Pros:
• Really awesome expo at the Duke Energy Convention Center.
• Aid stations well staffed, and the race management even made a competition out of it, so these volunteers are super excited to cheer us on and help us with our race
• Cool partnership with the Lord's Gym, a 501(c)3 faith-based organization, whose focus is to provide a daily refuge to many "at-risk" folks in the Cincinnati area. The Pump 'n' Run, in its eighth year in 2015, is a unique combination of weight lifting and running, offered to all racers. Participants bench press a percentage of their body weight, based upon an Age and Gender handicap (sometime in the days prior to the race), and earn a two-minute time reduction for each repetition they are able to complete. Those who complete 10, 20, and 30 repetitions earn additional medals for each of those "pump clubs."
• Scenic in parts - with sections running over bridges across the Ohio River, and then the climb up to the top of Eden Park with spectacular views.
• The fast downhill section over the last 2-3 miles of the half!
• Incredible post-race food spread, immediately after finishing. So much!!!
• Very nice, classy looking medal!

Cons:
• VERY early start at 6:30, and if you are staying in a hotel in one of the Northern Kentucky suburbs, may be a challenge to get yourself to the start line area near Paul Brown Arena.
• If you don't like hills... be prepared for a challenge from miles 3-8, as the elevation gradually goes uphill for about 400 feet. But the view at the top is worth it, and you also get a nice downhill section not long after :)
• Flying into Cincinnati can be very expensive... as of this writing, CVG is known as one of the more expensive airports to fly into and out of in the U.S. You may be better served flying into Indianapolis (1.5 hours away), or even better, Dayton (1 hour away) for more affordable flights.
• If you're looking for a "double" weekend of running two half marathons (or a half and a full, if you're crazy) in one weekend, Flying Pig has traditionally occurred on the same weekend as the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis. However, be aware that this will not be the case in 2016, and in 2016 only!

For a more detailed race report, check out my blog for this race at: http://victoryheadstandrunner.blogspot.com/2015/05/race-report-flying-pig-half-marathon.html