The packet pick up was nothing special. It was at Trail and Treads, which is a local running store in Tupelo. The Swag Bag we got did not have much in it, but the T-shirts were really cool. It was a tie dyed shirt with the skull logo on the front of it.

The race actually started at 5 A.M. which was very really for me. I just went to bed around 7:30, and I actually felt fine. Before the race there were tables and chairs set out in the arena, but most people were standing in the hall way or out side. Time was getting close to 5 so we naturally made our way to the starting line, but there were no announcements. i was in the middle to back of the back starting, and couldn't get any closer. I could hear like a faint sound of a bull horn but couldn't understand anything they were saying. then all of the sudden a gun fired and the race started.

I had heard all about how hilly the course was, but in my opinion they were not the hardest hills. They were not very steep, but some were long and gradual. The course only staying in down town Tupelo for a little while, and then you run most of the race through neighborhood; which doesn't make for the most exciting race. I had also heard how hot it was going to be. The 5 a.m. start really helped with this though. It felt really good almost the whole time. I did notice it start warming up around 9:00 a.m.. The aid stations were well equipped, and about every 2 miles. some had water and gatorade, others had oranges and bananas, one had cold rags. The course is open to traffic so one the 2nd loop of the marathon I had to pay more attention for cars because there are not too many people on the course around you.

The finish line is in the arena which is very nice when you get done running 26.2 miles. I was met with cheers from the people who had already finished and were eating. They gave me my medal as soon as i finished the race and the medals were very cool. Once I finished they had gatorade, water, and beer. there were also serving BBQ.

All in all it was a good race, but with the lack of hype and excitement of the environment, it is more of a one time thing for me. I would recommend it to a friend only because it is a good experience, but I will probably be looking for another marathon for my 2018 labor day weekend.