The marathon course was fine; hilly between 5 and 7, but otherwise kind. It wasn't scenic throughout but there were views of the river and some tree lined streets to enjoy. The absolute worst part of the race was the start line. It was too narrow and too crowded with spectators who should not have been permitted to crowd onto the office building-enclosed city street on which the start line was positioned. Inevitably, as the time drew near, people began shoving and trying to force their way through the crowd of spectators/runners. I was pushed to the ground by a man (twice my weight and at least a foot taller than me) in the middle of this angry mob. It was not the positive scene or energy with which anyone wants to start a marathon. The finish was poorly planned as well. The final stretch toward the finish line narrowed to accomodate the width of only three or four runners. I was at the height of my final sprint when I had to abruptly stop a few yards short of the finish line because a group of runners in front of me had slowed to join hands for a group photo as they crossed the finish line. There was no room to bypass them because of the funnelling chainlinks on either side, and the group either did not hear me or ignored me when I called out. This is the only marathon I've run after which I can say it is not in my best interest to run it again. If you want a positive marathon experience with great organization and positive energy, try Chicago or the R&R Marathon in San Diego. If you want to bully or be bullied at the start, wait in single-file to cross the finish line, and leave disappointed from running a poorly organized race, try the Flying Pig.

Organizationally fantastic (Only the Air Force Marathon is better) course is beautiful (but hilly) Pr'd despite going into the hill at ~7 miles too hard. Long stretches with few spectators, but I don't mind.

The bridges at the end are a b*tch but worth the view and the challenge. Finishing area on the river was great. Some SNAFU on the intermediate timing stations (for split times) but otherwise perfect!

Great race!! After 6 years of being haunted by my unsuccesful attempt at the Atlanta Marathon in 1995, I decided to try again. This time in Cincinnati. I was pleased with my 4:12 time and am now hooked on marathoning. The Pig was a lot of fun. Great fan support. Couldn't imagine better volunteers. Great food. I immediately signed up for Chicago and look forward to running Cinti again in '03.

I ran the 2002 marathon and LOVED it. This was my fifth marathon and I think my favorite to date. The course was fun to run for the most part. There was a part along a highway which was boring to run, but every course has a portion where its hard for spectors to get to or you have to run through an industrial park. The spectors were great. In fact around mile 18 (I think) there was a group of people handing out candy and cookies to the runners. My only complaint was I stopped at a first aide station for some vasoline and they did not have any. The volunteer gave me some medical tape which helped for about a mile. The finishers' area after the race is a large fenced in grassy area with ample shade and plenty of food (including ice cream). The best part of this marathon without question is the medal. It is the coolest medal I have in my collection. I would highly recommend this marathon to all marathoners.

The 2002 Flying Pig was my first maraton after a 10 year layoff. I had a PR and a fun time. Fantastic support from fellow runners and fans along the way. I will definately run this race again in the future. I urge anyone who is thinking about running a marathon to check this one out.

I really enjoyed this race, but I have to agree with most of the other comments. The start was unnecessarily crowded. There were far too many non-runners crowding the street. Some of the water stops were crowded together, then some were too spread out. The hills were a challenge, but not too difficult. The fans were plentiful in some areas, lacking in others. Overall, a great experience.

For a medium sized marathon, it doesn't get much better than the PIG. The course is challenging, but not overwhelming. The spectators were plentiful with the exception of miles 17-23. The start was very crowded and lacked enough portapots. Other than that, no complaints. I have run 7 marathons and this one is one of my favorites. Cincinnati pulls out all the stops for the PIG. I would recommend this fun marathon to anyone. Great goodies considering the cheaper than average entry fee.

This was my 6th marathon and a PR. I stayed with my pacer, George, until the last hill and was able to fly into the finish with 2 minutes to spare! (Thanks George!) I was greatly 'humbled' in my last marathon, and thankful that God gave me this chance to meet my goal of qualifying for Boston. The course was scenic, fluids plentiful (at every mile) and fans enthusiastic. I especially liked the chorus at Lookout Pt. singing 'I'll Fly Away.' Thanks again, Cincinnati!

This was my 4th marathon and I set a PR. The course crosses different areas: city, parks, along the river. The hills are not a problem as they are in the first part of the race. Some have been surprised by the bridges after mile 23. We got a map with the package. We knew they were there. So be prepared, they are not so bad. Congratulations to the spectators who got up early, in the fog, to cheer up the runners.
Improvement: more porta potties at the start.

Uhhh....you spoke too soon regarding Pittsburgh....you need to check out the home page of this web site and see the article about Pittsburgh (below). See, no marathon is perfect!

Pittsburgh Marathon Results Corrected
Updated results have been released for the men's and women's marathon. Results were originally listed incorrectly for some marathoners when times were manually adjusted for the relay which began fifteen minutes after the individual competitions.