I cannot say enough positive things about the Flying Pig Marathon and the organizers of this great event. I chose to run the Flying Pig when my local marathon was cancelled & my husband was looking for a trip we could take together. We found the SF Giants were playing in Cincinnati the same weekend as a marathon & as huge Giants fans, it was a no brainer.

In the weeks leading up to the race, the Flying Pig race crew gave constant updates on events, activities and course changes for the marathon weekend. I felt at east with the regular communication and even emailed the management team with a few questions only to receive a response within a few hours.

Upon arrival to Cincinnati, we headed to the 2 day Expo conveniently located downtown next to several major hotels. We walked across the street and were surprised to see a very well organized, clean and friendly staff of volunteers who guided us to the stations we needed to get to. Most of the shopping and vendors were in the middle, with your packet, t-shirt and race bag located along the outside. The shirts are great moisture-wicking material, the bags were heavy duty large backpacks and there was also a Flying Pig poster given to the marathon runners. There were vendors for everything you would need regarding running; attire, accessories, hydration, fuel, shoes, other races, gadgets, gps watches, recovery, etc. You could spend hours exploring, shopping, testing out and playing with all kinds of running related gear & every vendor was well staffed and friendly.

On race morning, we walked from our hotel to Paul Brown Stadium where the corrals or "pig pens" were located. The Flying Pig marathon had an obvious pig theme with dozens of puns and cute pig related references. A genius move by the Flying Pig organization was to put plenty of port-a-potties INSIDE the corrals. This allowed for that last minute potty break without the panic or the long lines, as each corral only held so many runners.

The race had a water & Gatorade station at every mile, along with additional port-a-potties at each mile as well. When I say this race was well organized and runner friendly, I mean it! Not only was there an abundance of liquids and bathrooms, but the crowds were amazing. Every mile was lines with spectators and volunteers cheering you on, offering you snacks and other goodies while high-fiving runners and holding up motivational and funny posters.

This was my first marathon and I'll be honest, I was extremely nervous about doing it alone. But the crowd support along this course was so energetic and so positive, I completely forgot I was running alone and I truly appreciate all of the distractions and the volunteers/spectators that came out.

The Finish Swine was packed with more people and the medals at this event are large, heavy and adorably pig themed.

I don't know when I will be ready to complete my next full marathon, but if I can find my way back to Cincinnati, I'll make sure to do it the first weekend in May so I can attend the Flying Pig!