JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
About 2,500 people observed this unseasonably warm Saturday morning with a challenge: running or walking a half-marathon, or the full 26.2 mile trek, in the Mississippi Blues Marathon.
They came from across the United States, and nine different countries, and crossed the finish line with a true milestone behind them.
Peter Kazory from Clinton and his teammates won in the relay division, and broke a record.
"We had five legs. The first four ran five miles. I was the last leg. I ran 6.2," Kazory said. "I got in the 20 mile marker. It got really hot. I wasn't expecting that. The hills started out fast, paid for it at the end."
The winning female is Malika Majdoub of New York, originally from Morocco. Majdoub finished the full marathon in 2 hours 43 minutes, and won $4,000. It's her second marathon ever.
"Actually, I was hoping to run faster, but I ran most by myself. It was windy, it was hilly, but I did my best," Majdoub said.
Chris Waddell of Park City, Utah, finished the full marathon in a wheelchair. He's completed more than a dozen marathons before this one.
"It was fun, it looked a lot easier in the truck when we drove it yesterday," Waddell said. "The hills, there were some significant hills out there."
And the grand prize winner, also a $4,000 recipient, is Richard Kessio, a Kenyan who lives in Des Moines, Iowa. He ran the marathon in 2 hour 20 minutes. His best marathon time is 2 hours 15 minutes.
"It was not easy, but I enjoy it. Yeah. Nice course," Kessio said.
The Mississippi Blues Marathon also included live music.
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