Flying Pig Marathon


The Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon is an annual race run the first Sunday of May in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded by Robert J. Coughlin, it was first held in 1999, it is the 3rd-largest first-time marathon in the United States. The marathon had nearly 5000 finishers in 2008, and total participation for all weekend events exceeded 30,408 in 2011. The race starts and finishes downtown and also crosses into Northern Kentucky. It is a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon.

History

Naming

For many years, Cincinnati was known as "Porkopolis"; this nickname came from the city's large pork interests. In 1988, the city built a park, Bicentennial Commons, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the city's founding and commissioned British artist Andrew Leicester to create a sculpture for the entrance. Leicester came up with four steampipes, a nod to the city's riverboat history, each topped with a winged pig; the wings are a nod to General Electric Aviation, a major presence in the city. Initial reaction was derision, but the city soon embraced the "Flying Pigs", using it as a symbol and a brand. The marathon was named after them.

Running

The marathon was first held in 1999 when Elly Rono of Kenya and the University of Southern Indiana, won in the men's division.
In 2002, overall female winner Tatyana Pozdnyakova of Ukraine set the course record with a finishing time of 2:34:35.
In 2006, overall male winner Cecil Franke set the course record with a finishing time of 2:20:25.
In 2011, legally blind runner Amy McDonaugh won the race in the women's division without a guide and with a time of 2:58:14.
In 2020, the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic in Ohio|pandemic], with all registrants given the option of either running the race virtually or transferring their entry to a later year. The race was postponed and offered virtually in 2021 as well.

Course

The race course starts in downtown Cincinnati and crosses the Taylor-Southgate Bridge over the Ohio River into Northern Kentucky, where it travels through Newport and crosses westward over the Licking River via the Fourth Street Bridge into Covington. From Covington, the route takes the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge back over the Ohio River into Cincinnati. After looping westward the first leg ends east of downtown in Eden Park, a distance of. The race course then makes its way east through East Walnut Hills, O'Bryonville, and Hyde Park and ends after at Richards Industries on Wasson Road. The third leg goes east to the village of Mariemont before looping back to head towards the river; it ends in Linwood, having traversed. The final leg is to the finish line downtown. The last of the fourth leg follow the Ohio River Scenic Byway along the Ohio River, heading downtown toward the finish line.

Other races

In recent years, the Flying Pig has included a 5K race, a 10K race, and a half marathon and a 2-mile "Flying Fur" event for dogs and humans. The 5K and 10K are held on the day before the marathon. The half marathon starts and finishes at the same locations as the full marathon, and is held on the same day as the full marathon.

Recognition

In 2024 USA Today named the marathon the best in the US; the newspaper called out the scenic course and the race organizers' sense of fun with the pig theme as being attractive to runners.

Winners

Key: Course record

Repeat champions

Repeat winnersNo. of winsYears of the wins
Sergio Reyes52009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016
Caitlin Keen32018, 2021, 2023
Rudolf Jun22000, 2001
Rebecca Gallaher22000, 2001
Amy Robillard22014, 2015
Anne Flower22016, 2019
Jack Randall22017, 2019
Jason Salyer22023, 2024