Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon

Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon

Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon

( 12 reviews )
100% of reviewers recommend this race
  • BILOXI,
    Mississippi,
    United States
  • December
  • 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, 26.2 miles/Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Riley Fickett

Massachusetts, United States
15 61
2022
"Race Review: Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon 2022"
Overall
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Expo Quality
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Race Management
Riley Fickett's thoughts:

Disclaimer: I received an entry to the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon to review as part of being a BibRave Ambassador.

I had the opportunity to run the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon in December of 2022! This race was my 25th marathon in my 24th state.

The weekend started out at the bib pick up at Margaritaville in Biloxi. Bib pickup went super smoothly and I was able to pick up both my bib for the 5K that was happening that morning, and my bib for the full marathon. As part of our race entry, we also received a shirt for each race which was super soft. There was also a merchandise shop at bib pick up which had a lot of really cute options, as well as a wall with every participant's name on it which is always fun to look at.

Race morning went super smoothly. Because it is a point-to-point course, you need to take a bus that is provided by the race to get to the start line. All buses for the half and the full were located at the finish line at MGM Park and the volunteers did a great job of getting all participants loaded into the correct bus and excited for the journey to the start. For the marathon, we were bused to Pass Christian, Mississippi which ended up being about a 45-minute drive.

Unfortunately, the weather was fairly rainy, and as soon as we arrived at the start line the rain began. Luckily the buses allowed runners to wait on the bus before the start so we didn't have to get off and wait in the rain. The race organizers did a great job of creating some positive energy at the start despite the conditions though, and spirits remained high among the runners!

Once the starting gun went off all the runners got out onto the course fairly quickly, so there wasn't a ton of waiting at the start. The rain subsided at the beginning of the race which was night, although it was still fairly cloudy. Unfortunately, that meant that we wouldn't be able to see the beautiful beach which we were running along for the entire course. It was still cool to see the coast, though, and there were some fun, beachy Christmas decor along the way which was fun to look at!

The rain came back in full force at mile 15 and did not stop until well after I was done running. That meant that there wasn't too much on-course spectators, save for a few groups that showed up in multiple locations for the runners they were cheering for. It was cool to see the same groups at multiple stops along the course, and they even started to recognize me and the runners around me and cheering for us along the way, so that was fun! The volunteers on course were also in super great spirits despite the conditions, and there were plenty of water and Powerade stops along the course - probably one about every 1.5 miles or so. I definitely wasn't dehydrated, that's for sure!

One thing I'm realizing as I type this review is that I don't believe that I saw any gel or fuel stops along the course, so definitely make sure you're packing your own fuel!

The course itself was pancake flat for nearly the entire run which was so great. The only hill was at mile 24 when we hit an on-ramp to do the last two miles on the highway. This was probably my least favorite section of the course, so I'm glad it was only a short out-and-back on the highway and didn't take too long to complete.

The finish line experience was so cool. Runners got to run along the warning track of the outfield at MGM Park, and as you run in you could see yourself up on the jumbotron! It was pouring so hard by the time I finished but the finish line energy was great, the volunteers were super congratulatory and happy to see you, and it was such a great feeling to cross another finish line. I'm a big fan of the medal which was a seashell that opened to reveal an image of the course and the slogan for the weekend. I also was able to collect the Double Down medal which I earned for running the 5k on Saturday and the marathon on Sunday. There was plenty of food, beer, soda, water, and protein shakes at the finish line as well, so they definitely took care of their runners! I wish it wasn't so rainy because I totally would have stayed to enjoy the food and a beer, but all I wanted to do was dry off so I didn't stay for long.

Overall I would definitely recommend this race to folks who may be interested. The course was great, the volunteers and race staff were super friendly, the finish line party was awesome, and the medal is totally worth putting in the miles! I only hope that when you run the race that you have some good weather. I'm sure if it was a beautiful day that I would have enjoyed this race even more than I already did. I can't wait for you to give it a try yourself!

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