Brianna W.'s Staging Area

This race is very easy to navigate – packet pickup was simple and could be done the day before the race or the morning of the race from 4-4:45 am and the race started at 5 am. The long-sleeve tie dye t-shirt with the skull is great. Pick up was located at the finisher’s area, which was also near the start area, and plenty of parking in a large lot nearby! No need for bag check. The race capped at 150 for the marathon and 300 for the 14.2 mile race, and after the first couple of miles the course really thinned out. There were aid stations about every 2-3 miles and the volunteers were amazing – very encouraging with ample water, Powerade, and some snacks (pretzels, watermelon, bananas, oranges, etc) at different stops. There were few spectators and the course is in a rural country area, fairly serene most of the time, however there were a couple of stray dogs on the course as well (thankfully all friendly).
The marathon followed an out and back open course, and one downside was on the way back runners had to be cautious to avoid cars. There were no sidewalks. This was especially true for me in the last mile of the race, which was tiring, and some runners resorted to jogging in the grass. The course itself has rolling hills, however this year it was cloudy so not too hot (71 – 80 deg F while I was running) and the humidity was bearable. Overall, I am definitely glad I did it and would recommend this to fellow 50 staters who need a race in Mississippi! Bonus points – it is on the Sunday before Labor Day, so if you travel there on Saturday you can leave Sunday after the race like I did and still have a day to recuperate before going back to life as normal on Tuesday. 😉 Also – there are no photographers on the race course, but they film the finish line and have it on YouTube, with a link to each person crossing the finish line on that runner’s result page.

This race takes place on a private island approximately 25 min drive away from Savannah. It was incredibly well-organized, with lots of emails about what to expect and how to prepare since it’s an open course.

The pacers were great, water stops were about every 2 miles with Gatorade at about every other water stop, two stops had caffeinated Huma gel, and the course was quite serene with lots of views of nature on a mostly shaded, paved path. I even saw an adolescent gator by one of the ponds! The marathon course was two laps, and there was a table where runners could put fuel/drinks to get at the halfway point.

This was a small race (138 marathoners, 387 half marathoners, 156 5k runners) and there were some stretches when I could not see anyone ahead of me or behind me. The spectators were friendly but not plentiful, and since most of the course is through a gated community the runners’ friends or family were not allowed there. There is no real-time tracking app or website. It was nice to see people cheering us on from their front lawns or golf carts. The course was well-marked and easy to follow. The gnats were present in hoards, but didn’t bother me during the actual race, they were non-biting but quite annoying prior to the race start and after the finish line when I was standing around – guess I was too fast for them to catch me when running! Finish line prize included a nice metal (same one given to all finishers of 5k/half/full), Tifosi sunglasses for marathoners, and Girl Scout cookies were among the post-race fuel options.
In summary, I was impressed with this race and I recommend it.