Magnolia Half Marathon

Meridian, Mississippi

Saturday, November 16, 2019



I completed half marathon number 300 when I finished the Magnolia Half Marathon in Meridian, Mississippi on Saturday, November 16, 2019.  The temperature varied from 34 to 43 degrees with sunny skies and little wind.  The course was challenging on city roads that were open to traffic and had police on motorcycles and cars patrolling the roads to help keep participants safe.  Police officers were also at major intersections controlling cross traffic.  For the most part there was only a little traffic and it seemed to accept that the participants were in a race and needed their indulgence.  The event began and ended at City Hall.  About 4 miles of the course was relatively flat and the rest was hilly.  Hills were of varying degrees of steepness making some of the hills relatively easy to climb or descend and others somewhat difficult.  Water/electrolyte stations were approximately every two miles with plenty of volunteers of varying degrees of efficiency.  There was also a full marathon that was two laps of the half marathon course.  The two races had about 500 entries.  This is the second consecutive year that I have done this event.  It has been well organized and fun.  Evelyn Walkins is the race director and her father, David Gerhard Kowall, is a craftsman who makes the unique wooden finisher’s medals and age group awards.  I even managed to place third in my running male 70 and over age group even though I walked the entire way.  My award was a handcrafted piece of wood shaped like Mississippi with the race information burned etched into the wood.

Along The Course

The Packet Pick-Up

Edmund Loy

Race Director: Evelyn Walkins

Her Father: David Gerhard Kowall

Before The Race

After The Race

David Gerhard Kowall

Signing my award

Evelyn Walkins