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May 16, 2024

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 71 to 81]

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Eddie Hahn from Crestline, CA (12/14/2010) "Very Well Organized; Needs More Porta-Johns" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Rocket City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 An unremarkable course in terms of scenery - mostly urban. Excellent, mostly flat course for those "Boston inclined" - and many did qualify. Definitely could have used more porta-johns. There was one stretch without portable toilets for more than 6 miles - and we were running through housing developments, with no trees to duck behind. Water and Gatorade almost every mile, and energy gels closer to the second half. An abundance of great food at the finish: sweets, peanut butter bagels, bananas, fruit pieces, "Moon Pies," hot soup, etc. Nice finisher's medal with details on the back, and naturally a "space blanket." Even a "finisher's hat." Long-sleeve tech shirt with a super small logo on the front (unreadable from a distance) with a billboard of advertising on the back: as an out-of-towner I would have preferred a big "Rocket City Marathon, Hunstville, Alabama" on the front. Very reasonable, low entry fee. Pre- and post-event dinners: HTC put a lot of work into the logistics - it's their 2nd biggest event of the year behind the Cotton Row 10KM, so they work all year to get it right.
H. O. from Hendersonville, tn (12/13/2010) "Great course" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Rocket City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I really enjoyed the course. It was fairly flat. There was a hill around mile 7 but it was just a small hill. We had GREAT weather. The only complaint I have is that they ABSOLUTELY do not allow headphones. I know a lot of people run without them, but it was pretty hard for me. If they are that strict about the no-headphone policy, they should make it clear when you register. I wouldn't have registered if I had known. I won't run it again unless they change their policy on headphones.
R. R. from Memphis, Tennessee (12/12/2010) "For Serious Runners" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Rocket City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my second year running Rocket City, and it is the most serious race I have run for the second year in a row (I ran 14 marathons this year and 16 in 2009). This race is a no-frills, old-fashioned footrace put on by runners for runners. The people here are dead serious about putting down fast times and the vast majority of participants do just that. The course is not all that scenic (although I wouldn't describe it as ugly either - mostly just suburban neighborhoods and a little downtown Huntsville). There are no bands. Headphones are not allowed (and they are serious about it - wear them at the risk of getting a DQ). Nobody is dressed like a hot dog or a super-hero or a beer can. There is no attached half marathon or 5K or 1-mile fun run. What Rocket City does have is a course planned to minimize (but not eliminate) hills, tremendous course support with split times at each mile, and an abundance of aid stations - all with water and PowerAde. It has the "B-chip" built into your bib (a great improvement over the shoe-mounted "D- Chips" used by so many others) despite a modest 1,500-participant cap. This year they added pacer groups for all of the various BQ times, which I felt was a much needed upgrade from last year. The swag includes a nice tech shirt and a finisher's hat, both of which are first-rate; but for some reason they insist on keeping the same small, dark, and (in my opinion) uninspired finisher's medal used last year. Considering that this is a race where so many runners get PR's, I think a good keepsake like a first-class medal would be well received. Anyway, running Rocket City is all about speed. Come here to get a PR or a BQ and there is a good chance that you won't be disappointed. If you need bands and fireworks, and guys dressed like Elvis, then remember Disney is run the next month in January.
M. B. from Medford, WI (12/12/2010) "Good value" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rocket City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 A marathon for marathoners: Some good-value elements and a great chance to pick off a final marathon in the year. Wish the locals/businesses would embrace it more.
Bob Kroeger from Home of the Reds and the (ugh) Bengals (12/12/2010) "Excellent all the way!!!" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rocket City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The HTC (Huntsville Track Club) gets it. I have run 42 marathons since 2005 and this one was the best organized of them all. Very strict on wearing headphones. I saw only two runners with them on. Way to go, HTC! Stayed in the Holiday Inn: extremely convenient and site of the expo and pasta dinner. Late checkout. They mail a wonderful informational booklet about a week before the race, which answers all questions. GU was handed out at miles 13 and 18 - the perfect spots. Water stops positioned well and with cheerful helpers. Great pacer, Eric, of the HTC. Thanks. Course is pancake-flat, but with vegetation being dormant, expect the bleak and the bland. After all, it's winter. PR weather this year: 46 to start, 50 to finish. Great deals at the expo. Shirt color a little lame but nice hat for finishers and wonderful selection of post-race food. Other race directors could learn a lot from this one. Even though it's a long drive, I shall return!!
S. F. from Birmingham, AL (12/12/2010) "Great organization; super friendly race" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Rocket City Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my third Rocket City in a row, and it remains my favorite overall marathon. Runners are treated like royalty. The course is interesting, with only one long stretch on the same road (around 4 miles). Because there is so much variety elsewhere, that stretch can be a great time to pick up some speed, to strike up conversations with the leap-froggers, or to get into your best rhythm. Spirit squads in the neighborhoods help keep your mind off tiring muscles. Two or three members of one of the squads (in this case, a cross-country team) ran along with me for a block or more, which is great motivation late in a race. The speaker at the pasta feed was Sarah Reinertsen, who was both entertaining and inspirational. The dinner the evening after the race is also a positive experience. The crowd there is a lot more intimate, and there is opportunity to meet other runners, as well as the organizers and volunteers. After three years, it feels sort of like family.
B. B. from Nashville, TN (12/12/2010) "Absolutely amazing" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Rocket City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was, without question, my best marathon experience (despite cramping up and needing to walk the last few miles - my own fault). The organization was incredible and the fans were great. Even the police directing traffic were cheering. Only thing I would change is to add a water stop or two. Otherwise, this was a top-notch race.
M. M. from Portland, Maine (12/12/2010) "99% superlative... aid/drink station confusion" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Rocket City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Seamlessly organized, meticulously managed race. More spectators than one would guess for a marathon of this size, and most were visibly enthusiastic. Dink and Suzanne put on a clinic in how to execute a small-city race, with one bizarre exception (below). Course is mostly flat, which is saying something for Huntsville. Three hills, but none too oppressive. Cops had intersections under control, so traffic was not too bothersome. Nike pacing teams were an added bonus for race of this size. Stay at race HQ (Holiday Inn), which is fairly priced, whose lobby is roughly 500' from starting line (stretch or warm up in privacy of your own room) and whose staff makes it a personal mission to cater to Rocket City participants. I usually don't care about post-race spread, but this was ridiculously above and beyond what I have seen in 100+ marathons - freshly baked bread loaves sliced in your presence to accompany hearty soups served from cauldrons by staff in bow ties (?), cool grapes hand-plucked from stems for you, PB bagels custom-spread with honey, jam or bananas, based on runner requests, etc. Anyway, with this kind of attention to detail across the board, it's strange that Rocket City's one conspicuous flaw slipped through the cracks - and, no less, with multiple fails within the same race: AID/DRINK STATIONS. It shouldn't be that complicated a process, and I don't recall stations being an issue in all but a few other marathons (which, I should note, were ones held in impoverished, 3rd-world countries). In brief, Rocket City's website, up until and including starting time, showed contradictory counts and placements of aid stations on multiple pages. These maps, in turn, contradicted info in the printed brochure the directors sent out a week before the marathon. All of these advisories contradicted aid station info in hard-copy materials available at packet pickup. The most updated, well-designed course map section on the site had contradictory info even within its own 1-page map (claiming 10 aid stations in the text, but showing 11 on map). The separate elevation maps on the site, which also purport to show aid stations, contradict the other web pages and brochure, but these maps are ancient (Huntsville Hilton has been gone for a decade). Because of all of this confusion, it was then little surprise when stations showed up in places they previously had not been indicated, and vice-versa, in real life. Moreover, the stations varied greatly in which side of the street (or both) they served from, which flavor and/or concentration the sports drink was, which order the beverages (Gator/water) were, with the mile 15 one having no sports drink whatsoever. I was running at a 7-minute/mile pace at that point, so it's unlikely they ran out of sports drink an hour and change after the start (which would be unacceptable, anyway). Rocket City was a great race, notwithstanding that one caveat. I'm guessing that the directors will get their ducks in a row eventually on aid station problem. Visit the Space Station, by the way.
T. T. from Birmingham, AL (12/11/2010) "Marathoner's marathon" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Rocket City Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have mixed feelings about Rocket City. On the positive side, the organizers and fellow runners are top notch. You can check in the morning of (no wait), there's a small but efficient expo, NO HALF MARATHONERS, limited size, well marked course, good police support, the price is great, a free finisher's photo and many other good things. On the other hand, there are a lot of zig-zag turns on the course, it's not very scenic, there's limited crowd support, and the finish line is in a parking lot. I like the December date; it makes for a great winter marathon with training starting in September. I only wish the course and finish were a bit more inspiring. There are some great areas in Huntsville but none of them seemed to be on the course.
XING WU from Hoover, Alabama, USA (1/27/2010) "My First Great Marathon at Rocket City :D" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Rocket City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my first ever marathon in my 50 years of life. I felt great and excited. The weather was chilly, but thank Lord it had been changed from "snow" to "snow/sleet rain," and finally the sunny, windy day! I got my first PR of 4.15.59 gun-time and 4.15.05 chip-time. Thank Lord we had a great group riding a van from Hoover to have this run, and we have several first-marathon runners in the van. We all got cheered up by the experienced runners in the group. The course is nice to make your PR, and the Huntsville people are great to host the run every year and cheer you up at the roadside. I want to run it again! =D

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