Rocket City Marathon

The Rocket City Marathon is a USATF-certified Boston qualifier that starts and finishes at the Von Braun Center by Big Spring Park. Its gently rolling course tours downtown Huntsville's historic courthouse square and antebellum homes, the medical district, Blossomwood and Five Points, then heads out past the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, where runners pass rockets and the space shuttle, and through the Galaxy of Lights displays at Huntsville Botanical Garden. The weekend adds a 5K, a 10K and a 1-mile family fun run, plus a packet pickup expo in the South Hall, where the marathon finishes indoors.

Our take: Spectators can watch the start on Monroe Street, then walk a short way to the South Hall to cheer at the indoor finish line.