Anytime I mentioned this race to anyone the first thing they said was "you're going to run a marathon in Mississipi in September?" I'm from Texas, so I knew what I was getting into, but it was hot.

The race started at 5 am (all races should start at 5 am) to get out ahead of the sun. That said, the sun was in full force by the time I was at mile 16 or so. and the last 8 miles are pretty much in full sun. The course is hilly, but "rolling." That is to say, it doesn't have any monster hills like Little Rock, but you are constantly going up and down. The website lists the elevation gain at 735. My watch logged 1,925. The course, itself was well marked, but nothin special. It was mostly on highway/FM roads that were still open to traffic. It's an out and back that take you almost to the finish line in a circle and then turns back. The course was very dark before sunrise, and many runners had headlamps. I kind of relied on those other runners because I didn't want to carry a headlamp when the bulk of the race (for someone slow like me) would be in daylight. If I did it again, I'd probably just wear some glow bracelets or use one of thos hat clip lights they sell at Wal Mart for $1.

Between the darkness and the road choice, this race is not scenic. There aren't even cool features like random bridges or anything that you might see or run over. The start was barely marked on the road that runs behind Trails and Treads - a local running and cycling store). It's a gun start, so the only mats are at 13.1 and 26.2. Everyone has the same start time. Finish was just a little further down the road behind Trails and Treads.

Post-race loot was good. The medal is AWESOME. This race has great medals. The beverage choice was good. I think I had a Mich Ultra, a Powerade, 2 waters, an orange juice, and 2 chocolate milks. Worth it. The BBQ was kind of meh.

The aid stations are fine, and I salute the volunteers who manned them. They were doing their best, but there weren't enough volunteers. I wore my Orange Mud Double Barrel in anticipation of this and I was very glad I did. It was also super easy to fill up at mile 21 from one of their Gatorade jugs. There was one aid station that had ice pops though....that was clutch! I never really thought about ice pops on the course, but this is my new favorite thing.

It's a small race. There was no expo, just packet pickup. The Tie-dye shirt is cool. The medal is GREAT. Race organization is solid, but it's a spartan race. That said, there are a lot of runners from surrounding states who run this race every year, so it's clearly a regional favorite. I love the motto "trample the weak, hurdle the dead." It's definitely a challenging race that feels like a real accomplishment between the heat and the hills.

EDIT: I came back and bumped this from 3 starts to 4 stars. I sometimes find myself fondly wishing I was running this race again. With a little more time to think about, I think I understand the appeal of this race. It is for and by runners in a way that is really special. This race is not about being seen. It is about running because you love it.