Tupelo Marathon
Tupelo, United States · September · Independent
Why people love it
- Certified Boston qualifier with a 5:00 am start to beat some of the heat.
- Friendly volunteers and frequent aid, with ice and cold towels reported.
- Easy parking, a tie-dye shirt, a colourful medal and finish-line burgers.
- Marathon is capped at 150 entries; runners report no trouble entering.
- Elvis Presley's birthplace is in town; a 2024 runner calls it a great destination marathon.
Watch out for
- Hot and humid even at 5:00 am: 22 to 24 °C (72 to 76 °F) and about 90 percent humidity.
- Hilly out-and-back: about 224 to 587 m (735 to 1,925 ft) of gain, climbed twice.
- Few spectators, no pace groups, and a 6 hour cutoff.
- First hour is in the dark on open rural roads; bring a headlamp.
- Last 13 km (8 mi) have little shade once the sun is up.
Race
How racers feel about it, how well it is run, and how it treats a first timer. Counts for 28% of the overall score.
Toughness: Very tough
- Racer satisfactionLoved3.7
MarathonGuide 4.2 out of 5 (5 reviews), RaceRaves 3.6 (16), BibRave 88 percent recommend (9). Critics cite heat, hills and no crowds. · Medium confidence
- OrganizationWell run3.8
MarathonGuide organisation 4.9 out of 5 with friendly volunteers, but a 2013 runner found the last aid station gone after about 4.5 hours. · Medium confidence
- First timer friendlyDoable2.6
Hot, humid start, hills, a dark first hour and a 6 hour cutoff. A 2013 runner advised against it; a recent first-timer loved it. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- PR potentialAverage2.6
Boston certified, but runners report constant ups and downs and heat from the very start. A 2024 runner calls the hills more than rolling. · Medium confidence
Course
Scenery, road surface, closures, and room to run. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Course sceneryPleasant2.9
Rural county roads with little shade; the course does not pass downtown. One older reviewer disliked later neighbourhoods. · Medium confidence
- Room to runSome pinch points3.3
Small field on wide rural roads; out-and-back means passing other runners but no bottlenecks. · Low confidence
- Road surfaceGood3.6
Paved county roads; one runner mentions cars but no surface issues. · Low confidence
- Road closuresMostly open1.8
Roads are open to traffic; police block intersections ahead of runners, per 2016 and 2024 accounts. · High confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Course flatnessRolling2.7
About 224 m (735 ft) listed gain; one runner's watch showed about 587 m (1,925 ft). Constant ups and downs. · Medium confidence
- Net downhillEven3.0
Out-and-back, so no net drop. · High confidence
Support
Crowds, aid stations, the start, and pacers. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Start logisticsSmooth3.7
Easy parking and indoor toilets in 2016, but a 5:00 am start in the dark. Headlamps recommended. · Medium confidence
- Pacers and timingFew1.8
2013 recap reports no pace groups and no music; timing is basic. · Medium confidence
- Crowd supportSparse1.7
2013 and 2024 runners report almost no spectators; the early start and rural route leave runners alone. · High confidence
- Aid stationsGood3.6
A 2024 runner reports excellent aid with bananas and electrolytes, and 2016 notes ice and cold towels. Slower runners found late stations abandoned. · Medium confidence
Conditions
Air temperature, how predictable the weather is, setting, and spectating. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- WindMostly calm3.5
No wind complaints; humidity is the issue. · Low confidence
- Air temperatureHarsh1.6
22 to 24 °C (72 to 76 °F) at the start with about 90 percent humidity, rising sharply by mid-morning. · High confidence
- Weather reliabilityUnsettled2.4
Reliably hot and humid Labor Day weekend; one edition ran through a tropical storm. · Medium confidence
- Spectator friendlyTricky1.8
Few spectators and rural out-and-back; a 2024 runner calls crowd support tepid. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Low altitudeSea level4.7
Tupelo is about 85 m (280 ft) above sea level. · High confidence
Stay and travel
Hotels, walkability, getting there, and the town around the race. Counts for 10% of the overall score.
- Hotel availabilityGood3.6
Tupelo is a regional city with hotels; 2024 runner showered at hotel after the race. · Low confidence
- Hotel valueGood3.6
No price reports. · Low confidence
- WalkabilitySome driving3.0
Start near the downtown arena in 2016; most runners drive. · Low confidence
- Travel easeOne connection2.8
Small regional airport; Memphis is about 160 km (100 mi) away. · Low confidence
- LogisticsSimple3.5
Easy parking; packet pickup at a local running store; no expo. · Medium confidence
- Town and foodGood3.8
Elvis Presley's birthplace, local food praised by a 2016 runner, hamburgers and hot dogs at the finish. · Medium confidence
Entry
How hard it is to get a place, and what you get for the fee. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Getting inEasy3.8
Capped at 150 marathon entries, but runners report no difficulty entering. · Low confidence
- Value for moneyGood value3.6
Fee unpublished; runners praise the tie-dye shirt or hoodie, a colourful medal and finish food. · Low confidence
Key facts
- Location
- Tupelo, Lee County, United States
- Typical month
- September
- Latest or next date
- 5 September 2027
- Organiser
- Independent
- Field size
- About 150 athletes
- First held
- 1982
- Distances
- 42.2 km (26.2 mi)
- Course type
- out-and-back
- Start time
- 05:00
- Cutoff
- 6 hours
- Boston qualifier
- Yes
- Surface
- Rural county roads, open to traffic with police at intersections
- How to get in
- open
- Air temperature
- 22–24 °C (72–75 °F)
- Humidity
- Very high; about 90 percent reported at the start
- Altitude
- 85 m (280 ft)
- Nearest airport
- Tupelo Regional Airport (TUP)
- Where to stay
- Downtown Tupelo
- Booking
- Packet pickup was at a local running store in 2016. Easy parking.
What racers and reviewers say
- MarathonGuide (Tupelo Marathon)Raced 2024 · aggregator · Positive
Five reviews average 4.2 out of 5 (course 4.1, organisation 4.9, spectators 3.6). Runners praise friendly volunteers, excellent aid and a classy medal; they note pea-soup humidity, hills rather than rolling terrain, a tiring first hour in the dark and tepid crowds. A recent first-timer called it great.
“a well-run small-town marathon”
- RaceRaves (Tupelo Marathon)aggregator · Mixed
16 ratings average 3.6 out of 5, a mid-pack score that reflects the heat and hilly out-and-back against friendly local organisation.
- BibRave (Tupelo Marathon)aggregator · Mixed
Nine reviewers with 88 percent recommending. Constant ups and downs without a big climb, with one watch showing about 587 m (1,925 ft) of gain against about 224 m (735 ft) listed; sun in full by mile 16 (26 km) and the last 13 km (8 mi) exposed; open rural roads; praise for the tie-dye shirt and medal; little crowd support.
- Marathon Training Academy (Tupelo Marathon recap)Raced 2013 · blog · Mixed
The 30th running: about 76 °F (24 °C) with about 90 percent humidity at 5:00 am, an out-and-back with about 26 hills climbed twice and a dark first hour. No expo, pace groups or spectators until the finish, and the final aid station was gone by about 4.5 hours. He found it well run and fun for experienced marathoners but not a first-timer race.
- Marathon Training Academy (Tupelo half marathon recap)Raced 2016 · blog · Positive
Ran the half as a supported training run and recommends the weekend. 5:00 am start still hit 72 °F (22 °C), roads open with police at intersections, frequent aid with water, Gatorade, ice and cold towels, plentiful indoor toilets and easy parking, and praised the shirt, medal and local food. Marathoners run an extra loop.
Raced Tupelo Marathon? Your notes on the course, conditions and logistics help the next athlete decide.
Sources
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