NH's Largest Marathon Likely No More Due to Safety Concerns

The organizers of the Smuttynose Rockfest Marathon will likely only seek approval for a half marathon next year due to concerns from Hampton officials and police about safety issues created by the full marathon's impact on small side roads.

Representatives of Loco Sports presented reworked routes Monday for the Half at the Hamptons half marathon, which is held in February and has a cap of 1,200 runners, and the Rockfest half marathon, which is held in October and has a cap of 5,000 runners. 

Loco Sports organizes the two events, both of which annually draw thousands more to the Seacoast area. The Rockfest is typically held as both a marathon and a half marathon.

The new routes garnered significant praise from the board, members of which have expressed hesitation about large races in town in the wake of a fatal crash that claimed the lives of two cyclists during a non-competitive ride in September.

"There have been some positive steps to make it less of an inconvenience [and safety concern]," said Chairman Dick Nichols.

No official vote was taken Monday to approve either races' routes or to require the Rockfest be held as only a half marathon because Loco Sports must wait until its insurance policy renews on Jan. 1 before submitting formal race applications.

The Smuttynose Rockfest full marathon is the biggest marathon in New Hampshire and serves as a qualifier to the Boston Marathon.

Selectman Mary-Louise Woolsey has been one of the most outspoken against the impact of the Rockfest marathon. Woolsey said again Monday that she heard "a lot of complaints" after this year's "very disruptive" and "ridiculous" race, which tied up traffic on her street, Little River Road.

The decision to rework the routes to avoid tertiary streets — something Loco Sports officials said can't be done if the race remains a full marathon — came out of safety recommendations from Police Chief Jamie Sullivan. Those concerns were discussed at last week's board meeting. 

One way to continue the full marathon would be to plot the course along more of Ocean Boulevard (Route 1A), although Loco Sports officials said the New Hampshire Department of Transportation wouldn't go for that proposal because it would require the road to be closed for up to six hours.

Selectman Mike Pierce made a point Monday to say that he didn't remember the board ever stating that it was looking to prevent a full marathon, and he said it "disappoints" him to see that organizers are "cutting it to a half marathon" due to complaints from what he feels is a select group of individuals.

"I'd hate to see us squelch something," said Pierce, who said he "respect[s]" Sullivan's efforts and "appreciate[s]" Loco Sports' efforts to rework the routes to improve safety in town. "When we have the Christmas parade, Route 1 is shut down for two to three hours. If we can do that, we can do a full marathon."

Many residents expressed similar viewpoints Monday night, making a case that the races bring anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in revenue to local hotels, restaurants, businesses and groups while supporting and enhancing the overall community.

Nichols suggested that Loco Sports explore submitting a petitioned warrant article for Hampton's annual town meeting in March to gauge whether local residents are in favor of a full marathon.

The article would come after selectmen vote to approve the routes for both of their races, although Nichols said it is "certainly something to think about" because it would be the clearest way to show something selectmen don't have a complete handle on.

Even though the article would be advisory in nature and wouldn't be binding, Nichols said it could also be "a double-edged sword" because it could ultimately reveal to Loco Sports that residents may not want marathons in town.