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Cincinnati,
Ohio,
United States - October
- 13.1 miles/Half Marathon
- Road Race
- Event Website
Lisha Watts
Shelbyville, Indiana, United StatesOverall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
The Queen Bee is a Half Marathon and 4 mile race in Cincinnati, OH in October that is geared toward women. Men are allowed in the race, but must start in the last corral. This was my first year running the Queen Bee Half Marathon. This race is put on by the same team that puts on the Flying Pig in Cincinnati and I have ran that the last 2 years and so I was familiar with the course, as it mirrors parts of both the half and full marathon courses of the Flying Pig. After speaking with some others runners that had run the course before, I knew that early on that we were going to be encountering some pretty large sized hills. I also knew that getting to the top of these hills offered a beautiful view of the river and we happened to reach it as the sun was coming up. It was absolutely breathtaking!! (I promise it was the view that took my breath and not those hills that I had just climbed!!) Each mile of this race had a theme (i.e girl's best friend, etc) and before reaching the hydration station at each mile there was a station with some kind of treat or needed item, such as tissues or petroleum jelly. The treats included things like chocolate, twizzlers, chips, cookies, gels packs, etc. I'm telling you that I felt like I ate my way through this race and it was fabulous! There were also teams of people cheering on the course which is always welcome! The race offered pacers for several different finish times and I ran with the 2:30 finish pacers and they were amazing! So supportive and right on pace! I am always thankful for races that offer pacers who are supportive!! The finish chute offered smiling faces handing out Queen Bee medals that have flashing lights that can be turned on and off. They also had an array of snacks available and the biggest bottles of chocolate milk I have seen at a finish line. There were mylar blankets available and each runner was handed a big yellow sunflower as they left the finishers chute. Outside of the finisher's chute was the after party which had First Watch serving delicious pancakes at no cost. Each finisher received a finisher's gift which was a fleece running headband with a cute purple bee on it! Oh and the swag! The race shirt is a long sleeved tech shirt with a glittery bee on it (but not the glitter that comes off everywhere!) and is comfy and was available in a women's fit. We also got a poster, a custom Queen Bee headband, and a Queen Bee gym bag. The expo was in conjunction with the Wellness Your Way festival (and each registration came with tickets to the festival!) which had several booths with vendors with health and beauty products. My husband and I went back to the festival Saturday after the race and enjoyed walking through the festival and trying samples of different health foods and products. My favorite part of the expo was the braid bar where you could get your hair braided for the race free of charge!! Another nice surprise was at the party after the race was that they were selling alot of race merchandise for 50% off so I purchased a shirt and hat that I had actually passed on the day before due to not wanting to spend the money. This is a race that I will be putting on my calendar for years to come!!!