By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Flying Pig Marathon founder Bob Coughlin remembers the debate like it was yesterday, a collection of furrowed brows and gloomy projections.

Sitting in a Portland, Ore., race directors meeting in 1997, Coughlin and a panel of friends listened to marathon directors devise plans to cut budgets and slash prize money.

Coughlin wanted no such cloud over Cincinnati's marathon, which would hit the Queen City's streets in another year and a half.

"I said, 'Why should we do much prize money at all? Why don't we make it more of a token, and make the marathon Cincinnati's biggest parade instead?'" Coughlin said.

Five years after its debut, the Flying Pig, Cincinnati's tribute to Porkopolis, has been propelled into instant popularity, with burgeoning attendance figures to prove it.

The 6,200 entrants in the 1999 debut have grown to 7,224 participants in 2002, making it the country's 17th largest marathon.

At last count, the 2003 marathon pool has increased by 300 runners. The 10K race has 100 entrants more than last year's 5-mile race, and the relay races have nearly doubled in size.

The Pig's light-hearted approach, physical challenges and charitable contributions have given it a personality few races have captured.

"One thing we always wanted to be known for," Coughlin said, "was our fun and our service."

Fine time for Swine

The Flying Pig is Ohio's largest marathon, followed by Columbus and Cleveland.

Had it debuted a decade earlier or later, its success might not have grown.

"A lot of the most well-known competitive marathons set up in the 1970s, so races like the Pig played into a sport that's already 15 to 20 years old. (The Pig) timed things near perfectly," said Ryan Lamppa, researcher for the USA Track & Field Road Running Information Center in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Themed races have been in high demand in the last 10 years. The Suzuki Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego is the world's largest themed marathon and the fifth largest overall; it became the world's largest debut marathon in 1998 with 19,454 runners. It's characterized with live bands along every mile and a huge post-race party.

But themed marathons are just a facet of the country's penchant for racing. According to Lamppa, last year 450,000 runners crossed finish lines in 300 United States marathons.

Attendance figures have been on the upswing since 1997 despite a drop in 2001. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are thought to be the cause, as would-be runners shied from long-distance travel and streets jammed with people.

Even though the Pig debuted at the "right time," Lamppa said it's amazing that a city such as Cincinnati could foster such an in-demand marathon. Why go to Cincinnati when you could go to Chicago or New York?

"No offense, but Cincinnati isn't exactly a destination city," Lamppa said.

"But when you put a great name with a cute little pink pig, you have a great marketing coup. The people who started the Flying Pig saw there wasn't a major marathon in Cincinnati, said 'Let's try it.' The rest is history."

Sow-a-brate good times

Last year Waffle House offered $10,000 to the top female and/or male to break the Pig's course records. This year there are no cash incentives.

The Pig is pumping funds back to its runners in the form of T-shirts, running bags, posters and - for those who finish - medals.

"We try to give more back to our runners. We're told no other race gives back as much," said Flying Pig executive director Iris Simpson-Bush.

Dayton resident Janet Suttmiller has run the Boston Marathon four times - but can't stop raving about the Pig.

"The medals are awesome, the shirts are nice and I have posters all over my house," said Suttmiller, who is training for her fifth Pig.

The trend for more runner-friendly races is nationwide, as marathons beckon athletes of all ages and sizes, said Audra Hoffmeyer, Elite Racing's director of public relations.

"Whenever you say a marathon is 26.2 miles, people say they'll never do it, no way is that possible. But if I tell you about an average Joe that was a smoker who runs it, it doesn't take a long time for people to start coming out," Hoffmeyer said.

The downside is that highly competitive or professional runners don't have an abundance of peers with whom to pace themselves. And Cincinnati's rolling course isn't known as the easiest.

Elite marathoner John Sence will run Sunday with the Pig's defending champion 4-person relay team. Eventually he'd like to try the marathon, but this is his last year of competitive running and he needs a stingy qualifying time for the Olympic trials.

"(The Pig) is a fun way to represent your city in a way that's unique. When things aren't conducive to running in town, I revert to a marathon I know is flat," said Sence, whose next marathon is in Duluth, Minn., in June.

While the Pig still attracts elite racers, one of its strengths is its return runners - over 300 entrants are preparing for their fifth-straight Pig.

Piggy bank

Elite Racing puts on the Suzuki Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego and the Country Music Marathon and Half-Marathon in Nashville. Like the Pig, both themed marathons have become standards on traveling race-runners' checklists.

Cincinnati's marathon is in a class of its own when it comes to financing the fun.

Peter Douglass, Elite Racing's director of operations, said the Rock 'n Roll Marathon costs $4 million to put on. More than $250,000 is offered in cash and prizes. The Country Music Marathon costs $2 million, with cash prizes surpassing $80,000.

Elite Racing pays for park rangers and medical support. There's also entertainment, advertising, course design, water, timers, medals and cleanup to consider.

The cities used to charge Elite Racing more than $60,000 a year just to put on the races, but lifted the costs when visitors - and their wallets - came to town.

Douglass said Nashville and San Diego also contribute 250 police and security workers per city.

"If we had to pay for it, it would be our biggest expense and biggest hassle," Douglass said.

The Pig is only about a third the size of San Diego's race. According to Simpson-Bush, the 2002 Pig price tag was $704,000.

The Pig paid slightly more than $80,000 for police and city services, but the city of Cincinnati donated back more than one-third of the money. The Pig's biggest expense was its $97,000 runner fees (medals, posters, etc.).

After all the bills were paid, the Pig had $25,000 left to plan 2003. A 2002 Xavier University economic impact study found Flying Pig runners generated $4.75 million for Greater Cincinnati.

Being not-for-profit, the Pig's pride is its fund raising. It raised more than $875,000 for 41 local charities in 2002 and expects to surpass $1 million this year.

The Pig wouldn't work without its 3,000 volunteers, Simpson-Bush said. From manning water stations to setting up the course, the local helpers - and the Pig's 150,000 spectators along Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky routes - are the event's driving force.

"That's one of the reasons the Pig has hit the level it has: because of the city's support," said Bart Yasso, Runner's World promotion director. "That's why other races struggle. They're pushed outside a city and aren't embraced by a downtown area."

High on the hog

In his research, Lamppa can't find a marathon that's gone from fun to fizzle in recent years. As America tries to shed its obese image, more and more curiosity seekers are joining the ranks of seasoned runners.

So what does it need to do to continue flourishing?

"The Pig needs to keep its theme and not try to become a Boston or New York," Yasso said. "The most important thing is for it not to leave the niche it has."

At a glance

What: The fifth annual Flying Pig Marathon

Schedule:

• Friday - Health & Fitness Expo (Cincinnati Convocation Center, 12 p.m.-7 p.m.).

• Saturday - Flying Piglets Kids' Fun Run (Sawyer Point, 9 a.m.-noon), Health & Fitness Expo (Cincinnati Convocation Center, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.); Pasta Dinner (Atrium II, 221 E. 4th St., 4:30-7:30 p.m.).

• Sunday - Flying Pig Wheelchair Event (Paul Brown Stadium, 6:25 a.m.); Flying Pig Marathon start, 4-person relay and 2-person relay (6:30 a.m.); Flying Pig 10 K (6:50 a.m.); Victory Party (Sawyer Point, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.).

By the years

A look at the number of runners who have participated in the Flying Pig each year:

1999	6,200
2000	6,167
2001	6,553
2002	7,224

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E-mail srussell@enquirer.com