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Rocket City Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rocket City Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.0 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 3.5
Number of comments: 285 [displaying comments 51 to 61]
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K. B. from North Carolina
(12/13/2011)
 "Alabama marathon for 50 staters" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rocket City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Saw more kids (high school down to toddlers) out cheering along the course then I've ever seen before. Saw a lot of Santa's too. Spectators were few and far between but where they were, they were great. If you need crowd support, then look elsewhere. Course is very residential but also very nice. Lots of turns, only on one street did we run more than a mile straight. Very friendly runners too. I think this race could compete with Richmond as far as friendliest. I give it a thumbs up! Started on time! Advice: don't stay at a hotel off University Dr/Pkwy. Traffic was horrible (didn't have a problem getting to race in morning but going back to hotel after race was awful). However, lots of restaurant choices off University. If I run again, I will stay at a hotel closer to start/finish. | |
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Chuck In Cincinnati from Milford, Ohio
(12/13/2011)
 "A winter no brainer" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rocket City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Very nice race. Not the most scenic I've run, but nice overall. Expo.: Small but nice. They had all the supplies you needed. Fast packet pick-up. Weather: I don't usually comment on it: because you get what you get, and we all enjoy it or suffer in it ? But: cold for Alabama folks (33 w/wind chill of 29 at the start, low 40's by the end but sunny) perfectly fine for me ! Easy to run in shorts, short sleeve tech, and long sleeve tech over it, with a pair of cheap knit gloves. I was plenty warm. Parking on race day. We arrived 45 minute before the race, and had no problem finding a place to park, and only 200 yards or so away from the start ? Course: Mostly neighborhood running, which was quiet and peaceful. A bunch of turns, but I like that better than some of the 4 mile to 6 mile straight boredom runs I've done. The best part was, the miles seemed to click by pretty fast.( 24th marathon w / 3:50 finish) Spectators were light, but I don't have them when I train so I really don't them. But when they were out, they were great, especially Mr. & Mrs. Claus, plus the 'Course Liar' yelling from a chair in his front lawn. He said there was free beer at the end. Ha-Ha-Ha ! With the race limited to 1500 runners you were never cramped or having to dodge other runners. Water stops were well staffed and serviced. The only thing in this race I noticed, or failed to notice Were port-o-lets ? Luckily when I started to need one there was a home remodel that had one in the yard. The host hotel was the staging area for the start and finish. Everyone stayed inside until 5 to 10 minutes before the race, which was about 100 yards away from the front lobby. The other nice thing was the runners actually policed themselves for their proper pace time. Kind of nice not having the throngs of half marathoners in front of you either. As for the course elevations ? They felt like were short little incline ramps, not hills, so this is a pretty flat course, with these short inclines to freshen the legs from the rest of the flat running. Volunteers: Were wonderful and trained well. The emergency staff were everywhere and on the ball. I tried to text friends, with gloves on, to let them know I was at 23 miles, and I had to stop, because my gloves were double punching letters. As soon as I stopped to get the text right, Emergency staff was right there asking if I was OK. Now that's service ! The finish was great. Seemed like each runner had their own person handing out the blanket catered to that runner, and walked you back to the finishers area. As soon as you left the finishers area, you were pretty much back into the hotel. The post race food spread was amazing. The best I've been to ! Overall a great time. I'd recommend this to anyone. Great job HTC ! Keep up the great work !!!! | |
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J. G. from Alabama
(12/13/2011)
 "I highly recommend this race" (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Rocket City Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Huntsville Track Club (HTC) seems to be very dedicated to producing a high quality event each year. I've run this race twice. 2010 and 2011. While is usually cool and windy the course is remarkably flat and fast. The pacers were awesome and very supportive. Eric, the pacer I stayed closest too did his best to set a steady pace and help everyone there run the best race they could. The aid stations were great. Seemed like most of the local boyscout troops came out to man the aid stations. They were all super supportive and excited. The only downside to Rocket City was the fans. Because it's a smaller race (capped at ~1500) and it's cold there aren't tons of spectators. You run through a group of people cheering for you about every other mile or so. Which is enough for me. All in all, this race is an extremely good time and well worth the money and effort. | |
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K. C. from Brentwood, TN, USA
(12/13/2011)
"A runner's marathon" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rocket City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was very impressed with this race. It was incredibly well organized from expo to finish. I stayed at the Embassy Suites across the street from the start, so it was incredibly convenient. We walked to dinner at a better than average Italian restaurant the night before the race. Packet pick-up was like clockwork, and I was mostly pleased, if not a little terrified, to see that I was listed on the board as a top seed. Nothing like a little pressure to perform. The course was mostly flat, winding through neighborhoods before a long straight stretch before returning on a long straight stretch several blocks away. This prevented getting congested on the same street as happens in so many other marathons. Also, this was only a marathon, so there were no half-marathoners clogging the roads, eating all the food and tying up the massage tables. It was a chilly 35 degrees at the start, and it didn't get over 40 while I was on the course. There was a stiff headwind all the way back from mile 15 on, but that's not really something the race officials can control. Mile 17 was where many good marathons died today, and mine was one of them, although I still managed a 3:05 and took third in my age group. At the finish, I had two volunteers greet me, and one stayed with me even when he saw I was okay. He was patient and waited until I had enough water before handing me a finisher's hat and medal, both of which were pretty nice quality if you don't mind bright orange. The long sleeve technical shirt was also pretty nice. Post-race buffet was indoors at the Holiday Inn, and there was no line for massages (granted, I finished 43rd, so I'm sure it got more crowded later). There were ample baked goods and other post-race foods, and I appreciated the minestrone the most after such a cold day. Age group awards were nice medals, and they were awarded five-deep after taking out the top three overall and top three Masters, so there was a pretty good opportunity to win an age group award. My only criticisms are minor: the 3-hour pacer did not show up, although I have never heard of a 3-hour pacer before. It might have helped to have him to cut the wind for me, but I don't think a sub-3-hour race was in the cards for me today. Also, water stops were as much as 2.9 miles apart, and they were spaced irregularly, so it was hard to gauge when to take energy gels. I generally hope to see water stops every 2 miles, so it was a bit mentally challenging to figure this out, as the water stops also weren't quite where they were advertised to be. That being said, I didn't get dehydrated, so it was not of much consequence to me. This race was also a real bargain for the price, especially with the convenience and superb organization of this race. | |
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H. J. from Atlanta, Ga.
(12/11/2011)
"Great Course, Organization" (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rocket City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Fast course, superbly organized, great race. We came in wondering about this race as our emailed questions were never answered and there were tons rules (such as no headphones), but I must admit, the race was great, seemed to go off without a flaw. I can see why there is a no headphone rule; streets are open and they get closed to traffic just before you cross. Local cheering was light but great. Great shirt and medal. If you want a fast, fun race, this is it. Very fast! TO THE RACE DIRECTOR: ANSWER EMAILS PRIOR TO THE RACE PLEASE! And great job on the event! | |
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B. B. from TEXAS
(12/11/2011)
"GREAT little race" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rocket City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 As good as it gets. Thanks to MG, I picked this one for my AL race over Birmingham and Mobile and was so glad I did. The attention to detail was outstanding. I gave the fans 3 stars which brought rating down to 4 1/2 but actually they had more fans than most small races, so this is a 5 star race. Positives: Where to begin? The web site, the low reg. fee, the closeness of the airport, the start/finish at same place; the closeness of hotels so you didn't need a car (I stayed across street at Embassy Suites, which I recommend: they opened the breakfast at 6 a.m. for us runners and you can get a late check out if you ask nicely and free shuttle to/from airport plus lots of room to spread out) and literally left at 7:55 a.m. and jogged over to the start in plenty of time; the expo at the Hilton was small but they posted final age group seedings so you could see what your chances were (I was pleased to take 2nd in mine), never seen that before, and last year's shirt and cap sold cheaply; wonderful volunteers; a nice small town/local running club/this is a race for runners, not bucket listers or rock n rollers; great swag: not just an attractive l.s. tech shirt but dry fit cap and good medal; nice pasta dinner with good speaker (Dick Beardsley); not having a half or other races so the course was never crowded, but never lonely either; lots of pace groups who were all right on the money; decent crowd support; excellent aid stations and 2 GU hand outs; excellent traffic control (although I heard an aid station volunteer got hit by a car, wth?); kinda boring course but only a few small hills and never ugly; announcer calling out everyone's name at finish; volunteer meeting you and attending to your needs; only a 50 yard walk to the inside of the Hilton, where a lavish spread awaited and free massages and nice award ceremony a few hours later. Really, everything was great. Negatives: None Well, I would have appreciated the RD having less wind or at least having it for the first half. J/k. THANK YOU ROCKET CITY RD AND VOLUNTEERS, YOU ALL ROCKED. | |
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Kimberly Oehrlein from Helena, AL
(12/11/2011)
"The ideal marathon would look a lot like this one" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rocket City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If you are looking for an Alabama marathon and are capable of running a sub-6:00 marathon without headphones, this is the one to do. I stayed at the Holiday Inn, which meant I could sleep in, meet up with people in my hotel lobby and amble out into the cold a mere 15 minutes before race start. The course is billed as being 'flat,' but there are a number of gently rolling hills that keep things interesting. Nothing too major. My husband came out to cheer and said it was the best race for spectating. He was able to find me on the course 5 times. The finish line was perfect. A handler greeted me, engaged me in conversation and escorted me to the hotel ballroom entrance while handing me my medal and finisher's hat. A great way to make sure everyone is in good health and relatively lucid at the finish. The food offerings were wonderful ('schmeared'-on-demand bagels, hot soup, Moon Pies and ice cream sandwiches in addition to apples and bananas), and free massages were offered. I plan to make this a yearly event! | |
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D. W. from Tennessee
(12/10/2011)
"Flat, Fast and Well Organized" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rocket City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course is certainly flat for hilly northern Alabama. Course starts downtown and runs through attractive residential neighborhoods. Spectators were few in number, but the friendliest I have seen. Everything was professional and well organized. Clocks seem to be all over the course. You are informed of your splits many times. Although not a problem for me, headphones are prohibited and will result in disqualification. | |
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W. S. from Atlanta
(4/8/2011)
 "Great winter event" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rocket City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran this in 2009. I'm posting now for anyone planning their fall/winter schedule. All the good things you read about this one are true - Swiss watch organization and easy-peazy logistics. If you can, get a room at the Embassy Suites - it's a 2-minute walk to the start/finish (no need for porta-john lines!!). The course is not scenic, and the weather iffy, but if my experience was typical, that's offset by the perfect size of this full marathon-only event. It's big enough to feel like an event but never too crowded or overrun with halfers. Swag-wise, the finisher cap is a great perk. The only drawback of my year was a very, very poor medal that was totally unreadable (navy blue letters on black - why?). But I think they got enough blowback on that to fix it last year. | |
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J. K. from Rogers, Ark
(12/30/2010)
"Well organized and supported race" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rocket City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great late-season race on a mostly residential, PR course. Professional organization and outstanding hospitality from the RD and team. The $50 fee was a real value considering nothing was done on the cheap - we got a Nike, long-sleeve, technical, finisher hat, a picture and certificate mailed to our houses, a great medal, and all of the normal stuff from a typical big-city marathon. Not sure why an iPod results in disqualification considering participants are paying money to run, but it's a minor issue. |
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