The 49th Rocket City Marathon led all area sports events in economic impact in 2025 and was one of two running events in the top five, as the city saw record growth for the fourth straight year.
The marathon generated $5.1 million in economic impact, as determined by direct and rollover expenditures. It is the crown jewel of a weekend of running, all based at the Von Braun Center, including a 5K, 10K, half marathon and kids’ 1-mile run. It is traditionally held the second weekend of December, and put on by the Huntsville Track Club (HTC). The marathon attracts runners from throughout the country and internationally, along with family and friends supporting them. They arrive at least a day, if not two or more, early to get acclimated, run, rest and enjoy the city.
“Hosting a marathon with the history and caliber of Rocket City Marathon is a huge boon to our city,” said Brian Carter, president of the Huntsville Track Club. “Not only do we have a unique draw in being able to tell runners they can run past a Saturn V rocket and a Space Shuttle, but HTC also has been doing this for 50 years and knows how to put together a race runners will love.”
Sports-related events generated $62.3 million in economic impact last year, according to the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Seventy-one events generated $4.06 million in local tax revenue and more than 77,600 hotel room nights. More than 161,000 athletes, coaches and spectators visited in 2025.
The Rocket City Marathon, presented by the Huntsville Sports Commission, easily outdistanced the No. 2 event, the Major League Fishing Redcrest professional bass fishing championship. It brought in about $3.8 million thanks to anglers and families, MLF staff, sponsors, exhibitors at the Von Braun Center and fans being in the area for a week. The Conference USA Basketball Championships at the VBC’s Propst Arena turned about $3 million. The AHSAA Soccer Championships at John Hunt Park added more than $2.4 million.
The New Balance RunningLane XC Championships at John Hunt Park hit the list at No. 5 with about $2 million in impact. It’s held the first weekend of December. High school cross-country runners from throughout the country, and their families or coaches, come to town for several days of prep and competition. Within two weeks, it and the RCM weekend help pump more than $7 million into area coffers.
The park’s championship caliber grass and chipped-rubber running areas in 2018 replaced the money-losing public Huntsville Municipal golf course. Runners and walkers have a 10-meter wide, manicured grass course with multiple spurred loops. Distance options include 2-mile, 5K, 6K, 8K and 10K. It hosts numerous events throughout the year.
“The RunningLane Cross Country Championships has grown into something much bigger than we ever imagined when we first created it,” said Will Rodgers, co-founder along with Sean Allan, both of Huntsville. They also are co-owners of RunningLane. “We believed Huntsville and John Hunt Park had the ability to host one of the premier high school cross country events in the country. It’s incredible to now see the event recognized among the top economic drivers in local sports tourism.
“What makes this especially meaningful is that we truly built this event from the ground up,” Rodgers said. “From day one, the goal was to create an unforgettable championship experience for athletes, coaches and families while also showcasing Huntsville on a national stage. Seeing thousands of athletes travel from across the country to compete here each year has been incredibly rewarding.”
Huntsville’s running community encompasses dozens of weekly group runs, fun runs hosted by the track club, RunningLane and Fleet Feet, the popular Huntsville Pub Run, and hundreds of paid races. The latter range from the popular Microthon fundraiser and scads of 5Ks to the Blue Heron Hundreds 100-miler and 100K, Mountain Mist 50K in January and a bevy of trail runs.
This doesn’t even account for the running schedules in Decatur, Athens, Florence and elsewhere in North Alabama. Add the local bicycling scene with Spring City Cycling Club and the growing gravel trend, along with triathlon events. The combined financial impact of these throughout the year is strong, led by the Rocket City Marathon.
“Browsing several social media forums about running, specifically the 50 States Marathon Club page, Rocket City Marathon is always the most prominently recommended marathon for runners looking to check off Alabama as a destination state,” said Carter, the track club president. “Not only do they recommend the course and the race, but they recommend Huntsville in general and the support the city shows for our race. It’s these things that bring people in and keep them coming back.”
“John Hunt Park has become one of the premier running venues in America,” Rodgers said. “The support from the Huntsville Sports Commission, the City of Huntsville and the local community has played a huge role in making that possible. The fact that running events now generate this level of economic impact says a lot about where the sport is headed and what Huntsville has become.”
Thousands of athletes, coaches, family and friends attend the New Balance RunningLane XC Championship at John Hunt Park in December 2025. The event is one of the top 5 in economic impact for sports events in Huntsville. (Photo by Spencer Cox)
