Registration for the 49th Rocket City Marathon and weekend events is on pace for a record field that will see changes to the course and an updated logo.
More than 2,300 runners have registered for the marathon, half-marathon, 10K, 5K and 1-mile run on Dec. 13-14 in Huntsville. Race weekend includes a Friday expo at the Von Braun Center, where all races start and end. Changes this year include the elimination of the “front half-marathon” that ended at Campus 805 and some marathon course tweaks.
The marathon has 959 registered, including 68 for the early start. That is more than 350 compared to signups on the last week of August 2024 for last year’s race. Current registrations are up for the half marathon (725+), 10K and 5K (280+) and 1-mile (66).
Of the registrations for all events, 36 percent are returning participants. That tracks with previous registrations in which about a third were repeat participants. Race weekend maxed out at 4,000 participants last year, including 1,485 for the marathon.
“We’ve never hit 2,000 for the marathon,” said race director Eric Fritz. “It’s typically been around 1,200-1,300 in recent years. One year we hit about 1,800-1,900 one year that a marathon in Texas, maybe Dallas, and Memphis, the St. Jude, got cancelled due to an ice storm a couple weeks prior to ours. We offered to let them come and run RCM. But we are hoping to break 2,000 this year.”
Registrations popped a bit last week just before a price increase. Participants hail from 43 states, the District of Columbia, South Africa, Mexico and China. Race weekend has an estimated economic impact of more than $1 million, according to the Huntsville Sports Commission. The commission is one of numerous local sponsors who provide financial or in-kind support to help the weekend go smoothly.
Course Changes
Race organizers are finalizing changes to the marathon course that will include a new route. It is being finalized, double-checked by officials for all certifications, including from Huntsville Police Department, and could be announced later this month.
The half marathon will begin at 9 a.m. at the VBC after the marathon start. Runners will merge with the marathon, both finishing inside the VBC South Hall. The RCM site says the half marathon “will run the majority of the same course as the last 13 miles of the marathon including the U. S. Space and Rocket Center and the Botanical Gardens.”
Marathon runners who need extra time must register for the “early start” option. About 70 have, so far. This is for those who expect to finish between 6-7 hours. Anyone jumping in early and speedgoating along could face disqualification.
New Branding
A new branding logo was unveiled in August, with an Apollo rocket featured in an eye-catching red, white and blue motif.
The new logo was designed by Danielle Podeszek, a full-time freelance graphic designer in Buffalo, New York. Podeszek focuses on logo design, branding and apparel design. Previous clients have included the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Pepsi, TNT, New Era Cap and the University of Kentucky.
The logo incorporates three main features runners encounter during the marathon and other races. The rocket, centered in blue-white, represents the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Huntsville’s 80-year-old history as the Rocket City and the marathon route through the SRC museum grounds, is a top attraction for many participants.
The rocket is flanked by the Travelers II artwork at the south entrance to Big Spring Park. It was installed in 2022 and created by artists David Dahlquist and Matt Niebuhr along with RDG Planning & Design.
Both of those elements on the logo sit on what represents the Big Spring waterway in the park. Big Spring is the largest limestone spring in North Alabama. Between 7 million and 20 million gallons flow from the spring daily. Revolutionary War veteran John Hunt founded the city in 1805 at the spring and built his cabin atop the bluff overlooking it.
The logo is clean, appealing, modular and incorporates the five races held on the weekend. Horizontal and square versions will fit easily on apparel, caps, signage and advertising. Fritz said there are no plans to add imaging for a sponsor or Huntsville Track Club, which puts on the weekend, to the logo. The rocket has played a part for many years in marathon imaging; last year’s big cool blingy medals featured an Apollo rocket in front of a city skyline.
Another change this year is the marathon partnering with Huntsville Hospital Foundation. Proceeds from the weekend will benefit the Women’s & Children’s Pediatric Therapy and Audiology Department. It is the first partnership of this kind in race history.
