It’s the largest weekend party in town! It’s the Flying Pig Marathon!

Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon is happening this Thursday May 3 through Sunday May 6. 2018 marks the Flying Pig Marathon’s 20th Anniversary!

Whether you are interested in participating in a 5K, 10K, Pump N’ Run, Kids’ Marathon or a Flying Fur event there is something for everyone to enjoy this weekend! For a full list of events and schedules, visit http://flyingpigmarathon.com.

The mission of the Cincinnati Marathon, Inc. is to provide a premier event open to athletes of all abilities that is dedicated to supporting charities. The event should inspire community celebration and reward the emotions of all participants, sponsors, volunteers and spectators.

In the 1800’s Cincinnati was called “Porkopolis” because of all the stockyards and the meat packing industry.  In fact, they often ran pigs through the downtown streets.  In the 1980’s when the riverfront was being developed, they commissioned a nationally renowned sculptor/artist to design something that was indicative of Cincinnati’s history and they now have Flying Pigs welcoming you to the riverfront.  When the founders of this marathon were looking for a name for the event back in ‘97 “Flying Pig” brought smiles to everyone’s face so that seemed most appropriate.

The race has 40,000+ total participants, with an average of 21,000 participants on Sunday and about 20,000 for the Saturday events.  It takes over 8,000 volunteers “Grunts” to make the race run smoothly and approximately 100,000 spectators “Street Squealers” line the course to inspire and motivate the runners.

This is one historic event that you can’t miss in Cincinnati, this weekend!

Tess Abney is a freelance writer who was born and raised in the Quad Cities. She spends most of her time attempting to successfully raise three boys. In her free time, writing is her passion. Whether it is sharing local events and businesses with readers or sharing her thoughts on life, she finds comfort in the way words can bring people together.