Overall: The year I ran the Flying Pig Half Marathon was just a very short time after the unfortunate events that took place at the Boston Marathon. Do to this I think you could feel it in the air that runners and spectator's emotions were running high. With that being said security was totally stepped up. It was a little scary to see the officers heavily armed, but it also made me feel safe. Iris Simpson puts on an amazing race and there was no doubt in my mind that she would do anything that would put the runners, walkers and spectators at risk. The race took off at the time promised and turned out to be an amazing run with my finishing just before the light rain rolled in. I love this hometown race as it brings a lot of community support and a sense of pride.

T-Shirt/Swag- Asic short sleeve gender specific shirt, large cooler, event poster and an awesome medal. I think the Flying Pig medal is always beautiful and very sturdy.

Aid Stations: The course was littered with lots of aid stations that had cheery volunteers. Plus the course was littered with Medic Tents as well.

Course Scenery: The course scenery is so neat. You start off running from Ohio over a bridge into Northern Kentucky. I liked this so much because a lot of my family is from the area so they stood on the NKY side and cheered me on. Then you run through a few cities in Kentucky and then cross back over a different bridge to Ohio. The course takes you through some areas of the city that you might not normally see even though you live in the area. Then you slowly start to make your climb up the hill that everyone talks about as being tough that leads you into the beautiful Devu Park. If you remember look to the right at the top of the hill because there is a beautiful view of the Ohio River here.
Expo Quality: I can't say enough good things about the Pig's expo. Once again P&G, one of the sponsors, were on hand passing out huge full samples of makeup, detergent and a lot of items. The expo is huge so be prepared to do a little walking as you have to navigate your way through the expo to pick up your goodies. You enter and get your clear packet pickup with your race number. There are lots and lots of different vendors who have everything from shoes, clothing, Pig themed cookies, gels, etc.

Elevation Difficulty: Many people talk about how hilly this course is, but for someone like myself you trains with hills I didn’t think the elevation was bad. Yes the climb into the park can be tough, but if you make it past that the rest of the course is all downhill or flat from here for the most part. You may have one or two small rolling hills, but nothing as near of an elevation change as the first hill.

Parking/Access: I went with a large group and we were lucky enough to park in one of our member’s work parking garage and then walk to the start line. Just be prepared to give yourself time to navigate traffic and make sure you remember where you parked. There is lots of parking options downtown and also in NKY, but I personally wouldn’t want to walk across a bridge to get to the starting line of a race.

Race Management: Once again Iris Simpson put on a stellar race. She always makes sure people are excited and safe.

MM#11726