Lining up by the Pyramid, I went up to the front for a mile of blazing glory, then settled down to the middle of the pack. The course I ran took us past Graceland and a good photo opportunity for a picture in front of Ole Elvis' pad.

The coldness of December kept you going along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, great finish inside the Pyramid - venue of the Lewis-Tyson fight, a knock-out.

This was a very memorable experience for my first marathon, as I travelled from Nova Scotia to run it. The # of participants was great - enough to feel you were in a crowd, but not too many to crowd you out. The spectators, while small in number, were very enthusiastic.
The only complaint I had was my certificate had the clock time instead of the chip time. As a first-timer, I would have liked for my certificate to show under 4 hours, instead of the clock time (4:00:09).

I watched my husband run the last 1st tennessee sponsored marathon in 2000. I was miserable driving the course, much less running it. The st. jude version is top notch. the addition of the half marathon really increased the numbers. the expo & utilization of auto zone park was wonderful. I hope one day the course will take our visitors through more of the historic midtown areas instead of a double dose of north parkway. Also - i would have purchased a logo jacket if it were available.

I thought the course was well marked. Enjoyed running by several of Memphis's Landmarks. The run through the Liberty Bowl was fun. (I was ready for the photgrapher there with a smile)The crowd offering support was not large, but those who were there along the course were very supportive. The finish in Autozone Park was really great too. I saw 4 Elvis's and raised money for the Children's Hospital, which made the 26.2 well worth it! Thanks also to the police, firefighters and everyone at the water stations for all their support too!

This was my second marathon (having done an earlier incarnation of the same in '97). Much better finish, better organized -- but hey organizers! -- you can be upfront with the rolling hills especially after mile 20. I drove the course the previous day so I was prepared, but just felt sorry for those who looked at the elevation chart and were elated. Overall, I enjoyed running for a great cause (raised over $700 in just 2 weeks)-- the kids are the heroes.

Just a few words on course support: Memphis' best were out in strength -- I did take the time to shake a few hands and thank them for their heroic and thankless job. I feel we don't appreciate our police and firefighters enough -- they were cheering the runners, and I just felt I didn't deserve it and I should have been cheering them ... 10-4.

I had a great time at this race and posted my best time of the year on what was mostly a pretty flat and relatively gentle course. The early going was a tad tight on some of the streets, and there were definite road hazards in a few places. Otherwise there was plenty of room to run. Support was more than adequate, and the fan support where there was fan support was good. The people running it seemed quite efficient, and the Memphis folks in general were gracious hosts. When I get a chance, I'll come back.

This race was very well organized and had plenty of well stocked aid stations. Good traffic control and pretty good spectator support, especially in the first half. I really liked the start and finish lines being so close together and the location of them were great with so many hotels nearby. The weather was a little on the cool side but I should have expected that in December. What I didn't expect were the numerous rolling hills in the last 3 or 4 miles. After looking at the elevation chart before the race I knew there would be rolling hills throughout the course, but the chart doesn't show many hills in the end. I will be ready for them next time, as I anticipate doing this one again. Overall I enjoyed this race and I hope lots of money was raised for St. Judes hospital.

This was my first marathon and I thought the organization and the aid stations were just great. I thought the course was just ok, the second loop of the marathon was not all that pleasant. The last 4 miles had 'rolling hills', a bit steeper then rolling if you ask me, especially for the last 4.3 miles of a marathon. Finishing in Auto Zone Park was very cool though. Overall a good first marathon experience. I would run this one again, knowing those hills are coming at the end!

After a year?s absence, the Memphis Marathon came back stronger and better on the invigoratingly crisp morning of Saturday, December 7, 2002, thanks to the new major sponsorship by St. Jude?s Children?s Research Hospital. Given what I?ve heard of the previous course, and my own experience today, I?d say it?s made a remarkable recovery and it has an excellent prognosis for coming years.

Chilly air, clear skies. Wheelchair and hand cycle competitors set out at 7:45 a.m. Fifteen minutes later some 2900 runners (full and newly added half marathon combined) took to the course. We passed the Gibson Guitar Factory, made our way over to Riverside Drive along the Missississippippissipy River, and got a good view of Mud Island before we grunted up a short but serious hill on Beale Street. I stopped to photo the Elvis statue, thankyuh, thankyuhverymuch. Then we passed through one block of the street?s many little clubs and bars, a centerpiece of Memphis? musical nightlife.

The crowd had thinned out as I headed through downtown and met a reincarnated Elvis cheering us. In this section we found more of the typically gently rolling hills that typify the course. We passed directly in front of The Pyramid and turned right to begin an almost four mile mostly straight stretch east on North Parkway.

Mile 7 took us along the Zoo?s north border until we turned into Overton Park and got a little boost from live music by Greased Lightening [sic]. This aid station offered the usual water and Powerade, plus plenty of Gu packets (and all this would remain available when I pass it again as mile 17). The park led us through the Memphis College of Art, Museum, and other fine arts buildings.

While I made my way down Poplar, hand cyclist Terry Blackwell crossed the AutoZone Park finish line in 2:12:55. Jonas Holdeman ran in for his winning time of 2:34:47. (Later I would learn that the final two miles down Union posed problems for the faster runners as they had to negotiate their run through the congested crowd of half-marathoners and first-loop marathoners. My only suggestion for course improvement: address this very significant problem.)

Headed down Union the reincarnated Elvis I?d met downtown provided a magnificently cheesy photo op in front of the legendary Sun Studios. I passed the finish area and began my second loop. Had I reached this point maybe four minutes later, I?d have seen Russia?s Tatiana Maslova zip past me on her way to take the women?s first place in 2:46:38. This fall?s marathons have proved profitable for her: with October?s Mystic Places in Connecticut, and Philadelphia just 13 days ago, this made her third victory in two months.

I turned up Third Street and my back-of-the-pack status became evident. The race crowd had drastically thinned as I began a five mile stretch of déjà vu. Meanwhile, Jerry Forde won the wheelchair category in 3:42:59.

As I made my second trip through Overton Park, I had to stop to deal with some problems related to my prosthetic leg. Doing so ate up probably four or five minutes of my ample time reserve, but neglecting this would cause more serious problems later.

I found at the mile 20 ChampionChip checkpoint that I had to pick up my pace in order to make the time I wanted. I turned in toward the Mid-South Coliseum and then to the Liberty Bowl. Surprise: the course led directly into the stadium, along the sidelines, where I got a high-five and cheers from both a Memphis University football player and some sort of mascot. A funky little feature, very much appreciated at this fatigue-prone stage.

Continuing up Hollywood Street and turning left down Union, I regained my pace. Growing confident that I could sustain what I?d done since mile 20, so I?d certainly make my 5:50 goal, I began to speculate: how about 5:45?

I pushed ahead into the series of loooong ups and downs, including another Elvis offering donuts for the final 2.5 miles, until I turned right for a little sprint to the final entrance ramp into AutoZone Park. According to my personal chronometer, started when I crossed the start line, I finished in 5:45:20?my best since Cape Cod, five years ago (5:42).

Finishing in the park allowed access to the team showers. I even had the pleasure of a ten minute massage. Then I checked out the post-race food. Powerade, water, bananas, apples, blah blah blah?and?Krispy Kremes! The south?s most delectable deep-fried decadence in carbo-reloading. Ohh, baaaby?

Apart from the one concern of front runners crowded in the final two miles on Union, I found this event exemplary for a mid-size event. It offers a well-designed course that provides moderately varying terrain and a decent view of some the city?s most popular attractions and resources. Further, it provides a well-supplied goodie bag; nice hotels near the start/finish; and smooth execution with the starts, course management and support, finish line, and post-race facilities, services, and refreshments?ample even without the (God bless 'em) Krispy Kremes .

The St. Jude Memphis Marathon benefits from one more vital resource beyond the responsibilities and the control of the race production team: the fine people of Memphis. Though not many spectators lined the course (I?d give this a 1), most of those who did come out gave generous support and applause (worth a 5?hence my averaged rating of 3 stars for crowds). Memphis impresses me as exuding an honest sense of welcome.

This was a very well run event in general. The streets were a little tight at the beginning, and there was a good bit of camber on another stretch. The crowd support was small but exceptional. The water and poweraide stations were well stocked and plentiful - almost every mile. The run through the Liberty Bowl was tough at 20 miles, but it was a neat experience. The finish in the minor league stadium was first class.

Southern hospitality was at its best. I will return.