Ran the half marathon and really enjoyed the course and encouragement from the brave spectators who were out in the rainy weather. The steepest hill was the bridge back into Ohio. The rest of the course had some shorter climbs and rolling hills. Fantastic view of the Ohio River was a boost. The only negative was the one start for "everybody." Starting groups in corrals with separate starts would have helped minimize the early race congestion. Overall, a great race, which I hope to run again in the future.

I want to congratulate Cincinnati on a wonderful race. How anyone could have had a bad experience at this marathon is beyond me. The pride that the community showed during my entire visit was amazing. The fans that support this race are awesome despite an awful forecast and rain quite often through out the day. I decided that with the rain I would forget about a PR and just enjoy this race and all the spectators. The expo was the best that I have been to. The race price is reasonable. The medal is the best one that I have received. The duffel bag is fantastic and the poster was a nice memento. The organization of this race is second to none. The instructions for out-of-town visitors were perfect. Race directors from other marathons need to visit this town on race day. The course Is hilly, but what goes up comes down and the course is manageable. My only gripe is that they ran out of my size tech shirt for the marathon. Hats off to the people of Cincinnati and the Pig organizers. What a FUN race.

A great, well organized race with fantastic community support, especially considering the steady rain. One small complaint: be consistent in the placement of water/Gatorade. I moved to the right to get fluids only to find it on the left for that fluid station. By the way, thanks so much to the relay runner whose encouraging words pulled me to a strong finish in the final 0.2 miles when I was fading fast.

This was my third Flying Pig and it was an excellent race; however, I was disappointed that the race directors chose not to try and provide some guidance in the days leading up to the race in regards to the weather. It was obvious to see that the weather was going to impact the race (t-storms associated with a cold front, which could be severe) and yet there was no word on the website that gave any indication what contingency plans were in place (would they delay the start, what would they cancel for, etc). It would have been helpful to the runners to have an idea of what to expect, especially those traveling from out of town like myself. With that exception, it continues to a well organized event and one that I recommend running.

I enjoyed everything about this race except for the weather (rained all day) and the pre-race pasta party. The expo was fantastic and well organized. Loved the free duffel tote with the embroidered pig logo. Everyone was friendly and smiling. Even though it rained all day, folks came out in raincoats to cheer on the runners! It made those rolling hills easier to bear. Great spirit, Cincy! I must to this again. The only thing I would not do is the pasta party, which was pitiful. (There was only one type of pasta and two sauces, which were all cold.) Save the money for the Italian restaurant around the corner.

This was my first time running the Pig, and even though I live/train in the flattest areas, I decided to run this despite knowing how hilly it was.

Or, I THOUGHT I knew how hilly it was! Definitley more rolling than anticipated.

Positives:
1. Great crowd support!!
2. Water/Gatorade stations at almost every mile.
3. The expo was really nice and organized, with lots of booths. Nice race t-shirt and duffel bag.
4. The cost of the hotel was dirt cheap compared to other places, and within walking distance of the start.
5. Thank goodness for the shuttle back to the hotel!
6. The post-race spread was just right: Bagels, fruits, chips and even donuts!
7. The Info booth after you exited the finish area was appreciated, especially since I was from out of town. I asked 3 different volunteers how to get back to the hotel and they gave me the same answer - not 3 different ones.

Negatives:
1. The water at some of the stations was just disgusting. I'm wondering if that's because the rain water got mixed in. And, the Gatorade cups were way too full. I dumped at least half of the contents, since I just wanted a sip, not a full drink.
2. The start was a little crazy. I should've started farther back because I'm slower, but I couldn't push through the crowd, so I ended up starting way too close to the front.

Overall, this was a great race. It's not my kind of course, but I was extremely impressed with the crowd support despite the constant rain. Running towards the finish, I felt like I had won first place with the spectators cheering so loudly!

I would recommend this race to others, but not if you don't like hills.

I LOVE the Flying Pig Marathon! The course is challenging but doable and the volunteers/crowd support on the course is unbelievable even in the wet and nasty weather that we had this year! I get choked up just thinking about it! I will definitely run the Pig again, and again and again! I love my hometown race!

Congrats to the race directors who had the courage to start this race on time, despite pounding rain and lightning. Makes me wonder why other marathons start late, even if the weather is good. And also many thanks to the hordes of fans lining the streets and all of the volunteers who braved a rainy day. The bands, though not as plentiful as last year, helped to brighten our day. I ran the 2007 Boston, where the rain scared away almost all of the fans (and there were no bands!). So, without a doubt, the Flying Pig fans, bands, and volunteers are simply the best!

ONE SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT: start the half marathoners about 10 minutes after the marathon runners begin. This will greatly enhance the experience for everyone. Are you listening, Iris?

I enjoyed the first half of the Flying Pig. The weather played a role in many of my negatives (I'm sure lots of volunteers/spectators stayed home), but it wasn't the reason for my ire. Caveat: I am a slow marathoner and was originally expecting to finish in 6:30, but rain-fueled blisters added an hour to my finish time. Many of these complaints will not apply to faster runners, but I think they are worth noting for this marathon, which claims to be walker-friendly.

Positives:

Expo merchandise was plentiful and reasonably priced, but I would have liked to see more long-sleeved tech shirt options.

Fairly easy to get downtown and lots of port-a-potties at start.

The first 7 miles of the race are fantastic - lots of entertainment and spectators. LOVED the guy at the mile 6 hill who sang "Twisting the Night Away" with new lyrics about running the Flying Pig Marathon!

Half/full split was well marked.

Volunteers were very friendly and did a great job!

Hilly course mixed up the muscle groups well, so it wasn't too exhausting.

College kids handing out beer at mile 14: nice touch. Not sure if that was officially sanctioned!

Negatives:

Race seems geared toward half marathoners rather than full marathoners. Vast majority of participants were halfers, and spectators dropped off sharply after the split.

Course support for slow finishers SUCKS.
-aid stations shut down before they needed to.
-course patrollers on bikes soared past in the last 5 miles without slowing down or asking if racers were okay or needed anything. Total garbage when the aid and medical stations are closed and people may need help. I went without Gatorade for an hour and a half. Also, only saw cyclists go by twice in last four miles.
-the finish area was completely threadbare by 7:45 after the gun. Nobody is there, people are dismantling everything. I understand that it can't stay up forever, but it's a very unwelcoming atmosphere for people who struggled to finish.
-went to the bus to get my sweat bag, but it wasn't there. Turns out it had been taken to the Race Info tent. POSITIVE: a very nice volunteer drove me around there, then took me to the parking garage, and was very apologetic about the cyclist course support.

Hardly any spectators after mile 18. I realize the rain played a role, but I just felt second-class compared to the faster finishers.

NOT walker-friendly, as advertised - almost no entertainment on the course whatsoever after mile 18.

We were ushered onto the sidewalk by police for NO reason, since they still kept the roads closed. Every curb and sidewalk ramp was AGONIZING.

Expo was poorly laid out, requiring a snake-like winding pattern that put the swag at the very back of the arena.

A very rainy start but a very well organized race. Race support was great even though we had less than ideal conditions.