Press Release - Flying Pig Marathon - 8/14/15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    
	Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon Emphasizes Community Partnerships, 
                   Earns Gold on Third Certification		 

Once in a while comes an event that is firmly rooted in a place and truly 
embraced by its people—the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon is one of those 
events. The May 3, 2015 event has just earned its first Gold Level 
Certification from the Council—it was certified twice before (2011-Basic 
and 2013-Silver).

Organizers looked to maximize collaboration with a long list of community 
partners bringing value and expertise to the weekend of events that drew 
nearly 40,000 participants and included an expo, the marathon, half 
marathon, 10k, 5k, PigAbilities run for people with disabilities, kids 
events and a dog run.

"We are so honored to receive this award from the Council for Responsible 
Sport," said Iris Simpson Bush, executive director of the Flying Pig 
Marathon. "We have worked very hard to be responsible in our environmental 
efforts and we are thrilled to have our hard work be recognized."
 
Highlights from the event weekend included diverting 70 percent of the 
waste generated from the landfill. Other ways the event reduced and reused 
included efforts such as collecting 250 pairs of shoes for redistribution 
through EcoSneakers, passing along 5,000 pounds of food to Northern 
Kentucky food banks and donating 940 pounds of vinyl banners to 
MATTHEW 25 MINNISTRIES, which provides disaster relief services 
around the globe.
		 
In 2015, $1.1 million was raised for 292 participating charities. 69 
scholarship entries were given to children in the Cincinnati Recreation 
Program plus another five to the Most Valuable Kids Program, which benefits 
youth in low-income households. 269 discounted entry scholarships were 
distributed amongst all the local YMCA After School programs. Volunteers 
also held a neighborhood cleanup and tree planting before the event.

And while not earning the event extra credit towards certification, we 
especially love the use of clever nicknames to incorporate the pig theme 
across all activities. From distributing past years' course signage to 
neighbors along the course so they can create 'swigns' of support, to the 
'Piggest Raffle' to raise funds for charities, to the 'piglet' kids run, 
it's clear that the goal is to get together and have a great time being 
active.

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