Flying Pig Marathon: Pacing & Race-Day Strategy
A hilly, festive loop with an early river crossing and a long mid-course climb known as “the Climb.”
Last updated
- Where:
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- When:
- Sunday, May 2, 2027
- Course:
- Hilly · river crossings · loop
- Best run as:
- Even pace
Course & elevation
The Flying Pig is hillier than most spring marathons, with around 900–1,200 feet of climbing. The course stays relatively flat through the first few miles, then “the Climb” steps up over roughly miles 5–8, a long stair-step ascent of about 300 feet through the city’s hilliest neighborhoods. After cresting near Eden Park it descends and runs fast toward the downtown riverfront finish.
- Start → Finish
- 490 → 495 ft
- Net
- +5 ft
- Total gain
- ≈ 300 ft
The certified route
Point to point through Cincinnati, starting downtown on Rosa Parks St, crossing the Taylor Southgate Bridge into Kentucky, climbing through Eden Park to a turnaround in the Madisonville area, then returning along Eastern Ave and Riverside Dr by the Ohio River to finish on W Mehring Way.
- Start
- Rosa Parks St, 14 ft 8 in from light pole C1449M34, and 4 ft from the National Underground Freedom Center sign.
- Finish
- W Mehring Way, 9 ft 2 in from the Neenah Foundry square lid west edge, at light pole C1431M38M3.
Underfoot
Fully paved.
Through, in order
Cincinnati
What you pass
- Miles 1 to 4: the Taylor Southgate Bridge into Kentucky
- Mile 4: the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge
- Miles 6 to 8: Eden Park
- Mile 13.5: the turnaround on Murray Rd
- Miles 18 to 25: Eastern Ave and Riverside Dr along the Ohio River
Worth knowing
- Start through mile 8 share the same mile marks as the half marathon.
- Lane restrictions are written into the certification on many sections, including transitions to northbound lanes on W 3rd St and eastbound lanes on E Pete Rose Way.
Transcribed from the USATF certificate for Flying Pig Marathon (OH26004JHP), measured 14, 16 and 18 February, and 1 March 2026. Where the certificate is silent, so are we.
Key moments
- Mile 1–3Early Ohio River crossing into Northern Kentucky and back, a controlled, scenic opening.
- Mile 5–8“The Climb” up through Gilbert Avenue and the hills is the defining grind; ease your effort up it.
- Mile 6–8Eden Park near the top of the climb, with sweeping Ohio River valley views.
- Mile 23–26.2Descend back to the riverfront for a fast downtown finish.
Pacing strategy
This is not a flat PR course, so pace by effort and budget for the climb. Bank nothing in the easy opening miles, ease your effort (not your form) up “the Climb,” and use the downhill back half to finish strong.
Pacing by goal time
Checkpoint splits for four common goals at Flying Pig Marathon. These are effort-even rather than pace-even: the paces shift with the course profile, so climbs are slower and descents faster by the amount the grade actually costs. For any other goal time, use the planner below.
| Checkpoint | Sub-3:00 | Sub-3:30 | Sub-4:00 | Sub-4:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mile 3.1 | 20:396:54/mi | 24:068:03/mi | 27:329:12/mi | 30:5910:21/mi |
| Mile 6.2 | 41:407:03/mi | 48:368:14/mi | 55:339:24/mi | 1:02:2910:35/mi |
| Mile 9.3 | 1:03:067:09/mi | 1:13:368:20/mi | 1:24:079:32/mi | 1:34:3810:43/mi |
| Mile 12.4 | 1:24:287:07/mi | 1:38:328:18/mi | 1:52:379:29/mi | 2:06:4110:40/mi |
| Mile 15.5 | 1:44:396:38/mi | 2:02:057:45/mi | 2:19:328:51/mi | 2:36:589:57/mi |
| Mile 18.6 | 2:04:316:37/mi | 2:25:167:43/mi | 2:46:018:50/mi | 3:06:469:56/mi |
| Mile 21.7 | 2:24:326:43/mi | 2:48:377:50/mi | 3:12:428:57/mi | 3:36:4810:04/mi |
| Mile 24.9 | 2:44:496:48/mi | 3:12:187:55/mi | 3:39:469:03/mi | 4:07:1410:11/mi |
| Finish | 2:58:306:51/mi | 3:28:157:59/mi | 3:58:009:08/mi | 4:27:4510:16/mi |
Splits assume even effort and are adjusted for this course's climbs and descents, which cost more than they give back. A model, not a promise: wind and heat move real splits around. See how the pacing model works.
Plan your mile splits
Turn your goal time into a mile-by-mile plan for Flying Pig Marathon, built from this course's elevation. The even pace approach comes pre-selected, and grade-adjusted pacing evens out your effort across the climbs and descents.
Plan Flying Pig Marathon splitsFueling & hydration
Aid stations roughly every 1.5–2 miles with water and sports drink. The big mid-course climb raises the workload, so fuel before it rather than during. Take a gel by the early miles and keep them coming on schedule.
Weather
Early-May Cincinnati is mild but can be humid, typically with lows around 50 and highs near 70, plus the occasional warm, muggy, or rainy year.
What race morning has actually been like
The last 5 editions of Flying Pig Marathon, measured at the start line rather than averaged across the month. Starts have run 48–61°F, averaging 56°F.
| Year | Date | Start | Dew pt | Wind | By late morning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Oct 31 | 51°F | 47°F | 9 mph | 55°F |
| 2022 | May 1 | 61°F | 61°F | 11 mph | 67°F |
| 2023 | May 7 | 61°F | 62°F | 6 mph | 63°F |
| 2024 | May 5 | 61°F | 63°F | 5 mph | 72°F |
| 2025 | May 4 | 48°F | 47°F | 6 mph | 51°F |
Dew point has reached 63°F (2024). Above about 60°F, sweat stops evaporating efficiently and most runners lose pace no matter what the thermometer says. It is the number to watch here, not the air temperature.
Dates derived from the race's published pattern (1st Sunday in May; 2021 in-person race postponed to October 31), observations at Cincinnati, OH (start). Source: Open-Meteo historical reanalysis (ERA5), 7-11am local at the start line. Reanalysis is modelled from station observations, so treat it as a close record rather than an official one. See how race-morning weather is built.
Is Flying Pig Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Yes. The course actually finishes 5 ft higher than it starts, so no downhill adjustment applies, and nobody can accuse the time of being gravity-assisted.
This drop is our estimate rather than a figure from the course's certificate. If it sits near a threshold, confirm with the organizer.
Compare every course, how the downhill bands work, or work out your own target.
Dial in your pacing & fueling
New to how training builds toward a race like this? Start with Anatomy of a Running Plan, find your zones with the pace calculator, and plan race-day nutrition with the fueling calculator.
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