Forums >Racing>Rocket City Course
Anyone run Rocket City in the last couple of years? I ran it many years ago, but the course has change. Just wondering if anyone knows how the current course compares with the course in the past (I ran it in 2005)...
And you can quote me as saying I was mis-quoted. Groucho Marx
Rob
I've run it both on the old and new courses, and I'll readily admit that I like the new course better. It definitely gives a better feel for what Huntsville is all about, taking runners by the space center, right by the Saturn V, almost under the space shuttle, then through the botanical gardens, etc.
That said, there are a couple more hills. I'd still classify it as a relatively flat and fast course, but it's got a little more rolling terrain throughout (including a hill that will get your attention right at the 20 mile mark!).
(another bonus is that you don't have that long miserable stretch up Bailey Cove Rd!)
hope that helps....
Nevels -- How bad is the hill at 20?
To be fair, there were two that caught my attention, one between 19 and 20 (in the botanical gardens), and one between 20 and 21 (coming into some neighborhood). Looking at the course elevation profile, neither of these are particularly noteworthy in comparison to the rest of the course, but I think that their locations in prime "wall hitting" territory caused me to remember them.
Nothing on the course is of the same ilk as Heartbreak Hill, so it's really not anything to get too worried about, just worth noting that it's not quite as pancake flat as the old course. More enjoyable, just not quite as flat.