I have run the Blues (both half and full) a total of 5 times prior to this year. The last time I ran it was in 2016. I no longer live in Jackson but I decided to travel back to Mississippi for the race this year. I was aware of the change in management but, considering it's now managed by the Women's Half series management company I expected it to be a seamless change. Boy was I wrong.

The race expo was on the sad side. Not that I spend a lot of time and money at expos, but good expos can help set up a great race atmosphere. I heard quite a few people basically asking, "Is this it?" about the expo. If the expo was sad, the swag was downright depressing. We received a tourism magazine and two marketing postcards. The shirts were low-quality - a huge change from the awesome pullovers the Blues used to hand out. And even though I never kept them, swag used to include a harmonica and blues CD. Also, I was told the marathon shirts came in late (some time late on the second day of the expo, I believe).

Race morning was pretty much the same as always. The race has started at the Convention Center for the past few years. This is not anything under the control of the race, but the parking around the Convention Center has always been awful. The surface lots are HORRIBLE. There is one parking garage nearby and also street parking. Because I get there really early I never have issues but some people were talking about trying to find parking before the race starts. Again, that's an infrastructure issue, not a race management issue.

This is the likely last year of the Blues running the course it has run for the past several years. The course takes runners out to Jackson State University campus and along a parkway before passing the Convention Center again and heading out of downtown. It was super disappointing to not hearing the JSU Sonic Boom marching band as we went through campus this year. And, unlike in years' past, the "crowd" at the start line as we ran back through was not much of a crowd. Leaving downtown runners head up a looooong hill (State Street). I didn't see the 5K split (which I understand was somewhat of an issue because 5K runners didn't see it either) but the quarter note (10K) and marathon/half splits were clearly marked with large signs and course marshals providing direction. Unfortunately, there was a distinct lack of course marshals along the route, unlike in previous years. Water stops were also problematic. I don't think the half had nearly as big an issue as the full (lots of posts about no stops from miles 5-10), but it was noticeable. There was one stop I couldn't tell if it was either a poorly managed official stop or an overwhelmed spectator-provided stop. There was an overall volunteer shortage (water stops, marshals, etc.) but the volunteer coordinators who stepped in last minute to help organize volunteers did an awesome job working on a protracted schedule.

Along the route, in past years, there was always great crowd support from local residents. Not so much this year. On the half course there was hardly anyone out except for groups cheering on specific runners. The finish was also disappointing. What crowd was there was loud, but it seemed smaller. But the worst part was the change in finish line food. In the past there's been pizza, red beans and rice, and other substantial nutrition. This year there were (green) bananas, pretzels, and chewy granola bars. I ended up going into the art museum and buying something from the coffee bar. It was also a chilly day (hello! January!) and they didn't have the post-race blankets, which would've been nice because once I stopped running I was shivering. Oh, and the medal. While I don't choose races for medals, I do like nice ones. In the past, the medal for the Blues has always been outstanding! This year? Meh. It was more of a medal I'd expect to receive at a 5K - not a half/full. But I guess I should be happy I even got one because my friend's husband (and others) didn't get one for the 5K because they ran out.

Overall, very disappointed with this year's race. For anyone who has run the race in the past, I'm sure the drastic change in race quality was noticeable and jarring. The race director has said he's planning changes for next year which, at this point, don't bode well for hopes of improvement. Yes, this race is hilly and challenging, but that's what people like (I will always hate running hills but I do like the challenge and taking 11:30 off my course time on this course was huge for me!) and he's talking of making it less hilly next year. One, Jackson is hilly. Two, the areas my runner friends and I (who run all over this city) could come up with that aren't hilly are very boring for a race course. We will have to wait and see what they come up with. At this point, I am planning on being there for the race next year, but only because of some of the ancillary events being planned by friends. Otherwise, I'd be done with the race. As it is, I would not recommend this race based on my experience this year.