My first marathon. Pretty hard course, from what everyone says. Just under 700 runners. Crowds were small, but were also very encouraging and very friendly. I even dropped a GU pack, and someone ran out, got it for me, and ran it to me. The medal is cool - big and heavy. I would have preferred a tech shirt instead of the cotton T-shirt they gave us.

I ran the half marathon and this was about my 30th half or full.

The good:
-Friendly volunteers and spectators
-Well organized expo
-Nice medal
-Post-race food

The bad:
-Short-sleeve cotton t-shirt
-Little communication after race signup
-No clear marks for aid stations on course map
-Tough, hilly course and the roads were terrible (almost as bad as New Orleans)
-No organized pasta dinner... the food and service at the Marriott was awful
-Jackson is dead on the weekend. Nothing is open downtown.

Overall, the race was enjoyable and the Marriott was convenient (near the start/finish). The people are fantastic and make you feel welcome. The hilly course wasn't as big an issue for me, but the road conditions seemed to beat my legs up. Also, if you ran on the edge there was a definite decline.

If you are trying to run the states, then this is the best race for Mississippi.

Yes, this year we lucked out tremendously. A winter blizzard of ice and snow hit Jackson within 24 hours after the marathon. God smiled on us. The starting temp was about 35 and the finish temp around 45. Sunny. Windy : 5-10 miles an hour, and it seemed to be more in your face until the last mile when I could feel it pushing me. Perfect PR temps! I could run forever in temps like these!

I ran the inaugural marathon (2008), which had a flatter and more boring route. This year the race directors changed it to go through mostly residential areas - along tree-lined streets with houses ranging from small ranches to palatial 10-acre mansions. It's hard to find good scenery in the dormant wintertime but this route was as scenic as possible and made the marathon interesting. However, the road camber (mostly from right to left) was a problem. My left hip began to hurt, but the pain is gone as of Monday. And I thought the race organizers thoughtfully highlighted the rough spots on the roads. Did not see anyone fall. So you trade a flat, boring route for one that is much more beautiful, although more cambered. The hills seemed relentless but balanced the quads and the hamstrings well - and, after all, we are marathoners, aren't we?

I would make only four suggestions:
1. Start the half-marathoners about 10 minutes behind the marathoners.
2. Give a tech shirt. The design was beautiful, but most runners don't wear cotton anymore.
3. Give a map of the course and location for parking in the handout.
4. Think about a pasta dinner. Many marathons this size encourage a school to provide and staff it with net proceeds going to the school. Great camaraderie for the marathoners. And start it early, at 5 p.m.
The harmonica, a wonderful packet gift, was absolutely delightful. I only hope my wife can get a good set of earplugs when I get home. Thanks, Mississippi, for a memorable marathon!!

Everyone did a great job. This race is well organized, with friendly road marshals, great medals, etc. The course, on the other hand, is kind of boring, especially in the last 8 miles.

I love the size of the race; I think I read that there were about 2,000 between the half and the full. The expo is small, but easy (almost no lines). Getting to the race and starting is also easy.

No marathon is perfect, but this one is really nice. I listed a few positives and negatives below, but don't let the negatives scare you away. I will definitely run this again. THANK YOU to everyone involved!

Good:
-Governor Barbour was present at the start and the volunteers were wonderful throughout.
-Great weather (I know this can change, as last year was really cold, but in general January in Mississippi has great running weather).
-Very challenging course. It is hilly. Some certainly wouldn't consider this a positive, but there are enough flat courses out there,and this was nice. Difficult, but nice.
-I know I repeat myself, but the best volunteers anywhere. Super friendly and helpful - just great people. Thank you.

Bad:
-There wasn't much crowd support. Most cheering was from volunteers and a few neighborhood associations.
-Need more police/volunteers at some of the intersections. All of the big ones were covered with police, and most drivers were very understanding, but a larger volunteer presence would have been good.
-I know the organizers can't control everyone, but please try harder to encourage slow people to start near the end. I am slow (4:30 marathon), but it still took about a mile of zigging/zagging around walkers. Perhaps have a separate start for walkers or for the half-marathon. Maybe just 10 minutes later or something similar.
-As mentioned by another, PLEASE provide a map of the course at the expo. And the online map has horrible resolution; please improve that for next year.

The expo was small, but never to be missed. I went back a second time just to listen to the rolling cast of singers and bands performing. Awesome.

Super friendly people of Jackson, both around town and along the course. Their encouragement was certainly appreciated by this runner. It was especially cool to have the governor at the race start.

Host hotel (Marriott) and all main hotels are very close, but quite rigid on noon checkout times (come on, guys). They worked hard to accommodate runners' diets for race-evening and breakfast, soliciting input from runners on their needs.

You can't do much about the rolling course, but some of the streets were pretty pitted/rutted and I slowed my pace to take more care. "Moderately challenging" is how I'd describe it.

Overall, I think this is a must-do race. I'm thinking of signing up again in '12 to spend more days in Jackson!

I ran the 2011 half marathon and truly enjoyed the experience. The course is hilly and challenging but fun. The start was well organized and the finish line was easily negotiated. Great swag in the goody bag (harmonica, Elvis glasses, t-shirt, CD of the blues). The finisher's medal is classy and substantial. Lots of drinks, food, and fruit at the finish tent. Blues bands along the course and at the finish were a nice touch.

Kudos to the organizers and to the community. Everything from the friendliness of the community to the party afterward to the awesome medal made us ALMOST forget about the brutal hills - one after another, after another....

First off, I want to the volunteers for doing an amazing job marshaling the course and traffic. Now to the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The good: Most downtown hotels are within walking distance of the start/finish. If you stay at host hotel (Marriott), you will be just 3-4 short blocks away. The hotel has a nice restaurant that offers special dinner options to runners and is open early for breakfast too. They also offer special rates. I highly recommend you stay at the host hotel.

Moreover, the finisher's medal is huge if you like that sort of thing.

The bad: Although race director does a good job showcasing the city and some very nice neighborhoods, the roads are pretty bad. The camber is tough in some parts. I felt like I was running sideways at times. The food at the end was blah....

The ugly: Traffic... needs to be improved.

Overall, it's ok but it's not great. If you are a 50-Stater, I'd recommend this one for MS. Also, this course is not for the faint of heart! Very challenging...

Nice, small race with great support from the locals. I must have been told 30 times during the race, "Thank you for coming."

Organization was solid, the race started on time, and the expo was small but the great volunteers made it smooth. Also, a fantastic finisher's medal and the governor came to the start of the race.

The course was tough - rolling hills the whole way (none were that bad, but they were constant and wore you out).

Here's what they could improve:
-cotton race t-shirt was disappointing
-no maps at the expo and the map on the website was hard to follow
-they used chips instead of d-tag
-no organized pasta dinner. There were plenty of people staying at the Marriott if they would have had it there
-roads in MS are terrible (can't do anything about that) but there was a mile or so on onramps to highway
-half marathoners who were walking clogged up the last few miles (although they were great at cheering me on)