December 10, 2021
Huntsville, AL – The 46th Rocket City Marathon takes place Saturday, December 11 in Huntsville, Alabama. At a Wednesday press conference, Rocket City Marathon planners announced new routes and a two-day event for the 2022 Rocket City Marathon.
The Rocket City Marathon is a Huntsville signature event that winds through downtown Huntsville, past historic homes and sites, out to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and back to an exciting finish inside the Von Braun Center (VBC) South Hall. The marathon serves as a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon.
In a race unlike any other, the runners will be an integral part of a comic book story that will unfold on the streets of Huntsville. Runners will help save the world from Dr. Ossired’s evil plans as laid out in this year’s book, “Race Against Time!” Interactive characters will be seen throughout the course.
The 46th Rocket City Marathon starts at Saturday at 7 a.m. with the Half-Marathon runners merging onto the marathon course at 9 a.m. They will run to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and Botanical Gardens with the marathoners before returning to the same exciting finish line inside the VBC South Hall. A post-race party and awards presentation will take place following the race.
“The Huntsville Track Club and Rocket City Marathon is excited to work with the Huntsville Sports Commission to expand from our current format into a full weekend event for 2022. As Huntsville continues to grow, we want our race to grow with it and become an exciting destination for runners near and far,” said Dwayne and Dana Debardelaben, Rocket City Marathon Race Directors. “Thank you to the City of Huntsville, Huntsville Police Department and literally thousands of volunteers who have worked hard to make the 2022 full weekend event a reality.”
The 2022 Rocket City Marathon will have all new courses. A 5K, 10K and Kid’s Marathon will take place on Saturday, December 10, 2022. The full marathon and two half marathons, a front half and a back half, will take place Sunday, December 11, 2022. An event expo will take place both Friday and Saturday. The theme will be a sequel to this year’s comic. There will also be a combo medal for runners who do a Saturday event (5K, 10K) and a Sunday event (Full, Half-Marathon). The 5K and 10K are planned separately so runners can run three events and get a “hat trick.”
“In teaming up with the Rocket City Marathon team, we agreed that to remain competitive in the sport we would need to convert the Rocket City Marathon into a two-day event,” Mark Russell, Huntsville Sports Commission Executive Director stated. “In addition, it greatly increases the economic impact for the city of Huntsville and drives more people to our restaurants and shops.”
For more information on this year’s race, visit RocketCityMarathon.run. Look for more information to be released throughout next year as details for the 2022 Rocket City Marathon weekend event are finalized.