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May 15, 2024

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 71 to 81]

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L. S. from Mississippi (1/22/2012) "Great Local Marathon" (about: 2012) 2 previous marathons \| 2 Mississippi Blues Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my second time to run the Blues. I will keep coming back. It is a small city race and very well organized. Great swag to go with the theme of the race. Blues CD and harmonica. Expo was a smooth process. No traffic or parking issues. You can park right by the start with no problems. GREAT volunteer support. Very friendly and welcoming. Plenty of aid stops that had plenty of Gatorade and water. 3 stops were giving out GU/Hammerhead Gels. Roads are rough, so watch your footing. Definitely a up and down course. I will remember the course for the hills. But it was fun and challenge. Loved running past the JSU drummers. A few other bands were scattered throughout the course and were playing the whole time. I ran past a duo playing early on in the race and there were still there when I ran back through near the end a good 4 hours later. Finish was great, was handed my huge medal and water. Plenty of food and drinks left(I came in at 4:57). Great after race show. They had chairs/tables set up so you could relax and listen to the band/singers.
S. D. from TN (1/16/2012) "Super Experience in Jackson Mississippi" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Absolutely loved this race, the hospitality, and the swag. The course was much hillier than I was prepared for, but hey...no biggie! Crowd and volunteers were super. Volunteers were extremely friendly and encouraging. The after-race festivities were the best yet of my 11 marathon starts. I'd definitely do the Blues again, and you should give it a try too.
B. D. from Erie, PA (1/16/2012) "Great race; southern hospitality at its best." (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I chose this race for my Mississippi run (50 states) and I am glad I did. Well organized with great race premiums: shirt, swag, and finisher medals are awesome. The race packet even included a blues CD, harmonica and discounts at local restaurants. The course was a little hilly but not impossible for this 67 year-old grammy. Everyone in Jackson went out of their way to make us feel welcome. Our race hotel featured events for the runners, the local historical sites and museums catered to us and the restaurants were excellent. Nice, family-friendly atmosphere and great entertainment at the race expo. Definitely recommend this race!
Bob Kroeger from Cincinnati (1/15/2012) "The Blues were Hot this year!" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 3 Mississippi Blues Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Record heat hit the Midwest this year, making times slower in the marathon. A warm 55 at the start and by 10:30, it was close to 70. Could have been a cold rain; weather is relative. Outstanding support with GU, fans, and aid stops. However, you had to be careful in several sections not to trip in pavement cracks. One area, around mile 18-19 was signposted since there were a lot of holes there. Will probably be repaired by next year. Course was ideal: rolling hills, none severe just the right amount to work out quads and hams. Nice swag: a harmonica. All I need now are lessons to play it. Got to love the blues.
V. D. from Omaha, NE (1/14/2012) "Hilly but really fun race!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I chose to do this race, and the First Light Marathon in Mobile, AL the next day, because they partnered with each other and offered a 20% race discount. I really thought this was a nice race, although quite hilly with very few flat sections. The course offered a nice blend of urban and residential settings. Started downtown near the capital building, headed north into some residential and college campuses, with a lot of tree cover. Headed back south to loop around downtown, for a slight uphill finish. Every volunteer was superb on the course, and I tried to thank every one of them. And every one of them thanked me in return for coming to their city to run. Plentiful aid stations, 3 GU stops, and overall, a great race. The medal was biggest medal I've received, about the size of a CD, with a guitar across the front in full color. Very classy. The shirt was a full-color shirt as well. Seems a little heavier than a standard tech shirt. Wonderful post race party with sandwiches, pizza, drinks, and Blues Music. If you can put up with the hills, this is a great race. Not a ton of crowd support, but everything else was great. Heat, hills, humidity, and hospitality!
E. J. from Georgia (1/14/2012) "Incredible Volunteers! Continuous Rolling Hills" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my 14th marathon and I've never ever had volunteers thank ME for coming to run their course. At EVERY SINGLE water stop I was thanked for coming to Jackson and running their race. EVERY SINGLE volunteer was filled with joy and wore big smiles the entire race. Their encouragement in those last few miles was so appreciated. Kudos to all the volunteers! YOU make this race awesome! And thank you also to the police officers who kept us all safe throughout the miles. I was not expecting continuous hills. I knew the course would be hilly but seriously, there wasn't a single flat spot on the course! The weather was also unexpected55 starting temp; 70 finishing. That's too warm for me! Made the last few miles very tough as the heat wore me out/slowed me down more than the actual mileage. I was very grateful for the at least 13 miles that were in the shady neighborhoods of Jackson. Also enjoyed looking at the beautiful houses in those neighborhoods. (Many home owners were sitting out in front of their homes cheering all of us on!) The road was only rough from about mile 18-22 and that's when many marathoners start getting tired/foggy brained. So would it be possible to flip the course backwards? Then the road is smoother (fewer holes) in those final six miles when marathoners are not as clear minded. LOOOVED the food after the racepizza! deeeelish soup! rice and beans! sandwiches! Nom nom nom!!! Great choices! This is probably my favorite medal! So fun! Seriously huge! The Marriott provided awesome support to the marathonerslate (2pm!) checkout so you could shower before heading home and snacks/drinks before the race started and after the race. It was also about 3-4 blocks from the start of the race. Definitely do this race! You too, will no doubt, be wowed by the friendliness of Jacksonians!! Woo Woo!!!!
R. R. from Aurora, Colorado (1/14/2012) "Great Marathon Expeience!" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run 108 marathons & this is 1 of the top 5. City is very friendly & spectators were very supportive. Post-race party food & drinks were some of the best & the music was awesome! This is the Marathon to run in Mississippi! RR- Aurora, Colorado
A. L. from USA - Indiana (1/14/2012) "Amazing experience" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Overall, an amazing experience. I was not sure about this marathon due to my poor training, a 7 hour time limit, and lots of hills but I made the trip after all and I am so HAPPY that I did. 1. Hotel very close to start and finish 2. All the Volunteers in their bright orange shirts were AMAZING - very friendly and positive. As I would thank them, they responded with 'Thanks for coming!' 3. Police support - fantastic, not sure if Jackson had in police officers at work that day cause they ALL seemed to be directing traffic. 4. Plenty of AID stations and GU for the marathon 5. Race director and support staff - upon finishing I approached someone in a blue polo shirt and asked if I could change my marathon shirt size as the one I requested was to small. He happily said yes, and then offered to find one and walk down to my hotel so I wouldnt have to walk back up. Wow, I was shocked at the offer but glady took him up on it. 6. The course was nice - I enjoyed the variety of scenic views around Jackson. Yes, there are hills but everytime you go up - you get to go down so I enjoyed the challenge. 7. Medal - best one out of 20 marathons! Nice detail and colors. 8. Shirt is fantastic as is the matching bag, my kids are already using it. 9. Weather - LOVED IT! 10. Overall - all the people I engaged with over the weekend were friendly, positive and helpful. Thanks Jackson! Glad I made it to the race.
B. M. from Mobile,al (1/12/2012) "very hilly,little to no spectators,HUGE medal" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I ran the Mississippi Blues Marathon in conjunction with the First Light Marathon as back2back marathons. The Blues Marathon is VERY hilly and challenging. There were very few spectators. The medal was definitely the largest medal ever!!! They also gave us a harmonica and blues cd. The organization was very good. Improvement needed in crowd support!
J. B. from DeRuyter, New York (1/12/2012) "awesome marathon from start to finish" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I wasn't sure what to expect when we signed up for this marathon, what we got was an amazing experience. The race started right on time at 7am which I loved the weather was perfect mid 50's (compared to the 20's and 30's of central New York). The crowd support was outstanding all the volunteers were thanking us runners for running the course and the police officers did an outstanding job of stopping traffic for us runners. The pace groups were amazing the group I was with was telling jokes at each mile marker which helped lift our spirits, I had so much support on the course it helped get me through the hills which seemed never ending but the downhills were nice. I would definitely recommend this race for experienced marathoner's not for a first marathon but its awesome!! I am so glad that I did this marathon and may come back again. There was plentiful water stops and GU stops were ideal and had a lot of variety. The finish was great and the medal is huge and the prettiest of all the marathon's I have done. The food at the finish was good with lots of choices. To sum it up, the course is tough but not impossible, incredible crowd and volunteer support!! This is a must race for marathoners (and 1/2 marathoners). Great Job to all runners!!

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