Notes about the 47th Rocket City Marathon and other events scheduled this weekend at the Von Braun Center:
RCM Weekend events begin Saturday morning with the 10K and Mural 5K races wending through downtown and finishing inside the VBC South Hall.
Runners will begin both events, at 7 and 9 a.m., in front of the VBC. The 10K is first, taking runners through Old Huntsville, parts of Five Points, under-by-under I-565, back through downtown and then Big Spring Park before finishing in the South Hall. The Mural 5K route includes Old Huntsville, Huntsville Depot Museum Park, Big Spring Canal and the park, and also a finish in the VBC.
The 5K route offers runners a chance to see and photograph many of the large murals painted on downtown businesses. The holiday Tinsel Trail at Big Spring Park also will offer photo opps for those who take the time.
Registrations as of Friday morning include 344 for the 10K and 396 for the 5K. Another 225 are entered in the Kids Marathon Mile, scheduled after those events. All numbers will change slightly due to late registrations today and Saturday at the RCM Expo.
Sunday’s event has (so far) 1,156 in the marathon, 731 in the Back Half Marathon and 373 in the Front Half Marathon. The former is less hilly, begins at UAH and finishes in the VBC South Hall, while the latter has a bit more elevation and ends at Campus 805.
Josh is Back, Back Again
Josh Whitehead of Madison returns after winning the 2022 RCM title, his second of the last 10 years.
Whether he races to defend the title is another matter. Pulling off a double is tough, though this year Whitehead has been on a tear. He has about a dozen wins in 10Ks and half marathons, which is akin to last year’s buildup to the RCM. Whitehead won the 2013 RCM in 2:27:25, and has finished fourth, fifth, seventh and 14th in the last 10 years.
Mary Alex Gary, winner of the 2022 RCM women’s title, was not registered as of midday Friday. She could be a late entry but if not, the race will have a new champion Sunday morning.
Recovery? Yes, Please
One cool new thing to check out this weekend is the Chirp recovery products in the Fleet Feet booth.
These were on display at The Running Event in Austin last week and are quite cool. They help adjust your spine and neck if you’re out of sorts. At the TRE show, the Chirp booth was humming with folks giving them a try.
They and other items, including from Theragun and Hyperice, will be available to try.
Widespread Interest
Rocket City Marathon entries include runners from 48 states and four countries, with possibly more registering before the big event.
Race results on the Huntsville Track Club site show an interesting finish from 2015. Michael Deason of Glasgow, Scotland, finished third in the marathon in 2:32:29. That year, Deason was racing with the Glasgow University Hares & Hounds and had quite the season.
His finish was, from a quick look at HTC marathon results dating to 2013, the best finish by a non-U.S. runner in the last decade.
Toys 4 Tots Drive
Don’t forget about the Toys 4 Tots collection drive at the RCM Expo today and Saturday.
Toys 4 Tots will accept donations of new, unused toys, books and games at the expo to distribute to children.
Visitors are encouraged to bring at least one new toy, game or book to donate. The non-profit Marine Toys for Tots Foundation was created in 1991 to better facilitate the program. Since then, more than 652 million toys have been distributed to more than 291 million children. In 2022, the program gave a record 24.4 million toys, books and games to 9.9 million children. More than 50,000 volunteers helped achieve this.
Bring a new toy, game or book Friday between 11 a.m.-8 p.m. or Saturday between 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
The Huntsville Sports Commission, along with many others, sponsor the 2023 Rocket City Marathon. The Huntsville Track Club facilitates the event.
