The star of the weekend, it was clear that no detail was spared for the 20th anniversary of the Flying Pig!

This was a marathon I had always heard about growing up in Ohio, but to be honest I was avoiding it hearing about all the hills. Okay, so people exaggerate about the hills quite a bit. There's 2-3 bigger ones and quite a bit of rolling but I found them all to be very doable. Just don't take the early hills too hard and you'll be alright.

The swag was crazy! I did the 4-Way Challenge (10k and 5k on Saturday with the marathon on Sunday). I got 3 medals + an extra for completing the challenge. There's also a medal rack coming in the mail to all finishers following the race. I got 3 race shirts + an extra for completing the challenge. On top of all of this I got a poster and a blanket as well as a marathon finisher's jacket to celebrate the 20th anniversary. I actually got so much swag that on my way home TSA searched my bag wondering why I had so much metal in my carry-on. Be sure to have plenty of extra room in your luggage!

The aid stations were frequent (at least every mile) which was amazing and much needed for how hot it was. Beyond the typical sports drink and water options, the course had tons of snacks ranging from cookies, fruit, pretzels, gels, and candy.

The crowd support was awesome and I would do this race year after year just due to the crowd support if I lived nearby. Race directors don't have much impact on crowd support but it was one of the highlights for me.

Parking was.... bad. Let's just say I was running behind (left my bib behind!) and apparently so was everyone else. Get there early because the delays will be much worse than you think. This is coming from someone who usually likes to get to marathons way early than is actually needed to avoid added stress on race morning. I parked in a lot not outlined on the Flying Pig website which did help a good amount with avoiding traffic but there was still tons of traffic on the highway to get off at the necessary exits.

After the race, there were tons of options to hang out and enjoy the finisher's area but I was in a hurry so only stuck around to stand in line for my marathon jacket and 4-way challenge prizes.

I definitely could see myself coming back to do this marathon again even though I live on the opposite side of the US!