While standing on Mehring Way down from the Carol Ann Carousel at the Banks, thousands of runners suddenly come sprinting towards the famous “Finish Swine” ready to collect their new medal.
The Flying Pig, going on May 2, 3, and 4 with 10 events spread over three days, is a true Cincinnati experience for all ages. Whether someone is from the tristate area or halfway across the world, this race is an amazing experience for everyone. Pig Works is the overarching company that runs almost all of the running events in Cincinnati, with 17 events spread out throughout the year.
“I’m feeling excited and proud. We’re expecting 43,000 runners this weekend from all 50 states and more than 20 foreign countries.” Doug Olberding, CEO of Pig Works, said.
The preparation for this event is incredibly meticulous, with all the routes and road closures needing to be worked out. The individuals behind the Pig will have been working tirelessly for years before the gun even fires at the start line on Saturday. Olberding has been head of Pig Works for only a year, but has been on the Flying Pig Marathon board for over 20 years.
“…We’ve already begun planning for our 2026 and 2027 events. I like to say that Pig Works is either sprinting or jogging…We have 17 different races spread throughout the year, so we’re always in planning mode.”
The preparation for each of the runners is different for everyone. Some, like Madison Copeland, a Senior Program Management Specialist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, who is training with the interval group for the half at Fleet Feet, train with groups to help them run better. These running teams have different groups of speed brackets to help have more diversity in the number of people running with them.
“Training in groups gives me confidence on race day knowing that I’ll have friends supporting me every step of the way…great way to learn tips and tricks from more experienced runners.”
Others train completely alone or with small groups. It is all about personal preference on how runners train. Some will spend up to 4 hours pacing themselves. Olive Lecky (9), a member of the track and cross country teams at Highlands is preparing for her second half marathon this weekend.
“My training is a lot of my track workouts and only long runs on Sundays…most people are doing longer running training.”
Anyone who wants to compete can, even here at Highlands some of our faculty is running, middle school Assistant Principal Jeff Schneider, is running the half marathon on Sunday May 4.
“I feel pretty good about it, I think I will sub 2 hours.”
The energy is going to be high and the times low. Local and worldwide athletes have been preparing for this for months, and now it’s time to show off everything they have worked so hard for.
“We’re excited to show off the entire region to our athletes, and it’s always inspiring to see the community come together around this event,” Olberding said.
