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Mississippi Blues Marathon Attracts MC Runners


Collin Johnson, right, an MC English Department graduate assistant, is runner 5456 in the Mississippi Blues Marathon. He ran the half-marathon on January 9.

Steady showers didn’t stop Mississippi College runners from competing in the Mississippi Blues Marathon.

“The wet shoes and socks were rough on my feet,” says Michael Wright, MC’s assistant admissions director. “But I always enjoy running in the rain.”

Finishing the 9th annual Mississippi Blues Marathon in three hours, 21 minutes was a memorable Saturday morning experience for avid runners like Wright, 32, of Clinton. It was his 8th time competing. He and his longtime MC running buddy Reed Nunnelee will return to the downtown Jackson streets for the 2017 race next January.

 “The Mississippi Blues Marathon is always first class, and this year didn’t disappoint,” Wright said.

The MC graduate credits his wife, Dana, MC admissions director Kyle Brantley and MC alumna Jessica McNeil for being the MVPs of his loud cheering section. “They drove around and set up shop at three different places along the course to cheer me on.”

Drawing more than 3,000 runners, the 26.2 mile race offered participants from around the globe an opportunity to pound the pavement along the Mississippi capital city’s rolling hills. Post-race they got to grab a bite to eat and hear the sounds of extraordinary blues artists.

Proceeds from the January 9 race sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi went to benefit the healthcare and other expenses of blues musicians.

Winners received medals featuring the image of the late Mississippi blues luminary B.B. King, an Indianola native.

Not everybody signed up for the full marathon. MC sophomore Ryan Crandall, a member of the Choctaws track team, took part in the half marathon and finished No. 1 to lead the pack. The Madison resident attended St. Joseph High School before coming to MC.

Collin Johnson, 40, a graduate teaching assistant in the MC English Department, won the master’s division (the over 40 group) medal in the half-marathon. “I thought I was way out of it, but at about eight miles, I saw the master’s leader on the horizon and slowly cut into his lead,” he said. “It took five miles, but I caught up to him with about 400 yards left in the race and only pulled away at the very end.”

While the stormy, cold start to the 7 a.m. event posed challenges for many runners, Collin battled the elements and stayed focused. As the race went on, “I kept going and ended up having a great day and a fantastic finish.”

Joining runners from more than 40 states and several nations, the MC graduate will keep his focus on fitness as 2016 begins. “For me it means finding my potential, finding out how far I can push myself and how much I am capable of achieving,” Collin Johnson says. It’s a dynamic that’s a good fit for his work teaching students on the Clinton campus.

Some runners like Mississippi College business professor Billy Morehead opted for the quarter-marathon. The Madison resident logged his personal best time of a little more than one hour and forty-six minutes. “It was an amazing experience.” He may step it up to a half-marathon at next January’s road race in Jackson.