SCRANTON -- The forecast for this weekend calls for cold and snow and that comes as one of the biggest outdoor events of the year runs through Scranton.
About 3,000 people are signed up for the Scranton Half Marathon on Sunday morning, and the weather doesn't seem to be freezing their enthusiasm.
It was a mild April day with plenty of sunshine for last year's Scranton Half Marathon.
The forecast calls for a much different scene and feel for the 13.1 mile run on Sunday.
"We've trained in everything, we've trained in the rain the heat and snow so no, it's going to be fine," said Susan Burke.
Runner Susan Burke isn't concerned with the forecast for cold and snow.
"Most of the runners are going to like the 20 degrees rather than the hot we had the past couple years, so it will be good."
Work assembling the finish line was underway at Scranton's Memorial Stadium, but the forecast for snow Saturday is delaying some of the set up.
"We set stuff up a little later to accommodate for the wind and weather but as far as runners go, they're resilient they're tough. They've been training, they're just looking to put that hard work down," said organizer Justin Sandy.
The Lackawanna Heritage Trail is dry now, with no snow to deal with at this point, but if the forecast is true and it's covered this weekend, organizers have a plan to deal with it so the runners can come through.
"If we need to go out and plow, we'll plow, we'll get it squared away," Sandy said.
No matter what the weather, the trail will look different Sunday morning with thousands of runners.
What snow does fall Saturday could melt on the half marathon route, since it is April.
"I'm not worried about the race itself. We have a crew ready to go," said race director Matthew Byrne.
Instead of worries about the weather, there's just excitement for the crowd of enthusiastic runners to take over Scranton again.
"Sold out every year," said Byrne. "2,500 the first year, bumped it up to 3,000 the last two years, and yes, it's sold out."
There is a race expo underway Friday night and Saturday at the Ice Box Sports Complex in Scranton.
The Scranton Half Marathon gets underway Sunday morning at 9 a.m. at Scranton's Memorial Stadium.
