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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 211 to 221]
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A. L. from Denver
(5/5/2008)
"First-timer - couldn't be happier" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I live in Denver and ran this race as my very first marathon. I am thrilled with the choice. The course was beautiful and convenient, the spectator support was amazing, and the race was extremely well organized. There was more water and Gatorade then anyone could possibly drink, there were the most porta-potties I have ever seen at any race, and the medals are awesome! I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that this is an excellent choice for a marathon, whether it is your first or your hundred and first. | |
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D. F. from St. Louis, MO
(5/5/2008)
"Everything about this marathon rocks!!!" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course, organization, volunteers ("grunts"), and fans are all just exceptional!!! The organizers and director get extra applause for somehow managing to re-route the course due to a large fire and get the race started only 15 minutes late. Put your name on your shirt if you go - I promise you'll be super glad you did!!! | |
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A. R. from Franklin, TN
(5/5/2008)
"One of the best" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Everything about this race was excellent. The expo was well laid out and easy to navigate. Organization was great. There was a glitch with the course on race morning with a structure fire right on the course. The announcer was very good about letting the runners know what was going on, why there was a delay, when we would start, and about route changes. The course itself was nice. The first third was pretty much uphill, and you ran back downhill (mostly) to the finish. Tons of enthusiastic spectators, ample water stops, and a nice spread-out finish area so there was plenty of room to stagger around. One of the top 1 or 2 marathons I've done. | |
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M. H. from Cleveland, OH
(5/5/2008)
"Fantastic race!!" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race met all my expectations and more. It has a very good reputation (which is why I chose to run it) and led up to it for sure! Very organized! Well done! The spectators and volunteers were so supportive and enthusiastic! It was a fun, scenic race that seemed to go by fast. Hats off to the race director and volunteers! | |
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Rob Klein from Aurora, CO
(5/5/2008)
"Cincy Folks are Serious about their Flying Pig" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon lived up to everything other runners said about it. It started out a bit cool, but warmed to a near-perfect day for a spring marathon. It was a bit chaotic at the starting line, but with some 17,000+ runners, such is life. After about one mile in Ohio, the course crossed the Ohio River into Kentucky - for a couple of miles - then back into Ohio again. During that first 3 miles the sun was rising high enough to be effective, and runners were warmed up by then. Heading East through downtown, the sidewalks were lined almost solid for a few blocks with spectators - both sides of the road. The effect was staggering! About mile five, the incline started, lasting until about mile eight. That was tough (and there were a few shorter hills later on that were tough too). Somewhere around mile marker eight there was a barbershop ensemble singing. That was the exception to several rock bands playing along the way. Then the route headed out to the eastern suburbs, where it was like the whole town turned out to cheer the runners. I think the town at the turn-around point was Mariemont. The town folks there were a class act. It was so cool, and they were such an inspiration to us. Finally, we headed back, coming through a couple of more small towns, then followed Riverside Drive along the Ohio River, ending up close to the starting point when we finished. Some comments and observations: The Expo was large and grand style - and there were pigs everywhere (except I did not see a real live pig). Lots of stuff for sale, and lots of free stuff too. The runners all got a canvas-type duffle bag with the Flying Pig on it (and sponsors names too). And we all got a poster with the Flying Pig on it - and the artist who painted/created the original was there to personalize and sign our posters. That was outstanding. Then we all got a moisture wicking T-shirt with the Flying Pig on it. There were kids - and grown-ups too - for high fives the whole way! Also, there were a lot of water/aide stations on the course - more frequent than one per mile. This worked as a motivational tool for me, because I could focus on running to the next water stop - which was never too far off. Then some locals added their own pit stops too, sharing whatever they had for us to eat - usually some kind of fruit. So that was novel. There were only Clif Shots at mile 18, and they only had the Mango flavor. At the finish line, there was a gentleman there to shake my hand, who I have to assume was the race director. What a performance! At the finish line there was ice cream, bagels, several kinds of chips, more water, bananas, and oranges. This was my biggest marathon yet, though not the biggest city I have run in. The fans and spectators here were the best so they get a 5. The organization was top notch, except for the starting line crowd, which is understandable. So organization gets a 5 too. I only gave the course a 4 because of the hills. The hills were advertised, but they really wore me down. As a final note, a guy named Brian Nash did a 3-page summary of the course, almost turn by turn, and published it on the Flying Pig Website. It was well done, and recommended things in the communities that might be of interest, or that we might want to pay attention to. This also was a big plus. If you need an Ohio marathon for the 50-States Club, this is an outstanding race. Thanks to all the Pig-maniacs in Cincinnati that made it happen. | |
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J. B. from Mason, OH
(5/4/2008)
"Flying Pig is the Best!!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This race never ceases to amaze me. It's just a great race. It got going 15 minutes late as there was a 3 alarm fire at about the 22 mile marker so the race organizers had to setup a detour that made the race a little longer than 26.2. Talk about contingency planning, these guys did a great job. Kudos to the race organizers and the CFD for the last minute hoop jumping. I can't give the course 5 stars as it has some hills. I like flat courses but they are manageable hills that come mostly in the first half. I've run Boston and NYC so I can't give 5 stars for spectators but for a smaller marathon the spectators are many and enthusiastic. The expo has many freebies and everyone gets a technical shirt and tote bag. The post race food was very good. The ice cream really hit the spot. I do 30-40 races a year (2-3 marathons) and overall this is my favorite race bar none. So congratulations to the race organizers on another nice job and to the people of Cincinnati who come out to support this race. Lastly, thanks to the volunteers who give up their Sunday to make marathons possible for runners like me. | |
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j. k. from New York, NY
(10/23/2007)
"Maybe the best overall" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've done 25 marathons and Flying Pig is one of my favorites. The organization is superb with every detail thought out even down to a rubber pig nose for every runner! The people in Cincinnati a great, friendly and down to earth. For a no-hassles good time this race is a must! | |
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Amanda Snyder from Uniontown, Ohio
(10/22/2007)
"One of the Best!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a great race! Super organization, great crowd support, great time of year, great expo, awesome goodie bags, scenic course, great finish line, and just a great experience. I will definitely do this one again. I recommend it to everyone I talk to. | |
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C. L. from Chicago, IL
(9/30/2007)
"Absolutely Amazing" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I signed up for this marathon strictly because of the name (I have a thing for pigs) and I absolutely loved it. I was super nervous because of all the hills, but, even with an injury I beat my previous time by 14 minutes. The start was a little congested, but it opened fairly quickly, and the 1/2 marathon/full marathon split was absolutely flawless (and it was nice know that there was an easier option if you were hurting partway). I highly recommend this race to everyone, everything from the expo to checking out of our hotel was awesome, and the medical tent staff was knowledgeable and very helpful (several staff let me use there cell phones to call my family and let them know where I was). | |
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M. A. from East Coast, USA
(9/17/2007)
"Favorite Race, Hands Down" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second year running in the Pig. I did the half in 2006 and came back for the whole hog in 2007. I am planning to run again in 2008. I have run tons of half and full marathons, and this is my favorite. Every detail - from expo to finish chute - was well thought through and executed. The hills are tougher than they look on the course map, but the crowds get you through. The volunteers, called grunts, are the best I have seen and will do just about anything to get you to the finish. Race t-shirts by Asics run a little small, so size up. The Marriott on the Kentucky side does a great job for visiting runners, so I recommend that hotel. |
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