Sep 19, 2024
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☰
Tupelo Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Tupelo Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.0 
Organization 4.4 
Spectators 2.5
Number of comments: 159 [displaying comments 81 to 91]
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A. W. from Midway, GA
(9/1/2008)
"Great job!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Tupelo Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 For those who are anal like me, a few comments to ease your mind. Since the race starts at dark, mile markers are very well marked with glow sticks. Mile markers are painted on the road, so look for those. Plenty of water and Gatorade stops. Very well organized, very friendly, etc. Rural route, but no dogs. Great shirt and medal for the 14.2-milers. Great time to start a run. Very HUMID, so if you are not used to that, prepare to sweat like you've never sweated before. Not a lot of folks on road for race support, but that didn't bother me. Only crazy folks like us get up that time of day to run. | |
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V. H. from Georgia
(8/31/2008)
"A wonderful event!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Tupelo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Yes, it was hot, but I prepared for it and brought a bandanna (which saved me). The course is really nice if you like to be on your own in pretty countryside. It has very small rolling hills on country roads and you can see horses and cows! The volunteers were really great and post-race burgers and beer hit the spot. I loved seeing all the 50 Staters and Marathon Maniacs show up. I'm glad it started at 5 a.m., and the first hour in the dark was really majestic, almost surreal running. This is a great choice if you need a marathon in Mississippi. | |
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C. G. from Nashville, TN
(12/30/2007)
"A great marathon with the perfect medal!" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Tupelo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A wonderful small marathon for those who love to run. It started in the dark under the stars but the sun, and temperature, quickly rose to the occasion. I've never felt such high humidity BEFORE the sun was up. The course was tough with a good mix hills and flat areas and the course support was great. The post-race food was excellent and the organizers were friendly and helpful. Finally, the medals and shirts are simply the best! The shirt is one that is so comfortable that I want to wear it every day - and the skull and crossbones logo is fitting and a great conversation piece. I will definitely be back next year. | |
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C. F. from Georgia
(9/30/2007)
"Medals for the Half Marathon Runners!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Mike and his crew pulled it together this year and had medals for the half marathoners. They are awesome - the traditional Skull & Crossbones! Add this marathon or half to your list of "have to run." Organized, friendly people, starts and finishes at a large furniture warehouse (inside restrooms!), with grilled hamburgers and beer at the finish, and a very fun start in the dark - to name a few highlights. Mike and his organizers also had a very nice tribute to "Calvin O'Cain" at one of the water stops along the way. Calvin was a long-time supporter of the Tupelo Marathon and has recently passed away. It was nice to see this personal touch and remembrance to Calvin. I had never met Calvin - but they had a photo of him on a huge poster at the water stop - and Calvin looked like a great guy. Cheers to Tupelo! | |
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S. B. from Wyoming, OH
(9/11/2007)
"Simply... the Best?!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Tupelo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 OK, so everybody's got an opinion and is certainly entitled to it. However, no matter what you do in terms of "marathon organization," some will love you and some will NOT. I've read comments about medals and T-ahirts (and so on and so forth) either being great, or not up to the standards of previous years. Who cares?! After all, these poor race directors are trying to satisfy marathon runners, people who go out and say they "enjoy" running 26.2 miles... all at one time. Let's face it, we marathoners are a strange bunch and satisfying us all just ain't gonna happen. So as a Tupelo "first-timer," I say "hats off" to Mike and his dedicated crew. Your passion for the sport really shows through. Pam, thanks for "adopting" my daughter and putting her to work at the mile 5/21 water stop.... Her stories about her experience working there put a smile on my face, tears in my eyes and make me wish I had worked with your crew. I agree with all those who say this is a great race, like many of the "smaller" marathons you can find in states. There is no doubt that there are many fine larger marathons, with attentive, caring and organized staffs; however, you just can't beat the feel of a well run "small marathon." I attribute that feel to the passion and dedication of those who put on the events. With fewer runners, that passion is easily transferred and felt by each participant. So Mike, and ALL of your wonderful staff/volunteers, thank you for allowing us all to experience the joy of running on your turf. Although my clock time will show this to be the "worst" of all my marathons, I consider my marathon experience in Tupelo to be among my best.... After all, I consider any day that I don't get hurdled or trampled to be a good day!! Oh, and by the way, Chuck Engle, you are a great athlete and a champion. Your love for the sport and humble attitude make us "mid-" and "back-of-the-packers" feel like champs too. | |
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Aaron Pendergraft from Springfield, Ohio
(9/10/2007)
"Worth the trip to Mississippi" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Tupelo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If you're a marathoner on a quest to hit all 50, you might as well stop here in September to collect your skull medal and start your fall marathon season off with a bang. Not a lot of distraction; just the good-natured sport of a marathon. The out-and-back provides for an opportunity to learn the course and see what is going to be waiting for you once you hit the wall, or if you're feeling great in the last 10K. Can't help but love the moonlight start. I've never seen or done anything like it, so it's great to have this experience. With 100% humidity, I sure am glad I ran in just a Speedo. There's a word of advice for ya folks: Wanna stay cool? Run in a Speedo! Someday, I will come back to this race, DEFINITELY!! | |
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S. A. from Tennessee
(9/7/2007)
"Nice Country Marathon" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Tupelo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was a great marathon with nice rolling hills and beautiful countryside and friendly people. Not a lot of spectators, but the ones who came were enthusiastic and helpful. My only suggestion: the awards didn't make sense. Why were some awards given mostly in 5-year increments and sometimes in 10-year increments? That didn't make sense, as it wasn't consistent. Otherwise a nice race. I'd do it again! | |
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B. H. from MO
(9/6/2007)
"It's hot, humid, and hilly, but nice 5 a.m. start" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Tupelo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I would recommend it for a low-anxiety lst marathon; out-and-back with little fuss throughout! The hills were not tough, but just kept coming - the last one at around 21+ miles. The volunteers were wonderful and they had a lot of food for afterwards. I didn't like the dark green Gatorade or whatever that was! Great shirts and medals of good quality! | |
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J. S. from Batavia, IL
(9/5/2007)
"Fun little race for those willing to risk the heat" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Tupelo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 After a friend, one of those 50 State guys showed my husband and me his medal from this race last year with the slogan "hurdle the weak, trample the dead." We knew we had to run this race. I don't take the heat very well, so I was a little nervous about Labor Day Weekend in Mississippi. This race was more than worth the risk of becoming one of the trampled dead. There were plenty of water stops, so there was no excuse for getting dehydrated, and they were manned by plenty of friendly volunteers. The course itself feels like a nice relaxing jog through the country. Picturesque country roads take you past many pastures and farms. I was initially concerned that it was not a closed course, but the cars were never a problem. Although you are running in the dark for the first hour or so, it was never so dark that you could not see your footing. This is exactly what a marathon should be. Put on your race number, line-up and go. No fighting your way through crowds, no useless junk in a goodie bag. It is very low-key. If you need all of the hype and crowds of a big-city marathon, stay away from this one. If you enjoy simply running, put this one on your list. My only suggestion is to hold the awards ceremony sooner. Five and a half hours after the start of the race, they still had not posted results, or started to give out awards. The organizers need to realize that a lot of people from out of town probably need to be checked out of their motels by noon. At least posting a results list as soon as possible would let people know if they need to stay. Other than that one detail, this is a very well organized and fun race. | |
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j. v. from Dallas, Texas
(9/5/2007)
"Fun medal, decent course" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Tupelo Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Ah, the birthplace of Elvis. What do you think the theme of this small race is??? WRONG!!!! This is a race with a skull and crossbones! I mean the motto is "Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead" and more recently maybe it is "Hurdle the Weak and Trample the Dead." Must depend upon the race director - I'm not sure. If you have never done this race, and have no expectations, you will be greeted with a great long-sleeve shirt and a fantastic medal! If you have been here before, you will be depressed; the last two years the shirts have been lousy in comparison to previous years. It's no longer a tie-dye shirt with a glow-in-the-dark skull and crossbones. You have a perfect shirt that everybody runs the race just to get the shirt and mess it up? Not smart. Now the medal is fantastic, but lousy compared to last year. It is a unique shape with the skull and crossbones and great red eyes. Why did they take out the relief from last year? Get a great design and keep it every year; change for change's sake is stupid when you have the best product. What if Disneyland or Disney World changed their medal? Would anybody go to their race? Well, yes, but not as many. Disneyland and Disney World are way better destinations than Tupelo - sorry, but let's be honest here. The course is nice; you start at 5 a.m. to get you back before the heat cooks you. Yes, it is humid before the sun comes up, but it is a worthy trade-off and part of the special appeal to most all of the Labor Day races are the early starts in the dark. The course is a nice, rolling out-and-back course - too boring, and definitely not too hilly. There are plenty of rest stops¬ like the big races, but plenty for a smaller race. There is good, hot food at the finish every year as well. Very nicely done. The race even has a unique short opti - a 14.2-mile straight loop. The full is an out-and-back and the 14.2 runs with the full all the way to the turn around (so you can bail out at 13 if things are not working correctly that day). Very nice. This year there as a great medal for the 14.2. I tried to trade my inferior full medal for the half, but couldn't get a trade executed before I left for the hotel. Dang! The 14.2 medal was a keeper - I don't plan on keeping the marathon one as I have better Tupelo medals already. I recommend bread pudding and dinner at Ivey's; they aren't open on Sunday so it has be Saturday. Nice enough little town, and don't forget to stop by and see Elvis' birthplace! I like the wine store as well. The three stops for me while I am there: Ivey's, Elvis, and what's-it's-name next to the Italian restaurant just over the hotels. It is heck getting old. |
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