Mississippi Blues Marathon & Half Marathon

The updated version of the race takes place all within the city of Jackson, along an out-and-back course that starts and finishes at the city’s Jackson Convention Complex on East Pascagoula Street, just a few blocks away from the Mississippi governor’s mansion. From there, the course winds through downtown neighborhoods and tree-lined streets like those through Bellhaven, where runners run past the home of legendary Southern writer (and Mississippi native) Eudora Welty. Along the race route, runners also pass by two of Jackson’s college campuses, including Jackson State University, Millsaps College, and Bellhaven College, and run the part of the city known as Flowood before heading back up along Pinehurst and Riverside Drive toward the finish line back in the Fondren district. Though there are some flat stretches along the course, much of the race is hilly and challenging, race organizers add, especially around the half-way point in the race as well as around mile markers 10 and 11. The terrain for the race is paved surfaces throughout, along the city streets of Jackson.