I used this race to knock off Virginia on my quest to race the states. Packet pickup was held at a local high school, so there really wasn't an expo. I did appreciate a few backdrop banners that you could use to pose with your bib. My biggest complaint is that they did not have a shirt in my size. They wrote down my address and promised to mail me one, but of course it never came. In the grand scheme of things, this should not be a big deal, but it stinks not having one.

Race day was great. Lots of parking available within close distance to start/finish area. The race started right on time which is always nice. The scenery is nothing to brag about, but I liked the greenway portions and a few times running in backwoods type areas near fields. I wouldn't necessarily label this course "hilly" although it did have quite a few hills. The race seemed to go by quick and had a nice downhill finish. Post race food included chili (too hot for me to eat in September) and lots of candy. I went crazy with the Hershey bars. ;)

I would recommend this race to a friend; it had a nice hometown vibe and the people were very friendly!

Packet pick up was in a field house and it was basically a cluster thanks to all the cars in one tiny area. Luckily we found a parking spot and headed inside. Most probably will not agree with me but I love expos. I like to see products in person and obtain some samples and just look around. This expo was extremely underwhelming and left us feeling slightly cheated. They did not even have fuel which put us in a bind since Brittney had planned on grabbing some gels. Packet pick up was efficient and the volunteers were very friendly. My Mom had decided to drop down to the 5k due to some knee issues and it was no problem. My big complaint was the shirts. At registration I was excited that they had sizes up to 3X because a lot of times women feel left out when they can’t order their size. However the shirts ran entirely too small. Brittney ordered a medium and ended up taking my 2X shirt while I bumped up and squeezed into my Momma’s shirt that she ordered. That was kind of a bummer so hopefully Divas will work on that issue for future races.

The 5k started right on time and we stood by the starting chute in an attempt to cheer on my Momma. This race used corrals but people sort of stood wherever which was kind of frustrating but it was all for fun so we didn’t really mind. I’m not sure if there was an actual gun start but everyone started running and we followed suit. The first couple of miles were on roads and had a few hills. The hills weren’t like the ones that we have in Knoxville but were more long inclines. We decided to run the first three miles and then switch to run/walk intervals after that. The humidity was out in full force but I’m glad that the race organizers were honest when they said that the course was shaded. The sun was rarely on us at any point in the race.

Around the three mile mark the course switched to a cart path. I honestly wasn’t looking forward to this section but I ended up LOVING it because you never knew what was going to come next and it felt like a casual run on the greenway instead of a half marathon. The only hard part was a few congestion issues but even that was rare. Water stops were plentiful. I read on the Divas Facebook page that some women were complaining about the lack of water stations but Brittney and I would both agree that were far more than any other race we have done. I believe we counted ten and two of them towards the end were only a half mile apart. Given how hot and humid it was, I was beyond thankful for plenty of hydration.

Finally we were within range of the finish line. Some local high school cheerleaders were handing us feather boas and tiaras so that we would look like true divas at the finish line. Brittney and I both passed on the boa but took a tiara. The finish was at the corner of a long incline. There was pink everywhere and so many people yelling and cheering for all finishers. The finish line chute was fantastic. Handsome fireman were there to hand out our medals and they had volunteers there to give us champagne and roses. We were truly pampered like Divas. The post race food selection didn’t have a lot of variety but it was nice to have volunteers to hand us our snacks.

This race has to be one of my top 3 favorite races of all time. The first year I did the race, I participated in the 3-Way Challenge (5k, 10k, half marathon) and then returned the following year to do the full.

Let's start with the expo...FANTASTIC. Vendors everywhere you turn. We spent every bit of 3 hours checking out different booths, purchasing fun items, and gathering what seemed like endless samples. It was great! Very well organized as far as picking bibs up if shopping the expo isn't your style.

Race day...we were able to find free parking within close walking distance to the start line. Many hotels are directly near start line, so that's always an option. We stayed across the river in Kentucky. The start line is organized into corrals and there are people there actually checking to make sure you are in the correct corral which I appreciated. Music is blaring and there is a whole lot of energy for that early in the morning.

Course support was out of this world. It definitely ranks number one in course support for me in the races that I have done. People cheering, high fiving, making fun signs. Everywhere you turned there was someone or something to look at. I would describe the course as hilly, but that's to be expected in this area. Aid stations were plentiful and the volunteers there were so supportive. At one point on the course they had hand painted signs for runners who signed up in advance. I was able to find a man waving a sign with my name on it which I LOVED. It was the perfect pick-me-up at mile 9.

The finish area was very well organized and the process to get food was nice because everything was an assembly line. I can't say enough good things about this race. If you are looking for an Ohio race or just a race with sweet crowd support, then Flying Pig is definitely the race for you.

Packet pickup was held at a local sports store, so no official expo. Race morning was deeply delayed due to some major parking issues. We had to park in a field (not a big deal) and then ride a hay trailer to the start line. I'm not sure what exactly caused all of the congestion, but it was a major cluster and traffic was backed up for miles.

I thought Kansas was nothing but wide open fields and flat farmland. Boy was I wrong. Kansas gave Knoxville a run for her money with all the hills we “ran” into. I made it to the four mile mark with the pace group then decided that I could not hold that pace for the rest of the race and the hills so I quietly backed off and let them pass. There were multiple aid stations on the course–some even offering chocolate! My kinda race!

Every finisher got a great medal and a cowbell! Post race food had so many different things to drink (I opted for chocolate milk) in addition to fares like hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, and LOTS of baked goods made by local moms. Did I eat any of it? Heck no, my stomach would have murdered me. We did however collect our free t-shirts since we had painted our nails with cows on them.

Overall the Running with the Cows Half Marathon was a fantastic race! The shirts and medals were flawlessly designed, the packet pick up was a breeze, the course support and aid stations were well stocked and had ridiculously awesome volunteers, and the post race food was something to be rivaled. Everyone was so nice and really made a Southern girl feel welcome. Although this wasn’t my best race, the race itself was phenomenal and hopefully I can return sometime and do it again!