This was my 25th marathon and 22nd state. Being from Colorado, I always find the southern humidity a challenge, but that said this was a good run. As a general rule, I try to beat 4 hours - this one was a 3:58 - made goal, but just barely. Hills people - trust me - you're either going up one or you're heading down the other side pretty much the entire way.

The people of Jackson were very nice and I have nothing but good things to say about the folks at the Marriot, spectators on the course cheering us on and the folks at the restaurants, etc. The city did seem overly quiet without many people in the streets downtown.

Best for last. If you like swag, this might be the number one race in the country - or at least in the top 10 certainly. The race shirt is high quality and comfortable. The swag bag was a nice drawstring bag for those who care about that particular aspect. Also included were a Blues CD and a harmonica with the MS Blues imprint. The medal was really nice and HUGE - my Antarctica medal is big - this MS Blues medal is HUGE!

Packet pickup was very well organized as was the event in its entirety. My compliments to the race director and staff. Great job!

This was a great race!
PACKET PICK-UP: As soon as you came through the doors, you were greeted and helped along the race. Packet pick up was quick and efficient. They had a blues music playing to get you in the mood.

RACE DAY: parking was fee and only 2 blocks from the finish line. Ladies DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN SIGHT ... our car was broken into and purse was stolen. Cops were everywhere but it was our fault. The only real complaint was there were not enough porta potties at the start line but other than that everything was smooth and effortless.

VOLUNTEERS: The were ALL cheery and friendly. The water came from water jugs and I was especially happy (bad RnR experience). The police officers were all friendly to and thanked us for participating.

COURSE: HILLY!!!! but scenic. They mention the hills on the website, so practice. I PR'd at this course and shocked myself.

POST-RACE: Water, Gatorade, bananas, BBQ, sandwiches, plenty to eat PLUS Back Yard Burger had a food truck.

OVERALL: I think this was a great race, great course and I would definitely recommend the MS Blues marathon.

The 2012 version of the MS Blues Marathon was fantastic! The organization is by far one of the highlights of this race. The volunteers seemed to be sincere in their appreciation of the runners visiting their city and thanked me for coming every time I spoke to them. Hats off to Jackson Mississippi's finest also who provided a safe course for the runners.

As far as the course, it is hilly as advertised. Take the elevation profile seriously! Do your best to get your hill work in and everything will be ok. The hills aren't really steep, but there are plenty to go around. We call 'em 'rollers' where I come from and they keep coming right until the last mile.

We stayed at the Marriott downtown who also provided first class runner support. They gladly offer late (1:00pm) check out on race day. Another perk is that the staff meet you at the door upon your return after the race and hand you a towel and offer ice cold gatorade in the lobby. Go ahead and reserve your room as soon as you register for the race as they go pretty quickly.

I chose this race because of the feedback from previous years runners, via Marathon Guide.com. I give top praise to the R.D.,staff and well-trained volunteers. Race started on time. Gu and hydration was plentiful as promised. Very difficult course due to 100% hills, though not long ones. Well-marked course for direction and mile-markers. Plenty of post-race food. Food was proteced from non-runners eating it up, thank God. Great post-race blues entertainment. The community was in sinc with this event; southern hospitality abounded. I received, perhaps, the most impressive medal of the 42 marathons/ ultras I have ran. I recommend this race to the seasoned runner; experience this challenging, yet, rewarding event. Tough but absolutely doable. It will be unforgetable. Thanks to all.

The race's organization was great, the town welcoming, the volunteers, well what can I say that hasn't already been said about the volunteers, expect to add like others have that everyone of them thanked you for coming to Jackson to run.

Starting at 7AM, the weather was perfect, not cold and not certainly not hot this year. The run is entirely on pavement with excellent traffic control. Even the folks in cars waiting in lines as we ran by honked their horns and cheered us on. So different from some cities I've run in.

Another difference is road condition. The roads in Jackson aren't in good condition. Lots of potholes, ridges, heaves, etc. I had to laugh as around Mile 19 there was a sign warning that the next 1/2 of pavement was particularly rough. It looked just like the previous 19 miles.

The course isn't flat, its either uphill or downhill with very little flat until the last few miles. The course isn't particularly scenic either. You go through some sections of town where the houses are amazing and in others where urban blight has a firm hold. Regardless the area, the residents all came out and cheered you on.

As a final treat, the last 1/4 to the finish line is uphill, not a big hill, but after so many the last thing you wanted to see. There was one young lady standing out in the road cheering us on to finsih. She made enough noise for 10 people and made all the difference in putting a smile on everyone's face as they finished an unexpectedly tough marathon.

Finishing is just over 5 hours I was amazed by the marathon medal, almost as large as Little Rock's (but not quite) and by the mount of food. For such a small race, there were still mountains of food for slow runners like me.

All together this isn't an easy marathon, but its one of the most friendly in a town that is easy to get into and out of.

Great weather for the start, low 50's, a little warm at the end, high 60's. My first marathon. The rolling hills in miles 16 through 20 really got me. Not steep hills just a constant up and down. Well organized race, the town had great hospitality. Staying at the Marriot was wonderful and made it easy. A quick walk to the start finish so I did not have to wait at the start very long and a quick walk back afterward for a shower. The course was beautiful and the homeowners out cheering was really cool. Plenty of water stops. Great volunteers and a lot of them.

Pros:
Great organization. Fantastic volunteers. Well stocked water stations. Smaller race (3000 runners). Nice harmonica and medal. Friendly spectators. Not super expensive. Well stocked food tent. Did I mention the great volunteer support?

Cons:
Hills! Not the biggest crowds (but I generally don't care). Not particularly scenic.

This was my 17th half and fourth small race. Course support was great, and a nice surprise of plenty of real food like pizza, red beans and rice, and tomato soup at the end. I am used to just bagels, bars, and fruit at the bigger races. Love the medal, the harmonica, the shirt and even the bag. Hills are definitely a challenge. The people in the town are incredibly nice though. Highly recommend it. Stay at the Hilton Garden inn and definitely, definitely eat at The Parlor Market. Amazing.

The volunteers and spectators were among the friendliest and most enthusiastic I have experienced. I was constantly being thanked for choosing to run in their town. The neighborhoods were full of residents in their lawn chairs cheering us on. The course was a tour of the town; I saw many beautiful neighborhoods.

The start, finish and expo were an easy short walk from the downtown hotels.

Traffic control on the course was excellent, even with the traffic backed up on the main roads.

Good choice of food at the end, even for a 5.5-hour runner. I loved that they had soup at the end and one was a vegetarian choice, yeah!

There were some bands along the course but not as many as I expected, but those that were there really lifted my morale.

The entry included a free blues crawl (entry into the venues featuring blues music that night), but I always feel bad that I am too tired to partake in these after-race parties.

The challenges:
This was a hilly course. You are either running uphill or downhill, there is no level stretch until the last couple miles coming back into downtown.

The roads were really rough: potholes, speed bumps, patched pavement. Even though they tried to glo-paint most of them, there were a few that hid in the shadows or were missed. My husband and father both took a tumble when they tripped on some chunky pavement.

Positives:
1 ) If you want a marathon where you have cheering crowds and the most friendly people (who thanked you for coming to run), this is a good one.
2) The expo was small but nice.
3) The medal is the largest one I know of in the USA, even larger than the Little Rock, Arkansas medal. Very nice.

Cons:
1) Downtown Jackson, MS seemed like nobody worked or lived there. It is a very quiet town.
2) My biggest complaint is the road surface. It had broken asphalt and concrete, holes and ridges. In my 20+ marathons I have never fallen, but at this one I hit the pavement hard at mile 18. There was an unmarked ridge of asphalt that caught my toe and I did a 360-degree flip in the middle of the road, and hurt my shoulder. Another runner in our party tripped at mile 20 because of the poor road conditions.