For years, the Steamtown Marathon has been a popular fall destination race for runners seeking PRs and BQs. The marathon course features a full net elevation drop of 970 feet.
The course may be downhill and fast, but runners should be cautious about going out too fast in the early downhill miles. Also, there are three hills in the last 3 miles that can be difficult if the early miles were too aggressive and fatigued your quads.
The Steamtown Marathon was the 84th largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 73rd largest in 2022.
This year 18.6% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 18.2% of runners qualified for Boston in 2023.
This gives the Steamtown Marathon the 67th highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 55th highest percentage so far in 2024.
Its Course Score of 100.98 ranks it as the 27th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 3rd fastest course in Pennsylvania.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are within the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Steamtown Marathon a PR Score of 100.98. This PR Score ranks it as the 22nd fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 1st fastest in Pennsylvania.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Steamtown Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 1697 feet (517m) Min Elevation: 712 feet (217m)
After running Boston and CIM I cannot emphasize enough how amazing it is to be able to chill inside before the race. (And also have a drop bag so you can stay warm in sweats until go time.) The aid stations are solid although only two gel stations was a little sparse (bring your own as the first is passed ten miles) and I didn't know if there was gel till in was right on top of the kids holding them.
Course itself is awesome for 22 miles. Some rollers but no big deal and for the most part all gentle down. The trail portion was no problem, I actually liked it. At 22 there is a zig zag that no one warned about that kills momentum especially if you're in high stack shoes.
The hill at 23 is just as bad as everyone says. Hard to take advantage of the down after it so the race is pretty much a fight the last 5k.
That said, overall experience amazing at this race. Absolutely train on ups and down alike. Course is a 10/10 through 22 then maybe 4/10 but still an 8/9 overall.
Not sure if I'd do again but I would consider it.
Also, got a cheap(ish) hotel 10 min from bus drop the night before the race. Packet pickup took a minute. The logistics surrounding the race itself are top notch.
Race Tips
The best performance I saw were definitely people holding back early. Two HUGE mistakes I witnessed were not running tangents, forget the camber it's not that bad, run the tangents, and attacking the earlier hills. I had a pack leave me at about 9 when the hills started. Aside from a couple very shrewd runners, I got them all back. Your pace should absolutely slow a little the second ten miles.
Bring your gear with you to the start and have it at the drop bag at the finish so you aren't without anything you need immediately post race. It was pouring shortly after I finished and was so happy I had full sweats and rain jacket as soon as I finished.
Shane P's review of 2024 Steamtown Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
Loved the course beauty, organization and fast downhill. Scranton was charming and EVERYONE was sooo nice. Post race amenities were great.
Race Tips
Not really a complaint because a race should be a challenge but the uphills in the last 3-4 miles was really tough when leg muscles were shredded for fast downhill pace. Be advised! If I do this race again, I will focus more and speed and strength training more like 2-3 months out instead of one which I usually do. I did qualify for Boston, NY and Chicago with this one so it is really good for that but the day after my legs are more sore than any race I have ever run in the post-race recovery.
A shuttle to the ANZ hotel, would have been great. I zombie walked 1.5 miles shivering to it. By the way, the ANZ hotel, as a value hotel, was fantastic! Super friendly staff and allowed ALL runners a late checkout to 1300. I actually checked out at like 1330 when the hotel manager insisted that I take a long hot shower before my drive back to Virginia.
RTM's review of 2019 Steamtown Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
RUN THIS RACE
Everything about the race is as good as it gets. Organization, hospitality, course, volunteers, you name it. The community really gets behind the race and it leads the front page of the newspaper before and after the race.
Steamtown is my favorite marathon after Boston and this was my 15th overall.
The start is awesome as you are greeted by the students and cheerleaders from Forest City HS. You get to stay with inside the HS to keep warm in prior to the race, sit down etc...That’s a big bonus since it makes the pre-race wait so much easier.
Crowd support is solid through must of the course that is on roads. The crowd going up the hill at 24 definitely helps you out. The spectator support in the town of Carbondale around mile 9 is great.
The course is fast and really nice. It's pretty running along the river and the downhill grade is perfect except for a few tiny portions.
Finish line is great with more variety of food then you could possibly want or need. Parking is free and easy around the finish line so it's easy to get to the busses in the morning and to retrieve your car at the end.
Post race party at night is a nice touch. It's in a cool old Masonic temple with free drinks and food for EVERYONE, not just racers so bring your family and friends.
The only cons are it's kinda tough to get to Scranton if you can’t drive. The course has a very steep downhill near at about 1 mile but it's only for one block. There is also about a half mile section in mile 19 that is an unpaved trail that I thought was kinda rocky and didn't particularly enjoy. Other than that it was perfect all around.
Race Tips
The hill at 24 is real but it's manageable. I didn't look at my mile splits after mile 2 and just ran easy on how I felt and I ended up negative splitting the course by about 2.5 minutes. There was zero wait for busses, we literally just showed up and got on one and off we went.
Pros -> Amazing Volunteers, Great crowd support, Well coordinated, Great post race food and part, Not congested Cons -> Point to point, down hills, rolling hills I really had high expectations based on other reviews and this marathon far exceeded them. You get a sense that you are part of their family with the hospitality the town, the spectators, the volunteers and the organzines treat you with. It starts with the emails leading up to them. They are genuine, informative and funny. The expo had a race seminar that felt more like a conversation with good friends that ran the course before than a typical seminar on the course. It included some amazing athletes with impressive records. Also at the expo, they have about 2 volunteers for every runner (that is not a scientific number, but is the mantra for this whole race, lots of enthusiastic and friendly volunteers) . On race day its easy to get to the buses that take you to the starting point with their buses and just like everything else they have more than enough volunteers and buses and everything flows smoothly. We got off the buses to a tunnel of high school cheerleaders cheering for us. At the starting point, there were plenty of porta johns, indoor seating, tons of volunteers and a great atmosphere. The race has a great start with a civil war cannon! There are official water stops every two miles that are marked ahead with signs alerting you that they are coming. They have plenty of portajohns throughout the course. The course goes through many small towns where the citizens act like this is the biggest event all year with the amazing support they bring. In addition to the official aid stations, there are about another 20 impromptu aid stations with people in their front yards handing out everything from candy to tissues to baseline to beer to whiskey and many more things I can not recount. At the finish line, there is plenty of amazing food and a beautiful square to hang out with family and friends. There is also an awesome after party with free booze! The course is beautiful with a lot of variety between small towns and nature along scenic trails. In a nutshell, this race is amazing because the people are amazing. It has a small town charm and hospitality that you just cannot create at the big city races but has the efficiency and perks not found at the small races!
Race Tips
The most drop is the first 6 miles. Take them slower than any other miles or you will regret it! Although it's mostly downhill (see elevation chart) it will not feel like. The drops are all at once and in between the "flat" parts are actually slightly uphill. Has more of a rolling hill feel which really shocked. The "monster" hill at mile 25 that everyone talks about has amazing spectator support that will make it a lot easier than it is!
