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May 4, 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 61 to 71]

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T. P. from Indiana (9/8/2009) "Great Race!" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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.
Alice Kim from Nashville, TN (9/8/2009) "My first marathon experience - FANASTIC!" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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.
P. C. from Houston, Texas (9/8/2009) "Thank you, thank you very much..." (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Tupelo Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 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!
k. m. from GA (9/8/2009) "Works for me!" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 - 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.
R. W. from Birmingham, Alabama (9/8/2009) "Great small-town marathon" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 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.
M. J. from Boone, NC (9/8/2009) "My Kind of Race" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I typically don't leave comments for the races I run. I'll post something if they're especially good or especially bad. Tupelo was almost perfect for me. The volunteers and organizers were really nice, and really helpful. Some people may say the course was boring, but I really liked running through the rural neighborhoods. Overall, it was one of the best feelings I had after completing a marathon (probably top 5 out of 40+ marathons). The people there are great!
L. F. from Atlanta, Ga (9/7/2009) "Very Good Event" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is a small race in a small city, put on by a dedicated local running club and race organizer. I have run 3 other very small marathons, 2 medium ones, and 3 huge ones (Chicago, Boston, and New York). This race was as good as any of the others and had no major flaws. Packet pickup was easy, the race host hotel was friendly and served breakfast at 4 a.m., the start was simple, the course was adequately stocked with water and Gatorade, and the finish was at 26.2 miles. Good job, Tupelo!
B. B. from Louisiana (9/7/2009) "Fun Times... if you are an Elvis fan" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 Here are the pros and cons of this race: Pros: -Small race field made for a good, relaxed atmosphere -The finishing medal was very cool, and so was the shirt (but it was not tech shirt, even though it was still fun) -Early start (5 a.m.) allowed for cool temperatures in the beginning -Course was not that hilly but a little challenging Cons: -Tupelo is boring and only good for Elvis fans (which I am not) -The race website is very confusing with directions and any sort of information in general -The Tupelo Running Club comprises very nice people, but it did a poor job of setting up the race -Mile markers were hard to see (spray paint on the ground) -Water points were not every 2 miles, and some ran out of water, even though there were only 500 people! And they were so poorly organized that when four runners came by to get water, two weren't getting any. -"Trample the weak hurdle the dead" is an appropriate race slogan since there were absolutely no medical personnel to be found at the start, on the race course, or at the finish. And I am serious. This scared me a little. -The race course is on some back roads, and people were still driving on them and did not care how fast they were going, so be aware of your surroundings -And the post-race food was McDonald's hamburgers and zero-calorie PowerAde. NOT what I would eat after 26.2 miles. This race was fun, but just very poorly organized.
R. R. from Memphis, Tennessee (9/6/2009) "Small Marathon- Lots of Awesome Attitude!" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 "Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead" is the motto of Tupelo's Marathon, and it sets the tone for this most unusual marathon event. From the moment you enter the website, you are greeted by pictures of flames and a skull and crossbones. They let you know that this will be a hot and humid race, and that it will not be pleasant for those unused to such conditions. The 5 a.m. start time will offer some protection, but the humidity is still high and the temperature rapidly increases after sunrise. If you train in such a hot and humid climate, this race is not particularly challenging. It has a few hills but they are not much to speak of. The course is on typical, Southern, rural, country roads, and it has a small Southern-town charm. The out-and-back nature of the race was not as bad as I feared it would be, since the race starts in the pre-dawn darkness and has a totally different character on the return leg in full sunlight. The volunteers were friendly and helpful, and they are happy to give you both Gatorade and water from their ample supplies at each station. The course was open to traffic, but there seemed to be more dogs than cars (at least early). As you might expect, fan support was very sparse. The few that were there were enthusiastic enough. The best part for me included the T-shirts and finisher's medals. There was obviously a lot of thought put into these as they are both some of the best found anywhere (including the drastically more expensive Rock and Roll Series Races that are known for such things). The skull and crossbones medal will be the envy of every 6th grade boy you know (and many adults). The 14.2-mile race that serves as this race's half-marathon equivalent takes the marathon finishers' medal and cuts it in half (which somehow makes it look even cooler!). The t-shirt is a cotton long-sleeve, which usually means that the race director ran out of money to buy "technical" shirts, but there is nothing cheap about these cotton beauties. They are "tie died," with the skull and crossbones theme, and are something I might actually wear to causal gatherings even if they weren't race related. If you are looking for a small marathon set in a small, Southern town - and with a lot of attitude and heart - then look no further than Tupelo!
D. P. from Hernando, MS (9/6/2009) "Thoroughly enjoyed it." (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tupelo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 It is unfair to rate this course on spectators. It is a small race in a small town. They do not advertise spectator support, and I wasn't expecting it. Pros: 1. I loved the start in the dark. It was like a training run. 2. This race is full of serious runners. Every conversation that I had was with someone who had raced numerous races. 3. The informal atmosphere was great. I arrived a few minutes before the start and still made the start. The post-race simply involved runners hanging out with other runners. I really have no negatives. The course is non-stop up and down. It is a challenge. I was disappointed with my time, but I wanted to run the first 20 strong, which I did. Then I fell apart.

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