It’s just about time for runners to begin training for the biggest race of the year in NEPA: The Steamtown Marathon.
Bill King has been the race director since it began in 1996.
“When we first started it, we had about 500 runners the first year,” he said. “It grew from there, and it kept growing and growing.”
Organizers are seeing an increase in registrants this year, showing that the love for the sport is vibrant in the region.
Steamtown Marathon: By the numbers
King says roughly 1,200 people ran the race last year. He says nearly twice as many people are signed up for the Oct. 11 marathon compared to this time last year.
“We got a lot of positive feedback about the new course last year, and we think it's a little faster. We took some hills out toward the end,” he said.
King believes the new course for the 26.2-mile race, implemented in 2025, played a role in attracting more runners this year.
“I also just think that more people are starting to run marathons again,” he said. “Runners were shifting away from marathons and doing these mudder races and these hill and mountain races, and now I think people are starting to come back to the marathon.”
The Steamtown Marathon course
This race is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon and King says many runners come to Scranton just for the marathon.
“The course is absolutely beautiful,” he said. “A good portion of it runs along the Lackawanna River, the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority Trail. It's usually fall foliage at that time.”
Runners travel through 14 municipalities from Forest City to Scranton, with spectators cheering them on.
Georgina Prosachik ran her first marathon in 2019. Since then, she has run a total of five marathons: four in Scranton and one in Harrisburg. She prefers the Steamtown Marathon’s course.
“I'm so used to it,” she said. “We trained the whole summer on it.”
Prosachik trained with Scranton Running Co.’s Barrier Breakers training program, which helps runners prepare for their first race from 5K to marathon.
Training programs for runners
Scranton Running Co. in Scranton and Valley Running Co. in Forty Fort are running stores that serve as hubs for the local running community.
There are weekly group runs at Valley Running Co. every Wednesday evening, and training programs throughout the year for specific races.
The Steamtown Marathon training program, for runners and those who run and walk, begins June 16. In order to join, you must be able to complete a 10k at a 13:30 pace per mile. The group trains four times a week with coaches providing encouragement.
Dan Schreffler is a coach who also trained with the group.
“The [Barrier] Breakers program helped me come back from some issues I had with cancer, and last year I actually had an opportunity to run a marathon, all because of this group. It was tremendous,” he said.
Coaches remind runners to drink water and breathe, and ensure they keep up with the pace of the group.
“The program allows for walking if you need to walk just to run that first mile,” Schreffler explained. “It's bite-sized, doable pieces with encouragement. So all along the way you feel you can do it.”
Melody Ammenhauser ran her first 5K race two years ago when her niece asked her to be her buddy for Girls on the Run, a program that encourages young girls to run.
“I did that thinking that a 5K would be super easy, and it wasn't,” she said.
After that, she wanted to train for a faster 5K, which is 3.1 miles long.
“I googled running clubs in Scranton and saw the Barrier Breakers,” she said. “I showed up and I didn't know anybody.”
Ammenhauser achieved a faster 5K, then completed her first half marathon in April of this year, and plans to join the marathon training group this summer.
“I'm just happy to be here,” she said. “It's very social… Even if you're not social, they're gonna bring it out of you.”
“It really is its own community,” said Samantha Conway, who also started running two years ago and is planning to run her first marathon in the fall.
“I was out with a stress fracture for a while, so I came back last year and I decided to cheer on the Steamtown marathoners from our group last year and I was just really inspired by watching them run,” she said.
Races in NEPA
Not every runner follows a training plan or has a coach.
Kevin Harding started running at 62 years old.
“My first race was at 70,” he said. “It took me eight years to get in shape.”
After many years of running without tracking his speed or time, Harding ran the Pittston Tomato Festival 5k in 2025 and finished in less than 27 minutes.
“The first race I ever ran in my life, I won it,” he said.
Harding ran his first trail race in May at the Jen Stec Memorial Race at Frances Slocum State Park.
The race, hosted by the Wyoming Valley Striders, honors Jen Stec, a late runner who won first place female on that course multiple times.
The course is difficult, with steep hiking trails, muddy areas and uneven terrain.
Harding, now 71, came in 21st overall. He hopes to inspire others in their 70s to challenge themselves.
“It's not always about winning,” he said. “Especially at my age, I'm just blessed and grateful I could do it.”
Race director Linda Wojnar-Krasnavage was practically born a member of the Luzerne County running group.
“We were founded in 1975. My father, Vince, was a co-founder,” she said. “So we hold various races throughout the year, all different distances, starting with our Winter’s End in March all the way through the 20k and 5k in November.”
Runners can become a member of the Wyoming Valley Striders for $12, but they don’t have to in order to register for a race.
“The added benefit of becoming a member is getting our newsletter. We have a discount for our bigger races … as well as store discounts at Valley Running and Scranton Running,” she said.
Members don matching shirts at local races to represent the 51-year-old organization.
“I grew up around the Striders,” said Russell Keeler. “They all had their nice green and white singlets on so you knew the Striders were in town no matter where they went.
"It's nice to see that it grew just because kids were involved with their parents, whether they ran or not,” he said. “And if they got into running, they gravitated to this group.”
Keeler’s favorite local race is the Wyoming Valley Run, a 10-mile race from Pittston to Wilkes-Barre.
There are several races happening throughout the year, especially in the warmer months. Some raise funds for charity, others are in conjunction with an event and some offer an extra challenge, like the Mainline 5K at Montage Mountain Resorts.
Visit DiscoverNEPA for more information about upcoming running and walking races in the region.
