heated, the marathon was effectively killed at one point after a deadlocked council couldn’t break a tie and the request dissolved in front of a surprised audience attending the meeting in the Claiborne Pell Elementary School Cafeterium.

And after the vote, both companies ended up in court. In the end, the protracted process caused much grumbling in the running community — runners just wanted to run the race and know where to sign up.

In the end, the legal matters were resolved and the race went on.

This year, there is no controversy. Gray Matter applied for their permit and it was approved at the City Council’s Nov. 18 meeting. The company was the lone applicant.

Photo courtesy: Gray Matter Marketing