Runners Prepare for Mountain Goat Run

Art of Massage - Marshall Square Mall, 720 University Avenue, Syracuse

Click here to listen to broadcast report.

The 32nd Annual Syracuse Mountain Goat Run is set to take place Sunday. Roughly 2,000 people will be participating, according to a Fleet Feet sales team member. Fleet Feet, a running store, is one of the race's sponsors.

Although the race is four days away, runners are getting ready now. The owner of Art of Massage in Marshall Square Mall says a lot of runners are coming in for pre-race massages.

"Athletes benefit from massage because it helps them reduce the possibility of injuries," said owner Ed Griffin-Nolan.

Bryan Young, 22, of Syracuse, says this year will be the third time he's run the Mountain Goat. He says he's not getting a massage but can see why some are since the course is so challenging.

"It's called the Mountain Goat because Syracuse is a really hilly area so you just go up and down and up again," he said.

Instead of preparing with a pre-race massage, Young says he has been running four times a week for 45 minutes.

"I don't really bother with all that fancy stuff," he said. "I'm pretty basic when it comes to my training."

Massage or not, runners are scheduled to take off at 10: 15 a.m. on Sunday.