Providence Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Providence Marathon is a spring road marathon in Rhode Island, run on a Sunday in early May and starting and finishing at Bold Point Park in East Providence. It is organised by Rhode Races and held together with a half marathon, a 5K and a 1 km kids' fun run for children under 10; the marathon goes off at 7:30 a.m., half an hour before the half. The course crosses the Linear Park bridge, follows bike paths and closed roads along the riverfront, and runs out and back along Blackstone Boulevard past historic homes and tree-lined streets. It then leaves Providence over the Henderson Bridge and Waterfront Drive, continues through East Providence, loops around the Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington and returns along the East Bay Bike Path to a waterside finish at Bold Point Park. The marathon course is USATF-certified and is a Boston Marathon qualifier. The race has been run in Providence since 2008, originally as the Cox Providence Rhode Races starting in the downtown area; the 2024 edition was cancelled, and since 2025 the marathon has used the current East Providence start and finish. The time limit is six hours, and runners who cannot keep to it are moved onto the sidewalks as aid stations close.