The Race: Flying Pig Marathon, Cincinnati, OH, May 1, 2016
My training plan: Since this was the second in a back-to-back series, the training plan was discussed at in the first blog about the Kentucky Derby.
The weather: The weather started out drizzly, actually not bad at all for the warm temperatures. The rain cleared up by around mile two or three. The temperatures were warm, and got into the upper 60s by the end of the race. It was probably close to 70 by the time I was finished.
Running attire: Since I wore my typical race attire the day before, I settled on a pair of Nike running shorts, a Liz shirt, some CEP calf sleeves, my Delaware marathon hat, and my Fitletic running belt.
Who I ran with: I started off between the 2-hour half marathon pace group and the 4-hour marathon pace group. I was going to actually run with the group, but got stuck in between them during the start with all the people. I didn't run with anyone specific for any major part of the race in this one.
Course: The course is rolling hills. There are several significant hills in the beginning of the race, between miles 6 and 8, some steep and some long and gradual. The remainder of the course is still rolling, but nothing significant. It was actually great for me, as I do better on a rolling hill course.
The course started down near the Ohio river, ran into Kentucky and back into Ohio. It went into the city and then into some neighborhood areas. I didn't see any really bad parts of the city as we were running through. I would say the course really shows off Cincinnati in a good light.
The course started down near the Ohio river, ran into Kentucky and back into Ohio. It went into the city and then into some neighborhood areas. I didn't see any really bad parts of the city as we were running through. I would say the course really shows off Cincinnati in a good light.
Organization: The organization for this race is great! They have a great website with all the information you need to know. There is an app specifically for the race with race day information, spectator, expo, and other information. Runners can be tracked via the Racejoy app. They sent out emails with good information, including a spectator guide which gave directions to the cheer zones (with no map though, which would have been helpful for those from out of town). Parking information couldn't be easily located on website, although there was plenty of parking available.
The Expo was big with a lot of good vendors. There weren't a lot of giveaways at the booths that I noticed, although I may have been too late to get anything good. Many vendors were shutting down or already gone when we arrived at 6:00pm on Saturday (the Expo closed at 7pm). The bib numbers were organized by letter (last name), which made it very easy to find your line instead of having to remember a race number. They gave you your bib number, but made you go through the expo to get your shirt and other Swag (smart idea!).
The support along the course is top notch! Every half mile you were either eating or drinking. They had everything you could image with cute names to go with it. They had something different at just about each mile: PIG-mints (peppermint patties), gra-HAM station (graham crackers), PIG Newtons (Fig newtons), twizzlers, bacon (yes, bacon!), Popsicles, pretzels, Swedish fish (yuck), peanuts and trail mix, oranges and bananas, granola bars, energy chews, cookies, water and Gatorade at each water stop, and a couple groups serving beer along the course. I took four gels with me, and only had to eat one because there was so much offered to eat. I probably ate more calories than I burned! It definitely helped power you through those hills. Toward the end they had both wet and dry towels. They also had a few miles with tissues and one with wet wipes. The medical tents had sunscreen and Vaseline, which was very helpful because I didn't expect the sun to come out and hadn't worn sunscreen in preparation.
The Expo was big with a lot of good vendors. There weren't a lot of giveaways at the booths that I noticed, although I may have been too late to get anything good. Many vendors were shutting down or already gone when we arrived at 6:00pm on Saturday (the Expo closed at 7pm). The bib numbers were organized by letter (last name), which made it very easy to find your line instead of having to remember a race number. They gave you your bib number, but made you go through the expo to get your shirt and other Swag (smart idea!).
The support along the course is top notch! Every half mile you were either eating or drinking. They had everything you could image with cute names to go with it. They had something different at just about each mile: PIG-mints (peppermint patties), gra-HAM station (graham crackers), PIG Newtons (Fig newtons), twizzlers, bacon (yes, bacon!), Popsicles, pretzels, Swedish fish (yuck), peanuts and trail mix, oranges and bananas, granola bars, energy chews, cookies, water and Gatorade at each water stop, and a couple groups serving beer along the course. I took four gels with me, and only had to eat one because there was so much offered to eat. I probably ate more calories than I burned! It definitely helped power you through those hills. Toward the end they had both wet and dry towels. They also had a few miles with tissues and one with wet wipes. The medical tents had sunscreen and Vaseline, which was very helpful because I didn't expect the sun to come out and hadn't worn sunscreen in preparation.
Swag: The shirts were gender specific (men's/women's) dri-fit shirts. They gave you a nice duffle bag and a poster. The posters are very well designed, and different each year. The metal was a 3-D metal, which was a little different. They provided a beer ticket to use at the finish line.
Starting line: I don't think I've ever enjoyed a starting line as much as I did at the Flying Pig. They had a band in the middle of all the corrals. The corrals were very well manned and enforced. They had volunteers all over the place to help you find where you needed to go. There were plenty of porta potties (I didn't have to wait in line at all) inside each corral. The gear check was set away from the corrals (but where most people would enter the area).
They had pace teams for both full and half but the pacer was actually just running one or the other and they didn't stay together. It was a little confusing as to who I should be with, since both the full and half times were listed on the sign. The first pacer that had a 4 hour sign that I saw was actually running the half in 2 hours. The 2 hour pacer for the half and the 4 hour pacer for the full did not start together or stay together.
They started everyone in waves, as should be done in a corral situation. This, along with the enforcement of the corrals, really helped with runner congestion. I don't remember every having to really weave around people at the start, even though there were a lot of people starting together.
My only complaint about the starting line is that one of the volunteers right near the center was smoking, and the smoke could be smelled all around because of it. 15,000 runners do not want to start a race with a lung full of second-hand smoke!
They had pace teams for both full and half but the pacer was actually just running one or the other and they didn't stay together. It was a little confusing as to who I should be with, since both the full and half times were listed on the sign. The first pacer that had a 4 hour sign that I saw was actually running the half in 2 hours. The 2 hour pacer for the half and the 4 hour pacer for the full did not start together or stay together.
They started everyone in waves, as should be done in a corral situation. This, along with the enforcement of the corrals, really helped with runner congestion. I don't remember every having to really weave around people at the start, even though there were a lot of people starting together.
My only complaint about the starting line is that one of the volunteers right near the center was smoking, and the smoke could be smelled all around because of it. 15,000 runners do not want to start a race with a lung full of second-hand smoke!
Fans: This race is known for its crowd support, but it was even better than I expected. There was hardly a mile where there wasn't cheering heard. A few of the up hills could have used some cheer zones, as they were a little quiet and tough, but most of the way had smiling, cheering people.
The spectator guide probably helps with the crowd support. It was good but should also include a map instead of just directions to the sites. It seemed like a lot of the spectators were also volunteers, as they had the greenish-yellow Grunt shirts given to the volunteers. If specifically having volunteer slots along the course is the way to get spectators out cheering, more races should do this!
The spectator guide probably helps with the crowd support. It was good but should also include a map instead of just directions to the sites. It seemed like a lot of the spectators were also volunteers, as they had the greenish-yellow Grunt shirts given to the volunteers. If specifically having volunteer slots along the course is the way to get spectators out cheering, more races should do this!
Finish line: The finish line food went on forever. They had Grandma's cookies, Ding Dongs, Lance peanut butter crackers, chips, pretzels, oranges and bananas, Kellogg's cereal, granola bars, trail mix, peanuts, bottled water, and I'm sure other stuff that I missed. Once you got through the food area, the gear was right there, along with some porta potties and a concession stand for the park. There was also a row of tents set up with race merchandise and vendors. The P and G tent had cake, pretzels, bottled water and other goodies that were available to all runners. One of the other tents was giving out peanuts and another was giving out Febreeze samples that you put in your laundry to get the stink out of workout clothes. There was also a tent with a free pink tote bag and pen. Other vendors had pamphlets. The finish is right on the river, and the view is very nice. There were food trucks and other pay-food vendors (chili) as well for spectators and runners who couldn't get enough of the free foot.
Results: 3:47:51
How I felt: My legs felt surprisingly good for having run a race the day before and not having my ice packs frozen to use for recovery. I started out slow for the first few miles, and then kicked it up. The hills probably helped me, as I could fly down the downhills and keep the momentum for some of the uphills. Toward the end, I did get a little hot as the temperatures rose and the sun came out, but the wet towel helped a lot, and kept me going. Overall, I felt great when I crossed the finish line of what is now my favorite marathon out of the 40 I have run thus far.
Travel/tourism: We stayed at the Holiday Inn just across the river in Kentucky. The hotel was okay, but not stellar. We had to ask for our room three times before it was ready (and not until after 8:30 did we finally get in) because they had a big group of elementary school kids the night before who made housekeeping's day a nightmare. The hotel is still being renovated, so part of the room was nice and part was falling apart (such as the ceiling in the bathroom). We had to ask for more towels, as they didn't have enough in the room for us. They did allow me to use the toaster downstairs in the restaurant before the restaurant was officially open and gave me a plastic knife spread my almond butter (bagel and almond butter provided by me). They claimed to have a shuttle to the start, but the morning person at the desk knew nothing about it. I ended up walking to the start with a few other runners who stayed there. It wasn't a long walk (maybe 1.5 miles), but not the most ideal of situations right before you're going to run 26 miles. The hair dryer was the loudest thing I have ever used. I wanted to put my ear plugs in. The beds were cozy, so that was good.
We went to IHOP for my traditional pre-race dinner, which was right next to a Kroger where I bought my breakfast (bagel, banana and almond butter).
Because we came straight from Kentucky the day before and had a long drive back, we didn't do much else in the city. I'm sure there are plenty of things to do, but none that I can comment on. After the race we headed back toward Atlanta and stopped in Lexington for lunch.
Overall, this is my new favorite marathon. I honestly believe that this race is better than Boston. The organization, crowd support, SWAG, and course make for a great race. Great job Cincinnati! I will be recommending this race to anyone who asks.
We went to IHOP for my traditional pre-race dinner, which was right next to a Kroger where I bought my breakfast (bagel, banana and almond butter).
Because we came straight from Kentucky the day before and had a long drive back, we didn't do much else in the city. I'm sure there are plenty of things to do, but none that I can comment on. After the race we headed back toward Atlanta and stopped in Lexington for lunch.
Overall, this is my new favorite marathon. I honestly believe that this race is better than Boston. The organization, crowd support, SWAG, and course make for a great race. Great job Cincinnati! I will be recommending this race to anyone who asks.
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