CINCINNATI — Thinking about heading downtown this weekend? If so, be prepared to see a lot of people wearing running clothes and shoes in awkward poses stretching.
As a matter of fact, the city expects to see more than 30,000 people participating in some part of the 18th annual Flying Pig Marathon festivities.
To prepare for Pig, some roads will close at 9 a.m. Friday, April 29, as crews set up parts of the marathon course:
- East Pete Rose Way will be closed from Broadway to Johnny Bench Way. One southbound lane of Johnny Bench Way remain open coming the ramp from Second Street. A detour will be in place directing motorists back to E Pete Rose Way. Northbound Johnny Bench Way will be closed until after the Flying Pig Marathon on Sunday.
The first race of the Pig weekend will be the Little Kings Mile at 8 p.m. Friday. See the course map followed by a list of road closures that accompanied the event. Roads reopened after 9 p.m.
Use the "+/-" button in the bottom left corner to zoom.
Road closures:
- Mehring Way -- between Gest Street and E Pete Rose Way
- W Pete Rose Way -- between Gest Street and Central Avenue
- Central Avenue -- south of Third Street
- Elm Street -- south of Freedom Way
- Joe Nuxhall Way -- south of Freedom Way
The P&G Health and Fitness Expo, including packet pickup for runners, also kicks off noon until 7 p.m. Friday at the Duke Energy Convention Center. The expo continues 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
Saturday
Downtown road closures start at 7 a.m. and continue until 3 p.m. Saturday to accommodate 10K, 5K and 1K races.
The 10K race runs at 8 a.m., followed by the 5K at 10 a.m. and Piglet 1K run at 1 p.m. Below is a map overlay of each race's course downtown followed by a street-by-street list of road closures.
Use the "+/-" button in the bottom left corner to zoom.
Road closures:
- All of Second Street will be closed
- Central Avenue -- between Third Street and W Pete Rose Way
- Mehring Way -- between Central Avenue and E Pete Rose Way
- Elm Street -- between Third Street and Freedom Way
- Race Street -- south of Third Street
- Vine Street/ Rosa Parks Blvd -- between Third Street and Freedom Way
- Walnut Street/Marian Spencer Way -- between Third Street and Freedom Way
- Main Street/Joe Nuxhall Way -- south of Third Street
- Broadway -- south of Fourth Street (southbound allowed between Fourth and Third)
- Third Street -- westbound reduced to one lane between Broadway and Clay Wade Bailey Bridge
- Third Street -- eastbound closed between Clay Wade Bailey Bridge and Central Avenue
- Third Street -- between Eggleston Avenue and Pike Street (local resident access maintained)
- Third Street -- ramp from southbound I-71- Closed
- Third Street -- ramp from westbound Columbia Pkwy- Closed
- Fourth Street -- closed between Broadway and Pike Street (Single lane maintained for resident access)
- Pike Street -- between Third Street and Fourth Street (local access maintained)
- Butler Street -- between Third Street and Culvert Street
- Culvert Street -- between Third Street and Reedy Street
- Reedy Street -- closed between Broadway and Eggleston Avenue
- Seventh Street -- closed between Broadway and Culvert Street
- New Street -- closed between Broadway and Culvert Street
- Sentinel Street -- closed between Fifth Street and Eggleston Avenue
- Eggleston Avenue -- southbound closed between Reedy Street and E Pete Rose Way
- Taylor Southgate Bridge -- closed
- Clay Wade Bailey Bridge -- northbound closed
- E Pete Rose Way -- between Eggleston Avenue and Johnny Bench Way
Sunday
The bulk of road closing and traffic delays happen on Sunday, when 26.2 miles of the region plays host to the full Flying Pig Marathon and more than 10,000 runners.
As a heads up for anyone going to cheer on a participant, download the Pig smartphone app to track your athlete on the course.
Tap here to visit the Flying Pig website for instructions on where to download the app and how to use it.
For a little additional help in planning, below is a map of the full Pig course with 10 yellow flags indicating some of the best spots to cheer. By using the map of road closures after this one, it is relatively easy to hit at least two or three points on the full marathon course as a runner progresses.
And no matter where you end up, remember to bring signs and be loud to help keep them moving.
Use the "+/-" button in the bottom left corner to zoom.
Now for the many road closures.
Merhing Way between Rose Street and East Pete Rose Way, Central Avenue south of West Pete Rose Way and Joe Nuxhall Way between Freedom Way and Second Street will close starting at 1 a.m. Sunday.
All roads downtown south of Fourth Street will close at 6 a.m.
See the full AND half marathon course maps below, followed by the street-by-street list of closings.
Use the "+/-" button in the bottom left corner to zoom.
The following streets from downtown into Northern Kentucky and then all out to Mariemont and Fairfax, including part of Columbia Parkway, will begin to close at 5 a.m. as needed for the full and half marathon. The race begins at 6:30 a.m. on Merhing Way.
- Main Street -- between Mehring Way and Third Street
- Third Street -- between Main Street and Broadway
- Third Street -- exit from SB I-71 closed
- Broadway -- between Taylor Southgate Bridge and Third Street
- Taylor Southgate Bridge -- closed
- Clay Wade Bailey Bridge -- closed
- Third Street -- between Gest Street and the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge
- Linn Street -- westbound closed between West Eighth Street and Third Street
- West Eighth Street -- eastbound closed between Linn Street and Seventh Street
- Seventh Street -- closed between Central Avenue and Gilbert Avenue (Vehicles from the garage at Seventh and Broadway will be permitted to exit at Seventh Street and continue across Broadway to E Seventh St)
- Seventh Street exit from SB I-75 -- closed
- Central Avenue -- closed between Seventh Street and Sixth Street
- Plum Street -- closed between Eighth Street and Seventh Street
- Elm Street -- closed between Sixth Street and Seventh Street
- Race Street -- closed between Garfield Place and Seventh Street
- Vine Street -- closed between Sixth Street and Seventh Street
- Walnut Street -- closed between Eighth Street and Seventh Street
- Main Street -- closed between Sixth Street and Seventh Street
- Sycamore Street -- closed between Eighth Street and Seventh Street
- Broadway -- closed between Sixth Street and Seventh Street
- Gilbert Avenue -- northbound closed between Seventh Street and Elsinore Place
- Gilbert Avenue -- closed between Elsinore Place and Eden Park Drive
- Eden Park Drive -- closed between Gilbert Avenue and Victory Parkway
- Fulton Avenue -- closed between Nassau Street and Eden Park Drive
- Art Museum Drive -- closed between Ida Street and Eden Park Drive
- Lake Drive -- closed
- Victory Parkway -- northbound closed between Eden Park Drive and McMillan Avenue
- McMillan Avenue -- closed between Victory Parkway and Woodburn Avenue
- Woodburn Avenue -- closed between McMillan Avenue and Madison Road
- Madison Road -- eastbound closed between Woodburn Avenue and Erie Avenue
- Erie Avenue -- eastbound closed between Madison Road and Paxton Avenue
- Paxton Avenue -- northbound closed between Erie Avenue and Wasson Road
- Wasson Road -- closed between Paxton Avenue and Eastern Hills Lane
- Wasson Road -- eastbound closed between Eastern Hills Lane and Marburg Ave
- Eastern Hills Lane -- southbound closed between Wasson Road and Terminus (One westbound lane will be open to access Eastern Hills Lane from Marburg Avenue)
- Marburg Road -- southbound closed between Wasson Road and Erie Avenue
- Erie Avenue -- eastbound closed between Marburg Avenue and Bramble Avenue
- Bramble Avenue -- eastbound closed between Erie Avenue and Settle Avenue
The race continues into Mariemont and Fairfax, then returns on westbound US-50/Columbia Parkway.
- US-50/Columbia Parkway -- single westbound curb lane closed between the Cincinnati Corporation Line and Eastern Avenue off ramp (westbound US-50 ramp to Eastern Avenue is closed)
- Ramp from Red Bank Road to Westbound Columbia Parkway -- closed
- Eastern Avenue -- westbound closed between Columbia Parkway and Stanley Avenue
- Stanley Avenue -- southbound closed between Eastern Avenue and Kellogg Avenue
- Kellogg Avenue -- westbound closed between Stanley Avenue and Worth Street
- Riverside Drive -- eastbound closed between Worth Street and E. Pete Rose Way
- E. Pete Rose Way -- closed between Riverside Drive and Johnny Bench Way
- Johnny Bench Way -- closed
The Half Marathon will follow the same course out but will turn back at Woodburn Avenue & Madison Road. The following streets will be closed as needed:
- Madison Road -- eastbound closed between Victory Parkway and Woodburn Avenue
- M.L.King -- eastbound closed between Gilbert Avenue and Victory Parkway
- Gilbert Avenue -- northbound closed between Eden Park Drive and ML King
- Sinton Avenue -- closed between Gilbert Avenue and Nassau Street
- Nassau Street -- closed between Sinton Avenue and Gilbert Avenue
- Elsinore Place -- closed between Reading Road and Gilbert Avenue
- Reading Road -- northbound closed between Central Parkway and Elsinore Place
- Central Parkway -- closed between Eggleston Avenue and Vine Street
- Eggleston Avenue -- southbound closed between Central Parkway and E Pete Rose Way
- Eggleston Avenue -- northbound closed between Third Street and Broadway
Road closings and course support for the full marathon ends approximately seven hours after the race's 6:30 a.m. start.
