Prize Money and Certification Announced for Inaugural Mississippi Blues Marathon and Hal...( JACKSON Miss. Oct. 29 /- Prize mo...),Health

JACKSON, Miss., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Prize money totaling $30,000 has been announced for the inaugural Mississippi Blues Marathon and Half-Marathon, scheduled for January 5, 2008. Prize money will be awarded in the following categories for the marathon only:

Male Female

1st Place $4,000 $4,000

2nd Place 3,000 3,000

3rd Place 2,000 2,000

4th Place 1,500 1,500

5th Place 1,000 1,000

Wheelchair $500 $500

Handcycle 500 500

Masters

1st Place $1,000 $1,000

2nd Place 700 700

3rd Place 500 500

Tri-County $300 $300

In addition to the first place prize money, an additional $1,000 will be awarded to the top male and female runners who break the current Mississippi Marathon records of 2:23:44 (male) and 3:04:02 (female). Prize money in the Tri-County category will be awarded to the top finishers from the Jackson metropolitan area, comprised of Hinds, Rankin and Madison Counties.

The courses for both the marathon and half-marathon have been officially certified with USA Track and Field. Course maps and an elevation chart are available at http://www.msbluesmarathon.com.

The marathon will start and finish in the historic Fondren district of Jackson, and encompass the downtown area, Flowood, and parts of north Jackson. At this time, nearly 200 runners from 26 states have registered for the event.

To support its focus on the blues, event organizers will also be donating a portion of the proceeds to the Mississippi Blues Foundation to promote authentic Mississippi Blues music and support the blues as a uniquely Mississippi art form.

Contact: John Sewell

601-664-5726