For over 45 years the Rocket City Marathon, conducted by the Huntsville Track Club, has been a premiere marathon event in the South. Kicking off the weekend is the Health and Fitness Expo and Packet Pick Up which opens at 11am on Friday, running through Saturday evening at 8pm. At …
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For over 45 years the Rocket City Marathon, conducted by the Huntsville Track Club, has been a premiere marathon event in the South.
Kicking off the weekend is the Health and Fitness Expo and Packet Pick Up which opens at 11am on Friday, running through Saturday evening at 8pm. At 7am on Saturday is the flat, fast and also walker-friendly 10K. It starts in front of the Von Braun Center on Monroe Street, and gives the participants a tiny taste of what Huntsville has to offer in Old Town, finishing at the exciting indoor finish line RCM has been known for the last several years. Two hours later, the walker-friendly 5K (AKA the “Mural Run) will start. It winds past most of the wonderful “building art” that graces our downtown, finishing at the same finish line. The Kids Marathon will be held the same day at 10:30.
Sunday morning the Front Half Marathon and Full Marathon will start from Monroe Street in front of the Von Braun Arena at 7am (with the exception of the early starters who require 6-7 hours for the Full Marathon or 3-4 hours for the FRONT Half Marathon, who will have started their races at 6am). The course takes runners through Downtown, Old Town, the Medical District, Blossomwood, past Maple Hill Cemetary, through the old Train Depot, by the Veteran’s Memorial and past Campus 805, where the Front Half will have a fun finish party!
The Full Marathoners will continue their quest and be joined at the University of Alabama at Huntsville Campus with the Back Half Marathon runners (the Back Half starts at 9am at UAH). The back half of the course takes runners over to the US Space and Rocket Center, through the Botanical Gardens, past Gold Sprint Coffee and Lowe Mill, back to the VBC to the indoor finish line where runners will enjoy delicious post-race food and complimentary post-race stretching provided by Therapy South.
Maybe you’d rather gather a friend (or a few of them) and run a Marathon RELAY! Teams will NOT compete based on finish times, but will have the option to compete in the Corporate Cup.
All registered participants will receive a registration shirt, an epic medal, post-race food, and professional photographs. Marathoners and Half the Marathoners will also receive a finisher gift. First-time Marathoners will receive a First Timer gift. Runners who register for any two races will receive a special “Challenge” gift. If you register for three events (AKA “the Hat Trick”) you will receive a coveted RCM hat. Each child who runs the one mile RCKM will receive a registration shirt and epic medal. Kids who opt to complete 26.2 miles (running their final mile at the Kids Marathon) will receive a special 26.2 pin.
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Fun theme in rainy morning
This race seems to attract bad weather. Good part is both start and finish are indoors. Rain meant less photographer, but I was still glad to get the one at … MORE
This race seems to attract bad weather. Good part is both start and finish are indoors. Rain meant less photographer, but I was still glad to get the one at the rocket city center. I felt miserable to run in rain for the first time, but it pushed me to the third award in my age category! I enjoyed participating a race in a small town.
Awesome Scenery
This course has some awesome scenery and well staffed aid stations. All of the volunteers I came in contact with were very cheerful and helpful. I drove 7 hours to … MORE
This course has some awesome scenery and well staffed aid stations. All of the volunteers I came in contact with were very cheerful and helpful. I drove 7 hours to run this race. It was everything I had hoped for from the huge medal to the finisher towel to post race food and massage. The organizers of this race have outdone themselves. I’ll definitely run this again.
Small town race, great swag
Great Alabama race. A few thoughts/highlights: - Highly recommend staying at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Downtown Huntsville; the hotel is located about 300ft from the starting line, so … MORE
Great Alabama race. A few thoughts/highlights:
– Highly recommend staying at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Downtown Huntsville; the hotel is located about 300ft from the starting line, so you can wait for the start in the lobby and have easy access to rest rooms. Also an easy 5 min walk to the expo and finish line.
– Excellent swag with this race. The shirt is long sleeve and comfortable. The marathon medal is HUGE and actually made of metal which is nice.
– Course is a bit dull at times, but has a few notable highlights such as the mile or so that is spent running through space camp.
– Excellent post race food. They had tomato basil soup, fried chicken, grilled cheese, grilled peanut butter/honey sandwiches, all sorts of bars, fruits, etc. One of the best spreads I’ve seen after a race.
– Finish line is indoors, so even if the weather is cold/rainy, friends and family can be dry while they watch and you can spend a little time at the finish line yourself to enjoy the food (see above).
Overall, this is a great race for those looking to bang out an Alabama race. Easy to navigate city with great hotel options and a well run race.
Great production!
This race had great communication before the race. There is plenty to do in Huntsville... very surprised. The restaurants that I ate at were all good. The race course (back … MORE
This race had great communication before the race. There is plenty to do in Huntsville… very surprised. The restaurants that I ate at were all good.
The race course (back half) started at the college, there was one hill at mile 2ish the rest of the course was rolling inclines. We ran through the Space and Rocket center and the Botanical garden. At mile 8 if you had anyone do a video shout-out it was on the big screen… that was really nice!! The rest of the course was through residential area to the Von Braun center, which was nice running inside. Great after party… oh yeah it rained for a good half an hour during the race.
That hill on Mile 20
This was a very well organized event. Considering it is a very difficult course with rolling hills and many turns, I was able to get a PR for my 26.2 … MORE
This was a very well organized event. Considering it is a very difficult course with rolling hills and many turns, I was able to get a PR for my 26.2 distance. The food was great at the finish line and the medal was BIG. It is raining season, so be ready for that. Overall, I do recommend this race.
Great Course Variation
The CONs: This was a great race, but I expected more for the expo. I also did not like the fact that we had to pay $15 for parking the … MORE
The CONs:
This was a great race, but I expected more for the expo. I also did not like the fact that we had to pay $15 for parking the day of the race to catch the bus that was not disclosed in the race packet. Also, it was confusing if we parked at the start line if the bus would take us back to our vehicles after finishing at the VBC. Nobody knew the correct information and it was not properly communicated across the volunteers. There was a lack of race support on the course, but I am going to chalk that up to the fact that it was raining, maybe. Hopefully, in good weather there is more crowd support.
The PROs:
I really like the swag of the quality medal and towel. The post-race food was definitely enough to warm you up. Also, before the start of the race, all of the runners congregated at the UAH campus in the student food court and we were able to stay warm and use real restrooms. That was definitely a plus of not having to use port-a-johns.
First timer
I enjoyed my first time racing the Rocket City Marathon. The course had just the right level of difficulty to run a solid time. This is a good race for … MORE
I enjoyed my first time racing the Rocket City Marathon. The course had just the right level of difficulty to run a solid time. This is a good race for someone looking to eventually run a big city marathon. Thank you to the race
organizers and all the volunteers who supported the runners.
Running is the only hard part
The location, packet pick up, expo, race day parking, and streamlined experience of this race are what make it a must do. The only thing you will have to worry … MORE
The location, packet pick up, expo, race day parking, and streamlined experience of this race are what make it a must do. The only thing you will have to worry about race weekend is running the race. The crew that puts this race on ease all the other worries you might have. You can park literally 100ft from the race start in a large parking garage. The course is expertly marked where it is darn near impossible to miss a turn. The after party had everything you’d want from chicken noodle soup dispensers, to massages, and it was even inside so weather isn’t an issue! The course does feature about 800ft of elevation, but it is fairly well distributed over the course of the race that it isn’t an issue. I highly encourage everyone to run this race soon before word gets out on this hidden gem.
What a weekend!!
You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict the weather- Outkast… The race was everything I wanted it to be. Fantastic organization, never felt “lost”, and loved the … MORE
You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict the weather- Outkast…
The race was everything I wanted it to be. Fantastic organization, never felt “lost”, and loved the support out on the course…
I will be back year after year and I’m 5hrs away.
Just do it!
My favorite race
I love this race and its directors. Everything goes smooth in this race and the spectator support is amazing. The directors are so accommodating! It’s fun and I want to … MORE
I love this race and its directors. Everything goes smooth in this race and the spectator support is amazing. The directors are so accommodating! It’s fun and I want to do it every year. I do wish the expo was a tad bigger with more vendors. I love the shirts.
My 1st Rocket City But Not My Last!!
I drove over 5 hours to run in the cold, cold rain in higher elevation than I'm accustomed to as a first-timer to both Huntsville and the Rocket City Back … MORE
I drove over 5 hours to run in the cold, cold rain in higher elevation than I’m accustomed to as a first-timer to both Huntsville and the Rocket City Back Half Marathon and was already planning for next year’s event before I finished my bowl of hot chicken soup at the finish line party!!
My hotel was right next to the Von Braun Center so I got to watch the Marathon and Front Half Runners take off before enjoying a leisurely breakfast and wandering over to load the bus to take us over to our starting line since we had a lovely 9:00am start time for the Back Half. We got to hang out inside with indoor plumbing until the race began. Even wet and gloomy, the course was fabulous – not flat but not too hilly and zero opportunities to get lost! There was ample police presence to keep us safe as well as so many incredible volunteers and spectators out there cheering us on and keeping us hydrated inside as well as the clouds were hydrating us outside. Getting to run through the space center was extra cool as someone who had never been there before so I had to take a minute and stop to grab a selfie or two. The “shout-out board” was a unique touch I’ve never seen at another event too.
The finish line was indoors and led straight into the after-party. There were more volunteers wrapping runners in space blankets while handing out the stunning and HUGE finisher medals but I have to admit that nothing topped the AMAZING “Finisher” towels we were given at the end!! Not only did they help us get dry but they made for the best finisher photos with the RCM backdrops.
There were so many great food and drink options at the after-party including the above-mentioned chicken soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, chocolate milk, pretzels, snacks and even grilled PB&J. The food line moved quickly so there was almost no wait even with hundreds of people pouring in looking for nourishment. There were physical therapy rehab stations and goodies all around. The store swag options were plentiful and wonderful. The long-sleeve race tee included with our race fee is just perfect too!!
I was not as trained as I should have been and I am not a fan of cold temps or squishy shoes so I just went into it with a goal of finishing vs finishing with a certain time. This allowed me to focus on enjoying the journey instead of worrying about my pace so while my time wasn’t anything to brag about, this was one of the most fun races I’ve attended over my 10 years of running. Next year I hope to arrive sooner, stay longer and maybe even pull off a Hat Trick. I will definitely be recommending this race to everyone that will listen too!!
Beautiful course with rockets!
It rained a good bit on race day but it was still an enjoyable race! The course varied from starting on a college campus, through neighborhoods, the streets of Huntsville, … MORE
It rained a good bit on race day but it was still an enjoyable race! The course varied from starting on a college campus, through neighborhoods, the streets of Huntsville, the Botanical Gardens, and finishing inside the expo. The post race food was top notch with 2 kinds of soup and chicken tenders just to name a few things. The medals, long sleeve t-shirts, and race swag were high quality. I’m coming back next year to run the marathon. I did the hat trick challenge as well and enjoyed that as well! I love, love, love my hat!!
Love it!!! Can’t wait to do it again!
It is hilly, but has a beautiful scenery! The swag was great and the medals are awesome! It was great seeing so many runners from all over! Hope the rain … MORE
It is hilly, but has a beautiful scenery! The swag was great and the medals are awesome! It was great seeing so many runners from all over! Hope the rain holds out next year where we can really have fun with the Huntsville peeps!
Rocket Man
Enjoyed my tour of Huntsville, serving as a pacer for the 3:35 pace group. Production was great. Easy packet pickup at the expo. Expo was smallish, but vendors that were … MORE
Enjoyed my tour of Huntsville, serving as a pacer for the 3:35 pace group.
Production was great. Easy packet pickup at the expo. Expo was smallish, but vendors that were there were quality.
Race itself was nice. Pre race staging area inside was great, especially given the rainy conditions. Course is a nice tour of Huntsville. First half has a lot of neighborhoods, but the second half is where the best parts of the course were. Space center and botanical gardens were really nice. Indoor finish was fun. Back half also has the majority of the hills – ended up with about 900 ft of elevation.
Medal is large! The only negative is the shirt. It was a decent shirt, but sizing was goofy (too small). Post race food was very good – soup, grilled PB&J, chicken strips. Excellent.
I’d recommend this race for sure. It lived up to my expectations.
Rockets. Also, the rest of Huntsville.
Highlights: * Running past rockets at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center * Being cheered on by members of our armed services in uniform outside of the Rocket center. These … MORE
Highlights:
* Running past rockets at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center
* Being cheered on by members of our armed services in uniform outside of the Rocket center. These men and women deserve to be honored for all they do. And here they were cheering US on.
* Swag/Expo – Got a giant bag of Ka’Chava. Picked up some high-vis long-sleeve shirts from prior years for $1. Got some cheap souvenirs for the kiddo. The race shirt was a lightweight, light blue long-sleeve tee…and hey, blue is my color.
* Running through the botanical garden. It’s winter, so nothing is in bloom, but it’s still a pleasant setting.
* Post-race food was plentiful. The usual fare: Nothing unique, but hey, they didn’t run out (unlike other races I’ve run)
The rest:
* Other than the rockets and the botanical gardens, the race course is fairly forgettable. I just watched a YouTube preview of the whole course and I don’t remember any of it.
* The medals. I’ll say this: They’re not ho-him. They gave us three medals: One for the marathon, and two half-marathon medals. Feels like double-dipping. It’s overkill. I hate taking credit for a “race within a race.” Why not give out a 5k medal while you’re at it? I tossed the extra medals in a junk drawer.
Sweet half marathon
Nice weather, fairly flat course and wonderful views of historic homes and cemeteries. And the finish line was wonderful! Breakfast buffet was excellent! So much fun! MORE
Nice weather, fairly flat course and wonderful views of historic homes and cemeteries. And the finish line was wonderful! Breakfast buffet was excellent! So much fun!
Nice event, can’t think of any negatives
Nice expo, everything you would need, and not crowded. I ran the back Half. Shuttle to start. Great indoor campus to hang out until start!!! Race was nice, lots to … MORE
Nice expo, everything you would need, and not crowded. I ran the back Half. Shuttle to start. Great indoor campus to hang out until start!!! Race was nice, lots to see along the course and scenic too. Not crowded at all on course or at the start. Another great indoor area for the finish!! Lots of good post race food as well. Found free parking for expo and race also. Really nice event overall. Finisher medal was unique and well done! I can’t think of anything negative that needs improvement about the whole event. 👍
Unique course, must do for Alabama
The course was great with varied scenery. It was a really neat to run through the space and rocket center and the botanical garden with the holiday display. The course … MORE
The course was great with varied scenery. It was a really neat to run through the space and rocket center and the botanical garden with the holiday display. The course had some hills, but nothing that was unmanageable or super long.
The medals were large and travel themed this year. The shirts were a cotton blend, not tech. This race gave a finisher gift, which was a seat cover this year.
I was worried about the number of aid stations prior to the race, but with the weather they were sufficient. There was a good selection of post race food and non alcoholic beverages (who knew boiled potatoes were a must have post race snack) but if you wanted a beer it needed to be purchased.
The finish line being inside was a cool experience. Overall a very fun and exceptionally well run race weekend.
Rocket Man
I've been to 44 states, but this was the first time I've ever rented a car, because I flew to the HSV airport and there is no bus from airport … MORE
I’ve been to 44 states, but this was the first time I’ve ever rented a car, because I flew to the HSV airport and there is no bus from airport to downtown. Huntsville is a beautiful midsize town, though. Rolling hills surrounding a fairly flat city, with all the charm of Tennessee and none of the nasty Bama stereotypes. The US Space and Rocket Center is just west of town, and reportedly this town has one of the highest percentages of PhD’s in the nation, from all the rocket scientists. This city also goes *hard* on their Christmas decorations (I’ll explain).
Rain threatened all weekend, but mostly held off and let up about 20 minutes into the race. The sun came out after 1.5 hours and dried up the roads! Most runners huddled in the conference center next to the start line, out of the rain, until it was time to start. Free parking in two garages .3 miles from the start, $5 parking closer, $10 parking right outside the start line. The free parking is limited to like 20 spots, so get there 40 minutes before.
This race had some of the best scenery I’ve seen in America…and some of the least crowd support. I saw maybe 5 signs my entire run. In addition to the marathon, there are 2 half marathon choices: the front half or back half. Choose the back half!! The first 13 miles are okay, running through a bunch of gently rolling neighborhoods before returning downtown at mile 11, but the back half was amazing. We run past the US Space and Rocket Center at mile 18, running past 50-foot rockets and excited army guys in combat fatigues. Then we run through the Huntsville Botanical Garden from miles 19-21, past two miles of Christmas lights (sadly not turned on). At mile 26, you finish by running around the lake at Big Spring Park, where over 400 locally decorated Christmas trees greet you before you finish inside a hangar at VBC South Hall. You get three medals for finishing the full marathon, and postrace food is so plentiful! Chocolate milk/cola/bananas/pizza/even some chopped potatoes in a cup (??) Take some pictures with the hundreds of Christmas trees and enjoy the rest of your time in Bama!
There are 4 GU stations around the course, roughly every 6 miles. You’ll want to hit every water stop before 20 miles because they are sparse (up to 2.5 miles in between at some places). Cola was given at mile 18!!
Great course, loved the indoor finish!
Perfect to have the back half start waiting area inside since it was a chilly wet morning. Great squishy cups at the plentiful water/powerade stops. Plenty of porta potty sites, … MORE
Perfect to have the back half start waiting area inside since it was a chilly wet morning. Great squishy cups at the plentiful water/powerade stops. Plenty of porta potty sites, gels along the course. Friendly volunteers, cool rocket/space center with photographers. Finish line was indoors! Then a separate room for finishers to eat and hydrate with pizza, homemade PB&J ‘s, chocolate milk, fruit. Loved the soft tech LS shirt – and a car seat cover given out at the finish.