I agree with the praise noted below: great goody bag and medal, nice pre-race tents with heat trying to keep runners warm, VERY appreciative volunteers, plentiful aid stations, and nice shower facilities after. The marathon was an excellent tie in for visiting the Delta Blues region. The whole experience left me with the desire to visit more of MS. Race course suggestion: course was limited mainly to downtown, suburbs and highway. Please, less highway, and more historic areas. Post-race suggestion: advertise the Blues Club tour on Saturday night ahead of time (I found out about it at the expo, and didn't see anything on the website). I'd already made plans and couldn't attend.

Thanks for a great marathon! (This was my 22nd marathon.) Despite the frigid cold, the volunteers were out there thanking the runners for choosing Mississippi and providing hydration.

(Gatorade tastes much better when it is ice cold!) Really enjoyed the drum line at Jacksonville State University and the bands braving the cold. The harmonica and CD in the goody bag made for a great surprise! Course was hilly, but I think everyone was too busy concentrating on the cold. Pizza, beans and rice and sandwiches at the finish were much appreciated - as was the warm tent with more bands.

Thanks for the great organization and great experience.

I ran the half-marathon and was very impressed by the organization and volunteer support, especially on such a cold day. Parking for the race and expo was easy. Yes, there were hills - not too steep, but continuous throughout.

Great job, Jackson!

We complained about the heat last year.... Be careful what you ask for. Wow, it was cold. I'm assuming next year the weather will be just right. Guitar-shaped medal: A+. Harmonica in goody bag: A+. Jackson State Sonic Boom drum line: A+. People in Eastover with fire pits by the street: A++. Volunteers in 17-degree weather: A++. Icicles in my eyebrows in Mississippi: unforgettable. Thanks for a great event.

Wasn't looking forward to the cold, but organizers did all they could to make this race a fun experience. I ran the half last year and this year was my first full. I know they've already shortened it, but I wish Lakeland Drive could be eliminated completely from the course. I hate running next to the traffic and fumes and very few spectators come to that part of the course. Other than that, I had a blast. Will definitely run it again.

Wonderfully organized. Excellent challenge. Great fans and volunteers!
An absolutely beautiful run.

A wonderful marathon on an absolutely freezing day. I ran the half last year, and so thouroughly enjoyed it that I caught the marathon bug. This is my second marathon. The people are so incredibly friendly and supportive. With wind chill, it was single digits temperature-wise at race start and didn't warm up much from that. It also snowed a little bit. For a race in Mississippi, that is crazy. Even with that, there were great spectators. The Jackson State University drum line was my favorite. Very dedicated. Additionally, the police did an amazing job with traffic, encouraged the runners and even had a smile on their faces.

The course is a little bit hilly, but nothing too severe. It started and ended downtown, had one somewhat boring out-and-back along a busy street (but cars were kept well away), and then ran through some beautiful Jackson neighborhoods. There were plenty of water/gel stations and many even had ice. :) The slushy, half-frozen Gatorade was actually quite nice.

The finish was great, with many volunteers welcoming you. They helped cover you with Mylar blankets, placed the medal around your neck, took your timing chip off and handed you some water all while congratulating you. To be so enthusiastic after volunteering and standing in 20-degree weather for 4-5 hours was truly amazing. I should have been congratulating them.

Compared to last year, the spectators and music were sparse (but it was also about 40 degrees colder than last year).

Only two negatives were the paucity of music (it is the MS Blues Marathon, after all) and a little confusion concerning parking. No one at the expo knew anything about where to park. As it turned out, there was plenty of parking within 500 feet of the start and finish, but it would have been nice to know this ahead of time.

Post-race food and drink were plentiful and excellent, especially the red beans and rice.

Overall, a very good race, well put together by great, dedicated people.

Jackson is my home town, so I am a bit biased, but I am also incredibly proud.

Thank you to everyone for a great race. I will be back.

I really liked this marathon. Though it was 17 degrees when we started, the crowd support was pretty solid. All of the spectators were really friendly and in great moods for being in the midst of an arctic blast. They even had a drum line at mile 2!

The course was relatively flat until mile 20; then it became a bit difficult. It's a good challenge, so be prepared!

I loved the harmonica, and the shirt's pretty cool. The race medal is also pretty unique (in the shape of a guitar), which I like.

If you're traveling from afar, it would be a good idea to rent a car. There are only a few restaurants in downtown Jackson (which are usually closed between 3 and 6) and no grocery stores/convenience stores and the like. Plus the surrounding area is pretty.

Finish line food included pizza, red beans and rice, sandwiches, bagels, soup... good stuff!!!

What an event! The start temp was 9 degrees with the wind chill. All of the volunteers were spectacular and were very appreciative to all of the runners for choosing Jackson to run a marathon. There wasn't a single aid station or course monitor who didn't thank me for coming to Jackson. The course is slightly challenging but goes through some nice neighborhoods. The goody bag has contained a blues CD every year, but this year the race added a harmonica. The medal is also nice. The race is very organized. I have had a great time at all three of the MS Blues Marathons and i'll be back next year.

The course left a bit to be desired, being quite hilly and on a very cold day, with a bit of ice and cold winds along the way. But there were parts that were pretty, and it was quite well put on. The expo was fantastic - definitely not too big, but still space for a stage, with lots of comfy chairs in which to hear speakers, and great music! The shirt is pretty cool and the harmonica that came with the cool goody bag is also awesome! Race morning was super easy to navigate; parking and getting to the start were no problem! Once we were moving, all seemed to go well, and the folks on the course were very kind and helpful - despite having to stand in that frigid weather! Post-race was also fairly nice: a small tent with some warm coffee, and some fruit and bagels. Overall, not a bad performance for the MS Blues Marathon.