The MS Blues Marathon is a Blues Musical Tour through the communities of Jackson, MS. The Mississippi Blues Marathon will take place in downtown Jackson, Mississippi’s capital city. Starting and finishing at the Mississippi State Capitol, the marathon course takes runners on a scenic tour of the capitol city, passing …
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The MS Blues Marathon is a Blues Musical Tour through the communities of Jackson, MS.
The Mississippi Blues Marathon will take place in downtown Jackson, Mississippi’s capital city. Starting and finishing at the Mississippi State Capitol, the marathon course takes runners on a scenic tour of the capitol city, passing historic landmarks, centers of education and numerous residential areas conveying the personality of Jackson. Runners also get a taste of authentic Mississippi Blues with live music around the 13.1 course which for the marathon is 2 loops of the exact same route. The Mississippi Blues Marathon has been an official Boston Qualifier each year.
Since the inaugural race in 2008, the Mississippi Blues Marathon has worked to showcase Jackson and the rich Blues history of the state, with a portion of proceeds going to the Mississippi Blues Commission’s Musicians’ Benevolent Fund.
The Mississippi Blues Marathon & Half Marathon attracts runners from around the country and beyond with great food, great music, great swag and some of the friendliest volunteers you’ll ever meet.
Challenge yourself with the marathon or half-marathon, or take things a little easier with our “Quarter Note” quarter marathon. You can even create a team of five runners and tackle the course as a relay team. Four of you take on five-mile legs with the final runner going the 6.2 miles to the end. With the Mississippi Blues Marathon, there really is something for everyone!
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Needs Massive Improvement
This is the third time running this race. Back years ago it was a good race and was organized. Last few years has been interesting. 2022, a lot of runners … MORE
This is the third time running this race. Back years ago it was a good race and was organized. Last few years has been interesting. 2022, a lot of runners were directed the wrong way (they had the 5K, 10K, half and full start at the same time all with the same bib colors). 2023 was less confusing but the aid on course was not good, lack of water and ice. The bling used to be awesome but not so much anymore. The race needs to be put on better.
Great finish live festitvities
I got "lucky" with one of the hottest years on record. . .and wasn't prepared for the hills, but the race is run smoothly. Cool start and finish line festivities. … MORE
I got “lucky” with one of the hottest years on record. . .and wasn’t prepared for the hills, but the race is run smoothly. Cool start and finish line festivities. Unique medals and shirt design is good even if not best quality shirt. Bigger small race with some okay scenery- but sure glad I did the half and not the full- would not have wanted to repeat that loop twice.
Not doing that again
I had high hopes for this race, as the website seems put together, and Mississippi does not have that many to offer. However, was sorely disappointed. The day was incredibly … MORE
I had high hopes for this race, as the website seems put together, and Mississippi does not have that many to offer. However, was sorely disappointed. The day was incredibly hot, which they could not help, but I felt as though they did not have adequate water stations. The course was difficult and hilly, you did get to go through downtown, but there were also some areas that felt not very safe, and it’s a double loop course. My biggest problem was the lack of communication, and lack of safety concerns for the runners. There were several intersections that were not closed off and they were no volunteers so you just had to run across the road and hope for the best. In addition, the course is definitely not closed so you needed to constantly be on the lookout for cars. The after party was nice as there was beer, food, miscellaneous snacks, and water, as well as live music.
Rock n roll with out the price
This race is similar to a RnR race with out the higher price point the course has its ups and downs so train for hills. You get a nice tour … MORE
This race is similar to a RnR race with out the higher price point the course has its ups and downs so train for hills. You get a nice tour of the city during this race. Post race festival is a good time with food and live music. And the bling is a nice medal. This years shirt was a long sleeve tech shirt. Nothing that special.
Challenging!
Challenging race with endless hills. Not terribly scenic but good course support and fun after party. Recommend if you like a good challenge. MORE
Challenging race with endless hills. Not terribly scenic but good course support and fun after party. Recommend if you like a good challenge.
One and done
This was the hottest year they've had. Started around 60 and it was 78 by the time I finished. Thankfully I made friends with a random runner early on and … MORE
This was the hottest year they’ve had. Started around 60 and it was 78 by the time I finished. Thankfully I made friends with a random runner early on and it really helped those hot miles fly by. It is a relatively hilly course. There is not much shade along the route. The roads are pretty beat up in some areas but I only tripped once. The bands did not really stand out compared to other races with music. It was good for getting the state done but if I were local I probably would not run this one again.
Nice Race
Overall this is a pretty good race. lots of hills the 2nd half of the race. not a ton of runners but there was a lot more people along the … MORE
Overall this is a pretty good race. lots of hills the 2nd half of the race. not a ton of runners but there was a lot more people along the course than I thought there would be. lots of old buildings and houses along the course as well. no expo, just a packet pick up. after party was decent, beer and music can’t ever be wrong. would recommend if you need mississippi
Good Small City Race
Good small race with 2 loops for full marathon Great Support from local police and Volunteers Rolling hills with 2 loops Race day packet pickup and easy bag drop Less … MORE
Good small race with 2 loops for full marathon
Great Support from local police and Volunteers
Rolling hills with 2 loops
Race day packet pickup and easy bag drop
Less hotels to start line, Long wait times for Uber/Lyft and not many restaurants around in downtown and need to travel to city.
Fun race, especially to Pace
So it was my third time running this race in the past 4 years, but my first time pacing the 2:30 half. Kind of a thin crowd, had a few … MORE
So it was my third time running this race in the past 4 years, but my first time pacing the 2:30 half. Kind of a thin crowd, had a few runners that were running just behind me on the course. They changed the course again and went up a longish hill near an observatory, plus the measurement on the course was off by about 1/4 of a mile. All things considered, nice weather, nice refreshments, and a friendly crowd. Nailed my pacing by a few seconds.
Running For Your Soul
Whether you’re chasing 50 marathons in 50 States or not, you might want to check out the Mississippi Blues Marathon which is held in Jackson. This city sparked so many … MORE
Whether you’re chasing 50 marathons in 50 States or not, you might want to check out the Mississippi Blues Marathon which is held in Jackson. This city sparked so many historic moments which have arguably changed the trajectory of the United States. Spend the weekend in Jackson to learn about the important civil rights history that took place in this city, the roots of the blues, and soak in the famous Southern hospitality.
The Mississippi Blues Marathon course is a 13.1-mile loop so marathon runners run the course twice. There are some small elevations but nothing too hilly. The race was well organized. The bling was nice and there were plenty of Jambalaya and beers at the Finish. Although not a big event, I enjoyed running through the downtown area and neighborhoods. There weren’t many spectators on the course but I still had a good time.
Check out my YouTube video below.
Great music enroute
This was my first time in MS, and the people were so wonderful. The race production team was great as well. My only concern, and this is because I'm heavily … MORE
This was my first time in MS, and the people were so wonderful. The race production team was great as well. My only concern, and this is because I’m heavily addicted, was that there was no coffee at the start. Seriously, I might die without it lol. The live music on the course was fantastic! The reason the race didn’t score higher, and they don’t have much control over this is that portions of the race were in pretty rough areas and the road conditions were really poor in spots. Like easy to wipe out onto your face poor, if you weren’t staring at the ground. The aid stations and cheer stations were AMAZING! All of the people in the city and related to the race were fantastic. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, there was no actual festival of blues at the completion of the race.
What does Bruno Mars see in this town??
The packet pickup is adjacent to the capitol, but "Capitol Green" might not show up on Google Maps and the capitol security guards don't really know either. (Pro tip: follow … MORE
The packet pickup is adjacent to the capitol, but “Capitol Green” might not show up on Google Maps and the capitol security guards don’t really know either. (Pro tip: follow the music). The marathon course is a double loop around the town. The first two miles are in downtown, then we head out past Jackson State University. We run north, mostly on 40 mph hilly roads, and through one neighborhood, before coming back to the capitol. Roads are in phenomenal shape, and the police did a decent job of directing traffic. Previous reviewers complained about mile markers being off and unclear directions, but this year there were separate mile markers for loop 1 and loop 2. They fixed this issue. And I never was confused on the direction. Just follow the orange and/or yellow cones and you’ll be fine. I would advise you to drink at every aid station, because they are only every two miles, even in the home stretch.
Big ghost-town vibes in Jackson. Virtually nobody out downtown on Friday night or race day. This means almost no fans or supporters besides water stations. There were 2-3 blues musicians, but not quite the Beale Street-like blues atmosphere I hoped for. No loudspeaker music on the course except the start/finish line. I only saw one homemade sign (“May the course be with you”). A fire-and-brimstone preacher yelled at me that I would someday stand before God in judgment, coupled with signs of photoshopped abortion images too horrible to repeat. Really nauseating to see that 10 miles in, and AGAIN at 23 miles.
Rolling hills, comparable to Tulsa but slightly easier. Post-race food was small cups of beans and rice which was tasty. Some guy postrace said his watch only registered 25.84 miles, and I see another review that agrees the actual distance is sus. This marathon is still a BQ, but if that really bothers you, go somewhere else in Mississippi. I like running in big cities, and Jackson is by far the biggest in this state, but good grief it was lonely without the support. That’s my main reason for 3 stars.
Hilly New Course
This year featured a new course that went through the Belhaven and Fondren neighborhoods in Jackson! This new course meant that runners had to run up/down numerous hills in those … MORE
This year featured a new course that went through the Belhaven and Fondren neighborhoods in Jackson! This new course meant that runners had to run up/down numerous hills in those neighborhoods, but they weren’t too bad if you just pushed through!
Packet pick up wasn’t very organized. There really wasn’t any signage for where runners should go, and I was very confused. Also, the post-race food options were very limited.
Lastly, when I finished my watch recorded 12.8 miles instead of 13.1. I kept running around the Capitol grounds to finish the mileage on my watch, but I hope it was a technical issue with my watch and not an issue with the course.
Great production. Tons of climbs
This was 15th running of the Mississippi Blues race series. I’ve been following them for a long time and they always have great production, swag, volunteer support! Thanks to Jackson … MORE
This was 15th running of the Mississippi Blues race series. I’ve been following them for a long time and they always have great production, swag, volunteer support! Thanks to Jackson State U and the local and Capital police for all the road closure support!
… so on Thursday it was 77 and 28 this morning at race time… then it warmed up to the high 40s. Layer, layer, layer your clothes. This is a small town race and the course full and half weave you around town. There are a ton of up and down micro hills and more than a handful of long climbs over this course. +600 overall elevation change. The Blues bands along the course are worth stopping for… but then there goes your PR. Thankfully, they are expanding the post race show to 5pm so highlight the fabulous blues bands from this home of the Blues!
Decent race, a little cold
Race route was changed this year to basically stick to the downtown area, streets are little broken up, weather was a little cold, but no rain at least MORE
Race route was changed this year to basically stick to the downtown area, streets are little broken up, weather was a little cold, but no rain at least
I confirm what others said.Hilly, ugly,
Okay this is probably what you don't want to hear! The expo was a bib pickup at the start line not where it was said to be. One of my … MORE
Okay this is probably what you don’t want to hear! The expo was a bib pickup at the start line not where it was said to be. One of my friends turned his ankle at the bib pickup. The race had the turns marked on the ground however for the first few miles we had 5k, 10k, half, and full on the same course and of course the signage was hidden under racers feet not to mention that the start was somewhat chaos with slow runners in front of faster runners. There was a turn less than 50 yards from the start. So we first saw the industrial side of Jackson before heading out several miles on a boulevard to turn around for our fourth out and back. The race had lots of turns so on the second lap when we only had 220 on the course it was easy to see the turns. There is a section of out and back close to the capitol that is hilly this was probably my favorite section because with the hills and houses it was quite pretty. I confirm what others have said there are holes to turn your ankles in and holes that might break your leg if your shoe gets caught. It was advertised as having pacers and there were none. It was advertised as having lots of music; on the second lap there was none. Lots of promises but not much substance. I told the assistant race director about the signage problem. No no no I am not going back so many other races I can do.
A bit disappointed
The scenery was beautiful loved the capital. It was advertised there would be Blues music through out the course. We did the 5K and there was no music..really bummed about … MORE
The scenery was beautiful loved the capital. It was advertised there would be Blues music through out the course. We did the 5K and there was no music..really bummed about that. The course was not well marked and some of the volunteers were trying but weren’t sure which way to go either. We drove 6 hrs. We made memories but wish it would have been marked better and definitely needed MUSIC through the whole course.
Good — Could be Better
This was my first half marathon, and I was very excited to run it in Jackson! Overall, I thought the race was good, but there are definitely areas for improvement. … MORE
This was my first half marathon, and I was very excited to run it in Jackson! Overall, I thought the race was good, but there are definitely areas for improvement. Lots of the route was down and back, with many U-turns along the way. Also, the 5K and 10K runners turned off at different points, and signage wasn’t always large enough/clear about who should turn where. At one point, a large group of runners came onto the route from a side street and asked me where to go for the half/full. They’d obviously missed a turn and gone off course. There were some long hills, but they weren’t too steep. Altogether, I’m glad I did this race, and I’ll definitely check it out again in the future.
Good Race
Decent race... Expect a few hills along the way. Because it's a double loop you need to really make sure that you have a strong will for the 2nd go-around. MORE
Decent race… Expect a few hills along the way. Because it’s a double loop you need to really make sure that you have a strong will for the 2nd go-around.
Better than last year, but needs work
I've run this race 9 times. All but once as a pacer. (Read my review from the 2019 race for detailed references) The 2020 race had its improvements from 2019 … MORE
I’ve run this race 9 times. All but once as a pacer.
(Read my review from the 2019 race for detailed references)
The 2020 race had its improvements from 2019 fiasco, but overall, it still needs some attention.
*In my humble opinion- I do not believe this race will EVER return to it’s former glory. Like I said in my 2019 review, If you held this race on your bucket list, you missed the bucket!
For the 2020 event:
PACKET PICKUP
-Packet pickup/expo was in a different location (basically next door) than in years past. The website was not updated reflecting this change. PEM did send out an Athlete Guide with the correct location (BUT The address # was wrong. It was 380, not 308. This was not detrimental as it was at the Museum of Art and there was nothing at 380.) The race officials said “we sent it out in an email.” That’s great but having conflicting information your official site with 2020 on every page is not something you should overlook.
-There were considerably less vendors (which doesn’t really matter to me).
SHIRT:
-The shirt was a long sleeve yellow pullover (for marathoners) with the logo on the front. It was 99% IDENTICAL to the 2019 shirt. The difference? 2019 instead of 2020 in the logo. The color (I thought it was hideous) is apparently the corporate color of Continental, the title sponsor.
RACE:
-All races started together (5k, 10k, 1/2, full) The start line was really crowded and while there were corral signs marking min/miles, they weren’t enforced. The shorter races should have started after the half/full.
-The area were the 5K was to turn off was not marked well. There was one volunteer there with a small megaphone saying turn left. It was so crowded you could not see the one small sign located on a light pole above parked cars. We didn’t notice it until our second loop. I’m sure lots of 5Kers went too far.
-The new course wasn’t terrible (I won’t mention the continuing issue with Jackson’s massive road deterioration problem – lots of potholes and uneven pavement. Not the races’ fault.) It was a double loop course. The volunteers that were out were friendly and helpful. The best Cheer group was in the Belhaven neighborhood. They had fresh tater tots and lots of fruit and candy as well as alcohol. The JSU band was out on our first loop, but not our second. There were about 5-6 other roadside musicians playing. The police covered major intersections well. However, there were 2 busy intersections near the old capital that were not covered and I literally had to stop for traffic on both loops.
-Very sporadic directional signage. During our second loop we were able to see the 1 (ONE) arrow on the ground at most intersections directing us where to go. Other than the few arrows on the ground, there were no directional signs other than the 5K turn sign and where the races split near the finish line.
-Aid stations were well stocked and spaced appropriately ( This is a dramatic improvement from last year).
-The mile markers for each loop were placed together. (Miles 1 & 14 were together, etc.) This made the mile markers for the second loop .10 off, which made pacing very difficult. I finished earlier than I typically do while pacing for fear of being late in. All full pacers had this problem. One of the pacers told our pace group that after she finished and was waiting on a friend, she spoke to the RD. She told him about the mile markers being in the wrong place. She said he didn’t care. (Not sure exactly what he said, but she said he basically dismissed her comment).
-POST RACE:
-The medal was nice (sorta shaped like a tire), but had one major thing missing. NO DATE. not even 2020. Nothing. Completely generic other than the race name. (I wonder if we’ll get the same one next year?)
-I was the 5:10 pacer. When I finished there was only water, bananas and a few granola bars left. They claimed to have had other hot food items, but there was nothing left and no evidence of anything either.
Bottom Line: Better than last year, but like I said before, this race will never regain it’s former reputation. And this makes me sad. It had major potential.