In just a few weeks, Cincinnati's crown jewel race, The Flying Pig Marathon, will kick off for the 25th year. The Pig began as one 26.2 mile race back in 1999, but has grown to become an entire weekend affair. Race distances from the mile all the way up to the marathon. There's a relay race, one for the kids, and even your dog can join in on the fun. It is truly the celebration of a city that loves running.
The first Flying Pig in 1999 and the most recent in 2023
For some fun, I went through all the results and put some all-time Top 10 record boards together for the main events through the Flying Pig's history. The Marathon, Half, 10K, 5K, and Mile.
Keep in mind, I'm not claiming these are the official course records since things may have changed over the years. Also, it's possible I made an error here or there (if so, please comment the correction). After all, my brain started to hurt after looking at results for so long. Either way, take a look below to see who has etched their names into the top 10 fastest times ever at the Pig.
*Cincinnatus Elite athletes denoted in red
The Marathon:
The main event! The iconic course is more than a walk in the park. Cincinnati doesn't have the nickname, the City of Seven Hills, for no reason. The race features some heavy elevation gain in the first 7-8 miles as you start downtown, cross the bridges over and back into Kentucky, and ascend up to Eden Park. The sections through Walnut Hills, Hyde Park, and beyond to Mariemont are pleasant and fast. And finally the race closes with the long way back on Columbia Parkway, Eastern Ave, and Riverside Drive. Sometimes seeing the Cincy skyline from 3+ miles out seems like a mirage in the desert.
Although it's not the easiest course, the Top 10 times over the last 24 years have shown some extremely impressive results. The men's all-time record is 2:20:26 by Cecil Franke in 2006. The women's all-time record is 2:34:33 by Tatyana Pozdnyakova in 2002. Although the men's record had a very close call by Sergio Reyes in 2009, the women's has stood far and above for the last 20+ years. They are no doubt high caliber records that will take an amazing effort to reach. Take a look the closest attempts below.
Men's:
Cecil Franke (2006) - 2:20:26
Sergio Reyes (2009) - 2:20:37
Elly Rono (1999) - 2:21:15
Rudolf Jun (1999) - 2:22:30
Christopher Reis (2006) - 2:23:23
Alex Gold (2021) - 2:26:28
Jason Salyer (2023) - 2:27:10
Zac Holtkamp (2022) - 2:27:18
William Cadwell (2023) - 2:27:28
John Aerni (2003) - 2:27:42
Women's:
Tatyana Pozdnyakova (2002) - 2:34:33
Caitlin Keen (2021) - 2:43:44
Anne Flower (2019) - 2:49:17
Becky Gallaher (2000) - 2:49:30
Grace McCarron (2022) - 2:50:00
Autumn Ray (2009) - 2:52:23
Madeline Dawson (2022) - 2:52:31
Amy Robillard (2015) - 2:53:07
Kerry Lee (2017) - 2:53:47
Rebecca Walter (2013) - 2:53:56
Some quick thoughts: the men's top 5 has quite a gap on the rest, although recent years indicate it's getting close. On the women's side, that number 1 spot is truly remarkable. Tatyana is the current marathon world record holder at W45 and W50 masters age groups, so it's no surprise. However, the last 10 years fill out most of the other spots on the board. Overall, the marathon is getting faster and more competitive, but history stands the test of time here.
Tatyana and Cecil's record breaking marathon wins
The Half Marathon:
Also featured on the climactic Sunday of Flying Pig weekend is the Half Marathon. It was added to the weekend's schedule back in 2005 and also boasts a difficult course. It features the same ascent as previously mentioned in the marathon, but takes a left on Madison and flies back down Gilbert to downtown. In my opinion, the half is considerably harder than the full. Half pace feels quite a bit more difficult going up those hills and that downhill is tough on the quads. Despite that, there've been some solid times thrown down and the top records are much closer than in the full. Take a look below.
Men's:
Tommy Kauffman (2017) - 1:08:30
Christopher Reis (2009) - 1:09:09
Todd Pthlek (2008) - 1:09:22
Samuel Montclair (2021) - 109:52
Thomas Lentz (2007) - 1:10:02
Zachary Ripley (2019) - 1:10:31
Mike Griewe (2007) - 1:10:36
Jack Butler (2018) - 1:10:39
Justin Scheid (2013) - 1:10:54
Tim Thornburg (2019) - 1:10:55
Women's:
Madeline Britton (2019) - 1:20:05
Lara Crofford (2017) - 1:20:21
Rachel Stoehr (2008) - 1:20:48
Daniella Townsend (2021) - 1:21:00
Caitlin Keen (2022) - 1:21:08
Amy Robillard (2012) - 1:21:19
Juliana Madzia (2015) - 1:21:19
Christine Frederick (2021) - 1:21:37
Nicole LaSelle (2009) - 1:21:52
Sarah Bishop (2019) - 1:21:52
It's clear these records may be going down soon. Both top 10 lists are all within a 2 minute range. Always a competitive event!
The 10K:
Kicking off Saturday's events, we have the 10K. It was added to the Flying Pig race schedule back in 2003. I am not sure how the course has changed over the years, but having run it last year, it's a great course. It goes over to Kentucky adding in the elevation of the bridges, and makes for a pretty scenic 6.2 mile route. The top 10 times below are impressive.
Men's:
Ryan Hall (2014) - 30:32
Michael Trentman (2004) - 31:37
Jack Randall (2022) - 31:45
Logan Barrett (2022) - 31:46
Phil Parrot-Migas (2019) - 31:49
Thomas Lentz (2006) - 32:16
Derrick Butler (2011) - 32:39
Donnie Warner (2011) - 32:51
Christopher Rayder (2019) - 33:05
Brian List (2007) - 33:06
Women's:
Olivia Anger (2023) - 35:53
Rachel Slingluff (2019) - 37:22
Laura Pahren (2023) - 37:59
Becky Clark (2012) - 38:00
Karen Berling (2007) - 38:02
Tanya Thatcher (2004) - 38:15
Sydney Larkin (2023) - 38:22
Kerry Lee (2004) - 38:24
Katherine McClain (2019) - 38:31
Sarah Mazzei (2019) - 38:48
If you're wondering if Ryan Hall is that Ryan Hall... yes, it is. The Pig's Asics partnership brought him to the Queen City to race. Given his PR of 28:07 and multiple American Records, this was probably a pretty easy run for him. Regardless, that'll be a tough one to take down. Also, shout out Olivia for shredding the record last year!
Ryan Hall's 30:32 10K win in 2014
The 5K:
Also, introduced in the same time frame as the races above, the 5K appeared in 2004. No American record holders in this one, but still some blazing fast times.
Men's:
Nate Jenkins (2008) - 14:52
Christopher Reis (2012) - 15:04
Antonio Marchi (2019) - 15:14
Matthew Folk (2008) - 15:24
Tristan Tapia (2021) - 15:55
Eric Baugh (2017) - 15:58
Brian List (2011) - 16:03
Jakob Mueller (2022) - 16:07
Randall King (2011) - 16:17
Jeff Hojnack (2009) - 16:22
Women's:
Brooke Wildermuth (2023) - 16:47
Becky Clark (2014) - 17:23
Bailey Kowalczyk (2019) - 17:44
Leslie Kraus (2008) - 18:03
Karen Berndt (2012) - 18:13
Olivia Vaworek (2012) - 18:13
Hannah Tobler (2021) - 18:22
Sarah Clark (2023) - 18:25
Jill Tranter (2008) - 18:38
Melanie Pliskin (2015) - 18:43
Like I said, blazing fast. Sub-15 and Sub-17 are no joke!
The Mile:
Last one, and the only one that has an official elite entry and prizes. So this one was loaded with results to make out the top 10. The results didn't have decimal points, so quite a bit of ties here.
Men's:
Jake Edwards (2017) - 4:14
Arnaud Froidmont (2017) - 4:15
JJ Webber (2019) - 4:16
Jackson Siddall (2023) - 4:17
Andrew Taylor (2023) - 4:18
Michael Hall (2023) - 4:18
Will Landowne (2023) - 4:18
Drake Sterling (2014) - 4:19
Derek Bischak (2014) - 4:20
Benjamin Bayless (2023) - 4:20
Women's:
Alesha Vovk (2019) - 4:53
Maria Scavuzzo (2019) - 4:58
Gina McNamara (2022) - 4:59
Katarina Smiljanec (2023) - 4:59
Brooke Wildermuth (2023) - 5:01
Flannery Musk (2018) - 5:02
Kaylin Russeau (2023) - 5:02
Becky Clark (2013) - 5:04
Katie Lenahan (2014) - 5:09
Emma McCarron (2018) - 5:10
Katarina (#4), Brooke (#5), and Kaylin (#7) from the 2023 Fifty West Mile
Obviously, being such a short race, these lists are closer. Recent years showing that it's only getting faster and more stacked. Excited to see how this year's race turns out.
While I only did top 10 lists for the signature race distances, there is certainly more that the Flying Pig offers. In true Cincinnati fashion, some of the events are named after Skyline chili dishes. Refrain from the discourse on whether you like Skyline or not, because honestly if you don't, you're just wrong. But I did include the fastest times found for these events as well. And if you're confused on what these challenges are, they are a combination of multiple Pig events.
3-Way Challenge (5K, 10K, Half):
Men: Kevin Bonfield (2017) -2:10:00
Women: Allison Echler (2019) - 2:28:37
4-Way Challenge (5K, 10K, Marathon):
Men: Jason Barhorst (2014) - 3:42:47
Women: Beth Dallas (2019) - 4:07:56
3-Way with Extra Cheese Challenge (Mile, 5K, 10K, Half):
Men: Bryan Wagner (2023) - 2:18:48
Women: Amy Schwarber (2021) - 2:39:55
4-Way with Extra Cheese Challenge (Mile, 5K, 10K, Marathon):
Men: Christopher Rayder (2019) - 3:30:07
Women: Jennifer Reed (2021) - 4:18:06
And lastly, to close this article out, I saved the best for last! Here are the top times for the Flying Fur 2 mile. Because who doesn't love dogs?
Flying Fur:
Men: Matthew Van Cleave (2015) - 10:47
Women: Kelsey McHugh (2019) - 11:30
Flying Fur 2019 (via the Enquirer)
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I know there are more events that have been included in the Pig's history like the Flying Piglet, Relays, Wheelchair, etc. but results for these were harder to sift through.
Shout out to the Flying Pig Marathon for the amazing weekend it brings every year. There's truly an event for everyone. The fastest results aren't the focus at the Pig. It's about celebrating this amazing running community and everyone's achievements reaching that finish line. I just wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the fastest times people reached it in it's history. Looking forward to another incredible year in a few weeks and hopefully I have to come back and update some of these lists very soon...