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Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 4.5 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.6 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 4.6 
 
 
Number of comments: 518 [displaying comments 121 to 131]
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V. L. from Canada (5/4/2010)
"First-Time Pig Runner" (about: 2010)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


This was my first time running the Pig, and even though I live/train in the flattest areas, I decided to run this despite knowing how hilly it was.

Or, I THOUGHT I knew how hilly it was! Definitley more rolling than anticipated.

Positives:
1. Great crowd support!!
2. Water/Gatorade stations at almost every mile.
3. The expo was really nice and organized, with lots of booths. Nice race t-shirt and duffel bag.
4. The cost of the hotel was dirt cheap compared to other places, and within walking distance of the start.
5. Thank goodness for the shuttle back to the hotel!
6. The post-race spread was just right: Bagels, fruits, chips and even donuts!
7. The Info booth after you exited the finish area was appreciated, especially since I was from out of town. I asked 3 different volunteers how to get back to the hotel and they gave me the same answer - not 3 different ones.

Negatives:
1. The water at some of the stations was just disgusting. I'm wondering if that's because the rain water got mixed in. And, the Gatorade cups were way too full. I dumped at least half of the contents, since I just wanted a sip, not a full drink.
2. The start was a little crazy. I should've started farther back because I'm slower, but I couldn't push through the crowd, so I ended up starting way too close to the front.

Overall, this was a great race. It's not my kind of course, but I was extremely impressed with the crowd support despite the constant rain. Running towards the finish, I felt like I had won first place with the spectators cheering so loudly!

I would recommend this race to others, but not if you don't like hills.

 

Eileen Hopkins from Cincinnati, Ohio (5/4/2010)
"Proud to call Cincinnati home!" (about: 2010)

6-10 previous marathons | 4-5 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


I LOVE the Flying Pig Marathon! The course is challenging but doable and the volunteers/crowd support on the course is unbelievable even in the wet and nasty weather that we had this year! I get choked up just thinking about it! I will definitely run the Pig again, and again and again! I love my hometown race!

 

B. K. from Cincinnati (5/4/2010)
"PIG FANS, BANDS, VOLUNTEERS ROCK!!" (about: 2010)

11-50 previous marathons | 6+ Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 5


Congrats to the race directors who had the courage to start this race on time, despite pounding rain and lightning. Makes me wonder why other marathons start late, even if the weather is good. And also many thanks to the hordes of fans lining the streets and all of the volunteers who braved a rainy day. The bands, though not as plentiful as last year, helped to brighten our day. I ran the 2007 Boston, where the rain scared away almost all of the fans (and there were no bands!). So, without a doubt, the Flying Pig fans, bands, and volunteers are simply the best!

ONE SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT: start the half marathoners about 10 minutes after the marathon runners begin. This will greatly enhance the experience for everyone. Are you listening, Iris?

 

Runner-Slash- Walker from Minnesota (5/3/2010)
"Don't run this if you're slow!" (about: 2010)

3 previous marathons | 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 3


I enjoyed the first half of the Flying Pig. The weather played a role in many of my negatives (I'm sure lots of volunteers/spectators stayed home), but it wasn't the reason for my ire. Caveat: I am a slow marathoner and was originally expecting to finish in 6:30, but rain-fueled blisters added an hour to my finish time. Many of these complaints will not apply to faster runners, but I think they are worth noting for this marathon, which claims to be walker-friendly.

Positives:

Expo merchandise was plentiful and reasonably priced, but I would have liked to see more long-sleeved tech shirt options.

Fairly easy to get downtown and lots of port-a-potties at start.

The first 7 miles of the race are fantastic - lots of entertainment and spectators. LOVED the guy at the mile 6 hill who sang "Twisting the Night Away" with new lyrics about running the Flying Pig Marathon!

Half/full split was well marked.

Volunteers were very friendly and did a great job!

Hilly course mixed up the muscle groups well, so it wasn't too exhausting.

College kids handing out beer at mile 14: nice touch. Not sure if that was officially sanctioned!

Negatives:

Race seems geared toward half marathoners rather than full marathoners. Vast majority of participants were halfers, and spectators dropped off sharply after the split.

Course support for slow finishers SUCKS.
-aid stations shut down before they needed to.
-course patrollers on bikes soared past in the last 5 miles without slowing down or asking if racers were okay or needed anything. Total garbage when the aid and medical stations are closed and people may need help. I went without Gatorade for an hour and a half. Also, only saw cyclists go by twice in last four miles.
-the finish area was completely threadbare by 7:45 after the gun. Nobody is there, people are dismantling everything. I understand that it can't stay up forever, but it's a very unwelcoming atmosphere for people who struggled to finish.
-went to the bus to get my sweat bag, but it wasn't there. Turns out it had been taken to the Race Info tent. POSITIVE: a very nice volunteer drove me around there, then took me to the parking garage, and was very apologetic about the cyclist course support.

Hardly any spectators after mile 18. I realize the rain played a role, but I just felt second-class compared to the faster finishers.

NOT walker-friendly, as advertised - almost no entertainment on the course whatsoever after mile 18.

We were ushered onto the sidewalk by police for NO reason, since they still kept the roads closed. Every curb and sidewalk ramp was AGONIZING.

Expo was poorly laid out, requiring a snake-like winding pattern that put the swag at the very back of the arena.

 

T. K. from Cincinnati,Ohio (5/3/2010)
"A great time on a soggy day!" (about: 2010)

11-50 previous marathons | 6+ Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


A very rainy start but a very well organized race. Race support was great even though we had less than ideal conditions.

 

M. G. from New York, NY (5/3/2010)
"Flying Pig" (about: 2010)

11-50 previous marathons | 2 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I am amazed how well organized the Flying Pig Marathon was this year - from letting you wait out the rain in Paul Brown Stadium to going off on time in the pouring rain. Great job by all of the volunteers at the water stops. I ran this race in 2002 and it had a small-town marathon feel; today it has the feel of a major, big-city marathon. I felt there was more stuff at the expo here than at the NYC Marathon. Great job by the organizers, and I plan on making a yearly trip back to my home town to run the Flying Pig.

 

T. C. from Indianapolis, Indiana (5/3/2010)
"Fun to run in the rain" (about: 2010)

11-50 previous marathons | 3 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Spectators, volunteers and City of Cincinnati - thank you for coming out in the rain to support and cheering us on. We love you.

Thank you to our 3:40 pacer team and leading us to qualify for Boston. You are awesome!!!

 

T. W. from West Lafayette, Indiana (5/3/2010)
"Great race with amazing community support!" (about: 2010)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


The only negative I have about this race is that they ran out of t-shirt sizes during the expo on Saturday. Otherwise, this was a great race! It rained/stormed nearly the entire time, but if you don't mind being wet, it was rather refreshing.

The course does have a good number of hills and bridge crossings; however, they are all early in the race when your legs are fresh, and after mile 8 the course is mostly downhill and flat. There's a huge amount of community support, which was so great because it really helps pull you along when you're feeling down. I would definitely recommend running this marathon.

 

G. T. from USA (5/3/2010)
"Blew it at the end" (about: 2010)

11-50 previous marathons | 4-5 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 2  FANS: 5


The expo, the race, and the crowds were all great. What blew it for me was the fact that, at the end, when you came out of the tunnel, they made you go through the food area just to get back to the end of the tunnel (another half-mile). You need to have a quick egress gate for people who just want to leave. The guy guarding the gate was downright rude and offered no rational explanation as to why we couldn't leave right at the end of the tunnel. Very disappointing. Might not run this race again.

 

B. M. from Philadelphia, PA (9/24/2009)
"The best marathon so far!!" (about: 2008)

3 previous marathons | 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


I like the course, which had rolling hills and flat parts. The people of Cincinnati are proud of this race and it shows. Every neighborhood was more encouraging than the last; it makes you want to move there.

The website and the emails from the race director are great - out-of-towners really appreciate it. The race description was the best! I would like that person to scout out all of my marathon courses because I ran the race in my mind many times before driving 700 miles to Cincy. That was so helpful! I saw all of the landmarks and people that were described. The expo was easy to find and had lots of good vendors; parking was free.

The medal is very nice. The pig theme is great, and many pigs run this race. Post-race, the food was good and they had a nice picnic.

My only gripe is that the finish line is behind an overpass, which means that you have to climb those stairs to find your friends and see them finish.

 

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