Rocket City: Ready for Launch!

This week on The Back of the Pack Podcast, Eric Fritz and Rhonda Hayden return to the show as we officially begin the countdown to December’s Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama. With race weekend now just a couple of months away, registrations are climbing, the course is locked in, volunteers are being recruited, and preparations are underway for what could become the biggest Rocket City Marathon weekend yet. We get an inside look at an expanded expo featuring new Rocket City merchandise, Podcast Alley, interactive vendors, and even a little vendor bingo before turning our attention to what runners can expect on race morning. Eric and Rhonda explain the unique setup of the full marathon and back-half marathon, the warm indoor staging area at the Von Braun Center, pacer groups, and an important change coming to the early-start program after this year. We also spend plenty of time talking about the back of the pack, including how Rocket City handles sweepers, course support, and the runners who may need a little extra time and encouragement to reach that finish line. Then we get to the fun stuff: medals, shirts, Hat Trick swag, finisher gifts, and plans to make the indoor finish at the Von Braun Center even more memorable for the marathon’s 50th anniversary. There is also some major news for the event with PNC Bank joining as title sponsor, plus a look at how race weekend will once again support the pediatric department at Huntsville Hospital, this year helping toward a pediatric-specific ambulance. From running through Huntsville’s Christmas-lit Tinsel Trail to the growing Back of the Pack team making the trip south, this episode is our final big preview before we finally meet Eric and Rhonda in person and launch into Rocket City race weekend.