I ran it in 2001 and 2002. The course is flat, and fairly fast, with lots of turns in the first and last few miles. Parts of it in the middle are one coned-off lane of a four lane highway. Few spectators outside of downtown Huntsville, which is about the first five and the last mile. I ran my PR here in 2002 (3:40).

I ran this one in the pouring down rain & had a great time. it is not the most scenic, but i enjoyed it. I would definitely do it again.

I loved the friendly folks, host hotel logistics, the food was plenty, tons of awards, I got my Boston time so it is now one of my favorite courses but the turns and then a long stretch was mind numbing. Great job to HTC and the community involvment. A fun weekend

In the last four years, I have run seven marathons after an eighteen-year hiatus due to leg injuries sustained in a car crash. The two fastest times of these seven occurred in the two races I ran in the month of December: the Kiawah Island Marathon in 1999 and now the Rocket City Marathon in 2002. Coincidence? Who knows...but one thing I do know is that both of these races are first-class events. The Rocket City Marathon course was not overly scenic, but was challenging enough and very well managed. My only recommendation for improvement would be to ELEVATE the mile markers to make them more visible to the runners as they approach them. The specator support was not heavy, but what there was proved quite enthusiastic. The Huntsville Hilton did a wonderful job as the host hotel, especially in terms of the post-race feed and related activities. On the 'memorabilia front', as it were, I came away with a very nicely-designed medal, extensive local newpaper coverage before and after the race, and a free finisher photo. And all of this for a very modest entry fee. In summary, I would highly recommend this race to first-timers and veterans alike as an all-around great marathon experience!

This race is a great value, especially if you stay in the host hotel. The logistics are great--walk out of your room to the start and finish at the hotel. Volunteers and police are especially nice, and the track club has started an 'adopt a mile' program where companies & organizations send people out to cheer at designated areas. I just don't like the course. It is monotonous & doesn't seem to be especially flat to me--the Bailey's Cove stretch is only 5 miles but seems to go on forever. But if you like that sort of race and are a very fast masters runner, they duplicate awards, so someone quick & 40+ could get prize money in both masters and overall.

I ran this race in 2002. It is well organized; traffic control is excellent. Thee are lots of turns and few minor hills towards the end, but otherwise a fast course.

The scenery is rather dull. But, this race attracts tons of 'midpack' type runners so this 4 hour runner had lots of company the whole way. That really helped! There wasn't much crowding; the back of the pack took 20 seconds to cross the start line (815 finishers).

The food afterward was good (plenty for lunch) and the Space Museum was well worth seeing.

One negative: most marathons have some sort of shorter even in conjuction with the marathon; this one does not.

The runners' comments for the races prior to 2002 give a fair appraisal of the event with an important omission. The monotonous suburban course has a great number of turns in the first seven miles and final five miles or so. Personally, I don't mind this in the beginning so much, but at the end it's torturous. No doubt this also slows down finishing times somewhat. In my mind the marathon cannot be in the top ten nationwide, as advertised. These criticisms aside, Rocket City, based on its flawless organization, perfect size, and competitive field, is a very good marathon overall.

If you want value for your marathon buck, go to the Rocket City Marathon. I have run 36 marathons in about 25 different cities and they don't get any better than this one. This was my third Rocket City and they just keep getting better. The race director, Malcolm Gillis, the HTC, the sponsors and the volunteers combine to put on a first class event. The city of Huntsville can really be proud of their marathon. This marathon does more for the runners than any marathon I have ever ran. This is one marathon you will want to put on your calender if you are a first timer or a veteran.

Just ran the 2002 edition and what a great race. Well organized, great carbo supper and a good mix of rolling hills and straightaways on the course (fairly fast course). Few spectators, but very enthusiastic. If you are looking for a smaller, well run marathon, this is it.

This was my first marathon and having trained in Mobile, wasn't ready for the higher elevation. This may not seem high to some but is for anyone from the Very deep and low South. The organization was good but by the time I finished there was not hot water left at the hotel to take a shower and only a few people left at there finish line to help runners in. (Yes, I'm slow). I will say that the people of Huntsville were there. Even one family opening their home for runners to use the bathroom along the way. All in All I would say this was a good first marathon.