Great race and the City of Cincinnati takes pride in the Flying Pig Weekend. I ran three events: the 10K, the 5K and the marathon; and each event was well run, with ample support, water, food and volunteers.

Pros:
1. The COURSE is hilly but it gives you a chance to use other muscles to keep your legs fresh for the last 6 miles. You get a great view of the city.
2. The medals are great, with the front and back of the Pig.
3. The climb from mile 5 to 8 is tough, but at the top the VIEW of Kentucky across the Ohio River is worth the effort.
4. The men's choir singing "God Bless America" at the highest point on the course was a highlight.
5. The expo was big enough to keep you interested, but not so big as to wear out you legs.
6. MEDICAL staff were all over the course, watching runners, which gave you a great level of comfort.
7. The water stops - both official and unofficial - were FANTASTIC. They were well manned, with great people. Cold, peeled oranges at the church stop were just what this runner needed. Twizzlers at the TNT water stopped tasted like steak at mile 17.
8. Great swag: Nice carry bag for the office, a poster, tech shirts.
9. The number of CHARITIES the events helped was amazing. It is always a pleasure to feel like by being at the race I am helping others. The kids' 1-mile event start with all of the elementary schools in their different-colored t-shirts on Saturday was worth the price of admission - great work on helping kids develop healthy lifestyles!!!!
10. Pace Leader JUDY is the best I have run with - always positive, she kept a steady pace. Hope to run with her again someday.

Cons:
1. The start of all three events I did needed signs to allow for runner to line up with expected times. Too many walkers were in front of runners, which caused the first mile or two of all three events to be slow. I was forced to bounce around and lose pace. I love seeing new runners and walkers at the events (I was there three years ago), but just line up in the back half, not the front half.
2. Food at the end of the marathon had been cleaned out by the half-marathoners by the time I got to the finish line.

If you like running marathons, do the FLYING PIG!!!!

This is my second time doing the PIG. I love coming back to Cincinnati. This is my second home, since I'm a refugee who came from Viet Nam in 1975. The community of Cincinnati has helped my family to get started in this new country. I will never forget what they have done for us. God bless Cincinnati and the United States of America.

Fantastic organization, great but tough course, very good expo, and wonderful support staff. I did not use the buses to the start or back to the hotel, as I walked the short distance from the hotel to the start line and back from the finish line.

I cannot say enough good things.

This was my first marathon and I was blown away by the support from the spectators (and the number of spectators that showed up!). I have run a few small half-marathons, and they both pale in comparison to the organization and execution of the Flying Pig. The course has many hills and I had not trained on hills enough, but the spectators were so great - they cheered you on the entire way!!

I got a lot of "Woo! Hoo!" whenever a runner was talking to me - my 78th marathon! People are so friendly, curious, and eager to communicate and share their story about their first marathon, or seventh, or what have you, and they were so amazed about my record and my age.

The Flying Pig Marathon was awesome - my 78th marathon. The race organizer paid attention to details, and the course was pretty, with great crowd support, lots music and bands, an aid station every mile, and a clock and mile marker every mile. The big challenge was that the course was very hilly, with a few steep hills, and it's all hills from mile one to the end. We ran through so many beautiful neighborhoods that it reminded me of some neighborhoods at the Berlin Marathon. Later, the race organizer told me that the whole area was first settled by Germans. The finisher medal was one of the best! We were the Finish Swine. I finished in 4:24:10, and qualified for Boston (4:30:00 for female, 60 - 64).

The Flying Pig Marathon almost matches the Tokyo Marathon. Runners had a lot to shop for at the expo - great selections. Participants received a technical shirt designed according to their events, and the male and female shirts had different colors and a different cut. There was a beautifully-designed marathon poster, and a messenger bag with the nice embroidery of the Flying Pig Marathon.

I have completed marathons in each of the 50 states, all of the World Major Marathons, and 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 weeks. Flying Pig was one on my list to do. I highly recommend it. I plan to run it again with my friends.

This was my 40th marathon and first Pig. I'm on the road to 50 states. This was one of the best organized races I have run (includes Boston and NY). The course is tough, but really fair. There are hard hills in the early middle. Great - really great - crowds. Awesome water stops and Gatorade every mile (more than you will ever need). Well marked miles. A great finish "swine," as they call it; it's flat and you run straight in to the line. If I was not hellbent on doing 50 states, this would be one I'd come back to. By the way, the views from the crest of the hills are awesome. Run this one. Oh yeah, there are lots of bands, entertainment, and a great expo. You've got to run this one... and join the skinny folks in shorts who can call themselves real "pigs." Nice job, Cincy!

This was my third Flying Pig and I found it to be better than ever. The finish line location was perfect compared to the narrow zigzagging street of prior years. The support of all of the volunteers and the spectators was awesome, as usual. Of the 20 marathons I have run, the Pig is still one of my favorites. Despite doing very little hill training, I had a very successful race. A few rolling hills are a big plus - much easier on the quads and calves; besides, they make the course challenging and varied. The loop course is another big plus. Thanks again... see you soon!

This is a great race! It was a good expo, and the premium race bags and race poster were a nice touch! However the race t-shirt could use a little improvement. The painted pigs and decor at the expo are also very cool. The course was beautiful - the area through the art museum was especially scenic. As a warning, the course is quite hilly, especially with a nice, little incline at mile 25. Initially it is a little packed on the course, but it thins out a lot once the half-marathoners drop off at mile 9. The crowd support was very good. What could use a little work are the post-race refreshments. There weren't many options for snacks in the finisher's area. Also, there was no free beer, which was a little disappointing. However, the band and post-race party area were very nice. The medal is also very cool. I would definitely run this race again!

This was my first full marathon, and I have only run one half in Columbus prior to this, so I don't have much to compare it to. However, from what I've read on this forum, I completely agree that this is one of the best marathons out there. Take my advice, train for some hills - I was weak in this area and it hurt my run, but I still couldn't have asked for better support or organization of the race. Someone mentioned that they ran out of bananas at the end, and I agree that this was a negative. I finished in just over 4:45 - not great but not the slowest either - and I was really looking forward to a banana in place of all of the oranges throughout the race. Overall though, I can't say enough about how awesome this race is, and I'm already counting down the days until the next "Pig!!"

Don't be concerned about the hills; just pace yourself over the first 20 miles and you will be fine.

Room for improvement: They need a better system for getting people into their proper pace area at the start.

Logistics took priority at the finish area, and this somewhat tainted some of the sense of fellowship I often enjoy at running events.