Sunday, May 09, 1999
Pig's motto: fun, fun, fun all the way home
BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
When Bob Coughlin set out to bring a major marathon to Cincinnati, he didn't want the fastest field. No, Coughlin was looking for, pardon the grammar, the funnest marathon.
So the field of 6,100 or so, which will start at 7a.m. today at Fountain Square, will be entertained along the way with everything from blues bands to barber shop quartets. They'll be treated to a party afterward. And they've been given a sack full of goodies
just for signing up. Competition was way down the list of priorities when Coughlin came up with the idea 18 months ago.
“We wanted to put on a well-run marathon that people would have fun at,'” Coughlin said. “We took a light-hearted approach.”
Thus, the name. Thus, the bands. Thus, the post-race party.
The organizers followed the precedent set by the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego. The first Rock 'n' Roll in 1998 was the biggest first marathon ever, largely because people knew a marathon named Rock 'n' Roll would be fun.
The major difference between the Flying Pig and the first Rock 'n' Roll, organizers say, is the Pig will be run better. The start of the Rock 'n' Roll was delayed 40 minutes, and there were problems at water stops.
“We've worked very hard to make sure nothing like that happens,” executive director Mike Boylan said. “We want it to go smoothly, so people want to come back.”
To that end, the Pig will have 2,000 volunteers working today. The budget for the marathon is more than $750,000, so organizers didn't have to cut corners.
Coughlin is confident things will go smoothly.
“Everything has come together,” he said. “It's a great thing. We're proud of it.”
Flying Pig Stories
