Mississippi Blues Marathon, Half, 10K & 5K - Race Reviews

Left feeling a bit in the twilight zone after this race. It's literally called the MS Blues marathon, and advertises 'live blues bands every 2 mi of the course,' yet there were no bands! There was ONE guitarist picking softly at mi 4, and two guitarists playing around at mi 7. That was literally it. The website mentions pacers yet there were none. The aid stations were bare bones. Most had only water. A few had gatorade. Only ONE had gu. No other nutrition so bring your own! The address for packet pickup was the Capitol building, yet the tent was across the street and down a hill (not visible from street) without any signage.. Overall I don't think you get your value from this race. It felt pretty low-budget and poorly organized.

Four of us came to this marathon and four of us were disappointed &.the course was filled with potholes, we were running in traffic, the finish line ran out of Gatorade and they closed the medical tent before the marathon was over. Although it was promised, there was no fuel on the course for the half marathon.

Some random insights: I signed up about six weeks before the race and was able to find a room at the Westin (nice hotel), across the street from the start/ finish area. Also, flights into Jackson are fairly cheap. Weather was nice and cool at start. The expo was super small, but organizers are enthusiastic, and people are friendly. I was able to get in line for the porta-potties, use gear check and make it to my corral all in the matter of 9 minutes. The marathon in 2020 was a two-loop course, which I had never done at a race before. I liked that fact that it allowed me to get an idea of what to expect in the second half, and actually made the second half feel like it went by faster. There are hills. Lots of rolling hills. Hills get a little larger in miles 7-5-12.5 and again in miles 20.5- 25.5. But none of them are killers. If you live in areas without hills like I do, however, they can be a challenge. Spectators are sparse, and some of the aid stations lacked proper support. Law enforcement and volunteers do a good job keeping course safe. I struggled to find a good place to carbo-load in the downtown area the night before. I ended up taking a 8 minute Uber to a very good Italian place. Overall, I would recommend it you're looking for a Mississippi race. There is a lot of potential with this race.

I came in expecting the hills and the potholes, but out of all the marathons I've run, this the only one where I had to ask for directions multiple times (from both spectators and police officers), and at one point I felt physically threatened by traffic because there was nobody monitoring one busy intersection. This year the course was a double loop for the full marathon, and the full marathoners had to run through the actual finish line after the first loop, to register a half split. I know of multiple marathoners who didn't do this (it's a little weird to run through the finish when you're not even close to finishing!) because there were no signs or marshals. I saw two 5K runners backtracking after other runners shouted out to them that they had missed a turn; there was one volunteer calling out, '5K, turn left!' but again, no signage. On the second loop there were several turns that were unclear because the course was very empty with just the full marathoners running. Sometimes I didn't see anyone else running and had to stop to look for cones or taped arrows on the pavement. In one spot the full marathoners on the second loop actually had to cross paths with runners on the first loop. Other things: Having packet pickup in an art museum was cool, and I didn't care that the expo was small. The blues anthem was great; I wish the different races had had staggered starts just for crowd management in the early miles, but given the overall small race size, it didn't bother me that much. Bag check was easy and quick, aid stations and port-a-potties were reasonably available, and I liked that there were public laptops for runners to check their results afterward. I hadn't been keeping track of the race changes over the past few years and was disappointed not to get the famous guitar-shaped medal. I like that the 2020 medal is simple and not too gaudy, but it's a tire - I hope Continental doesn't insist on that for future medals. What really surprises me is that NOWHERE does the medal have the race date (not even the year)! especially because it was Leap Day - there won't be too many marathons taking place on Leap Day. Also, I wish there'd been more thought given to the full marathoners at the end. I'm a middle-of-the-pack marathoner, and when I finished, much of the food was gone (though there was plenty of jambalaya), the musicians were packing up, and there was no race photographer to take pictures of runners with their medals in front of the finisher's wall. The absolute best thing about this race was the incredibly friendly locals everywhere - hotel, museum, and restaurant staff, race photographers, spectators (extremely supportive, just not very many of them, hence the 3), police marshals, and even just random people walking around going about their day were all warm and welcoming and just generally fantastic. Although the race logistics were okay overall, the second loop of the course was confusing and nervewracking, and it was the wonderful locals who saved the marathon from being a horrible experience for me. Thank you, Jacksonians!

It was a beautiful day to run through Jackson. I loved the southern hospitality and food. Take the time to listen to blues music, study up on the civil rights history and soak up the culture. This place is in the center of an interesting and historic civil right struggle. I learned a lot. It is hillier than you think it will be and there are potholes too. Marathons are challenging, educational adventures. That's what this was.

First let me say that I live 90 minutes from Jackson and have run the Blues Marathon/Half 6 times: the half once, then the marathon 5 times as a pacer (I was also supposed to run in 2017, but the ice storm caused the cancellation that year.) This was my 69th marathon. The Blues marathon has definitely gone a bit downhill from its Jon Noblin & Blue Cross Blue Shield of MS days. COURSE: There's nothing good to say about the road conditions in Jackson. They are horrible. That's been the case for 10+ years. The city is very slowly trying to work on them. The course starts/finishes in downtown near the convention center/capital area. Small parts of the course have changed here and there over the years but for the most part, it hasn't changed much in 7 years. You run through some beautiful neighborhoods (Eastover, Belhaven), then through Fondren and the hospital area, and along Frontage roads. It's not a terrible course, but there is a healthy amount of hills. It's not easy, but it's not the hardest race I've ever run (My PR was once on this course.) NEW MANAGEMENT: In 2017 (after the 10th anniversary race was cancelled), the sponsor contract expired and was not renewed (Blue Cross). The Race Director searched and searched for a new sponsor and finally found one later in the year. The RD was involved in 2018 but the race was also sold to an out-of-town event management company (PEM). Attendance was down because of late starts to registration and other factors, but the 2018 race was successful. This year's race was managed 100% by PEM. There were several communication issues (not answering emails, the pace team being set up at the last minute, volunteer coordinator changes which led to a lack of volunteers) and a lack of funds to keep the race at the level that it had been in the past. AID STATIONS/RACE SUPPORT: There was a noticeable lack of volunteers and aid stations this year. I do want to point out that those volunteers/law enforcement that were there were AMAZING!! In years past, the roads and neighborhoods were filled with volunteers and people cheering! It was nearly impossible to get lost or even go without seeing a volunteer, band or spectator within eyesight. There were Bands everywhere. The JSU band and dance teams would be out at several places along the course! There were large stages set up along the road with full bands playing and a big crowd of spectators dancing and cheering. This year: Race signage was sparse. Most neighborhoods were empty. The JSU section of the course was a ghost town! Several aid stations had just a few people at them (in the past, there would be 20-30 people cheering and handing out aid!) We passed intersections with 1 person responsible for stopping both lanes of busy traffic. There were some volunteers who had brought water jugs and cups and were filling bottles for runners at random places. In fact, at mile 8.5 of the marathon, we came upon an aid station that had not been set up yet (I was the 5:00 pacer, so this was 90 minutes into the race - more than half the marathon field had already passed this area). The tables were on the ground, boxes and water jugs stacked up, coolers empty. No one was around. At this point, we had only seen 2 other official aid stations. We (me, my friend and a few in our pace group) pulled the water jugs and cups to the street so others behind us could at least self-serve and fill their bottles. FINISH LINE: In years past, there was a HUGE tent at the finish with Pizza, gumbo, and lots of other hot food choices. This year there was water, bananas, pretzels, granola bars and the beer trailer. That's it. The medals in the past have always been notable and unique each year. This year, they were still customized, but small and unimpressive. BOTTOM LINE: If you've had this race on your bucket list for a while, you may have missed the hype. It's definitely dropped several slots on the list of best races in MS. This race is NOT living up to the reputation it built in the past. The 2020 race is already open for registration. They have moved the date to February and the site claims to have a new course, so we'll see what that brings, but forgive me if I'm not optimistic yet. PEM has some work to do to regain the reputation that John Noblin built. John, your absence was definitely noticed this year.

On behalf of all Jackson, MS residents and runners - I apologize for this race. If the management company changes, please give us another chance next year. This was my 8th time running this marathon and it was horrible. The weather was amazing and the course good (hilly and tough, and yes, lots of potholes, but fun). The race switched to a new management company and they ruined it completely. Online stated there would be water/aid stations every 1.6 miles until mile 20, then every mile until the finish). This was a lie. I counted 8 fully staffed aid stations on the marathon course. This is not appropriate and dangerous. Then at the end, the food was bananas and a small pack of pretzels OR one granola bar. Nothing hot. Oh, and only water. No sports drink, sodas, milk, etc. I am ashamed that this is my home town race. Every prior running, had great support, plenty of aid, and wonderful post race food including the standard pizza, and also tamales, tomato soup, etc. Finally, the medals for this race have consistently won national top 10 awards. Not this year. It is a small white guitar. It doesn't even have the date on it. The organizers were too lazy to even unpack the medals from the plastic wrapping.

The roads in Jackson Mississippi are rough. I've had less tripping hazards on trail marathons. The roughness is hard on your feet. The organizers indicated 400 feet of elevation gain. There really is about 1000 feet. They also indicated water and gatorade every 2 miles. The first four locations were 2.5 miles, 5, 9.5 and 12. After that, aid was every 2 miles. Some of the mile markers seemed out of place as my splits were too erratic. If you need crowds and bands to finish a race, this is not the race for you. Race did start on time with an excellent blues guitar rendition of the star spangled banner. All four race distances, marathon, half, quarter and 5km started at the same time. So, you have all sorts of runners going in one direction. Nice finisher medal and quarter zip shirt. Small race field allows you to start in the first 100 feet. There are a lot of nice places to eat and hotels within walking distance of the start.

Don't know that I've done too many races with this many volunteers, all enthusiastically welcoming us to Mississippi and thanking us for participating. It was even more impressive due to what had to be miserable weather for them. Getting that many people to volunteer speaks well for the organization The course was challenging, at least for this flatlander who did virtually no hill training, but if you're like me and are at the point in your running career where speed is not a priority, that really wasn't an issue. There weren't a lot of fans or entertainment on the course, but you have to chalk some of that up to the soggy conditions. And the folks that were there were great. As seemingly was the case with a lot of runners, this was my Mississippi race in my quest for 50 states. Is it the best one in Mississippi? Can't speak to that since I haven't done any others, but I'd certainly recommend it as a well organized event with plenty of Southern hospitality.

I chose this particular marathon because it was rated very high for marathons in this area. Pros: VERY challenging course with many many hills and I LOVE a good challenge. Excellent race director. Good swag bag with a long sleeve pullover which I LOVE so much! It's a nice change from the technical shirts usually given. Beautiful medal! LOVE BB King! Cons: pavement is AWFUL! I'm so proud of my usual klutzy self NOT twisting an ankle on the course. The roads are full of potholes. I even had a spectator apologize and say, 'You must not be from Jackson'. BUT i'll take the awful roads for those HILLS! LOVED it! The course was sooooo quiet. Not a lot of action from any cheering squads for sure. Even the residents or family members on the side of the course held their cheers until they saw the one they were there to support. That's the first 26.2 I've ever run that was so quiet. Any locals could have just brought a 'boom box' out with them or something???? With the weather being wet that could have effected the lack of support along the course, and only maybe 2-3 bands??? maybe??? With the run being the 'blues' marathon I would have thought there would have been much much more music and partying along the course. I'll still run it again....it's close to me and a challenge! I'll give it a second chance no doubt! The volunteers were very sweet!! They may need a bit of a lesson on showing us some ENERGYscreams...'Good jobs'...cow bell ringing...cheering....But they were very sweet.

The good: -Really nice swag... handsome 3/4 zip, BB King CD, harmonica, and easily the most creative medal I've ever gotten -Good organization... police, race direction, aide stations, and H20 -Friendly people -Race entry gets you a ride on the trolley for a bar crawl that night -The expo was pretty decent for a smallish race The Not So Good -Surprisingly hilly... a deceptively tough course -Not very scenic... Jackson is not a very nice city -Jackson is also not a very safe city, according to the residents themselves -Poor condition of the pavement -Except for start and end, there weren't very many people on the course save for the occasional family sitting in their driveway -The race website said that my hotel was .5 miles from the start. In reality, it was almost 2 miles from the start with NO shuttle service. Note: Some of my 'not so goods' may have been exacerbated by the weather (i.e., poor course support and rain-filled potholes)

The course was very challenging. The food was plentiful. The entertainment was excellent. The volunteers were awesome. Plenty of water and Gatorade stations. I will do this race again. I ran the half marathon.

I have never experienced such wonderful hospitality on the part of the organizers. Every cross street was manned by a volunteer who wished us 'Good Morning' and thanked us for coming to Jackson. The logistics were very convenient, and many of the downtown businesses were part of the race weekend. The Marriott treated us to breakfast before the race, and were ready with drinks / snacks and a towel (it rained) after the race. The course was hilly; not gigantic hills, but continuously rolling hills. Overall, a great race.

This race has typically been known as the Mississippi Marathon over the years...the only Marathon in the Jackson, MS area. It has been run over numerous courses since back in the 1970's. The best course was out-and-back on the Natchez Trace south of Jackson with gentle rolling hills. I ran a PR of 2:37:30 there. I ran that numerous times and also ran several courses that started and finished in downtown Jackson like it is now was lucky to get near 3 hours on those. All of the courses from downtown are pretty hilly and not what I would advise running for a first-timer or if you want to run a good time. However, organization and support are great. I think that the course is what it is because of the visibility that the sponsors and the City of Jackson want.

first a thank you to RD John Noblin for going above and beyond to help me, also to Marica and Mike for organizing the B2B bus. I would not to try to BQ on this course, it was hilly. The surface was not exactly a ballroom but I did not find it too bad. The spectators,volunteers even the cops were enthusiastic! If I had a dollar for everyone who said thank you for running I would not be a millionaire but I would have a few dollars in my pocket. I thought the medal,jacket and the harmonica were great, also the pizza and chocolate milk was appreciated. I would recommend this race for MS.

loved jackson, the course a bit hilly friendly people well done, my only complaint was the plastic on the finishers medal broke my heart.

If looking to knock out all 50, you have to do this one to get MS. It is well organized and the people are oh so friendly! The roads are in rough shape and I never knew there were so many hills in the state, but no complaints at all. It was my first back to back, with Alabama following the next day. I was worried I would be spent but somehow managed. The weather was sooooo cold which made me so happy. The Star Spangled Banner at beginning of the race put chills in the spine. Hendrix would have been proud. Friendliest people around. From hotel to restaurants, to officers on crowd control. I am so glad I took part and would encourage anyone that wanted to see Mississippi to give it a go.

I ran the Mississippi Blues Marathon in 2015. I highly recommend this race. This was my 14th marathon but my first Mississippi Blues. I picked it due to positive word of mouth and online reviews, and I found pretty much all of the good things Ive heard and read to be true. Highlights: " Super friendly volunteers. They all seem genuinely grateful that you have chosen to travel to their city to take part in their event. " Very nice expo for a smaller race. " Easy logistics; lots of parking at the convention center for the expo, and on race day I parked in a garage literally across the street from the finish line (the website said that parking in the garage was $5.00, but the gates were open and the parking was free). " RIDICULOUSLY huge medal. This thing is a monstrosity  10 x 4 - I cant decide if its a gorgeous work of art or a tacky piece of kitsch. Probably a little of both. So yeah, its awesome. " Post-race food was good (pizza!) and plentiful. Things to consider (not necessarily negative, just things you oughtta know). " This is a SERIOUSLY HILLY course. I usually take all the complaints about hills in the reviews on this forum with a grain of salt. But trust me; there are hills, hills, and more hills. None of them are monsters but they keep coming and coming. It starts out easy and you will be lulled to a false sense of security in the early miles, but the hills get worse and worse as the course goes on. The worst stretch is mile 23-25. The two long uphill grinds on the IH 55 frontage road in mile 23 are soul-crushing. But the last mile is flat, so theres that. " The course was not closed to traffic; all intersections were manned by either a cop or a volunteer (or both) and they did a good job of directly the traffic, but you will often be running alongside cars. At one point I had to come to a dead stop to allow a cement truck to pass after he blew right by a cop and drove through the course. " Yeah, the road surface is bad. I dont think the streets in Jackson have been paved since the Carter administration. " This is not a scenic course. Nothing spectacular about downtown and although you run through some nice neighborhoods, you will be too busy looking for potholes to really notice. " Instead of a race shirt we got a . . . what is it, a running vest? I dont know . . . some kind of zippered vest with pockets. Its not the type of thing I would normally wear and I would really rather have had something I could use as a training shirt. " The on-course live entertainment advertised never materialized. I dont blame them  it was in the low 20s when the race started  but it was still a bit disappointing.

I LOVED this race. 25degrees at the start,I'm from Ohio so that's perfect running weather. The hills were like a roller coaster the momentum going down carried you up the next one. The Medal was 100% SWAG,best ever.Friendliest volunteers . Expo open till 9:00. Host hotel 2 blocks from everything, 3:00 check out, free bananas and muffins...stay there. ...no complaints here just an ear to ear smile....

Everybody was friendly, the spectators, racers, organizers, musicians, police, massage therapist, and the volunteers were just plain fantastic. I rarely review races but i felt compelled to exclaim what a great job the folks in Jackson do in putting this race on. If they could have turned the temp up a few degrees that would have been nice. Warning for anyone running next year please do a lot of hill workouts. This is Not a complaint, to me it just adds to the character of this great race. Thank You Mississippi Blues!

I've run the Blues 4 times (1 1/2 - 3 fulls) PRO's The medal is awesome! Everyone gets a harmonica & blues cd which is awesome. The post-race is great! good food and music. If you are fast enough to win the race, the award is a brand new custom made guitar. No Kidding. The course is through downtown and some really nice neighborhoods. BUT... see Cons EH's The t-shirt/vest/pullover. I LOVE the pullover from 2014 is awesome! I wear it all the time. The blue vest from 2015-not so much. Honestly it looks like something a walmart employee would wear. CONS- You almost need trail shoes for the course. The roads are in TERRIBLE shape! Each time I've run this race, I have ankle & foot pain from the conditions of the roads. Jackson has some of the worst kept roads in the south! Overall-Very fun race. Awesome bling and party atmosphere. Just bring trail shoes.

When I arrived, I found out I wasn't on the registration list. The R.D. took care of it, not only reassuring me that all would work out, but had the asst. RD drive me to my hotel (Tony, wash that thing or use the Mercedes). Organization, course, aid stations, post race swag and nutrition were incredible. I loved the medal and vest. The harmonica, CD and southern hospitality were icing on the cake. There were few spectators, but they couldn't have been more supportive. Thanks for a terrific day and a wonderful experience. I appreciate all the care you took in making my registration issue not an issue. It is a hilly course, but they are not awful. I felt that your thorough website prepared us for exactly what to anticipate race day. I also appreciated having a bus to shuttle the B2B to Mobile. Logistically, you made everything simple.

I absolutely loved this race! I've run probably around 40 marathons and this was one of the best. It was well organized. The volunteers and police officers were so nice. Everyone kept saying 'Welcome to Mississippi' and 'Thank you for running today'. The water stops were well supported. Interesting course through some beautiful neighborhoods. I highly recommend this race! The finisher medal is huge and really cool!

I loved everything about this racegreat medal/swag, excellent traffic control, extremely friendly volunteers on the course, lovely neighborhoods to run through. I can't tell you how many times I heard 'Thank you for coming to Jackson!' from the volunteers and spectators along the course. The roads are in rough shape in many places but that isn't something the marathon has control over. It's got some challenging hills so probably isn't a PR course but I would definitely do this one again!

Tough weather and conditions but a wonderful experience. Jackson knows how to put on a marathon. The music was wonderful and I loved how the marathon played up the Blues aspect of Mississippi. As a new transplant to this state I can say I am proud of what I experienced. The course was not easy but 26.2 never is.

Pros: the finishers medal is way too cool. Worth the beating. The volunteers are the best. Every course worker thanked us for coming to mississippi. Expo/packet pickup for well done. Race packet came with a runners vest, harmonica and key chains. Nice. Cons: my definition differs on the term 'rolling hills'. Toward the end the hills got steeper and longer (I think). Jackson roads are just this side of third world with cracked and patched surface for most of course. The weather this year was frigid with start temp a balmy 27 degrees. And although I was in the heartland of the blues, I failed to see the genre well represented. Three bands on the course and a few car stereos playing music (note: Shake it off by Taylor Swift isn't close to 'the blues'). The Star-Spangled Banner played on guitar at start was cool. Maybe it was too darn cold for the bands. I know it was too damn cold for me! Probably explains the lack of spectators, too. (Again, understandable considering the cold). Overall: good 50 stater with the worlds best medal.

Did this race as part of the back-to-back with Mobile (First Light marathon). Expo was small but nice. We stayed at the Jackson Marriott, only a couple blocks from the expo and start/finish. Downtown Jackson was unimpressive as it seemed somewhat blighted but you can't beat the southern hospitality!! Everyone was so friendly. I mean everyone! The course was unremarkable but there were a fair amount of spectators and ample volunteers, all of whom were enthusiastic and encouraging. This course has lots of rolling hills and is not a fast course. It is somewhat scenic but mostly residential. The finish medal is awesome! Would recommend this if you need to pick up Mississippi or as part of the back-to-back, but not really a vacation marathon.

Doing my marathons alphabetically by city name so 'Jackson' was my 'J' marathon. Course had just enough rolling hills, volunteers were plentiful to hand out refreshments. Pay off in completing marathon is 'The Best Medal Ever'. I would recommend booking one of the preferred hotels to stay before they are sold out. Finally coming from Canada it was 'kewl' listening to people with real southern Mississippi accents.

Jackson, MS has the friendliest people I have met anywhere! It started with the rental car company staff and the hotel clerk who wished me luck to the many, many spectators, road crew volunteers and police who waved and cheered and ended with the TSA crew at the airport who congratulated me. It was incredible. The race was fine - very hilly as others have said, but a nice tour of the city. I didn't see any pizza at the end, but the red beans and rice was awesome. Thanks for the chocolate milk. Many (most?) of us got fleece shirts with a zipper that didn't work, but the race director made it right and my new and better shirt came in the mail this week. Kudos on acknowledging and fixing the problem.

The course is largely rolling hills -there are only a few flat stretches. Good scenery overall. The Jackson State Campus was vibrant with energy from the band. Everyone I encountered in Jackson was friendly; however, as a slow racer I found some of the later aid stations abandoned. The water and gatorade was still there though. On the full marathon course spectators were sparse for long sections between miles 8-21 which is ok by me but some runners would like a larger crowd. Due to some of the volunteers taking off the 'road crew' was opening some of the intersections starting about 5 hours in. According to the race brochure this shouldn't have happened for another hour. Myself and a few racers around me commented to the road crew about this but they continued to pick up cones, etc. Fortunately one of the road crew on a scooter kept returning to our group and keeping us on course - his assistance is much appreciated. The hills between mile 21 -24 are tough. The medal is unique and very cool. Last but not least : I recommend the IRON HORSE Grill for good beer and good quality bar food.

This is a race that is worth doing because it is well organized and the volunteers couldn't have been better. It is not very scenic. It has rolling hills but nothing all that difficult. For those complaining about the hills, toughen up, all races don't have to be flat as a pancake. Take what they give you and enjoy the experience. As for the roads, they were just fine. I don't expect marathon courses to be as smooth as my kitchen floor. What's the fun in a course if you aren't dodging something here and there! I stayed at the Marriott and would recommend it as it was close to the expo and start/finish line. They also graciously allow late check out - 3 p.m. The medal is as good as it gets - large and very colorful.

This marathon is a definite not a PR course. The website said it has a few small hills and would be called a roller course. The course is hilly the most of the way. The roads in Jackson are horrible with potholes and cracks in the roads everywhere. It is too bad since this race has the potential to be one of the best not only in the south but also in the country. The volunteers were totally awesome and the people who came out thanked us for coming to Mississippi. Unfortunately there wasn't too many of them out there. The post- race was good with pizza, bananas, cookies and chocolate milk!!! Thank god some race directors listen and provide chocolate milk at the end. The race shirt was a long sleeve fleece winter sweeter which is nice but does have zipper problem. My quick solution was to leave it zipped and pull it over the head. Medal was totally AWESOME. Guitar shaped medal which has to weigh at least 2 lbs. My favorite medal by far. You also get a harmonica. The packet pickup was easy at the convention center and had a lot of vendors along with racing legend Bill Rodgers. Some suggestions for runners of future Blue marathons: I stayed at the Marriott which was nice but you will need a car if you don't want to be stuck there for the weekend. Jackson is completed dead on the weekends. In summary, as I am now 1/5 through the 50 State quest, I am glad I ran this one for the Mississippi Marathon. If Jackson can ever get there roads fixed, this would be a perfect hilly race.

Overall, the Blues Marathon was well organized and the plethora of volunteers more than made up for the sub par crowd support. To say the course was hilly is an understatement. The elevation profile does not look bad, but trust me... the hills are tiring. The roads were not in the best shape and I found myself dodging potholes and unevenness in the road quite a bit towards the end. The weather turned out to be fantastic. At the start of the race it was around 50 and warmed to the low 60's by the conclusion. I cannot believe I was wearing a tank top and capris in January! Would I run this race again? It would not be my first choice due to the challenging course, but the location is very convenient and the finisher's medal is top notch! Complete Race Recap: http://mrsrebeccawade.blogspot.com/2014/01/race-recap-2014-mississippi-blues.html

This is my 1st year doing the MS Blues Half Marathon, it was a hilly route, but a good race. The weather allowed for a fun, nice, and hilly run.

Organization was top-notch, from the expo to the race itself. The race has a great feel starting with the expo where you receive a blues cd, harmonica, and long-sleeve zip shirt with your packet. The start was a mass rather than a wave, but this wasn't an issue due to the number of runners. The course was very well marked. The pure number of spectators was, as expected, not overwhelming, but those that were out were all extremely friendly, I can't count how many individuals thanked myself & the other runners for coming. The volunteers were equally as welcoming. Not a lot of music on the course, but given the number of runners for the full (around 800), it wasn't disappointing. The course was quite rolling, but no single hill was too painful. The course is well set-up to run predominantly in the shade. Overall, though not a PR course, it's a great event.

Everything about this race was well-done: 1) Medal, Half-zip fleece jacket for full marathoners, harmonica and CD were great. 2) At the expo, they sold last year's t-shirts for $5.00 and had many great bargains. 3) Packet pickup was very easy. 4) The course show-cased Jackson nicely. The neighborhoods were beautiful. 6) All volunteers did a great job and were very welcoming to the runners. 8) Plenty of food at finish line (chocolate milk, pizza, fruit, cookies). 9) I stayed at the Jackson Marriott and it was convenient to start/finish and expo. 10) Personnel at the Marriott made runners feel very welcome and had pre-race food available and towels, water, Gatorade and bananas available for after the race. I strongly recommend this race. I found Jackson to be one of the most friendly, welcoming cities I have ever visited.

Volunteers were the best. Very well organized. Pros....best medal ever, and I always enjoy the blues CD. Nice refreshments afterward including beer. Expo is small, but well done. Great entertainment before and after the race. Cons...rude Jackson drivers getting upset at intersections, a long line at the beer table (too much time marking bibs and not enough time pouring drinks by the two over-worked volunteers), no tee shirt (just a cheap fleece with a flimsy zipper that broke in one try) All the cons can easily be fixed next year which is why I mention them. The pros make this a race worth repeating. Oh yeah, the blues crawl is a good idea, but terrible execution. I don't think all the venues realized they were part of the crawl.