You might not think of Cincinnati when it comes to a destination race but this race needs to be on your bucket list.
Events
Wow, so there are a lot of choices but there is truly something for everyone. I only ran the marathon but see the full list of events below.
- Full Marathon
- Half Marathon
- Relay – Corporate and Open
- 10k
- 5k
- PigAbilities – An option for people of all ages with disabilities, their families and friends who may not wish to participate in a competitive event.
- Kid’s Marathon – The 26th mile for school-aged children who have completed 25 miles in increments during the months leading up to race weekend.
- Flying Fur – A dog race?! How awesome is that.
- Piglet/Diaper Dash – A great event for the young kids!
Expo
This expo was no joke – hands down, one of the best expos that I have been to. While the number of vendors may have seemed overwhelming at times, the convention center had plenty of places to sit and rest your legs when you needed a break. Our group found a couple of couches right in the middle of the expo to hangout and people watch.
Starting Line
FLAMES. There were actually flames at the start line. But in all seriousness, the start line was great in terms of convenience and organization. It was a convenient walk if you were staying in a hotel downtown, which I would highly recommend.
Course
Runners start the race by running across a bridge into Kentucky – pretty cool, two states in one race! Then runners cross two more bridges before they are officially back in Ohio. The crowd support really picks up and stays for the remainder of the race, which was an amazing aspect of this race. There were water stops at every mile along with huge cheer stations for spectators. Some of the cheer stations had bacon and others had hoops where you could stop and shoot a miniature basketball. Aside from the endless entertainment, the actual course was really nice. Most reviews of this race mention the hills but I didn’t find them to be that hard. It definitely is not a flat race but the hills are very do-able.
Things that I would do better
This race was a tough one for me – I finished about 30 minutes slower than my A goal time, 22 minutes slower than my B goal time and 7 minutes slower than my C goal time. I felt confident going into the race but in hindsight, there are some things that I would have done differently. I would probably opt to fly in earlier and avoid taking a red-eye when traveling for a race. And I will definitely practice adjusting to a different time zone next time.
Kelli Nickole 