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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 101 to 111]
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Zack Springfield from Washington, DC
(1/15/2011)
 "Pleasantly Surprised" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My 6th marathon, but first non-big-city race. Although I read good reviews about this race from prior years, I still went in with low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. Jackson has no real iconic landmarks or spectacular sights, so the course goes mostly through residential neighborhoods and strip malls. However, the winding turns, hills, and changing landscapes manage to keep the 26.2 from being too mundane. I was blown away by how much the community really gets behind this race - lots of friendly people, from volunteers to normal people coming out to get the morning paper and greeting runners from their driveways. The organization is top-notch from course amenities to goody bags. The medal, while awesomely huge; it almost seems out-of-place on my shelf, as it is 3x the size of my other medals from big-name races (Chicago, Marine Corps, Philly, etc.). Given the time of the year, when they're aren't many options, this is a great marathon. I still prefer the big-city races, but this was definitely fun for a change of pace and to get out of the cold for a weekend. | |
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D. C. from Minnesota
(1/15/2011)
 "Well done!!! Great Race!!" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The race has everything but big-city crowds, and that's a good thing. Challenging course but that's OK. Great gifts and music. The race rocks! | |
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S. H. from Atlanta, GA
(1/13/2011)
"5 Stars: Enough said!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is the only race where the volunteers say, "Thank you" for running Jackson! Speaking of southern hospitality, this race has it. The course is challenging but great, the organization is outstanding, and the volunteers and police working the roads and aid stations go above the call of duty. Once the word gets out about this southern gem of a race, it is going to explode, so you might want to run it before that happens. The medal says it all; the race directors do not cut corners. The organization earns 5 stars on all accounts: the post-race concert, the Blues Crawl, and of course, the race itself. | |
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J. A. from Minnesota
(1/13/2011)
"Roller Coaster Marathon" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 31st marathon in 27th state and I enjoyed it tremendously. Yes, there are hills, lots of hills, and though many are not long, they do seem to go on forever. My only suggestion: there were a few points in the race where they could have done a better job of protecting the runners. One short section did not have cones up and there were a few times when I wished there were volunteers directing us. That being said, the organizers did a good job with water stops, and thanks to the many volunteers. There's nothing like running past an Elvis who is directing traffic. Registration was a breeze - there's not much of an expo but who cares, really? As mentioned by others, the swag, medal, food and entertainment were all great. The medal got my bag searched at the airport...! We lucked out with the weather this year; the storm hit on Sunday. | |
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B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa
(1/12/2011)
 "very hospitable race" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 From the organizers to the volunteers to the community to the other racers, I met some of the nicest, most helpful people in my life. The course, on the other hand, was anything but nice. Tough footing at times and hill after hill after hill throughout the course, though it was interesting and scenic. The expo was small but very nice and there was a large variety and quantity of food at the finish. The swag was among the best and the medal rivals Little Rock for size. Overall, a very good race. | |
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D. B. from Spring, Texas
(1/12/2011)
"Mississippi's Great Secret" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Although I set a PR here, as the other comments said, this is probably not a PR course. The course was very scenic with many hills and a good portion was on one side of the road, which caused the curvature in the road to work on your legs. The course was very well supported with ample water stops and several GU handouts. They changed the policy after I registered and wouldn't allow a friend to pick up my packet; however, once this was pointed out, they were completely willing to work through it and even opened up race-day packet pick-up. I probably won't be back since I'm working on 50 states (this being #4), but this was an overall great experience and I encourage others to try this course. The finisher's medal was a little overkill. You couldn't ask for a friendlier bunch of people than the people of Mississippi! | |
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P. W. from Jackson, MS
(1/11/2011)
"My First Half: What a Challenge!" (about: 2011)
First Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'm a local, and I ran the Blues for my first half. Great organization including volunteers and race support. Being from here, I feel your pain regarding road complaints. We drive - and run - these daily, and they are rough. Believe it or not, they are better than they have been! My only beef (albeit a minor one) is that the course contains many brutal hills. That being said, this was my first and I'm sure that there are worse ones out there. I'm sure I'll do this half again next year, but will reserve my full for elsewhere. | |
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S. L. from Colleyville,TX
(1/11/2011)
"Spectators and course support should be 10 STARS!!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 THIS IS THE FRIENDLIEST EVENT (of ALL events, not just running) I HAVE EVER PARTICIPATED IN!!! Kudos, Jackson!! Which is good because the hills were relentless. The weather was beautiful, and the views were beautiful. The food was ok at the end, but the GOODY BAG was great. I may be the only runner in North America who likes cotton shirts - and these were high-quality! The course layout wasn't bad. The road slant was rough on my knees. I probably could have done without a long uphill finish. But again the support was so amazing that it was all worth it!! | |
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Coastie Jane from Buffalo, NY
(1/10/2011)
"Our first marathon; we had a great time!" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 My husband and I ran this course as our first marathon. It was definitely a challenging course with LOTS of hills. Sections of the run were through neighborhoods with huge old houses but the last couple of miles aren't in the greatest part of town. There were places where you had to watch where you stepped because the roads had potholes. Things I liked: The volunteers!!! They were amazing! Very friendly and supportive. The course gave a nice tour of Jackson and was well marked. There was more than enough water and Gatorade along the course. Things I did not like: The preferred hotels had arranged special rates but were very inflexible regarding late checkout. We stayed at the Marriott and the latest they could check us out was noon. If you plan on taking longer than 3.5 hours, stay somewhere else because by the time you get done, have something to eat and drink, and then walk back down, you don't have time for a shower. The Old Country Inn was the same way. Things I would change: Not enough port-o-lets! I saw three the whole time (granted, I was slow and they may have been picked up before I got there, but my husband finished two hours before me and he didn't see many either). The middle few miles had very little volunteer support. I felt it was a point in the race where I needed it and there were very few around. Overall, we had a great time and would recommend the race. The finisher's medals were awesome! | |
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j. s. from Maryland
(1/10/2011)
"Decent race" (about: 2011)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Mississippi Blues Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This race is a good one considering it's only in its 4th year. There can be some improvements: Pasta dinner More food and vendor options at the expo I know the RD can't help this, but there were many bad parts to the roads Place total elevation information on the website; I knew there would be hills however they were relentless Add pace teams for half marathoners The neighborhoods were ran through were pretty quiet; it'd be nice to have more community involvement Positives: Course was very challenging; however, keep it! If people want flat, they should go to Houston or Chicago Nice touch with the bag, shirt and large medal Cool shirt; so what that it was cotton? Great pace teams Start and finish are within walking distance of several hotels The people who were on the course were kind, helpful, and thanked us for coming to their city! Overall this is a good race. It's worth the cost, and downtown Jackson should only continue to improve. Good job, Jackson. GRADE: B+. |
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