The Flying Pig is a popular race for several good reasons. In Cincinnati, they take the pig theme seriously. People dress in pig or pig-related costumes, as do spectators. Some of the aid stations are themed, and there are pig statues at the expo and the finish area, great for using in photographs. The expo was good, though the flow from bib pick-up to the t-shirt area could have been more clear and better marked. This year's shirt was themed for the All Star baseball game, which will be in Cincinnati. It looked more like a baseball shirt than a race shirt with an existing and very popular pig theme, so that was a minor disappointment. But we also got a nice poster and a small backpack at packet pick-up. Not too shabby. The race itself was very well organized and ran from downtown Cincy across the river to Kentucky, and back. I enjoyed the bridges and the views. And then, we had a few miles of uphill climbing. I knew this going in, and it was definitely a challenge. Once we reached the top of the hill, we had a few miles of downhill running to get back downtown (with some good skyline views in some spots) and to the finish line. The course was nice, but I would like to have gone through some of the college campuses and some more historic neighborhoods. Aid stations were frequent, and had not only water and sports drink, but toward the end they had oranges and various kinds of sugary candy, great for a late-race pick me up. The spectators at the finish area were motivational, and once crossing the line, we received an awesome pig medal and a ton of post-race snacks and drinks. Really...lots of good stuff at the finish. There were very few drawbacks to this race. I recommend it to anyone...just be prepared for the big, long hill.