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☰
Mississippi Blues Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Mississippi Blues Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 4.6 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 260 [displaying comments 41 to 51]
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B. S. from Connecticut
(1/14/2014)
 "A Worthy Destination Race" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Looking out the window on my flight into Jackson, I thought this would be a pretty flat course. Wrong! The up and down never really stopped. Pros - Challenging, but satisfying course - Excellent work by volunteers - Nice expo, very good post-race event - Good support from spectators - Easy coming and going from the event - A great pairing with the First Light Marathon in Mobile, AL Cons - They take great pride in the medal, but it is about the size of a Flavor Flav clock medallion (still cool, though) - Not a PR course - Don't stay in the Red Roof Inn at the Fairgrounds unless you enjoy cockroaches | |
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c. n. from Wisconsin
(1/13/2014)
 "My quads are singing the blues!" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Others have said it, but it is worth repeating...train for the hills, hills, hills and don't forget the downhills. I enjoyed this race even with the unbelievable number of hills. Nice little foot tour of Jackson, MS...my first visit. A few areas were not very scenic, but I am not sure how you make every step of 26.2 miles scenic? The roads were a little beat up (ok, a lot), but the thing that bothered me most was that in some placed they were very canted. You needed to pay attention and run near the middle of the road to minimize. It was helpful to have driven the majority of the course the day before. We stayed downtown at the Hilton Garden Inn and that was nice. Staff was very friendly and helpful. However, be aware that if you stay downtown that there is some serious restoration needed in that area. Large number of abandoned/for sale buildings and not many things open, especially on the weekend. This is NOT like staying in downtown Chicago, Boston or even Des Moines. Hard to find an open place for lunch. FABULOUS volunteers, just the best I have ever encountered. Spectators were pretty sparse, but that doesn't matter much to me. Those that were out were really nice. Start was very congested, especially with the porta potty placement. Couldn't hear the announcements at all. Only saw two bands on the route?? So not sure where all the music went? | |
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J. W. from Virginia
(1/13/2014)
"Tough course but great race" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 'Rolling hills' - a phrase a race director will use to describe a course when 'It ain't flat' is an understatement. Well the Blues lives up to this and then some. I don't think there's a level piece of pavement on this course. I've run steeper hills and even rolling hill courses but I don't recall one that had hills from start to finish. The expo was easy if not a little small. Race day went off on time but the port-a-potties near the start line created some weird crowds when trying to line up in a pace group. Jackson hasn't paved their roads since the 70's, it seems. One spot along the course was patched with a painted comment that read, 'Citizen Repaired'. Shovel-ready jobs haven't reached Jackson, apparently. There was supposed to be music along the course but I only remember 2 stages. Water stops were plentiful and the volunteers were just awesome. They went out of their way to thank the runners for coming to Mississippi. Of course, I thanked each one I could along the way whether they were manning water stops, acting as course marshals, handing out medals, or working the expo. All are appreciated. Did I mention that the course was tough? But what a great experience overall. And the medal... oh the medal... big, shiny, and with extra bling. The race premium was a 1/4 zip fleece and there was a CD and harmonica in the race packet. Post-race included chocolate milk, soda, gatorade, water, beer, pizza, cookies, and I'm sure some more stuff I didn't see since my hands were full at that point. Well done. This was my 48th marathon in 36 states in just over 6 years and I enjoyed it very much. | |
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J. T. from Texarkana, TX
(1/13/2014)
"Train. Hills." (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a hilly beast. Don't plan to 'walk the up hills' b/c you'll be walking the whole race. Train for it and suck it up. The best medal ever. Cool pullover for race shirt. Road help and spectators were the friendliest I have encountered. Post race massage fabulous and still available for 5hr finishers (rare!) same for refreshment tents, which were restocked for the later finishers. Cant really drive the course beforehand, but good to drive a couple of areas to get a feel for the roads, hills, and many many turns. Road quality was fine. | |
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A. J. from New Jersey
(1/12/2014)
"Great Race!" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Ran this race yesterday, truly enjoyed!!! Challenging course with a lot of hills (did not expect so many hills in Jackson:)),but the organization was great. Both volunteers and spectators were very nice. The finisher's medal is superb:creative design and huge. | |
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C. D. from Arkansas
(1/12/2014)
"MS Blues Marathon" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 If you want a challenging route with hills, this is the race for you. The police officers and volunteers really patrolled the traffic. I like the fact that the route included Jackson State University. The medal is by far the best medal I have received. Love it, Love it!!!! The post food was great and the massage was out of this world. They had seven stations going, the massage therapist were very friendly and professional. Once I finished receiving my massage I was able to walk as if I had not ran. We stayed at the Hilton and the staff from the valet, the restaurant, the check people, all of them were very professional and accommodating. | |
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L. G. from Prescott, AZ
(1/11/2014)
"friendly volunteers and fun race" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I was surprised by the hillier than expected course with lots of ups and downs. The condition of the streets made me watch my footing the entire way. The volunteers are the friendliest ever and Jackson is a welcoming city. The medal is so big and heavy I couldn't wear it and I'm not sure my medal rack is going to hold it. I loved the shady course that wound through town as well as residential areas. | |
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Bob Kroeger from Cincinnati
(3/15/2013)
"Awesome age awards" (about: 2013)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 Mississippi Blues Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've been fortunate to win age awards in this marathon. The first year's award was a beautiful copper guitar. This year's was even more unique: a giant, heavy metal, five inch guitar pick with name, place, and time engraved. Really a nice piece. Next years? Who knows if they can top this one. Impressive. And thanks!! | |
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E. J. from Georgia
(1/19/2013)
"Great swag!" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I enjoyed the challenge of the course but it was very boring. Although almost everyone I encountered was very friendly, the drivers stuck in traffic were very rude. The race swag was top notch and staying at the host hotel is a must. The Jackson Marriott is very close to the expo as well as the start/finish line. They had race day food and allowed late checkout. Since the entire race is run on shared roads and it not scenic, I probably won't do this race again. | |
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James Spearman from Atlanta,GA
(1/16/2013)
 "Most friendliest volunteers!" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 The volunteers were the friendliest I've ever experienced. I typically thank the volunteers for their hard work however this was the first Marathon where the volunteers repeatedly answered 'Thank you, we're glad you came'. The medal was amazing, free parking one block from the start, a CD and a Harmonica made this the best value. Others have stated the negatives and I agree with them but no need for me to repeat what has been said. So...to accentuate the positive, I want to thank the volunteers again and let them know how much I appreciated their friendliness! |
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