The 2007 Mid-South Championship marathon was an outstanding small-town experience. It was also inspiring to run at the same time as the elite runners were competing in New York City in the men's Olympic Qualifying marathon.

The positives:

Small-town charm. Wynne offers a view into the lovely Southerners of Arkansas. Stayed at the Days Inn where colored pictures drawn by middle school children greeted the runners. This gracious hotel allowed us to check out as late as we wanted. Unheard of in big cities.

A great rural course. Paved roads all the way without any steep hills. Fairly flat except for a gentle uphill climb at mile 24. Mostly shaded on the way out with sunshine on the return. Lots of fall foliage, farms, and cotton fields.

Enthusiastic fans and friendly drivers. The roads are open to traffic but the drivers were courteous. The fans, though few as expected, cheered heartily. I gave five stars for the fans since quality is what is important. I ran Boston this year and there were many stretches without anyone cheering. Still, expect to run by yourself unless your best buddy also runs at your pace.

Great water stops every mile. Had Gatorade as well, and fruit.

Delicious home-cooked pasta dinner on Friday with lots of choices. And great post-race food of pizza, and home-cooked items as well.

Huge array of trophies, which were five-deep in the marathon category. Very generous.

Long-sleeved cotton shirt was fine, as was the medal.

The negatives:

None really. Oh, they could have handed out the timing chips at the packet-pickup. This was done on race day, which perhaps was a surprise to more runners than just me. Not a big deal.

Congratulations to the race director and committee for a job well done!!

This was my 3rd Marathon, and my first smaller event (ING Atlanta, and Chicago). From packet pick-up to race awards, the folks of Wynne have it right. Great race support with stops every mile on this out-and-back course. The "rolling" hills seemed a little less rolling but don't be afraid to spend your first weekend in November here!

Yesterday's Midsouth Marathon was my first visit to this race. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a race with a "few rolling hills" but nothing major. The organizers did a great job, the traffic control along the course was outstanding (since you're running along a highway most all the time) and the water stops were well stocked with a variety of items and friendly helpful people. A cool start gave way to a semi-warm finish. The 1st half of the "out and back" course had a lot of shade, but the return was much sunnier, once the sun got above the trees. It was a PR day for me and I'm so glad to have run this race!

Organization, water-stops, awards & post-race party were excellent as always!!! Great Job Wynne!

Small suggestions for next year: Mile marker 9 was moved back too far, which made made the 9, 10, 17 & 18 splits off. Gatorade has been double-strength for the past two years, making Gu unnecessary. Ha!

Overall, this is a great small-town race!

This was my 233rd marathon and my most important. As I was finishing the marathon, I asked Donna to marry me - to many cheers, when she said yes. We made this our marathon.

I chose this marathon for several reasons. First off, this is a runner's marathon. They are for the runner, not someone's favorite charity. The entry fee is very low and you get a lot. The whole town makes you feel wanted. The number of runners is low so you are not in a crowd all the time. They also do a great job with the post-race party and awards. Plenty to eat, showers, and a lot of friendly runners to socialize with at the end.

Some call this flat and some hilly. It is the fastest marathon course in Arkansas with some rolling hills, but nothing really big. I love this marathon. Donna and I are planning to run this one each year.

Though I did not run my best time, I still enjoyed the atmosphere of Wynne. The people of the community all thanked you for coming there to run and the aid stations had more energy then any big-town marathon. Though my legs hurt, I left Wynne with a big smile on my face. One of the few marathons left that was made only with the runner in mind.

This is a good race for you if you are looking for a really well organized race that is small and attentive to the marathoner's needs. I ran the race this last weekend and was particularly impressed with the kindness and welcome I received from the whole Wynne community. The Days Inn (host hotel) was completely decorated with childrens drawings to cheer us on.

The out-and-back course was really relatively flat, beautiful, and serene. There was a high Port-A-Potty to runner ratio - I never stood in line long. The people at the water stops had a lot of spirit.

Although the marathon had only 151 runners, the organizers did not skimp on amenities. In fact it felt more personal, particularly when they called out every finisher's name and residence at the end.

Good job, Wynne!

One of the friendliest towns that I have ever run in. This was my sixth
marathon and I loved the atmosphere!
Beautiful fall run. The heat, wind, and hills got to me but I really think this marathon is super.

This was my first marathon, and I enjoyed it thouroughly. It was windy, which was out of anyone's control. It had some rolling hills, but that made it more challenging. It was warm, but this time of year, that's no certainty. Overall I loved it. There weren't many spectators, but it's through a rural area, and the spectators that were there were enthusiastic, supportive, and polite. There was plenty of water and/or gatorade at each station, gel stations, and fruit and baked goods at some stations.
Someone said 'add 20-30 minutes to a marathon with better conditions.' I hope so, if I could finish this one strong, I'm sure I can finish the others I have planned. This is supposed to be a physical, mental, and emotional challenge, right?

This was a really well done small-town marathon. It was my second marathon. The organization was flawless, everything was smooth and on time. I loved the aid stations every mile. There was Gatorade, water, snacks and a porta-john at each one. Except for a very short stretch on the main highway, traffic was not an issue. Really pretty course through Crowley's Ridge. Not many spectators, but there are lots of helpful, friendly, enthusiastic folks at all the stops. If you haven't tried a small-town marathon, you really ought to give this one a try. I could be a little biased since I grew up in Wynne, but I thought it was a great race.