Riverboat Series - MS

Shooting for 50 states, and the Mississippi race fit in because my chief supporter, my wife, is a teacher off for spring break. The notion of 20 laps of a 1.31 mile course seemed like it would be the ultimate in drudgery and boredom, but it was anything but. There was dialogue among the runners and walkers throughout, and everyone was encouraging. Splendidly organized with food and Gatorade/Coke/water available on every lap. I was able to fend off dehydration notwithstanding 80 degrees and high humidity. I never thought I would feel like a wimp after running a marathon, but I do indeed because I ran one while a bunch of people did one a day for seven days in seven states!

Small race, small course, a bunch of loops. Sounds odd. But having done 15 marathons in this series (mainly marathons dot com.) I can attest that these races are so much fun. Most of the runners sign up for all 5, either the half of the full. The courses are usually small, 10 or 20 laps on a small course. This series features 5 really nice, beautiful state parks. The small loops are great for these races, because you are passing a crazy over-stocked food and aid station every couple of miles. Many runners show up not knowing what to expect, but eveyone leaves a part of something bigger. Great fun, great race, great runners, and great organizers. Huge Thumbs Up. !