We planned this trip to Mississippi to run in warmer climates in December. My husband and I were going to run the Double Down (5k + half). My sister was going to run the 5k. The weather didn’t quite work like we planned. This weekend we had a snow storm at home in NC that canceled our flights to NOLA. We ended up making a last minute decision to drive down to Gulfport. We drove through snow the entire way. We stopped in Atlanta and picked up my brother in law for an impromptu trip to Mississippi; signed him up for the 5k as well!

It was snowing in Biloxi when we arrived. Apparently this was a first in many years. The residents were in shock.
And the sand was frozen on the beach.

Leading up to the race, we had signed up in the promotional period when the signups opened. We booked a room with VRBO in a house that was a few blocks from the start line in Gulfport.
Information was plentiful via emails and facebook posts from the race planners.
Our initial plans were to arrive Friday afternoon by plane in NOLA and drive over, but due to the drive, we didn’t arrive until 9pm.
We took advantage of the race morning bib pick up for the 5k. The 5k was set up in Biloxi just before going over the bridge. There was a Community Coffee set up with free coffee, music, photo spots. The race was small and went through a few blocks around the area. There was plenty of food to get samples of BBQ and stew.
After the 5k was the Kids marathon where the kids finished their final mile to complete a marathon.

After the 5k, we drove back towards Gulfport stopping by the expo. The convention center was split into 2 parts. 1 side was for bib pick up. The other side was for the expo. There was free beer, and samples of race fuel.
I picked up my Mississippi running magnet.
Lunch was at MugShots, the famous burger place in Gulfport.
We drove around Biloxi and further east, visiting the National Forest. Back to Gulfport and scoped out the start line location.
We picked up groceries at Walmart and cooked dinner at the house.

The following morning, we woke up and walked the 5 minute walk to the start line in the dark. It was around 30 degrees. As we congegated with the other half marathon runners, we noticed that the sun was rising over the ocean. I ran to take a photo with my husband. It was beautiful. I was joined by several other runners that saw the same beauty.
I quickly rejoined the ranks of half-marathoners at the start line. The full marathoners have a different start line 13 miles further west so that they end at the same finish line as us.
So the horn blows at 7am for the start. We start on the road/sidewalk running beside the sand and the ocean. The sun is slowly rising. The heat is getting stronger from the sun. It’s a flat course.
There is little entertainment on the course. The water stops came up every 1.5-2 miles as noted on the course map. The course entertainement appears to be the beautiful sunrise. This disappears after 6 miles when buildings start coming between the ocean and the road.
But the view is still pretty. I finally get to the final mile and there’s an uphill! We have to follow the uphill ramp onto the road. After the turn around, its downhill to the finish line. What a wonderful sight! You run in around the stadium and in through a chute that follows the line of the outfield to the finish line.
The medal is waiting for you and a bottle of water!

After relaxing on the grass enough to get our legs working, we walked up to the top of the stands where the post race party was.
We went and picked up our Double Down Award, which was a low country boil plate. There was plenty of food, hot chocolate, chocolate milk, coffee, and free beer! We enjoyed relaxing in the stands while we filled our bellies before leaving.

My sister and brother in law had found parking a few blocks away from the stadium on the side of the street. So we made our way to the car and headed out to go get ready to check out of our house.

Mid-afternoon lunch at Shaggys made it worth it on our way out of town!

This was definitely a race worth doing. The gorgeous view made it worth it. Great swag and lots of freebies. The post race party was well set up.

Maybe when you run it, it will be warmer!