Starting from the Von Braun Center and Big Spring Park, the course immediately passes one of Huntsville’s most iconic murals - Eggbeater Jesus. From there the course winds through the medical district, Blossomwood, past Maple Hill Cemetery and Five Points before winding through Veteran's Park and the Huntsville Depot Museum.
Runners then embark on a tour of downtown Huntsville that includes the historic courthouse square and large antebellum homes before racing past Big Spark and finally turning up Clinton Avenue to reach the Front-half Marathon finish at Campus 805.
Marathoners will continue down Governor's Drive past Stovehouse before turning toward Holmes Avenue and the UAH campus where the Back-half Marathon will join the race. Both groups will then run beside rockets and the space shuttle at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and meander through the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. The course finishes inside the VBC South Hall.
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Rocket City Marathon
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How does the Rocket City Marathon Rank?
The Rocket City Marathon was the 81st largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 71st largest in 2022.
Last year 12.8% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 8.6% of runners qualified for Boston in 2022.
This gives the Rocket City Marathon the 131st highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 208th highest percentage in 2022.
Its Course Score of 98.41 ranks it as the 283rd fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 6th fastest course in Alabama.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are within the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Rocket City Marathon a PR Score of 98.41. This PR Score ranks it as the 222nd fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 5th fastest in Alabama.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Rocket City Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 741 feet (225m) Min Elevation: 600 feet (182m)
Pros:
-In all, the race was well organized.
-Race volunteers and/or Huntsville police were at all intersections as senteries.
-The start and finish near the Von Braum Center is convenient and easy to walk to if your hotel is in that area.
Cons:
-The course is much more challenging than it appears. Rolling hills are prevalent throughout, coupled with constant turns, which take a toll.
- I found the course exceedingly dull and lacking any soul.
-To be expected from a smaller city marathon, there is little crowd support. Most of those along the route were volunteers or police.
-This is a fine marathon if you're from Huntsville or a nearby area where overnight travel isn't a necessity. However, it's a hard sell if you're not from Huntsville. Even traveling from Birmingham, like myself, it's still hard to justify why one would choose this over a larger, more established race with a bigger expo, crowd support, and a more exciting course.
Race Tips
The course is more challenging than the elevation map visualizes. The combination of rolling hills and sharp turns will take its toll. Be ready for constant turns and rolling hills if you consider this race.
If you're coming from out of town, get a hotel near the Von Braun Center if possible. Logistically, it will make your life much easier.
M.S.'s review of 2023 Rocket City Marathon.
4 /
5 Stars
Review
The race is generally well run. They have a very, and I do mean very, detailed pre-race instruction guide. Packet pick up is pretty fast. On race day you can wait indoors for the start if it is raining. The course also finishes indoors. I never saw that before! A very neat feature. As to the course, most of it is nothing special. The one exception is towards the end when you run through the space camp and then a park with Christmas light displays. They will be unlit during the day when you run by. Still, nice to look at. The course itself is pretty hilly.
Race Tips
There are "rolling hills" through most of the course. They are nonstop. Several, involve pretty long climbs.
This was my first marathon, and I've only done a couple of hometown HMs so I don't have much to compare this to, but it was such a fun experience!
Highlights include: the convention center is right next to the start so we were able to stay warm until 5 minutes before the start, the ablility to get a cheap but comfortable hotel 10 minutes away and had zero issues parking the morning-of, stoked crowds to cheer you on throughout the course, and changing scenery to keep things interesting. Without sweating or driving, my family was also able to spot me 5 times throughout the race which was really appreciated.
Slight problems: my watch vs the mile markers. My watch (along with everyone running beside me) lapped well before the mile markers by mile 4. I figure it's a watch issue as this is a certified course but it definitely made a difference. I was personally going for a 3:30 but if I had held that pace on my watch, I would've missed my goal. My Garmin/strava says I averaged 7:51 for 26.5, and the chip time has 7:57 on 26.2mi. Fortunately I came in under 3:30, but never caught the 3:30 pacer either so they must've been going too fast as well.
I know the watches aren't perfect, but if you're going for a specific time, I might do a manual lap instead of letting the watch auto-lap to keep on pace.
Huntsville is a cool town and this was a great way to see the city! Definitely rolling hills throughout the entire race with some bigger hills in the second half. It was rainy and humid with temp warm enough to run in tank top and shorts (at least from the perspective of someone who trained in much colder temps in Michigan). The medal is one of the coolest medals I've gotten with lights and a hinge that opens up. My teenage daughter who chose to stay home rather than travel to run the half, regretted making that choice when she saw the medal.
Race Tips
There was quite a bit of distance between aid stations - especially in the second half of the course. I ran with my own hydration pack and I was very glad that I did. I would have been extremely thirsty had I not had my own water with me. The course measured quite long for me - GPS shows I ran 26.61 miles. There are a lot of turns on the course so having to cross the road to turn right and then left and then right again definitely added some extra distance.
I stayed at the Hampton Inn downtown and the start line was literally outside the front door of the hotel. The race started at 7:00 and walked out to get in line at 6:45.
DB's review of 2022 Rocket City Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
The race course was a lot of fun. Mix of residential roads, downtown parks, space center, botanical gardens, etc. The support was great. They had water and powerade every 2-3mi or so, and Gus at every other aid station. Not a huge race (<1000) but enough runners to run with most of the way (or at least have someone in sight). There were pace groups from 3:00 on up. The weather for me was an issue (57F and very humid/misting), but it was warmer than average for Hunstville.
Race Tips
Don't ignore the hills in your pacing. There is a good bit of rolling and a few substantial climbs. In particular, the climb around mile 14 on Governor's Blvd, the climb to the Space Center, and a couple climbs right after the Space Center were tough.
Highly recommend staying at the Embassy Suites downtown. It is connected with the convention center where the race is held via a sky bridge. Makes race day a breeze. If you make a reservation early enough, you might get a race weekend discount.
4.5 Stars from 15 Reviews
