Flying Pig Marathon 2005 Facts and Stats
One thing nice about races without cash prizes is that it gives a chance for local surprises to win. That was the case last Sunday (5/1/05) in Cincinnati's Flying Pig Marathon. For the women, the first-timer, Alison Bedingfield of Cincinnati, won with a time of 3:03:52. Her longest-ever run was 22 miles in training last month. She finished only 7th in a mini-marathon on April 3rd. Another atypical aspect for a marathon winner was that she has trained alone. (More at Cincinnati Post)
The men's winner was also a local success story. Tim Rieger II of Dayton Ohio won with a time of 2:30:24. What makes his win so remarkable was that 6 years ago he had contracted the virus myocarditis which weakens the heart and makes one susceptible to heart failure. Like the women's winner, Rieger is not an old pro at marathons. This was only his second. His first was 2002's in which he placed 4th. (More at Cincinnati.com)
Another nice thing about non-cash prize marathons is that there seems to be more focus on charity fund raising. This article states that of the more than 12K who participated in last year's Flying Pig, 45% ran to raise money and over $1M in donations were raised.
I found some interesting economic stats on this race from this article:
Finally, I was interested in the history of this race's unique name. From this Cincinnati.com article:
Well, the Flying Pig name seems to have stuck. According to Fast Company Magazine, the Flying Pig Marathon is one of the "Top 10 Brand Storytellers" in the country.
The Weather
Temperatures were cool for a marathon. Weatherunderground.com recorded temps around the 6:30 start time of 32°F. By 8:22am it had only risen to 37°F. At least the winds were mostly calm with clear skies appearing after morning fog. It finally started to get warmer after 8:30am. At 8:53am it was 44°F, 51°F at 9:53am, and 55°F by 10:53am.
The Stats
I've made another improvement to my basic stats program based on some good comment feedback. For the time breakdowns, median times can be seen for each category by moving your mouse over the cells. Also, the left columns provide the top three times in addition to the median times.
One thing to note about the stats is that I had to make some slight changes to the age groups. The race results lacked specific ages and only placed runners in categories like 18-24, 25-29, etc. Thus, I kept this basic format except that I paired them to be close to my previous categories. Also, the results didn't provide ages for some categories like "male overall". Thus, there are more in the unknown age category than in other races.
Battle of the Marathons
One thing interesting about the stats was how close this marathon looked to Nashville's Country Music Marathon in terms of number of runners and total averages. For the Flying Pig Marathon, I listed 2270 male runners with an average time of 4:17:45. Nashville's Marathon had 2187 male runners who averaged 4:19:45. The women were also close, but the Flying Pig women were a little slower. There were 1467 Flying Pig women who averaged 4:54:42. In Nashville there were 1502 who averaged 4:45:12.
Like Nashville's Country Music Marathon, The Flying Pig also did a good job at attracting out-of-state runners. 48% of the runners were from outside Ohio. This is better than many marathons, but not quite as good as Nashville which had 69% from outside the state.
The Fastest State and City
Pennsylvania was well represented at the Flying Pig. Its 116 runners had a faster average than any other state. They averaged 4:11:22. It was over 20 minutes faster than the overall average and over 6 minutes better than the next fastest state (New York). Pennsylvania also had the fastest city in the marathon. Pittsburgh's 32 runners averaged 4:01:43 which was over 12 minutes faster than the next fastest city of West Chester, OH.
Total Runners by Times
Male Runners by Times - Move mouse over cells to see median times. Top 3 times also shown in left columns.
Female Runners by Times - Move mouse over cells to see median times. Top 3 times also shown in left columns.
Average/Best Times By Age Groups (Male and Female)
Average/Best Times By Male Age Groups
Average/Best Times By Female Age Groups
Average/Best Times By Cities (cutoff=20)
Average/Best Times By State (cutoff=20)
The stats are based on 2005 results from the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon Results page.
Technorati Tags: running, marathons, cincinnati, flying pig marathon
The men's winner was also a local success story. Tim Rieger II of Dayton Ohio won with a time of 2:30:24. What makes his win so remarkable was that 6 years ago he had contracted the virus myocarditis which weakens the heart and makes one susceptible to heart failure. Like the women's winner, Rieger is not an old pro at marathons. This was only his second. His first was 2002's in which he placed 4th. (More at Cincinnati.com)
Another nice thing about non-cash prize marathons is that there seems to be more focus on charity fund raising. This article states that of the more than 12K who participated in last year's Flying Pig, 45% ran to raise money and over $1M in donations were raised.
I found some interesting economic stats on this race from this article:
The Flying Pig Marathon is among the nation's top 20 in size.
About 40 percent of the participants will come from out of town.
More than 100,000 will turn out for the races and related events.
The economic impact is estimated at $4.75 million, according to Xavier University researchers, with more than $3 million of that coming from people outside the area.
Finally, I was interested in the history of this race's unique name. From this Cincinnati.com article:
Yes, we can indeed poke fun at ourselves, stage a top race and attract thousands to healthier, slimmer lifestyles here in the heart of the Obesity Belt. ... More than a celebration of Cincinnati's 19th century meat-packing history...
Well, the Flying Pig name seems to have stuck. According to Fast Company Magazine, the Flying Pig Marathon is one of the "Top 10 Brand Storytellers" in the country.
The Weather
Temperatures were cool for a marathon. Weatherunderground.com recorded temps around the 6:30 start time of 32°F. By 8:22am it had only risen to 37°F. At least the winds were mostly calm with clear skies appearing after morning fog. It finally started to get warmer after 8:30am. At 8:53am it was 44°F, 51°F at 9:53am, and 55°F by 10:53am.
The Stats
I've made another improvement to my basic stats program based on some good comment feedback. For the time breakdowns, median times can be seen for each category by moving your mouse over the cells. Also, the left columns provide the top three times in addition to the median times.
One thing to note about the stats is that I had to make some slight changes to the age groups. The race results lacked specific ages and only placed runners in categories like 18-24, 25-29, etc. Thus, I kept this basic format except that I paired them to be close to my previous categories. Also, the results didn't provide ages for some categories like "male overall". Thus, there are more in the unknown age category than in other races.
Battle of the Marathons
One thing interesting about the stats was how close this marathon looked to Nashville's Country Music Marathon in terms of number of runners and total averages. For the Flying Pig Marathon, I listed 2270 male runners with an average time of 4:17:45. Nashville's Marathon had 2187 male runners who averaged 4:19:45. The women were also close, but the Flying Pig women were a little slower. There were 1467 Flying Pig women who averaged 4:54:42. In Nashville there were 1502 who averaged 4:45:12.
Like Nashville's Country Music Marathon, The Flying Pig also did a good job at attracting out-of-state runners. 48% of the runners were from outside Ohio. This is better than many marathons, but not quite as good as Nashville which had 69% from outside the state.
The Fastest State and City
Pennsylvania was well represented at the Flying Pig. Its 116 runners had a faster average than any other state. They averaged 4:11:22. It was over 20 minutes faster than the overall average and over 6 minutes better than the next fastest state (New York). Pennsylvania also had the fastest city in the marathon. Pittsburgh's 32 runners averaged 4:01:43 which was over 12 minutes faster than the next fastest city of West Chester, OH.
Total Runners by Times
| under 3:00 | 3:00 to 4:00 | 4:00 to 5:00 | over 5:00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43 (1%) | 1141 (31%) | 1622 (43%) | 934 (25%) |
Male Runners by Times - Move mouse over cells to see median times. Top 3 times also shown in left columns.
| Ages | under 3:00 | 3:00 to 4:00 | 4:00 to 5:00 | over 5:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 8 (3%) | 149 (47%) | 121 (38%) | 39 (12%) |
| 30-39 | 21 (4%) | 282 (48%) | 226 (38%) | 61 (10%) |
| 40-49 | 6 (1%) | 310 (47%) | 276 (42%) | 62 (9%) |
| 50-59 | 0 (0%) | 115 (31%) | 180 (48%) | 78 (21%) |
| 60-69 | 0 (0%) | 13 (18%) | 33 (46%) | 25 (35%) |
| 70-79 | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (33%) | 2 (67%) |
| unknown | 8 (3%) | 40 (15%) | 99 (38%) | 115 (44%) |
| Total | 43 (2%) | 909 (40%) | 936 (41%) | 382 (17%) |
Female Runners by Times - Move mouse over cells to see median times. Top 3 times also shown in left columns.
| Ages | under 3:00 | 3:00 to 4:00 | 4:00 to 5:00 | over 5:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 0 (0%) | 74 (19%) | 217 (56%) | 97 (25%) |
| 30-39 | 0 (0%) | 76 (20%) | 202 (53%) | 101 (27%) |
| 40-49 | 0 (0%) | 58 (18%) | 168 (52%) | 96 (30%) |
| 50-59 | 0 (0%) | 7 (7%) | 56 (53%) | 43 (41%) |
| 60-69 | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (17%) | 10 (83%) |
| 70-79 | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (100%) |
| unknown | 0 (0%) | 16 (6%) | 41 (16%) | 201 (78%) |
| Total | 0 (0%) | 231 (16%) | 686 (47%) | 550 (37%) |
Average/Best Times By Age Groups (Male and Female)
| Ages | Number | Percent | Mean Time | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 705 | 19% | 4:23:43 | 2:44:23 |
| 30-39 | 969 | 26% | 4:17:42 | 2:42:33 |
| 40-49 | 976 | 26% | 4:21:00 | 2:55:10 |
| 50-59 | 479 | 13% | 4:34:31 | 3:01:11 |
| 60-69 | 83 | 2% | 4:53:00 | 3:20:30 |
| 70-79 | 5 | 0% | 5:28:28 | 4:34:32 |
| unknown | 523 | 14% | 5:26:02 | 2:30:24 |
| Total | 3740 | 100% | 4:32:17 | 2:30:24 |
| Fastest Ages (by average) | ||||
| 30-39 | 969 | 26% | 4:17:42 | 2:42:33 |
Average/Best Times By Male Age Groups
| Ages | Number | Percent | Mean Time | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 317 | 14% | 4:08:08 | 2:44:23 |
| 30-39 | 590 | 26% | 4:05:35 | 2:42:33 |
| 40-49 | 654 | 29% | 4:08:58 | 2:55:10 |
| 50-59 | 373 | 16% | 4:25:33 | 3:01:11 |
| 60-69 | 71 | 3% | 4:46:05 | 3:20:30 |
| 70-79 | 3 | 0% | 5:10:49 | 4:34:32 |
| unknown | 262 | 12% | 4:59:15 | 2:30:24 |
| Total | 2270 | 100% | 4:17:45 | 2:30:24 |
| Fastest Ages (by average) | ||||
| 30-39 | 590 | 26% | 4:05:35 | 2:42:33 |
Average/Best Times By Female Age Groups
| Ages | Number | Percent | Mean Time | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 388 | 26% | 4:36:26 | 3:23:11 |
| 30-39 | 379 | 26% | 4:36:34 | 3:18:36 |
| 40-49 | 322 | 22% | 4:45:26 | 3:25:58 |
| 50-59 | 106 | 7% | 5:06:06 | 3:34:15 |
| 60-69 | 12 | 1% | 5:33:52 | 4:31:24 |
| 70-79 | 2 | 0% | 5:54:56 | 5:29:17 |
| unknown | 258 | 18% | 5:53:25 | 3:03:40 |
| Total | 1467 | 100% | 4:54:42 | 3:03:40 |
| Fastest Ages (by average) | ||||
| 18-29 | 388 | 26% | 4:36:26 | 3:23:11 |
Average/Best Times By Cities (cutoff=20)
| City | Number | Percent | Mean Time | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CENTERVILLE, OH | 22 | 1% | 4:47:28 | 3:23:16 |
| CHICAGO, IL | 36 | 1% | 4:32:58 | 3:09:06 |
| CINCINNATI, OH | 825 | 22% | 4:39:54 | 2:46:16 |
| COLUMBUS, OH | 72 | 2% | 4:20:05 | 2:56:53 |
| DAYTON, OH | 70 | 2% | 4:51:02 | 2:30:24 |
| FAIRFIELD, OH | 24 | 1% | 4:38:51 | 3:25:43 |
| FLORENCE, KY | 30 | 1% | 4:48:49 | 3:09:56 |
| HAMILTON, OH | 23 | 1% | 4:30:30 | 3:03:41 |
| INDIANAPOLIS, IN | 28 | 1% | 4:50:56 | 2:42:33 |
| LEXINGTON, KY | 24 | 1% | 4:21:19 | 3:14:48 |
| LOVELAND, OH | 82 | 2% | 4:32:42 | 3:18:36 |
| MAINEVILLE, OH | 32 | 1% | 4:26:34 | 3:07:36 |
| MASON, OH | 74 | 2% | 4:34:19 | 3:01:11 |
| PITTSBURGH, PA | 32 | 1% | 4:01:43 | 2:52:03 |
| WEST CHESTER, OH | 52 | 1% | 4:13:09 | 3:07:29 |
| Below Cutoff | 2314 | 62% | 4:29:42 | 2:30:53 |
| Total | 3740 | 100% | 4:32:17 | 2:30:24 |
| Fastest City (by average) | ||||
| PITTSBURGH, PA | 32 | 1% | 4:01:43 | 2:52:03 |
Average/Best Times By State (cutoff=20)
| State | Number | Percent | Mean Time | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 43 | 1% | 5:03:41 | 2:57:31 |
| FL | 47 | 1% | 4:24:45 | 3:08:22 |
| GA | 77 | 2% | 4:26:54 | 2:41:10 |
| IA | 22 | 1% | 4:37:20 | 3:09:09 |
| IL | 177 | 5% | 4:26:44 | 2:45:56 |
| IN | 172 | 5% | 4:34:41 | 2:39:45 |
| KY | 308 | 8% | 4:38:41 | 2:46:19 |
| MA | 27 | 1% | 4:18:45 | 3:23:26 |
| MD | 38 | 1% | 4:39:09 | 3:08:14 |
| MI | 149 | 4% | 4:20:31 | 2:44:23 |
| MO | 38 | 1% | 4:38:40 | 3:29:28 |
| NC | 65 | 2% | 4:28:38 | 2:59:31 |
| NONUSA | 74 | 2% | 4:22:34 | 2:59:08 |
| NY | 59 | 2% | 4:17:41 | 2:54:38 |
| OH | 1958 | 52% | 4:35:14 | 2:30:24 |
| PA | 116 | 3% | 4:11:22 | 2:46:43 |
| TN | 37 | 1% | 4:26:33 | 3:19:14 |
| TX | 54 | 1% | 4:27:06 | 3:20:36 |
| VA | 40 | 1% | 4:37:38 | 3:04:34 |
| WI | 24 | 1% | 4:19:10 | 3:04:14 |
| WV | 20 | 1% | 4:18:11 | 3:12:26 |
| Below Cutoff | 195 | 5% | 4:26:25 | 2:57:13 |
| Total | 3740 | 100% | 4:32:17 | 2:30:24 |
| Fastest State (by average) | ||||
| PA | 116 | 3% | 4:11:22 | 2:46:43 |
The stats are based on 2005 results from the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon Results page.
Technorati Tags: running, marathons, cincinnati, flying pig marathon
posted by Ken at
7:27 AM
2 Comments:
Did ou have trouble getting the results? I was going to do some ttests on the states to see if PA was statistically different from everyone else and see which states were similar.
Nothing results realted will load for me off the FP website, not even past results
By
Anonymous, at 10:35 AM
I just tried going to the results page, and it wouldn't load. I had downloaded the stats before 7:00am CST. Perhaps there is too much traffic now.
Marathonguide.com also has the 2005 results in their database. However, it only lists 100 runners per page.
About the comparisons, I should really have separated out men and women. The differences could have been due to PA having a higher percentage of men.
By
Ken, at 10:46 AM
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