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.

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!!!

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.

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.

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.

The whole experience at the Flying Pig was awesome! This was my 4th marathon, but first in 17 years. My previous races were NYC, Chicago and Philly. The Pig, though not attracting as many runners as some of the big-name marathons, certainly holds its own. Volunteers do a fantastic job. The course is very nice, running through numerous neighborhoods. There are quite a few fans cheering for you throughout. Coming from eentral FL, I was not as well prepared for the hills on the course, but other than one long hill, the rest were mostly manageable rolling hills. I hope to be back to run the Pig again!

This was my 1st marathon, and it was a fantastic experience. Staying downtown, just across the street from the expo, offered a nice walk to start. Crowd participation was unbelievable. Cincy should be very proud! The only negative comment I have is (as others have said) about the lack of food at the finish. I finished in 4:25 and the only food I saw were rock-hard bagels - that I didn't have the energy to chew - and apples. Neither was appealing. I truly needed a banana, chips, pizza - anything else! I will most likely do this one again.

Great expo! One of the very best (only NY and Berlin were larger). The fans were plentiful and enthusiastic. I loved seeing the nuns in front of a convent wearing pig hats. The volunteers were friendly and encouraging. Criticism: I searched endlessly on the website for a phone number to reach a race official on Friday before the marathon. When I eventually found a number, I got a recording to call back Monday!! I called on Monday and got a recording to leave a message. I left two, but no one called me back. Unacceptable.

Organization was great. Plenty of aid stations and port-o-pots. Expo was in a nice place and very interesting. Watched Bart Yasso's presentation and got his book. Very nice read. Course was a little crowded at the start but thinned in the first few miles. After the half split, there was plenty of room. It is a little hilly to say the least. Crowd support is good. The finisher's chute was really nice. Homemade-type chocolate ice cream was great. I definitely will repeat this marathon.

An incredible race with excellent organization, superb volunteers, excellent fans, and a well-laid out course.

From start to finish, there is very little to criticize. The expo was full of many free goodies being passed out by numerous vendors. Race gifts included a decent quality work bag, nice poster, and a superb technical t-shirt that actually fits well!

The race is laid-out very well. I remember running San Fran, and they run you through an old factory area late in the race where there are no fans/support (ugh), but these organizers do that early and it is only a small stretch (bravo, because the marathoners need the support late in a race). The volunteers were incredible (the best I have ever had the pleasure to witness) and the fans were fantastic. I have NEVER seen the poor community support a race like the lower-classes did for the Flying Pig. It was great to see everyone except for the super rich come out for the race. The numerous opportunities to hear bands and music along the course was nice. The post-race festivities were nice, and I was pleasantly surprised to receive a double-sided medal!

Only a few minor issues for a race that I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone. 1) There should be FREE parking for the lots on Sunday morning. The runners are bringing in enough money to the local economy and to charge them $5 to park in a lot that would otherwise be empty on a Sunday morning is insulting. 2) Instead of bagels (I never understood the idea of having heavy bagels for runners after a long race), why not pizza? 3) I never understood why one free small photo couldn't be provided to everyone who races. I hate that I always have to shell out around $10-$15 for one small photo of me crossing the finish line. The music after the race was fine and the free massage were good as well. Overall, while it took me 8 hours to drive there from Burlington, NC, it was worth it!