The weather was great for the Steamtown Marathon on Sunday.
It was the biggest turnout yet for the race from Forest City to Scranton, now in its 18th year.
From start to finish, there was lots of support for the runners who trained for the race.
The field of runners at Forest City Regional High School was ready to go, just minutes away from the start of the Steamtown Marathon.
Participants had their sneakers on, ready to embark on a 26.2 mile race to the finish line.
In the first few minutes, all the runners were together, a trail of men and women, all in the marathon together.
Supporters lined the streets, cheering on their friends and family.
"We're here supporting Megan Hine, really excited, it's her first marathon," said Kevin Howard of Factoryville.
The band was playing as runners made their way into Carbondale. Marathoners were led through the streets, from borough to borough.
For Maryjo Demarco of Dunmore, this was a chance to cheer on family who trained for this race.
"I'm so excited, my granddaughter is running. This is her second race and she brought her friend with her," said Demarco.
There was still a long way for the athletes to go, Jermyn and Archbald, then to Jessup and eventually the Electric City.
Before they could get to the finish line, folks kept the marathon runners hydrated. Marie Rupp of Archbald is in her 80s, and has been part of the 16 year effort to have water ready for thirsty runners.
"And I have lots of help, all my neighbors and friends, we collect money from the neighbors to buy the water," said Rupp.
Two or three hours later, the runners were finally on the home stretch in downtown Scranton. All that running paid off, and for Joe Swift, a Scranton native who lived up to his name, crossing the finish line with his son was the perfect ending.
"Best feeling in the world, saw the smile on his face, and I was so excited to see him," said Swift, who now lives in Connecticut.
Nearly 3,000 runners were in the 2013 Steamtown Marathon.
Fred Joslyn from East Syracuse finished in first place with a time of 2:22:08.
Congrats to all the runners and organizers!