• The course features a 955' net elevation drop
  
  

• From 2002 through 2005, more than 26% of all Steamtown finishers qualified for Boston.  In 2006, 28% of all finishers qualified for Boston.
  
  

• Runner's World has named Steamtown, “One of the nation's 10 fastest U.S. marathons.”
  
  

• Running Times has listed Steamtown as having one of the nation's 10 fastest marathon courses.
  
  

• According to www.runningusa.org, 26% of all finishers in 2004 marathons ran under 4 hours. In 2004, 56.4% of all Steamtown finishers ran under four hours. In 2005, no other U.S. marathon with at least 750 finishers had a higher percentage of overall finishers under four hours than did Steamtown (54.7%). From 1996 through 2005, 7,409 (57.4%) of Steamtown's 12,910 finishers ran under four hours.  In 2006, 57.3% of all finishers posted times under four hours.
  
  

• According to www.marathonguide.com, 1.6% of all finishers in 2005 marathons ran under three hours. In 2005, 4.2% of all Steamtown finishers ran under three hours. From 1996 through 2005, 4.5% of all Steamtown finishers ran under three hours. According to www.marathonguide.com, Steamtown was one of only nine U.S. marathons with at least 300 finishers to have at least 4% of its finishers run under three hours in 2005.  In 2006, 4.3% of all finishers posted times under three hours.
  
  

• In 2005, Steamtown's median finishing time (using clock time of all finishers) was 3:55:28, the fastest median time of any U.S. marathon with at least 750 finishers. The slowest median clock time in Steamtown's 10 year history was 3:56:03.  In 2006, Steamtown's median finishing time was 3:54:27.
  
  

• According to www.runningusa.org, the median finishing time for all male marathoners in 2004 was 4:23:35. For females, it was 4:55:21. At Steamtown in 2004, the median finishing time for males was 3:45:47 and for females was 4:12:53. In 2005, the times were 3:49:11 and 4:09:04 respectively.
  
  

We recommend you review the following course description very carefully and visit the Training Tips section of this Web site to get advice from elite runners who know the Steamtown course very well.

The following course is certified to USATF standards.  The Steamtown Marathon is an official qualifying event for the Boston Marathon.

Steamtown Marathon

Detailed Course Directions

 

0.5 miles – right turn onto Dundaff Street (this is the really steep two-block downhill you may have heard about) 

 

0.7 miles – right turn onto Main St. (Rt. 171). The residents of Forest City line several blocks of Main St. and cheer you on! Lots of downhill once you leave town – beautiful fall foliage too!

0.7 miles to 6.9 miles - although this long stretch of the course is a bit rolling and even has a few uphills, it's also the section where you'll experience much of the overall elevation drop.  Scenery changes here from "Main Street USA" to rural highway back to Main Street again.

6.9 miles - Main St. (Rt. 171) becomes Belmont Street

 

7.3 miles – right turn onto Canaan St.

 

7.35 miles – right turn onto N. Main St. (Welcome to Downtown Carbondale and its large enthusiastic crowd!) 

 

7.7 miles – N. Main St. becomes S. Main St. (aren’t you thrilled to know that?)

 

7.8 miles – bear to right onto Pike St (see ya Downtown Carbondale!)

 

8.3 miles – Pike Street becomes Gordon Avenue

 

9.6 miles – right turn onto Erie St.

 

9.62 miles – left turn onto Lackawanna Ave.

10.85 miles – right turn onto Poplar St.

10.95 miles – left turn onto Main St (welcome to Downtown Mayfield Borough)

 

12.1 miles – bear left onto Washington Avenue (welcome to Jermyn Borough, home of The Windsor Inn, maker of the world’s second greatest hot wings!)

 

14.27 miles – turn left from Main St. onto Monroe St. (Propst Mini-Mart on left)

 

14.38 miles – turn right onto S. Laurel St (you’re now in a traditional Archbald Borough neighborhood)

 

14.79 miles – Laurel St. becomes first segment of Rails to Trails. Sorry, you can’t drive this part of the course, but you’ll love running it. An absolutely beautiful, tree lined dirt trail (hard compacted dirt, perfect for running). Fantastic fall foliage and the Lackawanna River just a few feet to your right!

 

15.35 miles – dirt trail becomes River St. (paved road). Road winds for a few blocks past a few small houses.

 

15.64 miles – after crossing Lackawanna River over small bridge, make an immediate left back onto Rails to Trails (hard dirt surface again – river now on your left).

 

16.63 miles – cross Bridge St. (paved street, Cousin’s Market ½ block to your left) then get right back onto trail. A nice crowd is expected to gather here.

 

16.84 miles – you’re still on the trail here and you’ll see the back of Santarelli Oil on your right.

 

17.10 miles – trail ends, turn right on Depot St.

 

17.13 miles – turn quick left onto River St.

 

17.35 miles – turn right onto Keystone Ave

 

17.49 miles – turn left onto Main St.

 

17.69 miles – turn left onto Riverside Drive

 

17.95 miles – turn left into Mellow Park at main gate, bear left inside park on paved pathway, do loop around soccer field, pass bandstand on left, bear left at fork and continue alongside chain link fence, curve clockwise around the tennis courts, then head back and exit park back through main gate (yes, you’ll have a chance to see the runners that are trailing you here!)

 

18.51 miles – exit park and turn left over foot bridge – cross Lackawanna River into Condella Park, Olyphant Borough.

 

18.59 miles – turn right onto wood chip trail in Condella Park.

 

18.97 miles – bear left on side trail and run towards Condella Park exit.

 

19.03 miles – exit park, running a short distance on Susquehanna Ave.

 

19.05 miles - turn left onto Dolph St.

 

19.13 miles – turn right from Dolph St. onto James Ave.

 

19.25 miles – turn left onto Jackson St, then make an immediate right onto N. Valley Ave.

 

19.73 miles – Turn right at "train station" bandstand onto W. Lackawanna Ave. (Welcome to Downtown Olyphant and its cheering fans!)

 

20.08 miles – turn left onto Main Ave. at the ship’s anchor (yes, there’s really a ship’s anchor at the intersection)

 

20.83 miles – turn left onto Eagle Lane and enter the Dickson City Industrial Park

21.06 miles – after crossing railroad tracks, turn right on industrial park road

 

21.47 miles – exit industrial park and turn left onto Boulevard Ave. (road meanders through Dickson City and Throop boroughs)

 

22.52 miles – stay on Boulevard Ave (that’s Lackawanna County’s exciting recycling center on your right…oh boy!)

 

23.07 miles – you’re now crossing Parker St. on Boulevard Avenue (Yikes! A nasty little uphill starts here, but don’t worry, it’s only about one block long).

 

23.29 miles – bear right at the Convenient Store and stay on Boulevard Ave.

 

23.77 miles – At the T- intersection at the funeral home (how appropriate), turn left from Boulevard Ave. onto Electric St.

Note: This is where the eight-block uphill used to begin, but fear not, we’ve traded it for a hill that’s only three blocks long and two of the three blocks are just a slight uphill! 

 

23.82 miles – the Electric Street hill begins!

 

23.90 miles – after just one block, the Electric St. hill ends! At base of traffic island, bear right then left and run two blocks on a slight uphill on Sunset St. The crazy neighbors from Green Ridge love to cheer the runners on here!

24.12 miles – Turn right onto Wyoming Ave. and run one block.

24.21 miles - turn right onto Delaware St., run two blocks, and make a left onto Capouse Ave.

24.44 miles – cross Green Ridge St. on Capouse Ave. (enjoy the little downhill!)

24.59 miles – follow Capouse Ave. through the little "S" curve at the Marion St intersection.

24.94 miles – turn left from Capouse Ave. onto Walnut St

25.09 miles – cross Wyoming Ave. on Walnut St.

25.30 miles – turn right onto N. Washington Ave. (can you see Downtown Scranton in the distance?)

25.50 miles – Arrgh! Who put that two-block uphill here by Coopers Restaurant and why is Cooper’s shaped like a boat?

25.90 miles – And down the stretch they come!

26.20 miles – The finish is at N. Washington Ave., about 250 ft past Linden St. It’s a downhill FINISH! Relax with a snack on Courthouse Square and cheer the other runners home!  

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