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May 18, 2024

Tupelo Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Tupelo Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 4.4

Spectators 2.6

Number of comments: 156 [displaying comments 111 to 121]

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R. H. from Fairbanks, Alaska (9/8/2005) "great small town marathon, no frills" (about: 2005) 50+ previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Was good. I enjoyed the 5a.m. start. Ran on the rural Tupelo roads & no traffic till 9a.m. Constant police cruising past, roads were not closed but no traffic problem. Was hot but that was what I expected. No frills. water stops/gator aid as expected. I am a 50-stater & a lot of showed up. I thought it was a fun time in a small marathon. Finisher's medal was super. The hills were no big deal. someday I will run tupelo again.
Russ Johnson from North Georgia (9/5/2005) "Good small race!" (about: 2005) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This race provides all the basics of a good run, with none of the 'fluff' - no timing chips, no photographers, no cheering crowds, no expo. If you need those things, don't run this race. It's a relatively fast course, entirely on quiet country and residential two-lane roads with gently rolling hills, but nothing too difficult. The first 10k are in the dark (5:00 start) and quite serene, with the Milky Way glowing overhead and just the sound of footsteps, plus the occasional rooster crowing as twilight begins (you might want to carry a cheap flashlight for the first 10k and discard it at one of the water stops; there are a few places with some rough pavement). The countryside at dawn is just beautiful and temperatures are still cool. I will always remember the quiet dawn beauty of miles 6-10 of this race. Marathon runners turn around at the 13-mile mark and repeat the loop backwards, and by the time they hit the 20-mile mark the sun is up and it's getting warm. A cap is helpful for the last few miles, as it's into the sun. Don't expect any crowd support; there just isn't any, except for a few friendly dogs, and that's OK with me. Pros: Real flush toilets at start and finish. Fast, relatively flat course on good blacktop. Friendly, enthusiastic volunteers at water stations. Quiet serenity of the Mississipi countryside at dawn. Second half is same as the first, only backwards, so you know just what to expect. No problem with crowding, it's a small race and the pack quickly spreads out - at times you might not see another runner. Really cool medal, and long-sleeve T-shirt with just the race logo and no sponsor ads. That's rare! Tupelo - birthplace of Elvis. Don't miss the museum! Finally, friendly and accessible staff and volunteers. This is the nice thing about a 'small' race. They made allowances for the people who couldn't make it due to Hurricane Katrina. Nice touch. Cons (these are minor): Sometimes-hard-to-see mileage marks spray-painted on the pavement - a few upright signs at regular intervals, even every 5 miles, might have helped with pacing. More porta-potties - I waited for a couple of minutes at mile 15, and it almost cost me a 4-hour time (I don't really want to urinate on someone's lawn). The hot food was gone by the time I finished, all eaten by the 14-mile runners. Hey, they deserve it too, but maybe you could save some for the marathoners! Overall, a memorable race that my wife and I really enjoyed.
Russ Johnson from North Georgia (9/5/2005) "Good small race!" (about: 2005) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This race provides all the basics of a good run, with none of the 'fluff'--no timing chips, no photographers, no cheering crowds, no expo. If you need those things, don't run this race. It's a relatively fast course, entirely on quiet country and residential two-lane roads with gently rolling hills, but nothing too difficult. The first 10k is in the dark (5:00 start) and quite serene, with the Milky Way glowing overhead and just the sound of footsteps, plus the occasional rooster crowing as twilight begins (you might want to carry a cheap flashlight for the first 10k and discard it at one of the water stops, there are a few places with some rough pavement). The countryside at dawn is just beautiful and temperatures are still cool. Marathon runners turn around at the 13-mile mark and repeat the loop backwards, and by the time they hit the 20-mile mark the sun is up and it's getting warm. A ballcap is helpful for the last few miles, as it's into the sun. Don't expect any crowd support, there just isn't any, except for a few friendly dogs, and that's OK with me. Pros: Fast, relatively flat course on good blacktop. Friendly, enthusiastic volunteers at water stations. Quiet serenity of the Mississipi countryside at dawn. Second half is same as the first, only backwards, so you know just what to expect. No problem with crowding, it's a small race and the pack quickly spreads out, at times you might not see another runner. Really cool medal, and longsleeve T-shirt with just the race logo and no sponsor ads. That's rare! Tupelo--birthplace of Elvis. Don't miss the museum! Finally, friendly and accessible staff and volunteers. This is the nice thing about a 'small' race. They made allowances for the people who couldn't make it due to Hurricane Katrina. Nice touch. Cons: (These are minor): Sometimes-hard-to-see mileage marks spraypainted on the pavement--a few upright signs at regular intervals, even every 5 miles, might have helped with pacing. More portapotties--I waited for a couple of minutes at mile 15, it almost cost me a 4-hour time, and I don't really want to urinate on someone's lawn. The hot food was gone by the time I finished, all eaten by the 14-mile runners. Hey, they deserve it too, but maybe you could save some for the marathoners! Overall, a memorable race that my wife and I really enjoyed.
RICK Karampatsos from Salisbury, NC (9/5/2005) "Worth the long drive to get there!" (about: 2005) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I'm a 60 year old kid who loves to run - and this marathon was one of the best overall times that I ever had! The crew was great - quick e-mails to update us and answered questions about gas,weather, etc--the early start was GREAT! Seeing and sharing a meal with the '50 States Marathon Club' was an extra to add to the perfect weekend. I do not understand why anyone who runs marathons does not belong to one (or both) of these great clubs. The team at Tupelo worked very well with the clubs -THANKS! You should be proud of your marathon. I am proud to have been part of it!!!
Michael Lacour from Baton Rouge, Louisiana...USA (7/6/2005) "When you run this one...run for fun" (about: 2004) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Nice marathon...very friendly atmosphere. No pressure to perform...(is that not just great). If you get a chance...go into town and try the barbecue chicken pizza from Dr. Pizza. WOW! I will run this marathon again...you never leave your first love.
K. F. from Melbourne, FL (3/12/2005) "peaceful country run" (about: 2004) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I learned a lesson from this run: find out for yourself what a marathon is like. Everyone has expectations that may or may not be met. I'd read previous years' comments and thought, 'Hills and too hot' but still went ahead because it was the nearest one to FL on Labor Day weekend. And that's what my novice training had led me to. I'm so glad I did it! (It was a nice distraction from Hurricane Frances that was going over my house that day!) Not so hot (after FL summer running) and not so hilly. Just a little glitch in pre-registration that had me paying more the 2nd time around (hmmm), some speeding churchgoers the lone officer had to track down, and no pizza. But the glow-in-the-dark shirt is SO cool and the ninja-star medal is GREAT. Neat people like Frank (MN). Thanks for the experience.
R. F. from Cincinnati, OH (9/10/2004) "This one is special" (about: 2004) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Tupelo Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Hey. It was hotter in Boston in April! The skelly shirt makes up for all the blandies I?ve been saddled with. The rolling course is all country; the darkness gives way to misty fields as the sun rises after the first hour ? it looks like something out of ?Fried Green Tomatoes?. Very nice organizers and volunteers. My fellow runners were the best. There is a different marathon vibe to this baby ? kinda the equivalent of what alt. country music is to a slick Nashville production. It?s refreshing. Everybody?s ego is at rest. Fluids were quite adequate, but bring your own gel. The last 5 miles are a bit isolated, but I never really... enjoyed...that part of any marathon. Friendly farm dogs kept me company at the end. There?s a good Greek/Italian smorgasbord at a place called Vanelli?s the night before. I?m coming back to this one.
J. B. from Auburn, AL (9/9/2004) "Fun Little Race!" (about: 2004) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 This race starts at the Tupelo Furniture Market at 5 am on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. The start set-up is nice because there are plentiful flush toilets in the furniture market building (I never waited in line), and the start line is just a short two tenths of a mile away. Yes, it is dark when you start, and no, there aren?t many street lights ? but I never felt like I was in any sort of danger of tripping over anything. Actually, it was kinda fun running in the dark! There is a light-up clock at the first mile marker so you can adjust your pace accordingly. The remainder of the mile markers are spray-painted on the road in a bright color ? making them easy to see once there is a little bit of light. Water is offered by enthusiastic volunteers at mile 3 and every 2 miles thereafter. Gatorade is offered at all stations once there is enough light so that runners and volunteers alike can tell the difference between Gatorade and water (mile 11 for my pace). The website made it clear that Gatorade would not be available on the first half of the course, so those whining about this really should have just planned ahead and carried their own. The race director did add a station at mile 25 this year in response to comments from last year about wanting another aid station closer to the end. The out-and-back course is hilly, but none of the hills are all that bad. There are no monster climbs like those at Cherry Blossom (Macon, GA) or Mercedes (Birmingham, AL). It is not a PR course, but not necessarily a PW course either. It can get hot, but if you are a sub-4 hour runner you will finish before it really heats up too much. Don?t expect any spectators ? all sane people are still asleep at 5 am! Talk to your fellow runners instead ? this race attracts a really neat group of people. The finish is back at the furniture market, where you receive your finisher?s medal (very cool medal!) and enjoy free beer (and Gatorade and bananas and McDonald's if beer isn?t your thing). Cash awards are given to overall winners along with some really unique awards for the age group winners. After the race, you can wear your Tupelo Marathon T-shirt with pride. As others have said, the T-shirts are great! This year?s glowed in the dark! Probably my only complaint about the race is that the T-shirt didn?t come in size small. Overall I found this race to be very well organized and well run, especially considering the early start time. I have no idea how they convinced all those volunteers to get out of bed at 4 am on a Sunday to hand us water! I would not recommend this race to people who like to whine about heat, hills and darkness, but I would recommend it to 50 states runners looking for a Mississippi race, and to anyone in the South looking for a fun and challenging marathon.
C. C. from Nashville, TN (9/8/2004) "Great T-shirts and Great Medals" (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 If you want to run in a big city marathon with hordes of spectators, then this is not the race for you. If you want to run in a small race with great medals and T-shirts, then this is the race for you. Here are the pros and cons. PROS 1. Great medal 2. Great t-shirt 3. Early start means early finish. I called to tell my wife that I was finished and she was not out of bed yet. 4. Challenging course. Some rolling hills, but nothing severe. 5. Aid stations had ice cold Gatorade. A real plus for a hot day. CONS 1. You are running in Mississippi in late summer, so you know it is going to be hot and humid. 2. The course is run over country roads, not particularly scenic. 3. There are no pacers, but you may have a dog run with you and the dogs are in good running shape. 4. No EXPO, but packet pickup was at a mall so you pick up any last minute items that you may have forgotten. This a good race if you want a small, no fills race where your entry fee is in the medals and T-shirts. You may want to use this race as a long training run for a later fall marathon.
Space Lord from Atlanta, GA (9/8/2004) "Excellent primer race" (about: 2004) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I just did the 14.2 miler in prep. for a fall marathon (speedwork, long-run style) and found this race to be excellent. True the course is not very scenic, but it is cool that you have nothing but your moon-shadow and other runners around (as well as roosters screeching occasionally) and it is serene. It was pretty cool out this year, but still humid. The humidity creeps up on you when it's cool out, and if you plan to run conservative at first and book it at the end you might find it tough to do (less efficient w/ less oxygen in air - work harder than normal). The hills were overrated...coming from northern Atlanta these were a piece of cake, just easy rolls. If you plan on driving the course, I would recommend coordinating the map on the website with a detailed road map first. Post-race beer was a nice touch. Would have preferred to not have a purple shirt, but the graphic is pretty cool, at least.

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