SCRANTON, Pa. -- More than 1,200 runners 26.2 miles spanning 14 communities -- the Steamtown Marathon is taking place on Sunday and downtown Scranton is gearing up to be the site of the finish line.
"My favorite part is just seeing the joy on people's faces as they come down the final stretch of the marathon and they hit the finish line," said race director Bill King.
The runners represent over 40 states and three countries. Thousands of spectators are expected.
"That's one of the things that the runners love so much about Steamtown. People come right out on the course and we're running right through the center of all those little towns, so it's awesome," King said.
"I know it brings people in from all over and we're right here on the race route so it really gives us a lot of exposure," said Jennifer Saunders.
Saunders owns Northern Lights Espresso Bar and Cafe in downtown Scranton. The coffee shop is always open on race day and she knows what to expect.
"We'll have our staff increased for the busiest parts of the race and we've let our customers know that the race is here to promote that as well, so we expect a busy day."
If you're driving through Lackawanna County on Sunday morning, there will be several road closures.
"All we ask is that people is that people be a little patient with the race and when there's gaps throughout the race, we'll be able to feed traffic across the course. But typically, if you're coming north or south on marathon day, you can use the Casey Highway or Route 6 which are completely unimpeded," said King.
Months of planning goes into making the marathon run smoothly. Members of the race committee joke that they don't sleep very much. There are always bumps in the road, but this year's challenge comes pretty late in the game.
"The people that are handling our Mile 9 water stop, unfortunately, had to pull out last minute," King said.
They're still looking for volunteers to hand out water and Gatorade at the stop in Carbondale Township. If you'd like to help out, email the race committee here.
North Washington Avenue will be completely tied up on Sunday morning since this is where the finish line is.
Linden Street from Wyoming to Adams will also be closed.
There will be several "no parking" zones as well. Click here for the parking map.
