The Flying Pig events take place Saturday and Sunday with runners representing all 50 states and 17 countries. Here are five things to know about the race weekend:
1. Jammed packed weekend
The main events for the Flying Pig take place Sunday with the marathon and half marathon, but a variety of shorter distance races take place Saturday, beginning with a 10K at 8 a.m. on Joe Nuxhall Way. There also is a kids’ mile run, a “PigAbilities Mile” for participants with disabilities, a mascot race, Flying Piglet Kids’ Fun Run and even a race for dogs that afternoon. The P&G Health & Fitness Expo runs throughout the day, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. at the Duke Energy Center.
The marathon and half marathon events begin at 6:30 a.m. Sunday, with wheelchair participants starting five minutes earlier.
2. Expect large crowds
The race annually draws 36,000-plus participants with an average of 20,000 on Sunday and 15,000 for Saturday’s events. It takes more than 6,000 volunteer “Grunts” to make the race run smoothly, and about 100,000 spectators line the course to watch and motivate the runners. Last year, the half marathon drew the largest participation with 12,716 runners.
Full marathon runners wear white bibs, half marathoners wear blue bibs, and the hot yellow and orange are for the four-person and corporate relays, respectively.
3. Hilly course, beautiful views
The first nine miles of the 26.2-mile marathon are the hardest – that’s when you find the hills. The first two are just going over the bridge into Kentucky and back. After a few miles of flat course, there is a 300-foot climb between miles 6 and 9 to a park with a panoramic view of the river and downtown Cincinnati. After that, it is gently rolling, and from mile 19 to the finish, it’s mostly flat.
More than 160 live entertainment and themed fluid/nutrition stations are planned along the Sunday marathon and half marathon courses, including the 40 themed fluid and food stations.
4. Weather conditions
Forecasts show temperatures are expected to be around 55 degrees at 8 a.m. Saturday for the start of the first race with a high of 81 and winds later in the day. A low of 54 degrees is predicted for Sunday with the high reaching 84.
The Flying Pig has never seen temperatures higher than 64 degrees for the start of a race and the lowest start temp was 32 degrees.
5. Times to beat
Cecil Franke, of Indiana, has held the marathon record since 2006 when he clocked a 2:20.25. Tatyana Poznyakova holds the women’s record with a 2:34.35 in 2002.
For the first time since 2004, two local runners won the marathon. Hamilton native Adam Gloyeske, a Badin grad, finished first overall in 2:32.55, and Montgomery resident Amy Robillard claimed her second straight win the women’s marathon with a time of 2:53.10. Gloyeske returns to the field to defend his title.
Robert Scharold won the half marathon in 1:14.06, while Juliana Madzia clocked a 1:21.22 as the first female half marathon finisher.
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