As always, the Giant Race wins again! These family friendly races encourage baseball fans, new runners, experienced runners and people of all ages and sizes to get out of the house and join their fellow Giants fans for a 5k or 5 mile run.
I do not live in San Jose so I cannot comment on the packet pickup experience this year as my local friend grabbed mine for me, but I heard from everyone else that it was a breeze.
Keep in mind: If you decide to pick up your packet on race morning, you will only be able to receive your bib before the race; you can pick up your shirt and bobbleheads after the race at one of the Giant Race tents.

This course was flat, fast and not as crowded as the Sacramento course because it winds through the streets of San Jose near the San Jose Giants Municipal stadium and continues through the Happy Hollow Zoo and park. These wide paths allowed for runners, walkers and strollers to fit with ease. My only gripe with the runners at these races is that many are new to running and do not recognize road etiquette. I would encourage the Giant Race organization to remind participants that walkers stay to the right and runners stay to the left. I encountered many situations where people just stop running right in front of me without moving to the right.

The finish line and after-party of the Giant Races are always entertaining; plenty of snacks and refreshments are served along with booths for local companies, Giant Race merchandise and free samples from several vendors. My favorite part of these races, as a baseball fan, is the on-field finish. It adds a special touch for all the baseball fans and leaves you with a feeling of exclusivity.

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!

Another great, energetic and fun run put on by the Giant Race!
If you want to avoid long lines and headaches, take advantage of the prior day packet pickup. I noticed on race morning you were only allowed to pick up your bib and instructed to get your t-shirt after the race. This was put in place to allow the line in the morning to move quickly for the 8am race start. However, the line to receive your t-shirt after the race was excruciatingly long. Some people waited 45 mins to an hour just to get their t-shirt.

The actual race course was fun, we ran the 5k this year. The course was ran in the opposite direction as last year which was fun as it allowed you to get a different perspective and view. The course begins at the entrance of the Raley Field baseball stadium, runs through a few small neighborhoods before turning and running approx 1 mile along the riverfront. After this you turn back towards the stadium, run around the run again and through the back gate where you finish on the dirt warning track in left field.

The parking to get in and out of the race was absolutely horrendous this year.I would recommend parking across the Tower bridge and walking to the stadium to avoid all of the long lines but there is otherwise no way to get around the long lines to park in the stadium parking lot. We waiting over 30 minutes just to park and over an hour to leave.

The stadium concession stands were all open for runners, so maybe next year we will relax, have a beer and eat some garlic fries before heading back to the car!