Cincinnati Marathon

Cincinnati, Ohio hosts the Cincinnati Marathon, otherwise known as the Flying Pig Marathon in May. The city, which sits on the Ohio River, started the event in 1999. The third largest city in Ohio, just behind Cleveland and Columbus, Cincinnati boasted a population of 368,868 in 2007. If you consider the section commonly labeled Greater Cincinnati, the area and the population increase substantially. In reality, Greater Cincinnati includes parts of Indiana and Kentucky as well as Ohio.

The Cincinnati area is host to several walking clubs and associations. The United States claims at least 2,000 running clubs and teams; Ohio has 42. Cincinnati has the Cincinnati Walking Club, the Lincoln Heights Track Club and the Bond Hill Flyers to name a few. Their goal is to help you improve your life and, perhaps, prepare for such events as the Flying Pig Marathon.

The Cincinnati Marathon is only in its infancy. Several running magazines, however, tout it as America’s “third largest first-time marathon.” Indeed, it is an excellent marathon on which to cut your teeth. A certified Boston Marathon qualifier, this 26.2 mile race, starts at Mehring Way and ends at Yeatman’s, at the west end of Serpentine’s Wall. The marathon winds its way through the more upscale neighborhoods of Cincinnati, Newport and Covington. There are no large hills to challenge runners.

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Prizes are awarded to the top five men and women in the Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K runs. Children who participate in the Kid’s Marathon of 5K or the Piglet Fun Run also receive awards. The organizers also give prizes to the top three finishers in the various age brackets as well as in the Clydesdale, Athena, Masters and Wheelchair divisions. Every pre-registered participant who finishes receives a commemorative T-shirt, a limited edition of the Cincinnati Marathon poster, a “goodie” bag and another gift.

In the past few years, the winners of the Marathon do not win in consecutive years. The only exceptions occurred in 2000 and 2001. In these two years the male winner, Rudolf Jun and the female winner, Rebecca Gallaher, held their titles. In the years 2002 and 2006, records were set for the men and women’s categories. Cecil Frank set a record in 2006 for a time of 2:20:25 while Tatyana Pozdnyakova set hr record of 2:34:35 in 2002. In 2007, the winners of the Cincinnati Marathon held on May 6, were Isaac Barnes and Leah Peelman.