The course runs through a small city in mostly residential areas. It doesn't compare to truly scenic courses but it doesn't try to. The race bills itself as flat and face, and I would agree. It was a little more rolling that I expected but not hilly at all. I did run a PR.

Organization is excellent. You are mailed a 56-page race booklet several weeks before the race so you know what to expect. I emailed the race directors several times with questions and got quick responses. The race is smaller, about 900 runners, and run in early December. It can be cold. For 2005 it was about 28 at the start and I think still under 40 at the finish. However, the number of runners allows the crowd to fit into the race hotel so we could stay warm before and after. The medal is nice but I really appreciated a technical long-sleeve shirt and hat. Food at the end was good and you could sit at a table in the ballroom to relax, eat and review the run. Another very nice touch for those not staying in the race hotel was access to an Aquatic Center right next door to get a shower.

The crowds are small but I gave 5 stars because I passed several small but enthusistic groups at times when I really needed them.

If you don't need the big-city experience and crowd and this race fits your calendar, it is a great choice.

One other note, unless you are fast, this is not a race to cherry pick for an age-group award. It is known and respected in the Southeast and has a competitive field. Check the race results.

This was my 30th marathon, my 27th state and 11th since Boston this year... AND the most fun that I ever had at a marathon. The team did a great job with the e-mails from the running club, the web page was perfect, the expo was not 'overpowering' and had many deals that one could not afford to turn down. The supper and the people I ate with the night before were wonderful and JD was a speaker of speakers!... I tripped just yards just before the finsih line - helped to get quickly up and was taken care of afterwards by the medical team. The lady who helped me get up even looked for me at the food area to see how I was doing! Such an effort!! Thanks for all that you did to help us all feel welcomed!... Did I say I even did a PR?! This marathon should be drawing thousands of runners! Why it does not I do not understand.

My entry fee couldn't have covered the hat, Dri-Fit shirt and the nicest medal/key chain I've seen in 12 races. Jack Daniels PhD was so good I had to get the book. Water/sports drink about 15x, the best post-race spread of food, and interesting scenery/neighborhoods to run through. NOT a flat course, but definitely worth repeating.

The course is flat and fast, rarely scenic, but not an office park experience, either. It is a PR waiting to happen. Volunteers call out times EVERY MILE. There are a fair number of turns, especially early and late, but unlike in Chicago or one of the other mega-races, a turn in Huntsville doesn't mean a traffic jam and elbows flying everywhere. This is a civilized, expertly organized, race designed for runners, with enough entrants so you aren't all alone but not so many that you have to weave or shove or be shoved. Plenty of water stations (and plenty of water in the cups), two places with GU, the best post-race food I've had (soup, bananas, grapes, pretzel bits with peanut butter inside, Moon-Pies, ice cream sandwiches, PBJ sandwiches) served indoors in a warm hotel. Spectator support was surprisingly good, especially the woman with the accordion who showed up at three or four spots along the course. Start is just outside the hotel, so you can stay warm, and the finish is at the hotel, so you can get warm. No need for space blankets here. Temperature was perfect for running, about 30 Fahrenheit at the start and 42 at the finish. I'll be back.

I had been planning on running this event because I had read it was a good race for a qualifying time. Although the weather was less than ideal, I still made the 7 hour drive and the event was just like advertised, small, well organized, plenty of race support. The course was relatively flat although there were some challenging grades over the last 6 miles. Although I don't think I would go back again, I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a well-run, uncrowded race.

No face paint... no balloons... no gimmicks... and no feeling like you being fleeced by some big money making machine. The Rocket City Marathon is run the way races were run when they were footraces and not fundraisers or for-profit ventures. Although I am hesitant to say I'll never run another mega-thon again, the RCM made me appreciate how refreshing small marathons are.

The organization was superb in all respects. The final touch was when I finished, a big bear of a guy on the other side of the mat put his arm around me, told me I ran a great race, looked into my eyes to make sure I wasnt ready to collapse and told me there was hot soup waiting for me inside. If he had any inkling that I need medical help, he would have made sure that was my first stop.

That's the kind of outfit you have in Huntsville.
A runner's race? Take a look at the results in the Grand Master's Division. Throughly impressive. Then look at the open categories. And beer drinkers, too!!!! :) It is blatantly obvious that they have done this many times before.

One last thing: they had a volunteer calling times at EVERY MILE. Some of the bigger marathons don't even call times at the half... or even get the mile markers in the right spots.

Bravo!

After a 14-year layoff from the marathon experience (2 knee operations), I decided it was time to get back inside my Asics. The whole experience was something that I wanted to share with my 14-year old son who had seen me prepare for this day in and day out. He was floored at the dedication that all the runners and the Rocket City Marathon staff showed from the moment we arrived at the Huntsville Hilton. He and I both enjoyed every minute.

The course, although flat, had so many turns that it did seem to break the boredom of running straight. The weather that the organizers ordered was perfect for me. The crowds were small but the ones that were there made up for it with their enthusiasm. I want to congragulate Malcom for a outstanding event that I will and do recommend to everyone. For the record I was perfectly content with the shirt that I received, even though it didn't have the word 'marathon' on it and the date was wrong. That isn't what I run for; however, thanks for sending me another one. I really appreciated it. See you next year.

Not appealing to everyone, I loved the basic, no-hype feel of Huntsville. Even with injuries, I had a PR on this course! I've run Chicago & Boston with the crowds, complicated, efficient organization and massive expense but all this just wears me out... the yelling in my head, constant pleas for hand slapping, random people yelling, "keep on going, pick up the pace," crowed water stops... no thank you!

Huntsville allowed my closest friends to see me, drive next to me at times and I could see and hear them at the end... awesome! They are my best "spectators".

The turns on the course offered diversion and the "escalator" (did anyone else see that sign?) was relaxing... long sort of down hill! I was able to "get in my head" and run a smart race.

The finish, for me, was great. I decided not to hit my watch and hoped to just salvage a sub-4-hour marathon due to my injuries. Then I heard my name and a man say... 'A PR'. I was shocked. Another man took my arm and helped me with the card, escorting me into the hotel. I did like the soup but I love green stuff anyway, right away found my friends, and no wait for a crowded, nauseating elevator ride!

I had a ball! Friends had told me this marathon was for more serious runners and, well yes, this race did seem to attract a faster field of runners than I?ve seen in other marathons. No circus...no frills...no stampede?no baby strollers?no 10K?no Half?just marathoners running a marathon. You go, you run, you hang with your fellow runners.

I did a PR in 4:11 but still felt like I was outclassed because there seemed to be a LOT of sub-4 hour guys in this race. But if you like to run, then this race is for you regardless of your pace?things like that shouldn?t intimidate you. You enjoy running and when you finish, you finish. Having said that, I really could have smacked the kid at the water table somewhere around mile 22 who said to his friend ?Well it looks like we ran out of runners?! OK, so 500 had already gone by, but there were still a couple of hundred behind me!!

Plenty of Gatorade and water well-spaced throughout the course. All intersections were directed by guards of some sort ?never felt like I was going to get run over. Course is basically a pancake...net ascent of 430' over 26 miles was nothing...greatest ascent was less than 30' in one mile. Also, a nice varity of scenery with enough turns so, when you aren't in your zone, you don't get bored out of your mind.

The temps were deceiving. The entire race?regardless of your time?started at 41 and finished at 41. Seems like that would be warm, but it was overcast so there wasn?t any radiant heat, and the wind was 10 MPH with 20 MPH gusts consistently throughout the entire race. In other words, it was a bit nippy despite the 41 degree temp. Shorts with a long-sleeve shirt and mittens was perfect. Some runners did get cold, so if you run this race, take the wind chill into consideration because, historically, it is always windy.

The post-race eats were plentiful and hit the spot. I liked the soup, and the peanut butter and jelly on bagels was neat. I think there was Hagen Daaz there, too.

Last but not least, the lady on roller blades playing an accordion gave a welcome bit of comic relief to things. I think it was somewhere around the halfway mark. She also rolled up alongside a group of us and kept pace for a mile or so while she squeezed out some sort of melody.

I don?t need cheering masses...there weren?t any...so I still gave spectators a 5.

This was my 12th marathon, and it is on my short list of marathons to run again.

Jim

This race is geared for under 4:30 runners. Good value and no frills. If you're a back-of-the-packer - which I was this day - or a walker, you might want to go try something else. Excellent traffic control until the last mile because it seemed everybody in Huntsville was out driving on race day. Even though we were an hour ahead of the cut-off time we had no traffic control the last mile of the race. It was dangerous.

The host hotel was fantastic and very accommodating. Race starts and finishes at the hotel which was great. Course was pretty mediocre. Very few spectators. It runs through dull neighborhood areas, a few pedestrian tunnels to get to the other side of streets, parking lots and at times we got pushed off the street to concrete sidewalks and then back out to the road, which was not only confusing but some of the side streets were unprotected. Race shirt had the wrong date on it, no mention of the marathon and looked like a kindergartener drew the picture on the front.