Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon/Cincinnati Marathon Inc.
644 Linn Street, Suite 626 Cincinnati, Ohio 45203
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 22, 2000
FLYING PIG MARATHON BOASTS MANY WINNERS
CINCINNATI, OH - Amidst a maze of flying pigs and nearly 6200 runners, 3000 volunteers and thousands of spectators, the 2nd running of the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon on May 14, 2000, was a tremendous success.
Rudolph Jun of Ft. Walton Beach, Florida won the Men's Open Marathon with a time of 2:23:04. He commanded the lead from the beginning of the race and finished strong with no one in sight behind him. Jun placed second in last year's Inaugural Flying Pig Marathon.
This year's second place finisher in the Men's Open division and top Ohioan was 24-year old Isaac Barnes with a time of 2:31:44. Only his second marathon, Barnes was a newcomer to the Flying Pig Marathon and surprised at his second place finish. "The crowds were just awesome. It also helped having time clocks at all of the miles," commented Barnes. "In my first marathon last year, I hit the wall at around mile 22 and came in around 50th. I never imagined I would place in the top three."
Third place went to Scott Colford of Logansport, Indiana, with a time of 2:33:50. Colford has run the very popular and established La Salle Bank Chicago Marathon and commented that he thought there were as many people cheering along the course as there are in Chicago - quite a compliment to the Cincinnati marathon. "The crowds kept me motivated and there was plenty of fluid on the course. I'm not sure how you could make it a better marathon," added Colford.
Cincinnati native Rebecca Gallaher won the Women's Open Marathon with a women's course record time of 2:49:32, beating last year's winning female time of 2:58:10. This was Gallaher's sixth marathon and cited the course's great crowds and challenging course as factors that made it a great marathon for her.
Patti Shephard of North Carolina won second place with a time of 3:02:20. Shephard noted that this was her fourth marathon in five months and she was hurting throughout the race. "I was in so much pain but got through (the race) because of the crowds. The course and the crowds were really great," noted Shephard after her finish.
Fifty-one year old Joan Ellis of Parma, Ohio, won third place with a time of 3:04:07. Of the fourteen marathons she has competed in, she cited the Flying Pig Marathon as her favorite. "I like hills," Ellis commented to a crowd who couldn't agree with that comment.
The wheelchair competition was a friendly battle between Franz Nietlispach and Saul Mendoza. Mendoza won the race last year, with Nietlispach taking second. This year the roles were reversed with Nietlispach taking home the first place award and Mendoza taking second. It was a full weekend of competition for the two who also raced the day before in Michigan at the Old Kent River Bank Run where Nietlispach set a new 25K/15.5 mile world record.
Runners were awarded in a variety of categories at the Flying Pig Marathon. The top five runners in the Men's Open, Women's Open and Wheelchair competitions were awarded, along with winners in the Masters Men's and Women's categories, Women's Wheelchair Open, Cincinnati Men's & Women Open and Ohio Men's & Women's Open. The total prize structure for all running divisions is $10,000. The total purse for the Wheelchair Event varies, depending on the number of entrants.
THE WINNERS
