2017 Independence Rhode Race

The 3rd annual Independence Rhode Race kicked off on Saturday, July 1st, from Independence Park in Bristol, RI. The half marathon started on Thames St. before winding through the quintessential downtown, past the America’s Cup Museum, followed part of the parade route, and then headed out along Poppasquash Rd to the trails at Colt State Park and returning to the waterfront for the finish.

The year’s event had nearly 600 finishers in its sold-out race.? Eric Lonegan of N. Kingstown easily won the race, with a time of 1:14, beating the second-place finishers by nearly 6 mins. The first Bristol resident to finish was Bryce O’Brien, a recent Mt Hope graduate who runs for his college team of Bates, finishing in 1:23 for 3rd place overall.

On the women’s side, Molly Schultz of Howell, MI was the first-place female with a time of 1:29. Catherine Webb of Bristol was our first local female finisher.

While participants represented 28 states and 4 countries, the race was really a chance for the East Bay community to show off with volunteers from Mt Hope and Portsmouth sports teams and clubs as well as a strong representation from our running community. Lisa Brown from Walpole, MA commented, The Bristol Independence Half Marathon was the most beautiful race I have ever done. Most of the course traversed through? Colt State Park on bike trails. Pretty ocean views prevailed and running with this group was a blast!! Nice 6:30 AM start helped beat the heat, although the humidity had us soaked by the end of mile 1! Great support during and after the race. The Rhode Races are awesome. Can’t wait for the next one in September.

The race benefits the Bristol 4th of July Celebration as well as other local charities, including the Bristol Warren Education Foundation, Mt Hope High School Boosters, and the Angie K Dolan Memorial Foundation.

The Bristol Independence Rhode Race is part of the Rhode Race Series; 5 half marathons in the scenic towns of Newport, Providence, Bristol, Jamestown, and Narragansett. Learn more at #RunRI.

Who we are: Rhode Races & Events is a full-service, sports events marketing company providing turn-key event management. We are a RI Benefit Corporation and execute over 10 events a year in Rhode Island. Our most notable events are the Newport Rhode Race, Providence Marathon, and the Ocean State Rhode Race but our portfolio includes a charity 5ks, a Wine Run, and a non-profit family fun race.