• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Wellesley Square
  • School news
  • Pre-schools in Wellesley
  • Private schools, sponsored by Riverbend
  • Camp
  • Kids
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Business news
  • Embracing diversity
  • Seniors
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Fire & police scanner
  • Worship
  • POPS Senior Profiles
  • Deland, Gibson Insurance Athlete of the Week
  • Raiders sports schedules & results
  • Live gov’t meetings
  • Events
  • About us
 
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Beyond Wellesley: Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon & 5K at Hampton Beach, N.H.

October 9, 2019 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Hampton Beach action peaks during summer, but the New Hampshire seacoast community makes one last gasp each fall at the Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon & 5K. If you’re a runner who also enjoys a craft beer or two or… this could be the race for you, whether you’re a distance runner or a 5K speedster.

smuttynose rockfest
Corralling the half-marathoners (photo courtesy RM)

 

smuttynose rockfest
Ocean view along Hampton Beach (photo courtesy RM)

 

This is one of the flatter half marathons you’ll run across, and unless the weather gets nasty, a fast one. You’ll be hard-pressed to figure out where the supposed inclines are on this course, which loops a couple of times through town before going up and down the coast, with a brief diversion through a neighborhood. If you’ve run other fall halfs, such as the BAA’s, this course will be a welcome respite.

The 5K starts 40 minutes after the half marathon launches at 8am, with runners overlapping for a section but cordoned off from each other. All in all, about 5,000 runners take part in the 2 races. One nice thing about this race is that spectators can see their runners 5 times with barely any effort (though Mrs. Swellesley was unexpectedly called into action assisting a random runner who found himself imploding early in the race and in need of medical help).

The biggest challenge with this well-organized race is figuring out when to get there. If you head up the morning of the race from Wellesley you pretty much need to leave by 5:30 to get parking in public lots along the ocean and pick up your stuff for the half marathon. You can dawdle a little longer for the 5K, but parking could be tough. The half marathon race costs about $70 to enter if you do so early, but the fee rises to more than $100 if you wait until race day, if bibs are still available (as they were this year). The race includes post-race chowder and a lobster roll, 2 beer tickets, and a fleece pullover. Thanks to this race I now have both purple and teal items in my ward-drab.

smuttynose rockfest
Post-race scrum

 

Many runners stay over the night before along the strip and pre-game, and you can find a place for a bit over $100. Mr. & Mrs. Swellesley this year sucked it up the morning of the race and watched the sunrise on our drive there. We stayed over on Sunday night after the race, allowing us to enjoy post-race activities, which included watching the Patriots game at the Sea Ketch, where locals treated us like royalty on a protected deck area that had us feeling like we were outdoors but also kept us toasty under heat lamps. Some enjoyed an outdoor post-race concert featuring a wigged-up party band, while others headed into the Casino Ballroom for a rockin’ afternoon.

We were also able to work in naps and rally for dinner at Ron’s Landing, a homey spot with fine dining and a spirited upstairs bar, where we feasted on kabobs and burgers.

sea ketch
Catching up post-race at the Ketch

 

The next day in Hampton

The fun didn’t stop on Sunday. We grabbed breakfast a few miles off the strip at a North Hampton spot called the Airfield Cafe that is not to miss, especially if you have an interest in flying or have small kids.

The breakfast and lunch spot, alongside the Hampton Airfield, is a friendly place that serves up good and big dishes of oatmeal, omelets and pancakes, while you sit under a constantly moving overhead display of model airplanes. It re-opened in a revamped space on July 4, 2019. If you’re lucky, you might see a plane land or take off on the adjacent air strip, perhaps even the occasional helicopter. The hand dryers in the restrooms are called Air Forces.

airfield cafeairfield cafe

Before heading back to Wellesley we drove 2 miles down the road from the cafe and took a short walk around Batchelder Pond, which is filled with ducks and turtles. Fishing only for adults who are accompanied by a child.

batchelder pondbatchelder pond

It’s not worth going far out of your way for this mile-plus trail loop, but it made for a nice post-breakfast constitutional. And if you’ve run the half marathon the day before, it might be about as much as you can manage…

image_print

Filed Under: Outdoors, Restaurants, Uncategorized

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisements:

Linden Square, Wellesley
Wonderful Wellesley, Lockheart
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Advertisements

Wellesley Square, Wellesley Merchants
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Fay School, Southborough
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Wellesley Theatre Project
Beacon Hill Athletic Clubs, Wellesley
Volvo
Prepped and Polished Boston Tutoring and Test Prep
Cheesy Street Grill
Admit Fit, Wellesley
Mature Caregivers
charles river chamber
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Most Read Posts

  • Friday is letters-to-the-editor day on The Swellesley Report
  • Boston Calling 2023: Music marathon makes for Memorial Day Weekend to remember
  • POPS Senior Profile: Izzy Pavano—bringing energy & enthusiasm to choral program
  • Wellesley Trails Committee guided trail walk: Hemlock Gorge & Echo Bridge (June 3, 9-10am)
  • New Wellesley Square high rise is for the birds

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Upcoming Events

Jun 3
9:00 am - 10:00 am

Hemlock Gorge & Echo Bridge guided walk

Jun 3
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

CANCELED: Big Joe the Storyteller in Linden Square

Jun 3
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

CANCELED: Big Joe the Storyteller in Wellesley Square

Jun 4
8:00 am - 1:00 pm

Schofield 5k, Fun Run and Fun Fair

Jun 4
9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Hazardous Household Waste & Document Destruction Day

View Calendar

Recent Comments

  • Bob Brown on Wellesley Trails Committee guided trail walk: Hemlock Gorge & Echo Bridge (June 3, 9-10am)
  • Anne on Wellesley Trails Committee guided trail walk: Hemlock Gorge & Echo Bridge (June 3, 9-10am)
  • Bob Brown on New Wellesley Square high rise is for the birds
  • Mauyra on New Wellesley Square high rise is for the birds
  • Ellen on Wellesley Rec to make pickleball rec to schools, NRC

Links we like

  • Danny's Place
  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group
Deland, Gibson, Wellesley
  • swellesley reach ad
  • support swellesley
Rick Cram, leader

© 2023 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login