A record number of runners pounded the streets from Forest City to Scranton Sunday in the 14th annual Steamtown Marathon.
After a quick bus ride to the starting line at Forest City High School, runners sprawled out. Some sat. Some stretched. Others mentally prepared for the 26.2 mile journey ahead just as the pre-race jitters set in.
"(I'm) nervous, excited," said Tom Granoski of Swoyersville.
"Keeping my bagel down is going through my head right now. I'm just dying to get to the finish line; dying to get started," said Kelli Cuddey of Dunmore. She said she trained all summer for the marathon; a race that might just be the biggest physical test of her life. "I am an ex-smoker. I'm 42 years old. This is my first marathon. Anybody can do this. You just have to be dedicated."
At 8 a.m. a cannon fired, officially starting the race. The course took runners through Susquehanna and Lackawanna counties and into several communities like Carbondale.
"I think it's pretty cool because I like to see all of the different runners and their faces and all of their different clothing. Some are from Puerto Rico," said Maddie Souter of Chambersburg.
Thousands of runners pounded the pavement to get to the finish line in downtown Scranton.
More than $25,000 raised from the race goes to St. Joseph's Center in Scranton to benefit children and adults with special needs; a cause many said is worth running for and a marathon only a small percentage of the population can say they ran.
Organizers said for this year's race, they had a record number 2, 322 runners signed up for the event representing 40 states and three countries.
For a list of results, go to the Steamtown Marathon website.
After a quick bus ride to the starting line at Forest City High School, runners sprawled out. Some sat. Some stretched. Others mentally prepared for the 26.2 mile journey ahead just as the pre-race jitters set in.
"(I'm) nervous, excited," said Tom Granoski of Swoyersville.
"Keeping my bagel down is going through my head right now. I'm just dying to get to the finish line; dying to get started," said Kelli Cuddey of Dunmore. She said she trained all summer for the marathon; a race that might just be the biggest physical test of her life. "I am an ex-smoker. I'm 42 years old. This is my first marathon. Anybody can do this. You just have to be dedicated."
At 8 a.m. a cannon fired, officially starting the race. The course took runners through Susquehanna and Lackawanna counties and into several communities like Carbondale.
"I think it's pretty cool because I like to see all of the different runners and their faces and all of their different clothing. Some are from Puerto Rico," said Maddie Souter of Chambersburg.
Thousands of runners pounded the pavement to get to the finish line in downtown Scranton.
More than $25,000 raised from the race goes to St. Joseph's Center in Scranton to benefit children and adults with special needs; a cause many said is worth running for and a marathon only a small percentage of the population can say they ran.
Organizers said for this year's race, they had a record number 2, 322 runners signed up for the event representing 40 states and three countries.
For a list of results, go to the Steamtown Marathon website.
