The Flaming Flying Pig Half Marathon... Complete!

What a day!  So much happened before 10 AM  that I this may have to be another long post.  Just for the pictures!   And...  after a nine hour drive home, I might not be up to par with my long winded narrations.    So.... I will do my best  with the pictures.    I will cut to the chase and say that neither Cheryl nor Mike won any age group awards on this one.  

Early Morning! Don't Look!

And both of them were feeling the burn after running two races yesterday.  That being said,  they did manage to finish just under 1:41:00.   Not to bad for feeling sore and unmotivated today.   

There were a LOT of people for the Marathon/half marathon this morning.   At lease 7000 people ran the half marathon alone!  And lots of those folks were fast!   Without being from Kenya!  

But after PR's yesterday, the goal for today for the Bobbsey Twins was to enjoy the race.   Which... I think they may have done.  I know Pam and I did.   

The humidity was up there this morning, but there was also a fairly strong breeze.   Good for the Supporters... Maybe not the best for the runners. But at least the rain held off for most of the race.  In fact,  Pam and I did not get wet at all.   I heard that there were sections of the race that had a brief downpour, but the finish like was spared.  At least while we were there. 

It is unfortunate that the pictures had a difficult time during the early morning shots.  Many of them were out of focus, but a few managed to score "acceptable."   The early morning lights of the City of Cincinnati were quite beautiful.   

There was a lot of nervous  dancing before the start.   Though the humidity was high,   the temps were just cool enough to cause the jitters.  Add in the cool breeze and everyone wanted to move around to stay warm.   Especially Cheryl....

At the start ( 6:30 Gun time!)  Pam and I captured the flaming towers as the runners bolted out of the gate.  I was impressed that I was able to capture Mike and Cheryl in that Human wave... Even WITH the poor lighting. ( Hint...  They are the ones in the circle.) 

Pam and I walked to mile 5 and waited for the runners there.    By the time the first runners cam into view,  the streets were lined with Spectators.   We passed the time sipping  from the flask of Homebrew...  To keep warm, of course!  ( No ulterior motives here....)   I mean... that breeze was chilly!

We waved to the Duo as they ran past.  Luckily, they ran this race together so we did not have to find two needles in the Haystack.   It also aided us in knowing when to head back towards the finish. 

Balcony View!

We chose a different observation point this race... still with a bird's Eye view.   We were on the ledge overlooking the finish line ( where I was during the dog run yesterday)  The bridge looked like it had plenty of spectators already, so this view point gave us easy access to the finish line... AND a quick access point to catch the runners after they crossed the finish.   It was really a better place than yesterdays bridge mistake. 

While we waited, we noticed the "Megatron" board showing off the runners at mile 7.   We also noted a Race official with his "Official Pig Marathon Blazer"   Complete with a piggy tail on the back!   How cool is that?

Finally,  Mike and Cheryl came down the chute towards the finish.   They must have been looking for us on the bridge and did not notice us immediately.   Luckily,  they must have heard us Cheering over the loud crowd and found us on the balcony.    

We were able to catch them before the left the finish party area and Pam requested Pizza.   They exited the area with an arm full of goodies and a couple extra pieces of pizza for us.  And then... Off to the Challenge Booth!

For those folks who attempted the challenge, they got extra recognition and "attaboys!" in the form of extra finisher's Medals.    I'm not sure which ones were for which races or challenges.  And judging from Mike's face... Neither did he! But we fanned them all out and took their picture.

Bringing Home the Bacon!

  Add these trinkets to the Two medals from yesterday AND the one mile medal from Friday and you will have enough Iron to build a Battleship! (Slight

No Butts About it!

exaggeration...) But what a way to get more bling for your Buck!   I think that displays  the  folks who know the meaning of the word "Value!" 

Storm was Brewin'.

We did not stay long at the after party.   There were clouds rolling in fast and we wanted to get cleaned up and on our way as early as possible.   Especially  with a 8-9 hour drive ahead of us.  Oh!  And there was that whole "Free Breakfast" thing at the hotel.   Besides,  we walked the 2 miles  between the race and our hotel several times over the weekend.   

2 miles!  Uphill! Both ways!

We are finally home now... and it never rain at all along the trip.   It was VERY windy though, with the temps dropping back to the low 50's.  I guess rain and cold are predicted for the next week, so that sounds like fun.  And then Cheryl and I have another scoring project beginning on Thursday.   Good times!

Partner in Crime...

Overall,  I think this was fun.   Brief enough so there were no moments of boredom,  And there was plenty of activity for everyone all weekend long.  I can see why Mike and Pam recommended this one. It was also fun having a Co-conspirator for the Support role.  It is nice not having to engage with total strangers and telling them my wife's entire running history... over and over again.    Don't get me wrong, I still do that... But I now have someone else to chat with while waiting for the horses to finish.   

Ok,  this is pretty long after all.  And it is late.   IF you read this far and are NOT Mike or Pam...  Thank you!   ( And if you ARE Mike and Pam... Thank you too!)   I enjoy having people suffer through my long winded blog posts.  Almost as much as I enjoy writing them...  As long as I'm not too tired.   

Thanks for stopping in and Have a Great Week!