Registration is open for the Rocket City Marathon weekend in December, and Cotton Row 10K and 5K on Memorial Day.
The marathon was canceled for covid in 2020 and dangerous race-day thunderstorms with flooding in 2021. Event organizers retooled and grew the marathon into a weekend packed with events. Huntsville Sports Commission came on board as the primary sponsor. Registrations were solid for the two half-marathons, 10K and 5K.
Registration for the 2023 Rocket City Marathon and other events is now open. The marathon and half-marathons are Dec. 10, with the 10K, 5K and kids’ run on Dec. 9. Pickup and expo are Dec. 7-9.
Race information will be located on the Rocket City Marathon site, for all events, including rules, routes and other information. RunSignup.com will be used only for registration. The marathon has been a fixture in Huntsville for more than 45 years and is a Boston Marathon qualifier. This year, race organizers have devised a “Tour Huntsville” travel theme. The half-marathons are limited to 800 runners this year.
Josh Whitehead of Madison and Mary Alex Gray of Knoxville, Tenn., won the men’s and women’s 2022 marathon titles.
Cotton Row 10K, 5K
The 43rd Cotton Row 10K is scheduled for May 29, one of the Southeast’s best and most popular running events.
Begun in 1980, the 10K and 5K on Memorial Day attract thousands of runners. It is a certified race, with awards for top finishers and cash awards for record-breaking times. The event honors military members with pre-race tributes, numerous fans along the course with flags and decorations, and a living memorial flag line in the final stretch to the finish line. The flag line is comprised of family and friends honoring those from north Alabama who died in service. Proceeds benefit Gold Star Families, Snowball Express, Gold Star Moms, and other area charities.
Gilbert Boit of Fayetteville, Ark., and Sarah Naibei of Chapel Hill, N.C., won the 2022 men’s and women’s titles. Boit won by a hundredth of a second in the closest finish in race history.
Cotton Row is organized and conducted by the Huntsville Track Club. Registration is availble here.
The races are sponsored by Bill Penney Toyota.
