By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Runners take off along Mehring Way. (Photo by Craig Ruttle) Photo gallery

There was no finer swine than the fifth annual Flying Pig Marathon, which featured a record-number entrants, near-perfect weather and - for the first time in Pig history - two local marathon winners.

A record 9,762 walkers and runners lined up behind Paul Brown Stadium between 6:25 and 6:50 a.m. for the Wheelchair Race, Flying Pig Marathon, Ernst & Young 4-Person Relay, Outback Steakhouse 2-Person Relay and Papa John's 10K race.

Walnut Hills graduate John Aerni, 23, is the first Cincinnati man to win the marathon. Aerni finished the Pig in 2:27:44.

"It's pretty cool," Aerni said. "I didn't know the whole history, but I kind of had that goal (winning) going in."

West Chester resident Lisa Veneziano captured the women's marathon title in 2:57:54 after barely making it to the race. She was stuck in a traffic jam until minutes before the start.

"I felt pretty good though," Veneziano said. "I knew early in the race I was going to have a good one."

Chicago native Cameron Stuber won the first annual 10K race in 32:12 and Loveland Middle School eighth grader Sarah Leeper won the women's 10K in 39:43.

Defending wheelchair race Chad Johnson made it two in a row Sunday, winning in 2:00.50.

E-mail srussell@enquirer.com