Flying Pig Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Cincinnati, OHMay 2, 2027
The Flying Pig Marathon is a big race on a hilly loop, which is a rarer combination than it sounds. 5,267 runners finished it in 2026, up from 4,057 in 2024, and they did it on a course carrying about 954 feet of climbing that returns to where it started. Race morning in Cincinnati in early May typically sits near 56F with humidity around 89%.
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Those two facts fight each other. A large field pulls you along and makes the early miles feel free, and the course's 338 feet between its lowest and highest points means the early miles are exactly where you can spend money you do not have. Then the humidity collects the debt. 4.6% of finishers ran a Boston qualifying time in 2026.
220 days to race day
Flying Pig Marathon · May 2, 2027 · about 31 weeks out
Your plan starts with your race and works backward. Every week lands on a real calendar, with race day at the end.
When to start training for the Flying Pig Marathon 2027
Race day is May 2, 2027, which is 220 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart October 4, 2026
- 24-week buildStart November 15, 2026
- 18-week buildStart December 27, 2026
- 16-week buildStart January 10, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart February 7, 2027
You have about 31 weeks until race day, so there is still room for a full build. Stride reads the runway you actually have and maps every week from today to May 2, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Flying Pig Marathon course facts
- Course
- Loop · Hilly · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 954 ft gain, 951 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 822 ft / 484 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 5,267 in 2026 (large field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 4.6% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 56°F at the start, 89% humidity, overcast
- Race day high / low
- 70°F / 46°F on average
Let’s find the plan for you.
Your race, current mileage, longest run, marathon experience, and available days decide the best fit. Stride maps the plan you choose to race day at the Flying Pig Marathon.
- Stride Run-Walk FinisherThree sessions a week with planned walk breaks, cover the full distance before race day.
- Stride First MarathonThe classic four-day first-marathon build: easy running and one weekly long run, no speedwork.
- Stride First Marathon PlusA first-marathon build with a little more volume and weekly race-pace miles.
- Stride 6-Day FinisherFinish your first marathon on frequency: six easy-leaning runs a week, no monster long runs.
- Stride 5-Day Pace BuilderFive days a week with race-pace runs before your long runs, built for a mid-pack time goal.
- Stride 6-Day RhythmSix days a week with three quality sessions, steady fatigue that teaches you to finish strong.
- Stride Time-Based FoundationFive time-based runs a week, mostly easy, the injury-averse way to a strong finish.
- Stride Time-Based BuilderSix time-based runs a week at a strict 80% easy / 20% hard split, chase a time goal without breaking.
- Stride 3-Day Cross-TrainThree runs plus two cross-training days over 24 weeks, marathon fitness on a busy schedule.
- Stride 3-Day QualityExactly three hard runs plus two mandatory cross-training sessions, every workout counts.
- Stride 6-Day CumulativeThe six-day cumulative-fatigue build with quality from week two, for PR chasers with a base.
- Stride Threshold 55The serious BQ/PR build to 55 miles a week: threshold work, medium-long runs, and 20-milers.
- Stride Threshold 70The high-mileage BQ/PR build to 70 miles a week for veterans with a deep base.
- Stride 2-Quality FlexTwo fixed quality sessions a week, everything else flexible easy running, fits any schedule.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Choose your Flying Pig Marathon training window.
Compare 12, 16, 18, and 20 weeks counted back from race day. The 18-week option includes the complete four-day schedule.
The course: a loop with 954 feet of climb and 338 feet of range
The Flying Pig Marathon runs a loop through Cincinnati that finishes essentially where it starts, three feet below by the numbers. It carries about 954 feet of total climbing and 951 feet of descent, and it swings between roughly 484 and 822 feet above sea level. That 338 foot range is the number that matters, because it means the climbing comes in real chunks rather than as rolling noise.
For a river city marathon that is a substantial amount of vertical, and a loop course means every foot you climb is a foot you come back down. Whatever the route does on the way up, the return puts the same total on your quads in reverse, and it does it later in the race when your legs have already absorbed the climb.
An honest limit on this page: the organizer's site does not publish a text course description, and the course pages we could reach carried maps rather than words. So we can tell you the profile with confidence and we cannot name the hills or give you mile markers for them. Pull the official course map and elevation chart before race week and mark your own.
How to train for the Flying Pig Marathon
Train the Flying Pig Marathon for sustained climbing early and controlled descending late, plus humidity. With about 954 feet of climb packed into a 338 foot vertical range, the course asks you to spend real effort on ascents and then hold form coming down, and race morning humidity near 89% means whatever you spent costs more than usual.
Build the climbing with continuous hill work rather than repeats. Find a route with several multi minute climbs and run them at marathon effort inside a long run, not as a separate workout. The specific skill is arriving at the top of a climb without your heart rate having spiked, because on a loop course a spike early is a walk later.
Then train the descents on purpose. Eccentric loading is what fails on a course that gives back everything it takes, and quads that have only run flat or only run up will start cramping on the return. Add controlled downhill running at goal effort in the last hour of a long run for the final six to eight weeks.
For the humidity, do at least one long run a week in the warmest, stickiest conditions you can find in the last six weeks. And practice starting slow inside a crowd. With over five thousand finishers the first two miles will feel effortless, and on a climbing course that is a trap.
Getting in
Enter the Flying Pig Marathon early, because it fills. The organizer notes that past editions have sold out and gone to a waitlist, and finisher numbers have climbed from 4,057 in 2024 to 5,267 in 2026, so demand is going the wrong way for procrastinators. The marathon runs on the Sunday of a three day race weekend, so book lodging for the whole weekend rather than just race night.
Where does the Flying Pig Marathon get hard?
The return half of the loop, where you give back all 951 feet of descent on quads that have already paid for the climb, in air that is typically near 89% humidity.
What is the weather like at the Flying Pig Marathon?
Race morning in Cincinnati in early May typically starts near 56F under overcast skies with humidity around 89% and a light northerly around 5 mph, warming toward an average high near 70F. That is a mild temperature with heavy air, which is a combination that flatters you for an hour and then does not. Train in humid conditions and start slower than the weather app suggests you can.
Is the Flying Pig Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Flying Pig Marathon is a Boston eligible course, and it is an honest but not fast one. 4.6% of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026, 5.4% in 2025 and 4.5% in 2024, so the rate has held in a narrow band. With 954 feet of climbing and no net drop, it is a course where a qualifier is earned rather than assisted.
Is the Flying Pig Marathon a good first marathon?
It is a good first marathon if you have trained on hills. The field of over five thousand finishers means constant company and deep crowd support, which carries first timers a long way. The caution is the terrain and the humidity together, because both punish a fast start, and a fast start inside a big excited field is exactly what a debut runner tends to do.
Flying Pig Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Flying Pig Marathon hilly?
Yes. The Flying Pig Marathon carries about 954 feet of climbing across its Cincinnati loop, swinging between roughly 484 and 822 feet of elevation. That 338 foot range means the climbing arrives in real sustained chunks rather than gentle rolling, and because it is a loop you descend everything you climb.
Is the Flying Pig Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
It is a legitimate one but not an easy one. 4.6% of Flying Pig finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026, 5.4% in 2025 and 4.5% in 2024. With 954 feet of climbing, no net drop and typically humid early May air, a qualifier here is earned on fitness rather than helped by the course.
How big is the Flying Pig Marathon?
Large and growing. 5,267 runners finished the marathon in 2026, up from 4,710 in 2025 and 4,057 in 2024. Expect deep crowd support, a congested first mile and a race that sells out, with a waitlist in past years. Register early rather than assuming entries will be there in spring.
What is the weather usually like at the Flying Pig Marathon?
Mild and humid. Early May race mornings in Cincinnati typically start near 56F under overcast skies with humidity around 89%, warming toward an average high near 70F. The temperature is comfortable but the heavy air makes any given pace cost more, so plan on running by effort rather than by watch.
Where does the Flying Pig Marathon get hard?
The return half of the loop, where you give back all 951 feet of descent on quads that have already paid for the climb, in air that is typically near 89% humidity.
What is the weather like at the Flying Pig Marathon?
Race morning in Cincinnati in early May typically starts near 56F under overcast skies with humidity around 89% and a light northerly around 5 mph, warming toward an average high near 70F. That is a mild temperature with heavy air, which is a combination that flatters you for an hour and then does not. Train in humid conditions and start slower than the weather app suggests you can.
Is the Flying Pig Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Flying Pig Marathon is a Boston eligible course, and it is an honest but not fast one. 4.6% of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026, 5.4% in 2025 and 4.5% in 2024, so the rate has held in a narrow band. With 954 feet of climbing and no net drop, it is a course where a qualifier is earned rather than assisted.
Is the Flying Pig Marathon a good first marathon?
It is a good first marathon if you have trained on hills. The field of over five thousand finishers means constant company and deep crowd support, which carries first timers a long way. The caution is the terrain and the humidity together, because both punish a fast start, and a fast start inside a big excited field is exactly what a debut runner tends to do.
When should I start training for the Flying Pig Marathon 2027?
Race day is May 2, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around December 13, 2026, a 16-week build around January 10, 2027, and a 12-week build around February 7, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Flying Pig Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Flying Pig Marathon as your race, and answer a few questions about your recent running and your weekly schedule. Stride matches you to one of 14 marathon plans, maps every week from today to May 2, 2027, adjusts when life gets in the way, and puts you in a feed of runners training for the same race.
Choosing a training app?
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Find your plan.
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