This past Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous morning for a road race and it was off to Little Compton, Rhode Island for the 41st Annual Little Compton Road Race.

I ran this race last year and loved the course and the overall race vibe so when registration opened up for this year’s run it was a no-brainer to sign up. The race is hosted in the idyllic, New England town of Little Compton and comes complete with a church fair on the town green hosting local artisans, some food options, music and all all around perfect atmosphere. We brought the kids with us to the run and they walked around while we ran and then we checked out the fair post-run and made a great morning out of it.

The course is a 4.8 mile loop through rural roads of Little Compton with no traffic, plenty of farmside running and glimpses of the ocean along stretches. Locals are out on the course cheering runners along and there are plenty of water stops throughout the 4.8 miles including one hosted close to the finish line by a local business with an appropriate sign noting, “Last Sip Before the Sprint.”

Overall, the course has some rolling hills mixed in and between the Mile 3 and Mile 4 marker you are climbing at a relatively decent clip. In the last mile there is a bit of a downhill stretch only to be met by a quick but sharp little left hand turn uphill before turning right into the finish line. Runners names are called out making their way into the chute and water, bananas and bagels meet runners at a tent just to the side of the finish line.

The race is one that is easy to understand why people head back to it year after year and is definitely one that I will run again, as well. I finished this year’s Little Compton Road Race with a time of 39:46, good for 8:16/miles.