Rocket City Marathon
About this race
Rocket City Marathon Race Weekend – Huntsville, Alabama
For over 49 years, the Rocket City Marathon, organized by the Huntsville Track Club, has been one of the premier marathon events in the South.
The weekend kicks off with the Health & Fitness Expo and Packet Pickup, opening Friday, December 11th, at 2:00 PM and running through Saturday, December 12th at 6:00 PM.
Saturday Races
10K – Starts at 7:00 AM in front of the Von Braun Center on Monroe Street. This flat, fast, and walker-friendly course takes runners through Old Town
5K – Begins at 9:00 AM, winding through Downtown Huntsville
1 Mile Family Friendly FUN RUN/WALK – Starts at 10:30 AM, offering everyone a fun and rewarding experience.
Sunday – Marathon & Half Marathon Day
The Rocket City Marathon - Kicks off at 7:00 AM (with an early start at 6:00 AM for those requiring extra time). The course showcases Huntsville’s charm and the US Space & Rocket Center.
The Rocket City Half Marathon - starts later at 9:00am joining the full marathoners through the Botanical Gardens a and US Space & Rocket Center.
All Races Start and Finish in Downtown Huntsville, Alabama at the VBC.
All registered runners will receive:
✅ A custom race shirt
✅ A finisher medal
✅ Post-race food
✅ Bragging rights for completing Rocket City Marathon Race Weekend!
Marathoners and Half Marathoners will also receive a special finisher gift, and those who take on three events ("The Hat Trick") will earn a RCM hat.
Join us for an unforgettable race weekend in Huntsville!
Join fellow runners on December 9, 2023 for the Rocket City Marathon. It's a fantastic 10K, 5K, Marathon, Half-Marathon featuring a flat and fast course in Huntsville.
Pick your distance
Running
Rocket City 10K
Flat, fast, walker-friendly event with a two-hour cutoff time. Participants who fall behind the sweeper will be asked to relinquish their participant bib if they would like to continue the route as a pedestrian.
Rocket City Mural Run 5K
Walker-friendly event with a one-hour cutoff time. Participants who fall behind the sweeper will be asked to relinquish their participant bib if they would like to continue the route as a pedestrian.
Marathon
This event has a strict 1pm (time of day) cut off. If you require 6-7 hours to complete the marathon, you must be an "Early Starter" (which will require a special bib and adherence to a short list of extra rules). You will be asked to leave the course, or surrender your participant bib, if you fall behind the sweepers. Runners who do not reach the FRONT Half Finish Line by 10:05am will not be allowed to continue.
Front Half The Marathon
This event has a strict 10am (time of day) cut off. If you require 3-4 hours to complete the FRONT Half marathon, you must be an "Early Starter" (which will require a special bib and adherence to a short list of extra rules). You will be asked to leave the course, or surrender your participant bib, if you fall behind the sweepers. Runners will finish this race at Campus 805 where you will enjoy a unique post-race party. Busses will shuttle participants back to the VBC until noon. After that time you will need to find other transportation back to the VBC.
Back Half The Marathon
This event has a strict four-hour time limit. You will be asked to leave the course if you are behind the cut off pace (18:19 min/mile). There is not a sweeper for the BACK Half Marathon. If the marathon sweeper catches up to you, you will need to stay with (or in front of) them. They will be running a 13:44 min/mile pace. Participants will be bussed from the VBC out to the start line at the UAH Campus.
RELAY
Up to a five person relay team will run the full Rocket City Marathon. This event has a strict 6 hour time limit. A relay runner will be asked to leave the course if the runner is behind the cutoff pace (13:44 min/mile). Runners who do not reach the FRONT Half Marathon finish line at Campus 805 by 10:05am will not be allowed to continue. If a relay runner is removed from the course, the team will not be allowed to continue. No relay runner will be allowed to pass the Marathon leader. Any team member who gets close to the leader will be held at the exchange point. This is a safety issue related to traffic management. The first runner in the relay team may also run the full marathon if also registered as an individual. That runner will start the race wearing both the individual bib and the relay bib.
Virtual Marathon
You will need to submit your marathon time to us at VirtualRCMResults@gmail.com between 12/9/2022 and 12/13/2022. We will mail out your marathon finisher medal and marathon registration shirt in January. (You will not receive the marathon finisher gift.) There is no time limit on this event. Virtual finishers are eligible for the Challenge and the Hat Trick.
Virtual Half Marathon
You will need to submit your half marathon time to us at VirtualRCMResults@gmail.com between 12/9/2022 and 12/13/2022. We will mail out your half-the-marathon finisher medal and half-the-marathon registration shirt in January. (You will not receive the half-the-marathon finisher gift.) There is no time limit on this event. Virtual finishers are eligible for the Challenge and the Hat Trick.
Weather Overview
These values reflect historical conditions on the race dates in Huntsville in 2023, from Open-Meteo archive data.
About Huntsville
Rocket City Marathon takes place in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. The local timezone is America/Chicago.
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Race information has been sourced from the event's official website and other publicly available resources. For the most up-to-date details, please refer to the official website directly. If you notice any incorrect or missing information, don't hesitate to reach out to us by email.