Kristen Gerlach's Staging Area

The Magnolia Marathon was my 38th marathon and 23rd state. The race was very well organized, the course was extremely well marked, and the volunteers were enthusiastic and very friendly.

Logistically, this race couldn’t have been easier. I found a cheap direct flight into New Orleans and drove the 3 hours up to Meridian. I stayed at the host hotel and was able to reserve a room on short notice. Packet pick-up was held at the hotel and the start/finish of the race was only a short 8 minute drive away. Parking was a breeze in a ramp right next to the start.

This course has hills! Lots of them. Long, short, steep, not-so-steep and you run them all twice on the double loop. That being said, I think running challenging courses is part of doing the 50 states and if I wanted to run the same flat course I would just stay home! The small size of the race meant that I ran the second loop alone, but the course was so well marked I never worried about a wrong turn. There were plenty of police at intersections and even when there weren’t, the cars would yield to let me pass.

The medals are hand-made out of magnolia wood–I’m sorry I missed the chance to have mine signed by the artist. The age group awards are also hand-carved out of magnolia into the shape of the state of Mississippi. What a special keepsake from my Mississippi marathon! Thanks to all the great people in Meridian who make this race such a success!

I ran this marathon in 2017 as one of my 50 states. This was my 15th state and 30th marathon overall. I registered about 2 weeks before the race, which was a nice option that isn’t available at many bigger marathons.
Because the downtown hotels were full, I ended up staying at a Holiday Inn that was maybe a 10-15 minute drive from the start/finish/Expo. This was not a big deal at all and I think the hotel was only around $85 per night, offered a free shuttle to and from the race, as well as late checkout to all the runners.
This race starts and finishes at the Von Braun Center. It was also very cool (25 degrees at the start) the year I ran, so having an indoor waiting area was great. The course also loops back by the Von Braun Center at about 13 miles, which is nice for spectators. It had warmed up a few degrees by then and I was able to throw my top layer into the grass on the way by and pick it up after the race–also very convenient.
The course itself had a few more ups and downs than I was expecting, but nothing crazy. There are a ton of turns, especially in the first half. However, the course was extremely well marked and I think there was a course marshall at every single turn–impressive! The race gets pretty spread out the last 7-8 miles, but I never worried about getting lost. There were plenty of aid stations and I think they also had someone reading splits at every single mile–also impressive. There were probably more volunteers than spectators, but both groups were very enthusiastic. The course highlight is probably running through the Space Park and around the various rockets and space shuttle. The race takes a lot of photos there and you can download them for free, another nice perk!
Overall, this is a very well-organized race that really wants every runner to have a great experience. If you are looking for an Alabama marathon, I would highly recommend it.