Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon : Race Central : Schedule

Schedule Of Events

Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon
Sunday, May 2, 2010 6:30 a.m.

Register Now! Register Online for All 2010 Events
Download and Print 2010 Entry Form

Check if you are registered

Zone Maps

Course Information:

Minimum age to participate on race day (Sunday, May 2, 2010) is 14 years for the Flying Pig Half Marathon.

The half marathon will start at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 2, 2010, at the same time as the full marathon field. The two groups will run together for approximately nine miles, when the half marathon field will turn back toward downtown and end at the Marathon finish line along Yeatman's Cove.

Walkers are welcome in the half marathon.

Runner Amenities — All preregistered Half Marathon participants will receive a commemorative T-shirt, limited edition poster, goodie bag, and a "special gift." All Half Marathon finishers will receive a finisher's medal, a mylar blanket, and Finish-area refreshments. Finisher's certificates will be available here for downloading after the race.

Registration and packet pickup will be held Friday, April 30, 2010 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the P&G Health & Fitness Expo located at the Duke Energy Center, 525 Elm Street, Cincinnati, Ohio.

The LORD’S GYM Pump N’ Run Half Marathon Option (PNRHALF).

IF YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PUMP N’ RUN YOU MUST REGISTER FOR BOTH THE FLYING PIG EVENT YOU WISH TO RUN AND REGISTER TO DO THE PUMP N’ RUN AT THEIR WEBSITE www.pumpandrunrace.com.

A “Total Fitness Experience” offered to all Half Marathon participants, which uniquely combines weight lifting and running skills. An athlete will bench press a percentage of their body weight based upon age and gender, and will earn a 2 minute reduction off their run-time for each bench press repetition. Participant will have the same running experience as their other Half Marathon peers, but will now be able to compete for additional cross training awards! For details of the PNR, and additional non-running cross training events offered at the Flying PIG, link here... EVENT INFORMATION

Course Description

RSO - means use right side only as runners flow around the course.
SS means all southside lanes etc.
ALL means all of street.

Start west of Elm on Mehring Way - ALL
East on Mehring Way - ALL
North on Main Street - ALL
East on Third Street - ALL
South on Broadway - ALL
Continue straight onto Taylor-Southgate Bridge into Newport - ALL
Go straight onto York into Newport -ALL
West on 4th Street - ALL
4th Street runs onto the Licking River Bridge - All
Continue on 4th Street into Covington - ALL
North on Clay Wade Bailey Bridge towards Cincinnati- ALL
Left on Third Street in Cincinnati - ALL
Third Street becomes Linn St. at Gest St. - ALL
Continue on Linn Street - ALL
Right on 8th Street - ALL
Take the 7th Street Exit - ALL
Continue on 7th Street - ALL
At the end of 7th Street go straight onto the Gilbert Ave. ramp - ALL
Continue on Gilbert - ALL
Right on Eden Park Drive - ALL
Take left fork at Mirror Lake - ALL
Follow Eden Park Drive around Mirror Lake - Eden Park Drive makes a right turn at the Gazebo and follows past the Krohn Conservatory - ALL
Right on Lakes Dr. into Eden Park Overlook - ALL
Right coming out of Lakes Dr. (Eden Park Overlook) back onto Eden Park Drive - ALL
Eden Park Drive becomes Victory Parkway as it makes a right turn - RSO
Follow Victory Parkway - RSO
Right on McMillan - ALL
Left on Woodburn - ALL - at William Howard Taft - RSO
Left on Madison -WS
Madison becomes Martin Luther King WS
Left on Gilbert - ES
Left on Sinton Ave.
Right on Nassau St.
Left back onto Gilbert
At Eden Park Drive switch to WS
Right on Elsinore - ALL
Left on Reading -ES
Reading becomes Central Parkway at Short Reading - ALL
Turn around on Central Parkway at the Walnut St. intersection - ALL
Return going east on south side of Central Parkway ALL
Right on Eggleston - WS
Right on Pete Rose Way- SS to Finish at US Bank Arena.

Course Tour by Brian Nash

The half will be run concurrently with the full marathon and the two races will start together. The course runs the same as the full marathon for the first 8.5 miles and then loops back to the river to a common finish. This essay contains a description of what to expect on the half marathon course that I hope can be helpful in planning your race day strategy. The first sections will be very similar to the Marathon Course Tour as the first two sections are run together.

I think that the Flying Pig Half Marathon course can be divided into four sections; 1) The Warm up Bridges 2) The Climb 3) Walnut Hills 4) The Slide Home.

Part I - The Warm up Bridges

The Flying Pig Half Marathon has a challenging course. The first section running the bridges between Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky serves as a warm up for the hills to come. This section is far from flat, and the bridges are not the only hills, but it should be a good opportunity to settle into a solid pace and rhythm.

The race starts between the Ohio River and the new Paul Brown Stadium. This section has many of the coolest things to see, enjoy them as you work to find your pace. Soon after the gun goes off you will run under the Roebling Suspension Bridge. The bridge was completed just after the Civil War and designed by John A. Roebling, who is most famous for designing the Brooklyn Bridge 16 years later. Looking in a line from the Roebling Bridge toward downtown Cincinnati you will see the unique architecture of the recently opened Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The Freedom Center not only pays tribute to the important role that people of the Cincinnati area played in the Underground Railroad, but also in a much more general way offers lessons and reflections on the worldwide struggle for freedom. Just beyond the suspension bridge are the remains of Riverfront Stadium, home of 4192 (if that number does not mean anything to you, ask ANYBODY from Cincinnati). Rising just east of the old stadium you will see and pass the new home of the Reds, Great American Ballpark, before turning away from the river toward downtown.

The first cross street on the course is a left turn on Pete Rose Way. This is the first of three course visits to this street. You will be back after running the bridge loop and again in mile 13, so it would not hurt here to pay your respects to "Charlie Hustle" and contemplate the wisdom of naming streets after people while they are still alive.

Left on Pete Rose Way and an immediate left onto the Taylor Southgate Bridge send you immediately over the Ohio River into Kentucky.. At the base of the bridge on the left you will see the Newport on the Levee entertainment district and the Newport Aquarium. Look for Brad and his crew from Meters and Miles, the area's newest running store (located on Monmouth Street, one block east of the bridge), greeting you as you come off the bridge to run up York Street. Before you turn to the right on 4th Street, look to the southeast corner of the intersection at the world's largest swinging bell, the World Peace Bell. The bell was cast by Cincinnati's own Verdin Company and weighs 33 tons. Listen for it to ring a few minutes before noon while you celebrate with your friends after the race.

Turning right onto 4th Street the course runs through somewhat urban areas of Newport and Covington. Between the two Northern Kentucky cities is the bridge over the Licking River. The eastern side of the Licking River Bridge is a fairly steep climb. The good news is that most of the Covington side of the bridge is a gradual downhill that goes on for almost an entire mile. In this mile, on the right side of the road, you can see the IRS Processing Center that serves a big portion of the Midwest. Rebate this year? Maybe time to be thinking about that cool GPS or at least a new pair of shoes.

Another right turn begins the climb over the last of the three bridges, the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. This is a long bridge that seems to go on longer than expected. Remember that the Ohio is a really big river and the highest portion of the bridge is in the middle. On the Ohio side of the bridge look to the right at the Bengal's practice fields and Paul Brown Stadium. After a very encouraging season, it looks like the Bengals finally have the players and leadership to go a long way in the playoffs. Watch for big excitement in this stadium this fall!

The "warm up" portion of the course finishes with an approximately one mile run along the southern edge of the downtown area of Cincinnati. A quick jog down Broadway puts you back on Pete Rose Way for a few blocks heading east. Pay close attention on your right as you run this section. After you pass a pedestrian bridge (the Purple People Bridge) on the right you will see a parking lot for Sawyer Point and if you look across the parking lot you will see them. Proudly standing atop four steamboat smokestacks, the FLYING PIGS. You are feeling good and it is fun to be around the 5th mile in such a playful half marathon. Enjoy the moment because you are about to start....

Part II - The Climb

The section starts with a left turn on Eggleston immediately in front of the Flying Pig statues. (You will be coming back past them again very near the finish). Eggleston is a very gradual uphill grade that serves as the base of the 2.5 mile stair stepping climb to the top of Eden Park. The course follows the eastern side of the downtown as it slowly climbs and then makes a right turn over I- 71.

The real hill, what I consider the "signature hole" of the Flying Pig, starts when you turn left off of Elsinore onto Gilbert. The incline is much steeper in this part and the course stair steps up to the top of the hill. This is also one of the most scenic parts of the race with a very nice view of a gazebo overlooking Mirror Lake in the park. It also turns around the woods a lot on the way up so that you cannot see the top of the hill until you turn the corner by the Krohn Conservatory building. A stone bridge spans across the road at the top of Eden Park's hill. Look for the bridge, keep your head up, and keep running to the top. Just after cresting the top of Eden Park, runners are rewarded with a short, flat loop around a scenic overlook that looks across the Ohio River into Kentucky. In past years this has also been a spot for some of the best entertainment on the course.
Enjoy!

Do not be discouraged as you leave Eden Park when you notice that the grade continues to climb. In about half a mile and after a few turns you will notice St. Ursula Academy and Convent on the right side of the road. You have now reached one of the highest points on the course. From here on the grade will be rolling or downhill. As you turn the corner onto Woodburn you leave the climb behind and enter...

Part III - Walnut Hills

As you might guess from the name, this section is not flat. But, for the most part, the hills are not particularly long or steep and they are all followed by a downhill. Walnut Hills is one of the oldest of the "suburbs" of Cincinnati and in spots is a bit worn. The inaugural Flying Pig Half Marathon is the only race in recent years to run in this area so enjoy the sights that it has to offer.

Looking up the street after turning on Woodburn you will see at the end of the road the impressive architecture of St. Frances DeSales Church. The church is located at the intersection of Woodburn and Madison. The course turns right onto Madison, but you will notice that there are also runners running to the left in that intersection. Those are the runners ahead of you in the half that have made the turn just ahead and are heading back toward the city. (This obviously does not apply if you are leading the half marathon!). You will make the turn around just a few blocks down Madison in front of the Seventh Presbyterian Church. In past years the folks from Seventh Presbyterian have supported the marathon with lots of oranges and enthusiasm.

Say goodbye to your friends heading further east in the full marathon and look for those runners ahead of you that you want to pick off over the last 4.5 miles of the half. (Do they know what to expect from the course like you do? Ah, ...you have the advantage!) The run east on Madison, which becomes Martin Luther King Drive in a half mile or so, is a real roller coaster of ups and downs. The climbs in this mile are the last challenging uphills of the entire race, so don't be afraid to "put the hammer down" a bit here.

The next turn is to the left onto Gilbert Ave with only 5K remaining in a fairly direct line back to Sawyer Point and the finish line. As you round the corner, look to your left at the old house on the hill. That is the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Harriet moved to Cincinnati around 1930 with her family when her father became leader of the Lane Theological Seminary. It was here that she gained significant exposure to the abolitionist movement, particularly through her interaction with the students and faculty at Lane.

Gilbert Ave in this part of town has a very gentle uphill grade that goes on for a half mile or so. Go ahead and use up whatever uphill climbing muscles you have left, you are not going to need them again because you are about to hit...

Part IV - The Slide Home.

After the gentle uphill of the first part of Gilbert, the course reaches the highest point of the race at the corner of Gilbert and McMillan. >From that intersection to the finish line it is almost all downhill or flat. For those that have spent it all at this point, just roll up in a ball and roll on in. For those planning to run this race fast, you will need to practice your downhill running because the grade can be steep going down in several areas. The city skyline of Cincinnati opens up in front of you as you run down the hill, including the twin towers of Cincinnati's Proctor and Gamble.

Most of the severely steep downhill grade comes early in this section. Soon the loop of the course is complete and you will find yourself running in front of Eden Park, down the other side of the road that you were climbing just 5 miles ago. The faster runners in the race will be able to see, encourage, and be encouraged by, some of the slower runners as they continue on "the Climb".

The easiest running of the race comes near the end, on Eggleston, as the grade becomes a nice gentle downhill that points directly toward the Flying Pigs and the river. You should be able to really let it out as you come down Eggleston, but save just a little. At the point that the road dead ends into Pete Rose Way the view of the route is blocked by a large brick building on the right. When you turn the corner you will be greeted with something that you have not seen for about 3 miles, an uphill grade. It is not enough of a grade to call a "hill" by any means, and you did not even notice that it went "downhill" when you were running the other direction 7 miles ago. But, this late in the race, and after all of the downhill running, it will take some fortitude to keep the pace for the next few blocks.

At the end of Pete Rose Way the course does a 180 degree turn around US Bank Arena. . I have noticed that the turn appears to be coming up one block before the actual turn. Remember that you need to go all the way to the brick of the baseball stadium before you turn to the left. As you round the arena notice the big red paddlewheel with smokestacks that commemorates the rich steamboat history of Cincinnati. On the river side of the arena the course quickly turns into the finish chute. At the Finish Swine you will be greeted with a great finisher's medal, a walk along the serpentine wall by the river, and an open grassy park. Congratulations!