I was expecting alot more from a 'Boston Qualifying' race. I ran the half marathon. The expo was small, but nice, especially getting to hear some Blues performers there. But come race day, there were only 2 bands out on the course...lots of empty stages. The water stops were ok, but not plentiful, neither were the bathrooms.

There were plenty of bathrooms at the start line, but only ONE at each water stop. There should be at least 3 bathrooms at each water stop, people were waiting in line at each bathroom along the course of this 'boston qualifying' race. The course was tough, lots of rolling hills and cracked asphalt. Alot of live traffic exposure...we were running on access roads parallel to Interstate 55 w only orange cones separating us from traffic exposure at times. This course takes runners around a hospital, which was a problem when 2 civilian cars without their flashers on, headed to the ER turned into a group of runners. I'm used to running w traffic, but usually cars wait for a break in the runners before turning-these cars didn't.

The cop 'holding' the intersection for us didn't do anything but say, 'it is a hospital ya'll' and leaned on the hood of his car. Thank goodness we were all paying attention or we would've been hood ornaments. The finish line is up a hill and doesn't have a chute. There were professional photographers there to take finish line pictures in front of a race backdrop, but the organizers didn't put the backdrop inside the finish line and keep it protected. The photographer couldn't take anyone's picture because runners and their families were snapping photos w cellphones and cutting into others' photos. I had to pull the photographer aside to get a 'finish line' picture...my backdrop was the crowd behind me.

There should've been a finish line chute w/mulitple backdrops and people waiting their turn for a photo. If I qualified for Boston at this race and wanted a picture, it wasn't going to happen if I hadn't snagged the photographer by chance. This is the 6th or 7th year for this race. Most of the mistakes I had issue with for this race should've been 1st or 2nd year mistakes, and not on a race touting it's a 'boston qualifier'. The finish line food was good. Surprised to see cheese pizza, that was great. Would've liked some orange juice though and didn't see any. It was also nice to get gels along the half marathon course...usually those are reserved for the full marathoners. I had this race on my schedule for 2012 and had to back out 4 days prior because of a family issue, and the director was kind enough to allow a roll over for this year.

The medal for this race was great, but that was about all that was great about it for me. This was my 7th half marathon. I invite the race directors to visit the Little Rock marathon and half marathon on March 3, 2013, to see how improvements can be made with regards to bathrooms, waterstops, entertainment thru out the course, and finish line chute pics and protection for the runners.

I chose this half marathon race for my Mississippi state, and so glad I did.

Pros:
- Expo was small, but organized. Lots of parking and volunteers.
- The race had about 5,000 runners but it didn't seem crowded at the start.
- Plenty of parking at the race start/finish area.
- Lots of water/gatorade stops and all the volunteers were extremely kind. Thanking you for coming to Jackson to run. Where else do you hear that?
- The start and finish line were well organized.
- The medal is AMAZING and BIG!
- Nice food options for after the race (pizza, mini subs, fruit and beer)
- Even the weather cooperated and it didn't start raining til about 11am.
- There was even a trolley cruise Saturday night called 'Blues Crawl' and it would take runners from bar to bar to drink and listen to music. Lots of fun.

Con's
- Lots of rolling hills. And this town needs to fix their pot holes. Or at least flag the big holes.

Overall, a very nice weekend in Jackson. Stayed at the downtown Hilton Garden (very very nice), which is about 3/4 of a mile from the start. This hotel was also on the trolley stop for the 'Blues Crawl' for Saturday night.

Not the most scenic marathons out there, but still a great race. The volunteers were phenomenal- all were cheerful and seemd genuinely happy to have us out running. The few spectators that were out were the same- just wish there had been more of them. The course was challenging enough- not flat, but not overly hilly. The roads we ran on were not the best- it almost seemed like I was running on a trail with all the potholes to dodge. Still, glad I did it and would recommend this race to anyone.

This is a great race, but not because of the course, which is pock-marked, heavily cambered and relentlessly hilly. It's a great race because they do a great job with the plentiful aid stations, friendly and enthusiastic support, bands, great organization and, most of all, all the extras. The medal was the best EVER, which would have been enough. But they also give you a harmonica, a blues CD of the bands, great discounts on dining, a blues bar crawl, a nice backpack bag and a few other extras. It's just exceedingly well put together. And the Marriott, where I stayed, could not have been more accommodating to us runners, putting out fruit, water, Gatorade, granola bars, etc... both before and after the race. All in all, a great experience.

I am a slow runner/walker. This route was hilly throughout, from beginning to end - you have to climb a hill to the finish line. The event was well organized, everything was accessible and convenient. The organizers patiently waited until everyone was finished and the water stops were there for the last runners. Jackson State water stop (mile 23) had entertainment for the last runners which was a great boost. The hills caused the course to be a reach for me, I'm a slow poke.

This was a well-organized and fun marathon, showing off many nice and gorgeous parts of the city. The volunteers were GREAT, out there cheering until the end despite the cold and rain. The city people were among the friendliest I've ever experienced, happy about their hometown race and welcoming. This was the hilliest city race I've ever done, be prepared to climb hills throughout. The medal was great, and there was plenty of food and beer at the finish. A super nice experience!

Must stay at the Marriott Jackson, 2 blocks from start to finish: Staff was very accommodating. From driving us to the store and expo (free), free race day Gatorade, banana's and yogurt in the lobby and late check out. Also must eat the Mayflower, where the shot the movie, 'the Help'.

Great course. Will be back every year.

Expo but well represented. Not a lot of repetition. Some great bargains. Race was hilly and not easy but equal uphils And down made it doable. Southern hospitality was pretty awesome and rare these days. I set a new PR OF 4:17 and there was still tons of food left at the finish.

I have mixed feelings about this race. The organization was great and they really tried to put their best foot forward. There were blues bands along the course and a really nice post race reception with beer and water and plenty of food even for us slower runners. The finisher medal is 1st class. Parking was easy to find close to the start. The race volunteers were friendly and cheerful. Now the negatives.... this course was boring. A lot of miles were through neighborhoods. Only about 10 houses were out to cheer on the runners, many of the rest your could see reading or watching TV in their houses. Obviosuly the race director can not control this. So, if you are local to Jackson or need MS in your 50 state guest, this is a fine race to enter. I would not go out of my way to enter if I was from out of town or wanted to do my first marathon.