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May 9, 2024

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 31 to 41]

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R. G. from Cincinnati, OH (5/18/2014) "a really great experience" (about: 2014) 3 previous marathons \| 2 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've done the Pig half twice now and wow, I really just love this race. The spectator support is great, the course was interesting- it's just a lot of fun. Parking is super easy and I was running late this year.
L. E. from St. Cloud, MN (5/18/2014) "Great race!" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had a fantastic time in Cincinnati. I originally signed up for the marathon but had to change to the half due to injury. Overall I thought this was a great event. Pretty easy to find parking on race morning if you get there early, but we were sort of guessing where we were at. The parking instructions we received were just text, it would have been nice to have an easy to read parking map. We were fortunate to find a parking lot that was free, but not all parking is free and many of these take cash only - so be prepared for that. I thought the corrals were well organized and I like that they had port-a-potties in every corral. This encouraged people to get to their corrals early, and then if the pre-race jitters got to you you didn't have to leave the corral to wait in a long line somewhere. The downside of this however is dealing with the smell the entire time before the race :( The course was very pretty, though challenging - but not too challenging. The toughest stretch was miles 6-9, but I had studied the elevation map and read plenty of reviews ahead of time so I thought I was mentally prepared for the large hills. This part of the course was also scenic though, so that made it less daunting. However I will admit those large hills slowed my time down; I live in a pretty flat area of MN so I did not get to do any hill training like that. Otherwise once that stretch is over, the course is mostly flat or gradual downhill, which I loved! I was actually able to push those last 3-4 miles. Fan support along the course was great, as were aid stations which were placed about every mile. The only one I was disappointed by was that there were two at about 11 and 11.5, but none at 12. Because most races have one at 12, I skipped water at 11.5 thinking there would be another one before the finish. Oh well, not the end of the world. The finisher medal was nice and the post-race food spread was AMAZING. One of the best I have seen, with a lot of variety for those with more sensitive stomachs. It was a little confusing to get back to our car since we parked by the start, we were not from the area and didn't know our way around, but there were plenty of volunteers and police officers available to help give instructions. My only complaint is that at the expo, many of the vendors were tearing down or already gone by the time we got there. We arrived at about 6pm on Saturday. Yes, that is toward the end, but it didn't end until 7!! I think it is unprofessional for vendors to leave early like that, but their loss, they lost potential customers. Otherwise, the expo had a great layout. I personally liked how they had it roped off in a zigzag way to help with traffic flow. However, I didn't like that they forced you to go through the entire expo to get your shirt and verify your chip. Not everyone wants to visit the vendors, so I would suggest putting the shirts either in the same room as packet pickup or at the beginning of the expo to give people the option. Overall, great race and a lot of fun, highly recommend!!
L. S. from Tennessee (5/16/2014) "Great experience!" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon and I am so happy I chose this one to run. You hear about how in some marathon/half marathon situations the spectators are sparse after the split. However, I found the support to be incredible the entire way and never felt it was lacking. People were offering all sorts of goodies throughout the course as well. It was a little hilly, but nothing too bad if you run it right. I ran a faster time on this course then my first marathon in Memphis. If I lived closer I would run this every year! The t-shirts were great and the medal was great. We stayed in Covington, KY across the river and had shuttle service back and forth so we never had to drive. Highly recommend this race!
D. H. from Missouri (5/13/2014) "HOLY HILLS!" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved almost everything about this race! The expo, the course, the support, the spectators, the post race grub... ALL FANTASTIC! The on area of improvement is finish line placement. Immediately after crossing, you go under a bridge, and it smells bad down there. Having felt nauseous from my last effort in the race, it left me a little green around the gills.
a. s. from Missouri (5/9/2014) "Well organized, great crowd support" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My only complaint for the whole race was that the packet pick up was in two separate locations. But I've already heard that they don't plan to do that again. The course was entertaining. You cross 5 large bridges and travel into Kentucky. There is a gradual incline from 6-8 miles and rolling hills after that. If you train with some hills I didn't think it was too bad. The crowd support was fantastic. Water / Gatorade was every mile. Plus, there was a lot of additional stations with oranges, bananas, even jelly beans. Wet towels and ice were handed out at a couple stations. Thoroughly enjoyed this marathon and would recommend it.
Mark La from Orange Park, FL (5/8/2014) "Great Race" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 7th PIG within 11 years - I keep coming back because the organization, support and course is runner friendly. The city of Cincinnati supports the marathon and all the other races the entire weekend. Great job and thank you to all the great volunteers! Also a shout out to Matt, who led the 3:15 pace team to an on time finish!
C. Y. from Louisiana (5/6/2014) "Very Well Organized and Community Supported" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Likely the best course support I've experienced in 27 marathons; very well organized too! If you want/need lots of water stations and folks cheering you on, this is your race! Only negative for me was the 'Cincinnati Sole Sisters' and others walking 4, 5 and more across, but even that ended when the 1/2's turned off.
Chris Baglieri from New Jersey (5/6/2014) "The crowd made the hills worh it!!! Well done!" (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run four big-city marathons and never had the urge to leave a glowing review until now. This was my first 'Flying Pig,' though! I should preface with the fact that injuries and an I.T. Band issue left me woefully underprepared for this race, but I still enjoyed it! To start - From the expo to the finish, the race organizers, volunteers and the paople of Cincinnati were awesome! The expo was large and well organized, with some excellent swag. I particularly liked the cooler bag and the poster (well packed to travel). The corrals were not bad. I was pleased to see that some thought had been put into security and that the corrals had partitions to keep groups from moving up before the race started. There was some congestion at the potties which lasted until gun time, but some runners commented that there were more this year. From the 4:30 corrals, I found little or no congestion to run through, and was surprised at how unobtrusive the Relay exchange points were throughout the race. The course is certified as a Boston Qualifier, but unless you love hills, I wouldn't count on it. Along with the three mile climb from mile 6-8.5 (to some beautiful views from the top) there are some rolling hills and two absulute heart-breakers late in the race. Either train well for hills (I didn't) or be prepared to walk at mile 22 for a hundred yards or so. Far and away the best part of the Pig is the course support: Well stocked water/gatorade and a time clock every mile. Just about avery course amenity I've ever seen... There was music (much of it quite good, and some that was excellent) pretty much every mile and crowd support literally the whole way, with whole neighborhoods out and cheering, and great signs. Food included the usual gels, orange slices, banannas, gummy candies and some chocolate treats. (To the girls giving out Pepermint Patties at mile 16 or so... Thanks!) The medical support was very evident, with bike-mounted course personel and several support vehicles in evidence. In addition, there were some special features - like a cup of beer at about mile 8, (Yes-I did. Don't judge!), a full Blues Brothers* costumed band (matched by the staff of the water stop a few feet away), and a cold towel station at mile 22! One additional note - On the 'dead' section of Columbia Parkway that previous reviews have complained about...there are now people scattered the whole way...with a line of people waving poster-board signs at us to provide a breeze as we ran by. (I'm not kidding.) Due to my underprepared approach, I spent quite a bit of time walking to my 5 hour finish, and the crowds boosted me every step of the way! The 'Finish Swine' was loud and fun, with solid cheering for the last 1/2 mile, running under some well-placed walkways with crowds cheering from above. The post race had about-average food (but after the bonanza of the course itself, I didn't miss it), and the traffic was managed well, letting runners out into a meeting area that was convenient. All in all, I would definitely do this race again.
M. B. from IN (5/5/2014) "Wonderful race!" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was an excellent race! Starting with the expo: parking was easy and the expo and packet pickup were split between 2 adjoining buildings. The packet pickup was quick but picking up the items in the second building took awhile. The second building had the tees, posters and 'free item's and runners had to walk through all the vendors in the second section to get to the swag. There were tons of vendors at the expo so if you like to shop you'll have lots of options. On race day parking was easy and I found a spot less than a mile from the start. The corrals were well organized and the pig theme was everywhere and added to the fun. The course is a bit hilly and the uphill from mile 5-8 resulted in some walking, but overall very scenic: we went over bridges, through beautiful parks and residential areas. Bonus: many residents along the course were holding Flying Pig parties with tons of people coming to cheer and hand out goodies to runners (everything from beer to fruit to candy). I passed people handing out oranges at least 6 times and candy and gels were also plentiful - so much so that I only used one of the gels I brought. The weather was great: mid-50s at the start and up to the high 60s and sunny (with a breeze) by the end of the race. I have to say that the volunteers and spectators were amazing! They were a constant along the course-even along the last 6 miles which I'd expected to be pretty lonely based on last year's comments. The race director must have taken those comments to heart because this year there were lots of cheering stations (mile 21 had spectators the entire time) on those last few miles, which definitely helped! The 'finish swine' was definitely festive - the pig theme was everywhere and there were tons of spectators and volunteers. The medals are adorable with the pig on the front and back and a colorful, high-quality ribbon - one of my favs! The post-race food was ok: water, bananas, crackers with cheese/peanut butter, chips, power bars, fruit snacks, hostess rolls. Sadly, they were out of the chocolate milk and fruit cups when I got there (5 hour finisher), but the volunteers in the finishers chute were still going strong - lots of people offering food and taking pics of runners with the various pig statues. Overall, this was one of my favorite races and I'll definitely be back!
D. L. from Ohio (5/5/2014) "Great Course, Great Community & Volunteer Support." (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 There is a lot to love about the Flying Pig. It is a tough but fun course. Be prepared for some hills. The course support, volunteers and community support get an A+++. The post race gluttony line ensured I probably put weight on after running this marathon! I got there early, and didnt have any problems with traffic and parking. But I do have one complaint about the Flying Pig. I hated the packet pickup experience. It was difficult to find parking for the site of the packet pickup. The packet pickup was in a hotel, then you crossed the street to the convention center, had to snake through the expo, and eventually got to your shirt and get chip verified. Since when did packet and chip pickup become a Shopping Mall? I'm a runner. I want my bib, chip and shirt and I want to get going. I don't want to be FORCED to waste my day walking through a crowded expo lined with table after table of the same things. The Flying Pig offers one of the best races I've ever run, and its one of a select few courses I enjoyed so much, I would do a 2nd or 3rd time. It has been the favorite course of the 5 marathons I have done so far in 2014. But if this race doesnt make packet pickup more runner friendly, I will find another race to run this weekend.

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