1. Southern Hospitality was great. I would like thank all of the volunteers, Jackson PD, spectators, schools, cheering squads, and sponsor who make the MB Marathon great. 2. Hilly, especially mile 25 (race director, shame on you). 3.Good CD and shirt. 4. Medal needs a little work (maybe some color or bigger). Still, I love the one I earned. 5. Fresh food for back-of-the-pack marathon runners. 6. Overall, the MB Marathon gets a B. Great job to all.

Okay, I didn't run the full marathon, only the half marathon; but as an official support person for a marathon runner, I loved this race. Traffic control was good but not so rigid than I couldn't get from spot to spot to cheer my running buddy on.

Being from New England I thought the hills would be easy but they were more challenging than expected. But the best thing was the people. Several Mississippi runners and all the volunteers kept thanking us for coming, something I have never experienced before. The finisher medals were a blast. Marathoners got a guitar-shaped medal; the half marathons got a medal shaped like half of a guitar!

When I told the race director I needed to eat a meal in Alabama, he suggested a rib place and it was great!

The night after the race we went to the race-sponsored blues show downtown and enjoyed our two drinks, compliments of the race. Overall we really had a good time.

Organization was great for a first-time marathon. Needed more porta-johns at the start and along the course. Limited amount of music on course but the ones who performed along the course were great. The final hills took everything I had and then some. This is not a marathon for the weak-hearted, or for flat-landers. Great experience but will do the half next time.

I have completed 94 marathons and ultra-marathons and this race was top-notch, especially considering it was an inaugural marathon. The race was well organized in every respect, the volunteers were helpful and the crowds were friendly. Traffic was well controlled from my perspective, the medal (pewter-colored guitar suspended from a blue neck ribbon) and shirt (nice screen of a blues guitar) were great! The food which included beer, soft drinks, sandwiches, pizza, fruit and desserts was tasty and plentiful. The race does need more porto-lets; I would suggest at least one or two each aid station for runners and volunteers. Also, this course is hilly, so you are not going to PR here unless it is your first marathon. Also, there were a few bands and musicians along the course but recruiting more to play would be nice. Thank you for staging such a great race!

Fantastic overall job on the inaugural Mississippi Blues Marathon. This race and its organizers should be commended for putting on this first-rate event.

Packet Pick-up:
Nice expo, helpful attendants (an error in my registration was fixed), great music, great location - everything that was needed.

Packet:
GREAT CD, good pre-race information, and a great tech running shirt.

Race Start:
Splits until start time were nice, neat blues Star Spangled Banner, and on-time start.

Race:
Course was well marked throughout, and while hilly, it was nicely challenging (who needs flat all the time?). Great volunteers and police support, but need WAY more port-o-potties (as has been stated).

Post Race:
Great medal, and nice touch with the mylar, but a separate finisher's area would be nice not to have to wade through family members. Fantastic hot and cold food (way above what was expected) and cold beer, and great blues music.

Overall:
This is a well organized, friendly and challenging marathon that offers nice perks that you don't expect and may not see at some larger, more expensive races. However, you can still get the small-town feel in this great race.

The volunteers were the best!! More porta-potties needed on the course.

The volunteers were so friendly, packet pick-up was very smooth and the police did a great job of directing traffic. Everyone kept telling us how happy they were to see us and welcoming us all to MS. Spectators were not numerous, but those who were on the route were very loud. ;-) The course was a nice, challenging course. The camber was a little tough on the ankles, though. You would never know that this was an inaugural race if the word had not been in the race title.

I have never experienced such nice volunteers before. They made up for the lack of spectators with all their cheering and support. I am a very slow runner and they had to be tired by the time I came through, but they were loud and supportive all the same. The Southern hospitality was in full force all around town. Lots of regular folks thanked me for coming to town. It was so nice.

Only one complaint: Where were the porta-potties???? On the marathon course there were almost none. More than once I had to find my own option for a place to go, which isn't easy when running through neighborhoods. YIKES! At least ten times as many were needed.

I'll be back and sending other people to this one. Great job, organizers!!!

This was a very well organized race by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi. The volunteers were wonderful. I never once worried about crossing an intersection as a volunteer was always there with a stop sign for the traffic. In the major intersections, the Jackson and Flowood Police Departments handled it beautifully. This event took off. Great shirt, great medal, lots of aid stations, good food afterwards, tough finish with big hills and a lot of variety on the course. Great job BC/BS and Jackson!

I ran the half but some of the comments will apply to both. This was a very well organized first race. What made this race shine was how friendly and warm the people of Jackson were, especially the volunteers. Everyone I came in contact with seemed genuinely willing to help.
The expo was great for the size of this race. It had all essentials and more. Packet pick-up could have been a bit better organized, but the wait was reasonable.
The course was very hilly!!! There were plenty of hydration stations, at least for the half, but not nearly enough toilets. I saw one at about mile 5 and then one almost at the end. I couldn't believe that the organizers didn't think of this. The waiting area before the start was actually indoors and had real toilets!
There weren't lots of spectators but some people did come out to cheer. The volunteers were great all throughout the course.
There were a few big intersections that we needed to cross and the police officers would sometimes let traffic through while there were still runners coming. This was a bit scary.
The host hotel was very cozy and had free breakfast. There is a trolley that transports you to and from the race (a short distance).
I loved the technical shirt and the medal. The half marathoners only got a "half medal," which I thought was really original. Music at the finish was nice and the warm food supplied by local vendors was delicious. They also had free beer!
The post-race party was FUN. This was a great chance to enjoy some real Mississippi blues in the company of fellow runners. We each got two tickets for drinks in our goody bag, as well as a Blues CD and even a pair of sunglasses.
All in all I really enjoyed this race thanks to the effort put forth by the people of Jackson to make sure that everyone had a great time. Thank you, Jackson. You rock!