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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 51 to 61]
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E. B. from Cincinnati, OH
(5/6/2013)
 "Fun event, decent course" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first Flying Pig. The course is well known for being scenic and hilly. I live in Cincy, so I was relatively familiar with the course. That said, the first half *is* greatinteresting hills, great views, enthusiastic supporters. After about mile 18and especially the last 6 miles or so - you are running a flat, relatively industrial road, with few spectators. I was surprised by how boring it was, especially compared to the rest of the event. That said, I was able to really pick up the speed, enabling me to achieve a PR. My guess is that this part of the course was designed with that in mindto give serious marathoners a chance to still finish with good times. But, given the race's reputation, I wasn't expecting such a long, boring stretch and found it a pretty big letdown and an anticlimactic finish. It's also unnecessary - there are so many great neighborhoods and views in the city that this course doesn't take advantage of. Organization was fantastic, especially for a big race. It was even relatively easy to set my own pace from the beginning without having to weave through too many folks. The only other small cons I would note: *Hard to get into corrals at the start. Lots of people climbed over fences to get in to corrals. Just poor crowd flow into the corrals. *Only offered gels late in the race (miles 18 and 22?) - too late to really benefit most runners. *Hated the expo. Forced to walk all the way through the crowded, large maze just to pick up my shirt. All in all, a really fun event and great way to show off the city. Just don't believe all you hear about it being scenic and beautiful. That's true for the half, not the full. | |
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A. C. from Indianapolis, IN
(5/6/2013)
 "Wow- what a pleasant surprise" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was really impressed with cincy's flying pig. you could tell the city was proud of the event and really paid attention to detail. zThe guidebooks that were ubiquitous at the hotel and expo were very useful. Expo- The expo was well-run and the swag was great. I was there at the opening Saturday morning and the lines moved well. The poster was nice, the cooler a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, the poster design didn't translate particualrly well to the t-shirt, but the shirt was a thicker Asics shirt. No complaints. The Start- Corrals were well marked, but the start may have been a little less congested if they had more corrals and staggered them better. It took a few miles for things to thin out. Minor nuisance, but easily tweaked. The course- I miss Indy's pancake flat topography. The first 9 miles were tough for someone marginally prepared and there were a few quick punishing hills after that. That being said, it's a pretty course, going through some very nice parts of town. I, like many other folks, ended up running through a landscaped median upon entering Kentucky... The support- Was superb. The number of volunteers was staggering. There was an official aid station every mile and plenty of road food from spectators in between. The number of fans on the course was as good as I've ever seen (comparable to or even better than chicago). The finish- Again, lots of volunteers with blankets (nice for the rain), the coolest medal I've seen and a decent assortment of post race food. I didn't stick around for the party due to the weather, so I don't have anything to tell you about that. All in all, this was a great experience. Hats off to the organizers, sponsers, voluneteers and fans. Nice job, Cincy! | |
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D. J. from VA Beach
(5/5/2013)
"Can they bottle the spectators????" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As a course this one isn't terrible, isn't fabulous. I can't complain about it, so I won't. But the organization and support on the course is simply amazing. I have NEVER been thanked for coming to run before. And it didn't happen once or twice - it happened CONSTANTLY. Huge crowds, lots of food, great expo, and seriously - can they bottle the crowds? Whatever Cincinnati does to get their crowds to the race line for support should be studied as the exemplar for every race. Will definitely be back - despite the ho-hum course. | |
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D. M. from Bradenton FL
(5/19/2012)
 "So much fun...a very memorable first marathonl" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The organization of the Flying Pig was fabulous. The Expo was 5 stars, along with the water stations and fans. Although hilly, there is so much going on to distract you, it doesn't seem to matter. Every step of the way, there was someone offering drinks, food, gels , wet towels, water from a hose, music, fun...you name it. It is a fabulous memory and couldn't have been any more fun. I never expected a marathon to be like this! If I hadn't started so late in life, I would run the Flying Pig every year. My husband has run 26 marathons, so I do have something on which to base my comments. None has been anything near the fun of the Flying Pig. So glad I did it! | |
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H. C. from Richmond, VA
(5/18/2012)
"AMAZING VOLUNTEERS!!!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS! I've run races sponsored by Elite and other big name sponsors but I've never seen a city support a race like Cincinnati supports The Pig!! The expo and the swag were top notch. The shirts are good, the ASICS selections were fantastic. The much-neeed water stations every mile were a blessing, made better only by the amazing volunteers manning them. The neighborhoods, EVERY neighborhood, had people cheering; children high-fiving, neighbors handing out drinks and snacks. Course support was top-notch. Hilly? Yes. FYI, read the course tour a day or so before the race. It will highlight many points of interest and break the course down for you so that you know when to go and when to hold back a little. Toe up knowing to pace yourself the first 9, know that a few more hills are to come and you will have a nice, long run. Thank you, Cincinnati - I can mark Ohio off of my 'to do' map. | |
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B. H. from OH
(5/13/2012)
"Vote Pig!" (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Flying Pig totally follows their Pig theme - from the Finish Swine, to the Streakers, to the Hog Washes - it is all about the Pig! Every year this marathon makes improvements and adjustments to make it a better race. This year they added more corrals and improved the start area to make it less congested at the start. The finish area also has a huge area to recover, get to the food, water and blankets before you have to exit into the crowd of spectators. Speaking of spectators, this year's Pig had more neighborhood parties, community groups and fans (could I get alittle more cowbell?) then previous years. Add in the 26 aid stations all manned by nonprofit groups, many with themes (loved the Blue Brothers) and the course entertainment and you can't get bored. The miles fly by! The weather was warm this year, and the race management had added extra water, hoses, ice, wet towels and medical staff. The community came through with even more water, hoses, oranges, candy, etc. The Pig has some of the best swag (shirt, medal, backpack & poster), plus a good sized expo with plenty of freebies. The website and the Squeal keep you informed before and after the race. Overall a great race! | |
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W. V. from Cincinnati, Ohio
(5/12/2012)
"Like hills? Come run with us!" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 4th Pig and I hope to never miss one. Train for hills and you'll be happy. The expo is organized and fun, the starting line is a bit congested (too many fences and too few potties) but the crowd support makes up for everything. The course is mostly scenic (yes, Columbia parkway sucks, but only for a mile or so), and the finish festivities are as good as any other race. No rain this year! | |
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J. T. from New York
(5/11/2012)
"Interesting course, well organized, super support." (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was our first Flying Pig Marathon... In spite of the heat enjoyed the experience enough that we plan on returning in 2013. There are hills but for some reason they did not make a great impression on us There several things that combined to make this a great event; A race director focused on doing everything possible to ensure the marathon is a good experience for the runners. An abundance of enthusiastic volunteers, and competant medical staff. The City of Cincinnati that allows major roads to be closed to traffic for the duration of the race. The hordes of spectators who really cheer and offer encouragement...Plus there were many who baked cookies and handed out home made treats... In the later stages of the race spectators were also out passing out ice and manning impromptu spraying stations. The expo was great as was the swag... The amount and variety of food and drink at the finish was as good as I have ever seen and that includes 6 Disney races (2 marathons and 4 halfs) Plus the course is an interesting one. | |
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M. Z. from Chicago,Il
(5/10/2012)
 "Challenging, fun event. One to put on your list" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Great experience on a hilly course. Run concurrent with a half (which separates around mile 8) and a relay, the marathon field feels bigger than it is. Beautiful river valley panoramas in the first half of the course. Pig theme is kitschy, but fun and the medal and swag are among the best. Cincy was accommodating and easy to negotiate. | |
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S. S. from Knoxville, TN
(5/9/2012)
"Great race with wonderful crowd support" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This race definitely lives up to all the hype!! The cost was very reasonable considering all the swag and the cool medal. The course was hilly, but out of all the marathons I've ran this course had the most spectators and the most enthusiastic water stations, which was highly encouraging. The race was a little crowded at the beginning, but again I have ran much smaller marathons that were much more congested, a race of this size is bound to have some congestion. I was actually quite impressed with the corral system. This is the only race I've ran where they actually checked your corral number before allowing you to enter. This made getting in the corrals a little time consuming, but prevented a lot of congestion during the first few miles. For me this is a 'must run' race. I have already recommended this to several runners and have put this on my list of 'favorite' races. The spectators along the course were awesome!! Thanks Cincinnati for hosting such a wonderful marathon. |
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