Steamtown Marathon 2026: The 955-Foot Drop, Cooper's Hill and Race-Morning Weather

The short version — The Steamtown Marathon is Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, with an 8:00 a.m. ET start at Forest City High School and a finish at Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton. The point-to-point course loses 955 feet from start to finish, most of it early, then asks for one last climb at Cooper's Hill, 25.4 miles in. Buses leave downtown Scranton from 5:30 to 6:45 a.m., there are 14 aid stations, and the limit is six hours. The last two race mornings at the Scranton airport read 53°F and 49°F around the start.

Steamtown started in 1996 and runs through a dozen small towns in the Lackawanna Valley on the way south to Scranton. It has a reputation as one of the faster Boston qualifiers in the East, and the downhill profile is why. It is also why people limp around Courthouse Square afterward. The 2026 edition is the 29th, and as of Sept. 28 the registration page still reads open.

What time does Steamtown start, and how do you get to Forest City?

The race says about 80 percent of runners ride its buses, and there is no transportation back to the start afterward. That settles the plan for most people: park in Scranton, where the race notes that street meters are free on race day and there are pay garages on Adams Avenue and at Linden Street, then ride north. A 6:45 a.m. bus still leaves you a cushion before 8:00, but the early buses are the ones with room to spare. Bring something to sit on in the school.

Bags follow a strict rule: only the clear plastic bag the race provides is allowed on the buses, at the start and at the finish. Non-transparent bags and sacks are banned. There are 65 portable toilets at the start, 24 along the course and 10 at the finish.

How steep is the downhill, and where does it hurt?

The course directions flag the turn onto Dundaff Street at 0.95 miles as a very steep downhill, and the first third keeps dropping from there — averaged out, 955 feet over 26.2 miles is about 36 feet per mile, though it never feels average. The trouble with a front-loaded descent is that it feels free: pace looks great, breathing is easy, and every step is a small eccentric load on the quads you pay back after mile 18.

The 2025 women's winner said it plainly in the race's post-race report. Kim Brown of Toronto led by 1 minute 15 seconds at mile 19, then nearly lost it: she knew the profile but did not expect her quads to respond so badly to the downhills, and the gap was 22 seconds at mile 25. She held on in 2:51:39.

Then there is Cooper's Hill on North Washington Avenue, named for the seafood restaurant beside it. The 2025 men's winner, Thomas Dean, had run the Pikes Peak Ascent three weeks earlier and still called it never-ending. He won in 2:24:40 after passing the leader, who had stopped past mile 22, near 23.5. If you run St. George as a tune-up or have read that guide, the lesson carries over: downhill courses are fast only for legs that trained downhill.

Did the course change recently?

Yes, the finish did. Ahead of the 2025 race, the Scranton Times-Tribune reported the route from about mile 19.5 was redrawn: instead of Main Street in Dickson City around miles 20–21, it now runs the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail, enters Scranton on Boulevard Avenue, and comes in via Electric Street, Capouse Avenue and Walnut Street to North Washington Avenue. Race director Jim Cummings cited safety on a busy business street; the change also cut about three blocks of uphill near mile 23.7, so pre-2025 course reviews describe a slightly harder last 10K.

How cold is race morning in Forest City?

FindMyMarathon's average for the date is a low of 43°F and a high of 64°F. The last two race days, from hourly observations at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (the NWS station for the valley, via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet):

Two things to read into that: the airport sits in the valley, while Forest City is close to 1,000 feet higher, so a school parking lot at 7:30 a.m. can feel colder than the airport reading; and the temperature barely moves on race morning either year (2024 held 47–50 in light rain, 2025 crept 55 to 60), with no real heat problem in either year.

The National Weather Service Binghamton office covers the valley. Its seven-day forecast reaches Oct. 11 around Sunday, Oct. 4. That is the forecast to plan around.

What should you wear for a 48 to 55 degree downhill start?

For most runners, shorts and a singlet or short sleeve, plus a throwaway long sleeve and cheap gloves for the wait at the high school. Dress for mile 4, not for the bus. The first miles are downhill and fast, so you warm up quicker than on a flat course. If the forecast shows a rainy 48 like 2024, a hat with a brim keeps water out of your eyes and arm sleeves you can push down beat a jacket. Our kit-by-temperature chart has every band.

Tights are a fair call below the mid-40s or in steady rain. Budget pairs, including Bubblelime's printed tights at about $22, cost a fraction of $100-plus big-brand versions — check the size chart and waistband, since pocket design and fabric weight are what you give up at that price, and the pocket still has to hold two gels without bouncing on a descent. Test any new pair on a long downhill run first.

Shoes matter more here than on a flat course: more forefoot cushion saves some quad and shin pounding in the first 10 miles. Race in shoes you've already run long in; our shoe rotation guide covers which pair belongs on race day.

Where are the aid stations and gels?

There are 14 stations, each with water and Gatorade, at miles 2.90, 4.60, 6.64, 8.80, 10.8, 12.25, 14.75, 15.80, 18.05, 18.90, 21.30, 23.30, 24.30 and 25.27. The longest gap is 2.5 miles, from 12.25 to 14.75, which is on the first rail-trail section. Gels come at two points only, near miles 10 to 11 and near 20.5.

Two gel stops is thin, so carry your own — four to six for a 4-hour pace, one every 35 to 45 minutes, first one before the 6.64 station so you can wash it down. A small belt handles that without a vest; our belt vs. vest comparison explains why.

Can you still enter, and how fast is the field?

The race's registration page reads "Registration is open." Wikipedia lists a cap of 3,000 runners, though it hasn't been close lately — FindMyMarathon counts 892 finishers in 2025 and 898 in 2024. There are no deferrals, and the partial refund window ($25, by Aug. 1) has closed.

The limit is six hours, which works out to about 13:44 per mile. The race says finishers past seven hours will not be listed in official results and may not get a medal. As for Boston, the race's FAQ says 28 percent of finishers qualify on average. FindMyMarathon's count for recent years is lower, 18.2 percent in 2025 and 18.6 percent in 2024. Either way it is one of the higher rates anywhere.

How should you spend the last two weeks before Steamtown?

As of Monday, Sept. 28, Steamtown is 13 days away; on an 18-week plan, this weekend's long run is the last real one, usually 10 to 13 easy miles (the fall marathon countdown has the full week-by-week table). Specific to this course:

The same Sunday, Oct. 11, is Chicago; our Chicago weather and kit guide covers that start. For a smaller fall race with a similar small-town feel, see Wineglass in New York the week before. Every guide is on the marathons page.

FAQ

What time does the Steamtown Marathon start? 8:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, at Forest City High School.

Is Steamtown a downhill course? Yes. It drops 955 feet net from Forest City to Scranton, mostly in the first third, with a short climb at Cooper's Hill near mile 25.4.

What is the time limit? Six hours. Finishers past seven hours are not listed in official results.

Is there a shuttle back to the start? No. Buses run only from downtown Scranton to the start, 5:30 to 6:45 a.m.

Sources: Steamtown Marathon (date, registration status, time limit, deferral policy) with its schedule, course directions, FAQ and 2025 post-race report; MarathonGuide (date cross-check); FindMyMarathon (elevation, finishers, BQ rates, date averages); Iowa Environmental Mesonet (NWS hourly observations, KAVP); NWS Binghamton; Wikipedia (history, field cap); The Scranton Times-Tribune, Aug. 27, 2025 (course change). Checked Sept. 28, 2026.