Race Chronicles #22

Flying Pig 10K

May 4, 2019

Pigs are flying in Cincinnati this weekend, as the city celebrates the 21st running of the Flying Pig Marathon.Flying Pig Marathon Weekend is a huge running party with multiple events throughout the weekend. The 10k is Saturday morning, followed by the 5k. Both the Half and Full Marathon are on Sunday.

The Flying Pig events are some of my all time favorite races ever!

The weekend started out with packet pick-up and the P&G Expo at the Duke Energy Convention Center.

The expo featured tons of great booths, vendors, and pig themed gear and goodies.

I especially enjoy viewing all the pig memorabilia and race history. Each of the past Marathon shirts, medals, and posters from each race is displayed, along with numerous Pig photo opportunities.

The past two years I have run and PR’d the Flying Pig Marathon. This year I was aiming to PR in the 10k.

I started in Pig Pen A, which was the first corral. Pen assignment was based off projected finishing time submitted at registration. Pen A was reserved for those planning to finish the 10k in under 50 minutes. I had not previously run a 10k that fast, but that was my goal for this race.The Flying Pig course did not disappoint. The race runs through downtown Cincinnati and over a bridge into Kentucky. Other than a few slight hills to going up each of the four bridges the course was relatively flat and fast, and lined with the amazing Cincinnati spectators that make all of the Pig events so special. It is truly an atmosphere make this a race one you won’t want to miss.

I absolutely love the pig theme of this race, and all the pigs throughout. I don’t think I have ever seen a race do it better. Even the finish is pig themed.I made it to the Finish Swine in 49:41, with a new PR, proving that I belonged in Pig Pen A today. In a huge field of over 5000 runners in today’s 10k event, I placed 10th in my age group out of 584 woman, finishing in the top 2% overall.