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Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.6 
Spectators 4.6
Number of comments: 518 [displaying comments 241 to 251]
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R. M. from Indiana, USA
(5/10/2007)
"Great crowd, good course, bad starting area" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd marathon and first Flying Pig. My first was Chicago 6 months ago. My wife, son, niece and I all participated in the Flying Pig 5K on Saturday and I ran the marathon on Sunday. I finished in 4:20 (a 40 minute improvement) over my Chicago time from 6 months ago). 5K Review - The course is totally flat and the event was family-oriented and a lot of fun. There were a lot of very inspiring and wonderful people out on the course pushing themselves as part of the hope and possibility division. I will not soon forget the woman who was completing the race on crutches. It was very uplifting and inspiring to see such effort! A medal was given for the 5K. It is a smaller version of the marathon medal and my son and niece loved it! On the downside, the pre-race registration tent at the 5K was very bad. Not organized well at all and although the tent was quite large, it was not marked in any way as the registration/packet-pickup tent. Marathon - I went to the expo on Saturday in the early afternoon (just after the 5K). It was easy to navigate and was a good expo. However, it is not in the same category as Chicago's. The Tech-shirt is very nice as is the day-pack that was given. I'm not much of a poster lover, so I really don't care much about it. I was glad to get the sample of alcohol-based sunscreen (I used it in the run). There were a couple other samples, but no energy bars or gels. On the morning of the race I left my hotel just 1 hour before the start and caught a cab to take me the 1.5 miles across the bridge that separates Covington, Ky from Cincinnati and the start at Paul Brown Stadium. A lot of people got up a little earlier and walked across. It was very nice to be so close! There were a lot of porta-johns at the start but still not nearly enough. I don't know why people in other reviews say there were not lines, the lines were huge (I waited 30 minutes)!! On the north-side of the Stadium the lines were very long. In fact people were still in the lines as the race started. Additionally, the crowd was so congested between the porta-johns and the starting area that it was very hard to get to the starting area (we were blocked by the spectators). There was simply not enough room in this area for the crowd on hand. This really needs to be improved! Crossing the first bridge at mile 1 we saw the sunrise, it was very beautiful! The crowd was tight and slow-moving at this point. My first mile was actually about 11 minutes even though when I got to the start through the crowd (via a gap in the fence that was supposed to separate the crowd from the runners), I was in the 8:30 area. Honestly, I like to just enjoy the race and I dont get to hyped-up about going fast. However, the course was pretty narrow for the number of runners and slow-moving even for me. I am not sure how they will successfully grow this race unless they modify parts of the course to ease the congestion. In other reviews, many people have talked a lot about miles 5-8 of this course, and indeed the elevation profile tells the story of the 600 foot rise over these 3 miles. However, what you don't clearly see is the fact that this course is rolling throughout with small to moderate hills all over the place! My GPS watch showed +-3200 ft of elevation change. It is not a terribly difficult course, but it deserves respect, please prepare accordingly. The crowd was great, and the on-course water/gatorade stations at every mile were also very good and well-manned. I picked-up my pace and was on-track to finish under 4 hours by about mile 6. However, I ran out of steam around mile 18 and started walking the remaining hills. The finish area was pretty no-frills (water, gatorade, bagels, bananas, and yogurt) and as far as I saw there was no post-race party. However, the medal is very cool! Overall, this is a good race, and I recommend it. However, I think its been over-hyped a bit. They had about 17K runners this year and say they will cap at 20K next year. A large number of these were relay runners and half-marathoners. I dont know where they will put the extra 3K runners on this course! To grow the course I think they will need to change the course or start the half marathon at a different time. The finish area is great, but please throw-in entertainment and some better food if you want to call it a party. | |
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F. 5. from Alabama
(5/9/2007)
"First Time Pig" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Always hear what a great time this race is. It really is a good time. The course winds through a diverse selection of neighborhoods and scenic places. The hills were a challenge for me but since I read the elevation chart for months previous to the race, I was as prepared as I could be. The organization of water stations and porta johns appears to be perfect. Although I'm sure it takes at least as much work to put it on as it does to run it. To the retired Navy guy at the front of the line on Friday, Sir you are an inspiration, thank you. Thank all of the other runners and volunteers who made this a memorable Sunday in Cincinnati. Oh, and the feathered porker medal rocks! | |
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K. P. from Oklahoma
(5/9/2007)
"Enjoyed it all even learned to love the hills" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Wow! I was told to do Cincinnati and I am glad I listened. The crowd was great, the course was beautiful. The hills, they were tough, but luckily there was beer to be had on the course to help us through it all. | |
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K. S. from Boise, ID
(5/9/2007)
"First-Class Event!!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Beautiful course, well organized race, great support, and a well-stocked finish line (loved the Gogurt!). And getting a congratulations handshake from the RD was classy. I loved the virtual tour available in advance - knew what to expect from the "hills." Thanks to all involved and I was very impressed with the city.... One you should plan on for sure. | |
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E. B. from Chattanooga, TN
(5/9/2007)
"What a Terrific Marathon" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'm a 5:30 average marathoner, and this is one of the best I've been to for the back-of-the-packers! What a great race! Tons of support on the course. The spectators were never-ending! The hills are challenging, but the worst is over by 8.5 miles and then it's just rolling. I highly recommend this race! My only small complaint was that there were no bottles of water or Gatorade at the finish - just cups like at the water stops. But the schwag was great and who wouldn't want to run in a marathon called "The Flying Pig"?!?!? | |
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K. H. from United States
(5/9/2007)
"Great first marathon! Fun and energetic!" (about: 2007)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and it was a great experience! The expo was organized and well-done. Great souveniers and volunteers! Great goody-bag, including a nice poster and shirt. One thing, however, about the marathon shirts is that the sizes ran very small. I understand they were fitted running shirts, but from a person who normally wears a small, I had to exchange it for a large. The start line was fairly organized; loved the indoor restrooms at Paul Brown Stadium and tons of porta-pots. It was a little confusing to find our pace at the start line, but we did find it with time to spare! The course was beautiful. The bridges into Kentucky were awsome! The neighborhoods and parks were awsome. The highway was a bit dull, but it was cool to run off an exit ramp. I did not find the hills as hard as I anticipated and did not tire me out to much. I gave a four to the fans because most of them were gone by the time we came by. The bands also had packed up and left. We were running a 12:30 pace and it would have been nice for them to stay out longer; there were no bands and few past mile 17. The finish line was cool; it was exciting to run through a couple of turns to the finish. They also announced our names at the finish line-that was a nice touch! Overall, great marathon and very fun and exciting! I will definitely run it again! | |
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S. W. from Mesa, AZ
(5/8/2007)
"Need Bio-Freeze and move finish to stadium..." (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is super event and I won't repeat that which has been written about in detail. I have but only two suggestions for 2008. Given the hills I was amazed there was no Bio-Freeze available on the course. Disney which is super flat had at least two B/F stations so come on Flying Pig, you are too good to fail on this one. I would also like to lend my voice to the suggestion of having the finish be on the 50 yard line inside Paul Brown Stadium. It would also ease the pain of the distance from the current finish back to the major hotels. Awesome event with awesome volunteers. Thanks Flying Pig... | |
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c. c. from salt spring island, b.c.
(5/8/2007)
"great but NEED MORE BATHROOMS OPEN BEFOREHAND" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is the second time I've run The Flying Pig Marathon, and I enjoy the festivity and camaraderie of it immensely. Also, it is a fast course. HOWEVER, why were so many of the bathrooms in the Paul Brown Stadium closed off this year? In the past, the second story bathrooms had been available too. When I arrived the lines for the two women's bathrooms were so long, I opted for the outdoor port-a-potties, only to discover the lines for them were wayyyyy longer and moving very slowly (what do people do in there?). So, with two minutes before race time, I moved to find my place in the starting line (elite area) without peeing. This was a hard decision and frustrating to have to make. I ducked into a port-a-potty at mile six and still had a PR, but it might have been an even faster time had there been ample restrooms open in the stadium or more port-a-potties available pre-race. | |
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T. H. from Florida
(5/8/2007)
"Great course and race organization" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 8th marathon and first Pig. What a great way to take in the sights and sounds of my home of many years. Great course offering variety of hills, urban and suburban roads. The hills were a comfortable grade and concentrated largely in the first 8 miles. The crowds seemed lighter this year than I recall from past years though those that were out were 150% into the run and cheering us on. Water and gatorade every mile was an unusual but nice touch. I'm very supportive of fund raising in general and noted early on that this event is a BIG run with the purple shirters. PLEASE consider supporting each other some other way than walking 5 to 8 abreast. I'm a slower run/walker and ALWAYS move to the side during a walk interval. This run had a lot of zig and zagging around walkers who did NOT exercise thoughtful consideration of others. All in all it was a GREAT DAY!!!! | |
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D. R. from Chicago, IL
(5/8/2007)
"Great race; disappointing finishing area." (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The course was much more difficult than expected. Based on the elevation map, I knew the hill from mile 5 to 9 would be difficult but didn't realize the entire course would be rolling hills. I loved the scenery throughout and the crowd support. The one disappointing aspect of the entire Flying Pig experience was the finishing area. It was well stocked in water, Gatorade and fruit, but no energy bars - only chips, bagels and cookies. It surprised me, given that the race was sponsored by Clif, but then again, maybe I missed it in my state of exhaustion. Would highly recommend this race to anyone! |
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