The expo was so well organized. It was a pleasure to visit. The vest was a nice surprise. I did buy the tech shirt and poster. The course was challenging. The hills were as advertised and the streets were marked to indicate potholes. The volunteers were simply awesome. The spectators that came out were very supportive and encouraging. A big THANK YOU to the police and volunteers stopping traffic. They did an outstanding job. The mile markers were very easy to spot. My only issue has to do with the port-a-potties. There were too few on the course. I understand that there may not be as many runners for the marathon as you have for the half marathon. However, there were not many places to go after mile 13. Keep up the great job. The community of Jackson has a lot to be proud of for this marathon!

I had a great time from start to finish. I thought Nashville was hilly until I ran in Jackson. The volunteers were wonderful as well as the spectators. I wish Mississippi had more of these events. I will be back next year.

My biggest issue with this race was the lack of organization and communication. The website really needs to e revamped to include better information, i.e. about the awards ceremony. The website mentions an awards ceremony and I was told by several volunteers that the awards would be given at the ceremony for the top 3 in each age group. However, after having waited for nearly two hours, the only awards presented were for those who finished in the top 3 overall; the others will be mailed to the recipients. I have no problem with that (especially since that is the way it is usually done); however, it would have been so simple to make that clear on the website and to the volunteers. When you are traveling out of time and have to check out of the hotel at a certain hour, you really don't have time to waste, so this was very disappointing to me. While everyone was very nice, the lack of information they had was irritating. Better communication regarding lodging would have been beneficial as well.

Yes, the course is very hilly but you can prepare for that prior, but I must say that if you are expecting a lot of great blues music along the course, you'll be disappointed. The course itself is very quiet and there is very little music of any kind to carry you through.

Again, the people are nice but the organization really needs to be drastically improved.

The 2009 event was a very good marathon that is only a couple of small tweaks away from being a great marathon.

The tweaks are that more porta-potties are needed, both at the start and along the course, the website needs to be redesigned to be more informative (are there age-group awards, is there late packet pickup, etc.?), and the early mile markers need to be set out where they can be seen instead of hidden in the water stops.

Those are the only changes that I would recommend to the organizers. The "good stuff" far outweighed the "bad stuff." On the good side, the race, expo, and packet pick-up were very well organized. The course was physically and mentally challenging, but doable. Water and Gatorade along the course were plentiful, and there were a lot of very nice, supportive people out along the course. The traffic control was simply outstanding. Excellent job by the local police departments and a lot of volunteers. The course markings were excellent.

This race was well worth a trip from Chicago. Good job!!!

This is my second year to run this half-marathon. I can honestly say that this will be on my "to-do" list for years to come.

The shuttles to and from the Cabot Lodge were great additions. The course was great, with some challenging hills. This race was very well organized. I think the medal for the half marathon could have been a little better. But overall, I enjoyed this race and plan to do the whole next year!

No porta-johns at the start/finish! Could not believe it. Had to duck around the corner with an empty bottle. There must have been about five johns spaced over the entire course. Extremely hilly course. Please add hill repeats into your training for this race. I did treadmill inclines and it wasn't enough. Even though it's called the Blues Marathon, don't expect a lot of music like at the Rock 'n' Roll series. The volunteers are so extremely upbeat that they must all be on medication. They really helped me during the final miles when I was doing my survival shuffle. Traffic control was excellent - thank you volunteers and police. If I run again, it will be the half. The full was rather lonely, except for the volunteers. I would have preferred a tech shirt to a vest. The medal was nicely shaped, like a guitar. Post-race food is adequate - with live music! To sum up: no porta-johns, very hilly, great hospitality.

I loved everything about the race (half-marathon). Yes, the course was very challenging with a lot of steep, long hills. Miles 11.25-12 was toughest part of the course for me. Jackson made us proud. There are many volunteers compared to the number of runners, which was very nice.

I came to the Mississippi Blues Marathon not knowing what to expect. It was a first-year race (well, sort of) in a state not known for its distance events. From the moment I arrived at the expo, I was super impressed with the event. Things were well-organized - although I did see a few disappointed people who were being turned away because the race was full. They missed out on a great race.

On race day, the organization was great - a very good start area. The course itself was quite challenging, but it was also easy to follow. My biggest complaint was the road surface itself - a lot of rough patches. The hills weren't a problem for me, but I can certainly see how some people might have found them harder than expected - especially in the last 2 miles. That worked out great for me as I used the last couple of hills to drop the competition.

The awards ceremony was nice, but the crowd had thinned out a little too much by then - getting an actual electric guitar for the 1st place trophy was incredible!

I did hear some complaints about the lack of toilets at the start/finish area, but that's about it.

All told, it was a super event, and I'm definitely planning to go back.

I've been meaning to write my comments on this marathon for MONTHS! Sadly, I'm just now getting to it....

I only ran the half as the event fell in the middle of my training for the Shamrock Marathon. I live in North Mississippi, and my husband is a Jackson native, so I went down to show Jackson my support. All I have to say is, "WOW!" I was SO proud of Jackson!

The run was beautiful. The crowds were small but fabulous! The food was the best that I've ever had! Yes, the course was hilly, but I had my best half-marathon time ever. That's how excited I was!

This is a MUST-RUN race. The people of Jackson will take good care of you!

I only ran the half but I ran a different marathon today and it made me realize how great the Mississippi Blues was, especially as a first-timer. The course was very hilly (I couldn't imagine what the marathoners went through), but the crowd was the friendliest crowd there is. There were a few parts that were lacking supporters, but the people who were there were amazing. This race is a great example of Southern hospitality and I highly recommend it!

Pros: Expo had great cheap clothes! Cute race packet, cool shirts, great crowd, good organization.

Cons: Very hilly... that's all I remember being negative.