Rocket City was my second full marathon.

It an was outstanding experience. My expectations were high, but they were all exceeded.

Check-in was fast and right in the hotel where we stayed.

Starting line was well organized. The course was fast and fun. The locals really come out for the race and it was run waving to them as we went by. Lots of kids along the route who seemed to really enjoy being out.

Major road crossings were very well done with one/two cops at each one. They beamed when we told them thanks.

Going through the school at mile 7 and again at mile 21 was a lot of fun. I loved the short tunnel under the street and the people in the school lot cheering for us, and even giving us pretzel sticks.

The finish line area was great. The middle school cheerleaders insisting on high-fiving us as we passed the 26-mile mark and the announcer calling your name and home town as you finished were both nice touches.

The finish area was well organized and they got us into the area where a fantastic food spread awaited on us. I had a massive PB&J sandwich, moon pie, lemonade, and ice cream sandwiches.

The finisher's cap is a nice touch. My one complaint - and it's very small - is about the medal. The blue writing on black background doesn't show up very well.

The after-race ceremony was very well done and a lot of fun.

Overall, this is a fantastic marathon and I urge you to consider it. Although this is my second full, I ran an 18-minute PR and had a much better experience than my first. I even beat Bart Yasso!

Flat, fast course. You could tell that the course was well thought out to remove the hills. Great police coverage at all intersections. Not a lot of spectators but they were great and did a lot of cheering. Good support after race.

This was my 14th marathon, and half of them (including the first one) have been run at Rocket City. The reason for that is the excellent organization of this race, down to the smallest details, as reflected in many of the other comments. It truly is a race organized by and for runners - no fun runs, no 5Ks, no costumed runners, just every detail as it should be. I like the course - it's flat and fast, with enough twists and turns (except for Bailey Cove Road) to keep it interesting. The spectators make up in enthusiasm what they lack in numbers, and the traffic control is just superb, with true dedication on a cold and windy day this year. I especially like the variety of food and drink at the finish line, too - who wants pizza and beer immediately after finishing a marathon? It's that awesome vegetable soup that I crave. This year, 10 years after my first marathon and at the age of 60, I broke four hours and finally qualified for Boston! Thanks to Dink and Suzanne and all of the other many volunteers who helped make that possible.

The temp was in low 40's and very windy, with 30-plus gusts (which is unusually cool). The host hotel and others were within just blocks of the start. The course had mild to rolling hills and was well staffed, with crossing guards at most intersections, good aid support, and great spectator support. There was a cool after-party, but no freedom to buy tickets on the day of the event. They have a nice finisher's medal and hat, and a great finish buffet. I highly recommend this one.

I gave three stars for the course only because you can't expect lush greenery and flowers everywhere in December. It was a dreary day in 2009 too, so that made the appeal even less. But Huntsville is a clean, small town with very enthusiastic volunteers who stayed through to the end. Many spectators moved from spot to spot so you saw them a number of times. The course also winds through some interesting old parts of town. The course is flat! Flat, flat! No kidding. The Nike technical tee was great, as was the hat. The medal was fine - smallish, but still fine. The organization was spectacular - splits called at every mile (I think - it seemed like it anyway), and mile markers and people were showing the way all along the course. You could not go wrong. The two hotels available at the start and finish make for a warm wait before the race and a warm ending as well. Book early! The Embassy Suites unfortunately did nothing to cater to the runners as far as food available the night before, but the rooms were great, especially if traveling with a non-runner. The post-race spread was the best I've seen. There are serious runners in H'ville and the high-quality race is evidence of their dedication to the race. Thank you for a great time!

I was a little shocked to read the comment about the course being "dull!" I certainly did not find either the town of Huntsville or the marathon race course the slightest bit dull. I found the Huntsville downtown area to be pleasant, clean and very pretty. It was fun seeing the rockets at the space center on my way into town, but was mostly interested in the sights along the race course. For example, I enjoyed the view of the hill/mountain range off to the east for miles 4-14 of the course. And I was very grateful for the turns in the latter half of the course, which seemed to help lessen the wind factor and make the miles click along faster. Although there wasn't huge crowd support throughout the course, the spots where people were cheering were very loud and encouraging. I kept seeing a few of these same people every 4 miles or so, and toward the end of the race I had to laugh because it felt like I knew them and they were genuinely excited for my accomplishment as the race progressed.

And 5 stars for organization! Every mile marker was clearly marked on the road, with volunteers calling out splits. All turns were clearly marked. Aid stations were organized, and the volunteers were obviously well trained in calling out water/Gatorade, gels, etc.
EXCELLENT shirt and hat for all marathoners. I wore my shirt home and received numerous compliments on it.

I hope to come back to RCM in 2010 to look for a PR!

Pros: low entry cost; nice expo and hotel; good pre-race pasta; easy packet pick-up; nice tech hat, shirt and medal; plenty of post-race food inside; great volunteers and aid stations; quick results online, free showers afterward at the aquatic center; nice start/finish area; and the course was well marked on the streets.

Cons: Course was boring; too many turns; no athlete tracking during the race; no iPods allowed; no bands on the course; and the course was not closed to traffic

This was my 26th marathon. I enjoyed the race, and plenty of friends BQd. I thought it was a fast course, but we had strong winds, which took it out on some folks. I was an easy 4-hour drive from Atlanta on the interstate. Loved the small-town feel of the race, as I stayed inside the hotel until 10 minutes before the race and still got up near the front at the start line. But the course just was not memorable enough to make me want to come back. First three or four miles were great, but after that, there were too many turns for me through nondescript neighborhoods. HTC did great job; there's nothing more you could do with this race except find a different course, and I'm not sure H'ville has enough other flat places to run!

I think if you want good, small-town marathon for a first-timer, or are serious about BQ efforts, then you should do Rocket City. Just practice on mainly flat course, don't become dependent on an iPod, and just focus during race, and you will meet your goals.

If you are considering signing up for Rocket City, there are a few things that you need to know. First, this is a race that is all about helping you achieve a great time. This is not Disney or a "Rock and Roll" event where it is about the destination or the course experience. The course is relatively flat and the times are fast. Course support is good, but sparse in places. It is not particularly scenic or beautiful unless a cool-weather, flat course is beautiful to you. The race director, speakers, expo, pasta dinner, etc. are all put on by serious runners whose dedication to the sport is clear from the start. Second, for the most part the people who sign up for this race are serious runners who are hunting a time goal. Many looked to this race as their Boston qualifier. Others were here to set a PR. There were no costumes, Elvis impersonators or extra-terrestrials in the crowd.This is a race to take seriously. It is reflected in the awesome times. I set a PR at 3:55 and was only (almost exactly) in the middle of my age group. In other races that would have put me in the upper quarter. People are here to run! Finally, the swag was surprisingly good for the cost of entry. The tech shirt was extremely high quality and the finisher's cap was something I might actually wear while training. The finisher's medal was small and difficult to read (navy blue letters on a black background), and I think it could have been better, but this isn't a race from which to expect a big, shiny medal. It's all about the times.

I don't want to leave you with the impression that this isn't a fun race. In an age where races feature a rock band on every corner and fireworks at every start, it is refreshing to see a race that still is about the joy of running. I'll still go to Disney, etc., but when I just want to run - fast - I'll launch myself to Huntsville and Rocket City!

I automatically love this race because in my 10th marathon, it was a PR. But even if it hadn't been, it'd be high on my list.

From a logistics standpoint, it's by far my easiest race ever. Pasta dinner, expo, start, finish and post-race bash were all simply an elevator ride down from my hotel room.

Unlike others, the many turns didn't bother me too much, especially in the gusty conditions. You didn't have to go very far before getting out of a headwind. However, I too had a problem with the long stretch down Whitesburg Road. Not terribly interesting, especially with traffic alongside, though quite a few folks in those cars honked their horns or shouted encouragement.

Given the size of the race and (for them) the miserable weather conditions, there were a good number of fans, and they were quite enthusiastic. And the volunteers at this race were tremendous, which speaks well of the organizers. I especially liked being greeted at the finish by a volunteer who stayed with me until she was sure I was OK.

I'd recommend this race.

There are a lot of nice neighborhoods and homes in Huntsville, and I think we got to run by most of them. There were a few memorable home decorations (a flock of crows, a lawn of inflatable penguins, etc.) and a few stereos pointed out windows, some playing Christmas music. Most spectators were enthusiastic. I enjoyed weaving through the neighborhoods. I hate long straight-aways (especially into the wind), but at least those stretches were flat. Nice downhill finish.

I can't believe they had people calling out splits at each mile marker - I have a watch I can look at, so there was no reason for those volunteers to freeze their butts and have their voices go hoarse on my account. But that's the kind of effort they go to in this race. The finish-line volunteers were well-coached and I felt well cared for as one wrapped a space blanket on me, handed me my medal, and escorted me to the entrance of the hotel to make sure I was okay.

Plenty of post-race food and massages. Somebody also managed to keep the rain away; otherwise it would have been a really nasty day.