SCRANTON, Pa. — Tents are up, and crews are preparing the finish area for the Steamtown Marathon, which finishes in downtown Scranton. The last marathon was in 2019. The race wasn't held in the past two years because of the pandemic.
Organizers say they are energized by the number of people signed up to participate after the gap in time.
"We're thrilled that the community is still supporting us. The runners are coming back, and that makes us very special as it's our 25th running of the marathon," said Jim Cummings, assistant race director for the marathon.
More than 1,000 runners from 35 states and five countries signed up for this weekend's event.
The folks at Scranton Running Company say they're excited to get the runners back into the area.
"We've already started to see some people from out of town coming in to grab their last-minute things and kind of check out the area. They ask for a couple of local spots to get a good run in before they're ready to lace it up at the starting line on Sunday," said Jason Geadrities, Scranton Running Company manager
The race begins in Forest City, and the route takes runners through 12 other municipalities before ending in Scranton.
"We have a crew of volunteers from start to finish. We just ask drivers to be a little patient. We will get you across the course. And there's ways to get around the course as well," said Bill King, Steamtown Marathon race director.
King says they missed hosting the race because of how much it benefits the area's economy and how some of the money raises goes right back into the community.
"We've been benefiting St. Joseph's Center. We're proud that we've raised $2.1 million to this point, and we're hoping to be able to give them a large contribution again this year after the race," King said.
There are also plenty of places along the route for people to cheer on the runners as they go by.
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