Ok, this event is not Boston, New York, or Chicago, but that is the beauty and draw of this race. I thought that the 5 a.m. start made the race even better. It helped with the temperature, but it also was very cool running the course under the stars on those rural roads. I thought the water stations were well stocked, if maybe a little undermanned. Mile markers up higher would have been a plus, but that would not be necessary. Parking/easy access to the start was my favorite part. My family met me a the finish and parked about 200 yards from the finish line. Try to find that in some of the bigger cities. I will do this race again and would highly recommend it. By the way, the finisher medal is awesome!!

It's been 5 years since I've run Tupelo. I love coming to this particular race, and love the start time, the city, and the Tupelo Running Club. There's just so much that I love about it. I just don't understand the McDonald's hamburgers as post-race food. They're awful. Please change that. Thank you.

I thought everything about this race was well executed. The race director acknowledged your registration via email and was prompt to answer any questions. Race packet went smoothly. I happen to love the tie-dyed, long-sleeve, cotton T-shirt - and as others have mentioned, the medal is just plain cool. I welcomed the early start. Running in the dark for the first hour and half or so was just like doing a training run. There aren't a whole lot of porta-potties, aid stations are not as frequent as in some other marathons, and they don't have big mile markers, but this is a low-key race. Personally, I'd forgo those things any day in favor of a nice course, friendly people and a good time - and that is what this marathon delivered. I enjoy out-and-back courses, and this one did not disappoint. There were several fellow "Marathon Maniacs," and seeing them and giving/getting words of encouragement was a mental boost. There seemed to be plenty of water, sports drink, beer and burgers at the finish. I'd highly recommend this race. It's definitely one of my favorites.

This marathon doesn't have any big sponsors. It's prepared by the local running club, and as such, you are not going to get a lot of course amenities: no clocks every mile, no bands, not a lot of personal attention during the race, no flashing/neon mile markers, no covered bridges or stadiums to run through, no closed course and no pretense about the potential for the weather (we REALLY lucked out this year!). For the sake of our wallets and for those of us who are just there to run and score that finisher's medal, I hope this race stays simple and focused. (And I rather liked the prospect of hamburgers and cold beer at the finish, so they need to keep that going!)

My only real suggestion for improving this event is to please clarify the website for us out-of-townerswhen it comes to directions and maps. Quite a few people were asking for directions at bib-pickup (and they ran out of maps). I am glad that I did a recon the day before, or I would have been driving around the wrong Furniture Market complex at 4:00 a.m., looking for the start of the race!

I have run the Tupelo for the last three years, and it's great to have a marathon in the South to train for during the summer to keep me motivated. This is not a first-timer's marathon, as the weather can be quite warm and humid if you haven't trained for it. If you have, it is a great run with a surreal but beautiful start in the dark. Personally I love these smaller venues full of runners who love to run multiple marathons rather than folks who are looking to check a box on their "stuff to do before I die" list. You can keep your mega-marathons, and I will keep coming to treasures like the Tupelo each year.

Absolutely loved the experience. I'm not too fond of "out and back" courses, but as another person posted, with most of the first half in the dark, it seemed totally different coming back.

I was pleasantly surprised with Tupelo. It exceeded my expectations by a long shot. The town was very easy to get around, and it has plenty to do to occupy your time. The goody bag included a free pass to visit the house where Elvis was born. I wouldn't have gone otherwise, but I couldn't pass up a free ticket. I was very glad I went. Miss Billie was a hoot.

The medal is one of the - if not the - coolest of my 13 marathon medals. I love the long-sleeve cotton shirt. I'm 6'3" tall, so most long sleeves don't fit me well. This one is plenty long enough so I won't have to roll up the sleeves as with most others. The color is a bit loud for me, with the orange/yellow tie-dye, but I'll still proudly wear it around the house.

I was also nervous about the water stations being two miles apart. I don't know if it was the cloud cover or the early start, but it was not an issue at all. They advertised water only for the first half, but I'd say around Mile 8 they had Gatorade as well. The Skittles, peppermints, and pretzels and mile 23 were GREAT! That really helped energize me those last 3.2 miles.

The McDonald's hamburgers at the finish were awful. I took one bite and my stomach turned. :( My only recommendation would be to get different post-race food.

There weren't many spectators, but I wasn't expecting many at 5:00. The ones who were out were wonderful.

Since I have MS marked off my list of the 50 states, I won't race this one again. But I would totally recommend this race to anyone.

I can't even put into words how much I enjoyed my experience in Tupelo. I found out about Tupelo a week before the race. I was looking for something fun to do for Labor Day weekend and I came across the fantastic reviews on MarathonGuide.com about this race. When I heard about the tie-dye race shirts and the awesome medal, I was all in. But what I didn't realize was just how special this race would be. I was the girl who brought my dog because I couldn't find anyone to watch her for the weekend. Honestly, I take her around everywhere and she's been my running buddy for my one-year of running experience. One of the volunteers was sweet enough (THANK YOU!) to take her in his truck from water station to water station. Seeing her on the course kept the smile on my face all 26.2 miles. What's even more special is that I got to cross the finish line with my dog! (I can't wait to order pictures from this race.) The volunteers were all incredible!!! Of the handful of races that I've been a part of, this race was by far the best managed race. The Gatorade had ice in it! The 5 a.m. start time was awesome, and the miles were all marked very well. The course is beautiful and I couldn't have dreamed of a better experience. This was my first marathon and I couldn't have chosen a better race for my first. Thank you, David Whiteside! I will be back every year to run this marathon.

Nice marathon. It was very friendly from the beginning to the end. We ran this in 2008 and came on back for another Crazy Jimmy's. The medals and the t-shirts are the best ever. I'm so happy to get a long-sleeve cotton shirt instead of another technical shirt that I will never, ever wear. THANKS FOR THE COTTON, Tupelo!

The only thing that would make this nicer would be two more water stops in the last six miles. Two miles is a bit far for some of us in that heat.

Thank you, thank you very much, Tupelo Running Club!

- The 5 a.m. start is a good move, for if you are more than a four-hour marathoner, it gets hot and humid. I used it as a training run, as I had another in 3 weeks, and a bunch of other runners were also using it as training run. So yes, these are some serious runners.
- I found it very well organized throughout.
- The medal and shirt are the best. Thanks for not having a tech shirt, as I can actually wear this one.
- Tupelo... I never saw it, as this is all rural.
- NO fan support... but I gave a 3 because the water stop folks were very supportive.
- Cars... well, it is a training run so it's all good. There were maybe 15 total that I saw - 8 dogs and 15 cars.
- Not being a meat-lover, I was not into the McDonald's, but I did enjoy the ice cold beers from the cooler.
- Very cool how everyone hangs out at the end to share the experience.
- The Summit Hotel was fine.
- Pretty cool how they "run ya in" at the end.

There was no medical support that I saw. Well, I did see a guy on a bike that had a red flag on the back, so he may have been the medical guy... so... again, treat it as a training run and carry a phone in case you need it.

That's it! If not for anything else, do it for the medal and shirt, as you will like it and you earned it.

If you are looking for a small-town race with a relaxing atmosphere, this is a good one. Nothing beats being able to run your pace from the starting gun. We got lucky that the weather was a little cooler than normal. Not sure what a previous writer meant about medical staff. I saw at least one ambulance at the finish line, standing by. I found all of the support staff helpful and friendly.

With the exception of one major hill after mile 19, the course is truly a series of rolling hills through back country neighborhoods. I even had a dog pace me through miles 21 and 22! I thought the water stops were adequately spaced and well-manned. It is not a closed course, so there will be morning traffic, but that didn't start until after 7:00 a.m. I didn't experience any close calls, but instead found car traffic respectful to our presence.

There is little spectator support, but I wasn't expecting any from a small marathon that starts at 5:00 a.m. With the start of the race while still dark, the end of the race seemed like a different course. Most of the runners were serious runners who love this sport, so I truly enjoyed hanging out with everyone before the race, and especially afterward. Actually watched a dog (not my pacer!!) cross the finish line. You're not going to get funny events like that at a Rock-n-Roll Marathon. Good marathon.