Marathon Details
***USATF Certified Course - The Rocket City Marathon is a Boston Qualifier***
Pre-race excitement begins well before the marathon at the South Hall of Von Braun Center on Friday and Saturday where runners can pick up their race packets, visit the expo, and see the actual finish line. The expo will start on Friday, and continue on Saturday where there will also be an inside finish for the 5k, 10k, and Kid’s Marathon. This is a full weekend of fun for the whole family.
On race day, spectators can easily view the start of the race on Monroe Street; just a short walk from the South Hall where the runners will finish. Spectators can also watch the final 3/4 of a mile wind through Big Spring Park or come into the Von Braun Center for the finish line.
For those watching or running, having the finish line inside an enormous hall full of cheerleaders where everyone has a good view makes for one of the most exciting finishes around. For the more adventurous who wish to drive around, a link to our live participant tracking will be available for free.
THE MARATHON COURSE (in Red):
<Click Here for the Interactive Map>
Course Description
GENTLY ROLLING & FAST: Starting from the Von Braun Center and Big Spring Park, the course immediately embarks on a tour of downtown Huntsville that includes the historic courthouse square and large antebellum homes before winding through the medical district, Blossomwood, past Maple Hill Cemetery and Five Points before returning to downtown for a stroll through Veteran’s Park and the Huntsville Depot Museum.
At this point the Half Marathon will join the race as Runners head west on Holmes Ave and then up Clinton Avenue to run past Campus 805 and continue past Stovehouse. From there the race is on to the rocket as the runners turn towards the U.S. Space and Rocket Center to run beside rockets and the space shuttle. From there the runners will head through Huntsville's Aviation Challenge and run into the Huntsville Botanical Gardens, running through the displays for the annual Galaxy of Lights. The course then returns to downtown to finish inside the VBC South Hall to a celebration with music, food, and fun.
There is a total elevation gain of about 700 feet.
Sentries are located at all major turns, and the course is marked with clearly visible route arrows on the streets. In addition, large mileage signs will be posted at every mile split. Aid stations are located about every 2 to 3 miles along with numerous port-0-let locations.
Intersection control, traffic restriction and course monitoring provided by HPD (Huntsville Police Department).
Communications along the course provided by the Huntsville Amateur Radio Club.
Medical support provided by HEMSI (Huntsville Emergency Medical Services).
For those unable to finish within the allotted time of 6 hours (7 hours with an early start), SAG vehicles will offer rides back to the VBC.
The typical low temperature for Huntsville in early December is 34, and the normal high is 53.
Due to liability insurance requirements, and for the safety of all runners, the following are not allowed during the race:
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In addition the use of headphones is strongly discouraged.
Aid Stations
Aid stations will be roughly 2-3 miles apart, located along the course offering water and several with Powerade and GU Energy Gels (refer to the table below). In addition, there will be port-o-lets at mile 1 and every aid station.
RCM encourages all our runners to bring your preferred nutrition with you on the race course. Although we provide GU energy gels on the course at certain points, we want you to be fully prepared for the miles in between our GU stations. The flavors of GU will be announced by May 30th.
Approximate location of each aid station:
- Aid Station 1 - 2.3 miles
- Aid Station 2 - 4.5 miles
- Aid Station 3 - 7.0 miles
- Aid Station 4 - 9.2 miles (medical) (Gu)
- Aid Station 5 - 11.3 miles
- Aid Station 6 - 13.1 miles (Gu)
- Aid Station 7 - 15.5 miles
- Aid Station 8 - 18.0 miles
- Aid Station 9 - 19.7 miles
- Aid Station 10 - 21.3 miles (medical) (Gu)
- Aid Station 11 - 22.3 miles
- Aid Station 12 - 23.3 miles
- Aid Station 13 - 24.9 miles
Medical
Medical support and radio communication are both on the race course. A medical station is set up inside the VBC for runners needing care after the race.
Prizes
Awards may be collected at the awards table in the South Hall once all age group winners have been identified. There will not be an awards ceremony.
Prize Money awards will be mailed to the winners the week following the race.
| OPEN male and female 1st – $1,000 2nd – $750 3rd – $500 4th – $300 5th – $200 | MASTERS male and female 1st – $750 2nd – $500 3rd – $250 |
Age Group awards
Open and Masters prize money winners will receive Rocket City Marathon awards but are not eligible for Age Division Awards. The Top 3 Male and Female finishers in the following age groups will receive Rocket City Marathon awards:
0 – 19, 20 – 24, 25 – 29, 30 – 34, 35 – 39, 40 – 44, 45 – 49, 50 – 54, 55 – 59, 60 – 64, 65 – 69, 70 – 74, 75 & up
PDF Map
Click the icon below to download the attached PDF.
