I run half marathons. A lot of ‘em. My current count is 91 and I’m scheduled to complete half marathon #100 in September. But every now and then, I like to run other distances, including marathons.

I moved to Indialantic 2 years ago but grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio.  When I heard that the Flying Pig Marathon was celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2018, I decided to sign up.  And when I found out that they had a multi race challenge called the Four Way with Extra Cheese (that’s a 1 mile beer run, 10k, 5k, then full marathon), I figured, “why not”?

Fortunately, we still have family living in the Cincinnati area, so this was an opportunity to visit with them, while also running 36.5 miles and collecting tons of bling.  Oh my!  If you like bling, this is the race for you!  Every runner gets a shirt for each race, a medal for each race, a poster, plus a special gift. This year it was a picnic blanket (in years past it’s been a gym bag or backpack).  Marathoners got a 20th anniversary Finishers jacket, and Challenge runners got another medal for the challenge plus a medal holder and a challenge T-shirt.  And when you go to the Expo, you can collect tons of stuff from their sponsors.  Proctor and Gamble handed out laundry bags so everyone could scoop up samples of Oil of Olay, Crest toothpaste, laundry detergent, as well as Clif bars, protein bars and electrolyte drinks. You definitely get your money’s worth!

But the main reason you should go to Cincinnati is the race itself.  The Flying Pig is extremely well organized and they make this race FUN!  Of course, they play up the pig theme and the community comes out in force to support. Aid stations are plentiful and well-spaced and the post-race party is incredible!  And while Cincinnati might not be on your radar as a travel destination, there’s enough interesting stuff there (as well as inexpensive flights out of Orlando) to make this a fun racecation.

The Races

Friday night (8 pm). 1 mile Little Kings Beer Run. My first time racing this distance, so instant PR- 7:25. Not bad, considering I ate a burger before the race. Beer at the finish.
Saturday morning (8 am).  10k- 59:46. Paced my husband to reach his goal of under an hour.  5k followed (10 am)- 26:35
Sunday morning (6:30 am). Marathon and half marathon start together.  No time goals since I was doing the Challenge (and I had just run a marathon 2 weeks earlier).  Pleased with my finish time of 4:15:15. All races started and finished downtown.

Interested in More Flying Pig Info?
20 things you should know about the Flying Pig Marathon
Flying Pig Marathon News