Saturday, May 08, 1999
Advice to fans: Get there early
BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The advantage Mike Egan has on most of the competition when running a marathon is not the training he's done or the previous races he's run. It's all in a name.
“Many times I've worn a shirt with my name on it,” Egan said. “As I found out, there are so many people named Mike, it doesn't matter whether I wear the shirt or not. I'm going to hear people yelling, "C'mon, Mike!'”
If you think it won't help a runner in Sunday's Flying Pig Marathon to hear cheering, think again.
WHERE TO WATCH
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Spectators for the Flying Pig Marathon have 26.2 miles of choices. These are suggestions made by race officials, with the full list available at www.cincymarathon.org :
• Fountain Square: The race begins at 6:50 a.m. for wheelchair participants, 7 for runners. Those who view the start can walk across the Suspension Bridge and again spot runners when they run along Fifth Street in Covington, or they can walk to Eggleston to watch the first relay exchange at the 10-kilometer mark.
• Gilbert Avenue: The road will be closed from Elsinore to Eden Park Drive. Spectators may drive down Gilbert to Eden Park and see runners entering the park, or turn onto Fulton Avenue and watch them pass the Gazebo at Mirror Lake between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m.
• East Walnut Hills/Hyde Park: The runners will pass along Madison Road in O'Bryonville between 8 and 9 a.m., with the turn from Madison to Observatory marking roughly the 11-mile mark.
• Mariemont/Fairfax: At the corner of Erie and Murray, the course will turn and circle to Red Bank Road. At Red Bank and Old Wooster Pike, the course turns over the old viaduct.
• Mt. Lookout: For residents, the corner of Delta and Erie, Beechmont Circle and Delta at Eastern are recommended.
• Cincinnati Museum Center: The finish. Race organizers recommend parking downtown and riding shuttle buses to the area.
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To cover the 26.2 miles, runners will load their bodies with fuel-efficient food and drink fluids to avoid dehydration. And still, most will run out of drive somewhere along the way. Enthusiastic spectators will keep them moving toward the finish.
“It's huge,” said Kathy Hilsinger of Mt. Lookout, who will be running her first marathon but has run a half-marathon. “You're really running against yourself, and it's so easy to break, to feel upset, to feel down or to feel tired. And if you have something to distract you from that — yelling your name, yelling something positive — its something you can't put a value on.”
For spectators looking for the best view of the race, numerous spots along the course are ideal, including the start at Fountain Square (6:50 a.m. for wheelchair participants, 7 for runners).
Mike Boylan, the marathon's executive director, also recommends Walnut Hills (Gilbert at Eden Park or McMillan at Victory Parkway between 8 and 9 a.m.); Hyde Park Square; Mt. Lookout (Delta at Erie, where the Cincinnati Bier Band will be playing); Mt. Washington/Anderson (Kellogg at Wilmer Ave nue, between 8:30 and 11 a.m.) and the finish near the Cincinnati Museum Center (about 9 a.m.-on).
Boylan said parking near the Union Terminal area will be difficult, and those wishing to see the finish would be wise to park downtown and ride the shuttle buses that will begin at 7:45 a.m.
He suggests the relay zones in Oakley (Erie near Marburg) and near Lunken Airport are not good sites. “They're going to be like Woodstock.”
Hilsinger looks at the course and sees a stretch along Eastern Avenue in the later stages of the race that could be thin on spectators, and Boylan acknowledges that is a concern.
The race administration thus has arranged several water spots and will position “Scream Teams” in this segment of the course to help keep runners going.
“We've got bands, we've got water stops, we've got mile-timers, and we have the residents alerted,” Boylan said. “I'm more worried about if we have sun along that stretch, because there's not much shade there. If we have an overcast day, we'll be pleased.”
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