FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Prize Money and Certification Announced for Inaugural
Mississippi Blues Marathon and Half-Marathon

(Jackson, MS) – Prize money totaling $30,000 has been announced for the
inaugural Mississippi Blues Marathon and Half-Marathon, scheduled for
January 5, 2008. Prize money will be awarded in the following categories
for the marathon only:

Male Female
1st Place $4,000 $4,000
2nd Place 3,000 3,000
3rd Place 2,000 2,000
4th Place 1,500 1,500
5th Place 1,000 1,000

Wheelchair $500 $500
Handcycle 500 500

Masters
1st Place $1,000 $1,000
2nd Place 700 700
3rd Place 500 500

Tri-County $300 $300

In addition to the first place prize money, an additional $1,000 will be
awarded to the top male and female runners who break the current
Mississippi Marathon records of 2:23:44 (male) and 3:04:02 (female). Prize
money in the Tri-County category will be awarded to the top finishers from
the Jackson metropolitan area, comprised of Hinds, Rankin and Madison
Counties.

The courses for both the marathon and half-marathon have been officially
certified with USA Track and Field. Course maps and an elevation chart are
available at www.msbluesmarathon.com.

The marathon will start and finish in the historic Fondren district of
Jackson, and encompass the downtown area, Flowood, and parts of north
Jackson. At this time, nearly 200 runners from 26 states have registered
for the event.

To support its focus on the blues, event organizers will also be donating a
portion of the proceeds to the Mississippi Blues Foundation to promote
authentic Mississippi Blues music and support the blues as a uniquely
Mississippi art form.

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