Nov 16, 2024
Current Year Results
Results Search
Biggest/Best Boston Qualifier
2024 Results
2023 Results
2022 Results
2021 Results
2020 Results
2019 Results
2018 Results
2017 Results
2016 Results
2015 Results
2014 Results
2013 Results
2012 Results
2011 Results
2010 Results
2009 Results
2008 Results
2007 Results
2006 Results
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
2002 Results
2001 Results
2000 Results
☰
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 41 to 51]
|
B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa
(5/5/2014)
"Terrific Race" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 At a time when many races compete to be the fastest and flattest course, I admire when race directors create a challenging course. Flying Pig has done that in spades. In addition to the killer hills between miles 6-8, there are a number of smaller, but still difficult hills to which the elevation profile does not do justice. The course is pretty scenic with a cool downtown finish area. The on-course support could not be better, both the offical and unoffical aid. Except for lobster and steak, everything that you could want was available on the course, in addition to entertainment and loud spectators. The expo was ideal with everything you could want without being overwhelming. We arrived later on Saturday and left with enough personal care products to last a month. The shirt is great, the poster is nice and the bag is very well made. A great finisher medal that is big and heavy without being obnoxous. Easy parking near the start/finish and inexpensive hotels in Northern Ky- a 10 minute car ride away made logistics a breeze. Little to complain about, much to praise. A great city race. | |
|
g. C. from Milford, Ohio
(1/12/2014)
"Great experience" (about: 2013)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 At 65 years old this was a first for me. Not only my first marathon but my first race ever. I trained by myself and aimed for 14 minute miles. At mile 19 I developed shin splints, which I have never experienced. The last 7 miles were very painful but I was not going to quit no matter what. The course was challenging and the crowds fantastic. I high-fived everyone who had their hand out along the entire course and spent 15 minutes in Mariemont with my son and daughter-in-law and my four day old grandbaby Callie. It was a great social event and a wonderful challenge. I wouldn't trade it for anything. The city of Cincinnati can be very proud of such a great event and fantastic spectators. Gary Clemons DVM | |
|
B. B. from Hoboken, NJ
(7/24/2013)
"Great race" (about: 2013)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. Pro's: Very supportive crowd; course is pretty scenic and interesting for the first 18-19 miles; lots of water/gatorade stops etc.; variety of entertainment along course; very nice medal. Con's: Not enough bathrooms/porta potties in pre-race area - Paul Brown Stadium's were packed and/or not working, the lines in the corrals were bad too; I don't mind hills but the topographical map does not do justice for the rolling hills on the back half - if you are training find similar terrain; for some reason, like most races, there is some misplaced perception by race organizers that music blaring at 10,000 decibels at water stops is somehow motivating when it's actually incredibly annoying. | |
|
Whitney Allison from Chattanooga, TN
(7/23/2013)
"U Should Already Be Registered! :)" (about: 2013)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved this race!!! It was my 2nd marathon & well-worth the drive! The course is beautiful from beginning to end! So many different areas/neighborhoods to see throughout all 26 miles! The support was almost unbelievable; spectators lined the areas in-between all water stops! I suppose it takes a marathon years to develop such a hometown following/support. Various organizations/groups adopted different stations & areas and in the end, runners voted on their favorite. Forget the RnR series! The crowd support provided more music & cheering than my 1 prior marathon, which was a RnR. The course is not flat but every climb reveals a breathtaking view! The medal is so nice it got center place in my display case! The expo was well-organized & easy to navigate. The packet contained several neat items, including an over-the-shoulder cooler that I've used all summer! Don't let the 16th Annual Flying Pig marathon fly by without being taking part!!! | |
|
A. K. from Dayton, OH
(6/4/2013)
"Fabulous race!" (about: 2013)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I really loved the experience of running this race. There are many gorgeous neighborhoods in Cincinnati, the weather was great until the last 45 minutes or so when it started to rain a bit; not a lot, but enough to get me to feel like I was lugging a lot more weight than I was used to. My goal was to BQ, and I did it by 56 seconds! (3:34:04) and I can't thank the pace teams enough! I mean, I didn't even sign up to run with them nor did I until the last 5K and they caught up with me but Kenji and Mo didn't let me fall behind. He kept me engaged and kept saying, 'We're gonna bring you home, girl. You got this, you got it,' and I think if it weren't for them, I probably would have started to run a bit slower, thinking I could still PR, just not BQ. I also loved that you could customize your bib, so I put 'Ann Luvs Pig' on mine because I'm vegan and hence an animal lover. :) The medal was also awesome! The only thing I was very annoyed at was the congestion for the first 10K when I felt like I had to exert extra energy to keep my pace by weaving through people to pass them (who really shouldn't have started in the first two corrals). But the spectators were AWESOME! It was like the entire city was out on the streets! After having run a pretty lonely marathon as my first one with only 200 full marathoners last year, this was a good change of pace. As someone else noted, I didn't like the fact that I had to zig zag and walk through the entire expo to get my shirt and the special gift, which was a portable cooler this year, which is quite nice. I did love that they made all the coupons electronic this year because we do already throw away enough trash at the race and surely do not need to add to our carbon footprint. Overall, very fun, great race! | |
|
G. H. from Ohio
(5/15/2013)
"Mostly great race with a few issues" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Overall, great city, solid race. Was really well organized (always my top concern). Water stops and volunteers were great. The hills weren't that bad - still PR'ed. Loved the 6:30 am start time. Issues: Was overcrowded until the half-marathoners split off, perhaps because they seemed to let more people enter post-Boston? Couldn't have gone much faster at the beginning even if I wanted to. Also, at the expo, they force you to walk through the entire thing to get your shirt. After that, wasn't in the mood to go back and look at anything. | |
|
J. M. from Boonsboro, MD
(5/13/2013)
"One of the Best" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I didn't know what to expect in a race called the Flying Pig or the city of Cincinnati. I've discovered that both are great. The race is one of the best organized races I've run, which includes a couple MCMs, Disney, and about a dozen others. The expo could have placed the T-shirts closer and then let us OUT through the vendors, but I understand and didn't mind (too much) the gauntlet. Water and aid stations were frequent, well stocked (even for the 5 hour pace group), and well run. Volunteers were helpful and cheerful. THANKS! The first 6 miles are fun, across bridges, into KY, and downtown. The second six are pretty and, yes, hilly. While mostly up hill, the course winds through through a park and into the suburbs. Six/seven more take you through the beautiful town of Hyde Park (eat breakfast the next day at the Echo Diner) and through a very supportive development. The last 6+ take you back to the Ohio river and to the Finish Swine. I only gave the course 4 stars as the last 6-7 miles are really kind of boring (until the last 365 yards). Baltimore's hills are early (mile 2,3,4) and late (mile 16 lasts forever). A couple hills early isn't bad, just force yourself to walk early and save it. The spectator are - fantastic. The MCM's spectators make you feel like a real athlete. The are 4-5 deep at some points and LOUD. The Flying Pig spectators are the most supportive, cheerful, helpful and obviously proud of their pig race. Loved all of them. Stay a couple extra days in Cincinnati. Take in a Reds game (Upper box seat are all you can eat), go to the Zoo (high quality and white lions) and the aquarium in KY (walk the Purple People Bridge to get there). Eat at the Yard House (140 beers on tap) and walk/run the riverside parks (after dark the fountains have colored lights). I'll admit- I checked real estate prices in the area when I got home. I'll be back to Cincinnati even if only to run the Flying Pig race again. | |
|
L. R. from New York, NY
(5/10/2013)
"Great Event, Definitely a must do for 50 staters" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This event gets high marks in my book. Really well organized. Huge expo with lots swag. Everyone gets a tech shirt, cooler bag and a poster, plus of lots free getaways from vendors. Their website is helpful, they have deals with downtown hotels that give discounted rates and give you a 2pm late checkout. Several hotels in walking distance to the start with a shuttle bus to take you back from the finish. It is an early start at 6:30am. The sun did not come up until around the 3 or 4 mile for me (I'm not a morning person). Lots of crowd support. Water, gatorade, and time clock every mile. All the volunteers were very friendly. The half and the full start together and split around mile 9. The split and the relay exchanges flowed really well. Also worked well because the half finishers were out of the way by the time the majority of the marathon finishers got to the finish swine. The course was challenging, definitely a lot of hills. Nice amenities after you cross the 'finish swine.' The medal is iconic with the piggy on the front and pig butt on the back. Nice array of snacks, chips, fruit, power bars, etc at the finish. They even had free sausage sandwiches and hotdogs at one of the post-race booths. They have a 3-way and 4-way where you can run a 5k and 10k on Sat along with the half or full for additional bragging rights and goodies. The whole town really embraces the event. You get all the amenities of a big city race with a small town feel. They even gave runners priority boarding on plane for the flight home. If I lived closer I would run this one every year. | |
|
R. G. from Cincinnati, OH
(5/10/2013)
"Very very fun!" (about: 2013)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first racing experience, and I participated in the half. I so enjoyed my experience in Cincinnati. The spectators were terrific and really helped me to run much faster than I even expected. My only complaint was due to waiting in restroom line, I ended up behind about 5 miles worth of walkers. I actually felt like I spent 11 miles of 13.1 miles passing people- but maybe this was my fault for not starting with the correct pace team to begin with. Anyway, will be running the full Columbus marathon in the fall and will be back for this one in the spring. What a fun time!!! | |
|
M. H. from Virginia Beach, VA
(5/9/2013)
"Hills, Hills, and more Hills" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I will start this review by saying this course for me was two different extremes. The first half is really hilly and I did well with around an 8:30 mile pace. Where my problems came in was around mile 21 when I used up all my legs on the hilly portions and had to walk 4 miles which cost me big time. The course is hilly in the first half and many rollers in the second half. I didnt get to train on the hills due some achillies tendinitis in my left foot. I still finished a little over 4 hours even with all the walking. Course was good in the fact that it was mostly asphalt instead of the concrete that most big cities have. Weather was good and cool to start with (56 degrees) with cloudy skies. It started light raining around mile 18 until the end when the skies opened up after I finished and poured down the rest of the day and night. For those out on the course after 4 ½ hours then you got soaked. The race shirt was a white tech shirt with the pink flying pig over the city. Shirt was They also gave away a poster and a cooler to everyone. Medal was big and really heavy!!! NICE! The post-race food was basically Walmart boxed items. Chips, swiss cake rolls, etc. I didnt see any chocolate milk which is what I wanted. Stopped at a Target to get some! The volunteers were awesome at all the aid stations! I stayed at the Springhill Suites near the Airport which saved huge money on staying downtown. Also flew into Dayton which saved even more money. Some suggestions for runners of future flying pig marathons: Stay near the airport which is about 10-12 miles from downtown to get hotel rates near 50% of what they are downtown. Consider flying into Dayton and getting a rental car for time you are in Ohio. Saved $150 flying into Dayton and $75 on the rental car and it is only 60 miles from Cincinnati. Think about staying over until Monday to see a Cincinnati Reds game. They are always out of town during the weekend of the marathon but usually come back to town Monday night. In summary, as I am near the beginning of the 50 State project, I am glad I ran this one for the Ohio Marathon. The course is a good if you pace yourself and train for the hills between the 5th and 8 mile mark and the rollers in the second half of the race. |
Quick Links
Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools
© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC
