I'm a sucker for silly named marathons, so I really love the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. Any event that is great for the city is alright in my book. (I used to reside there0

This year's marathon was held on May 4 and was the 10th marathon for the Flying Pig folks. It also had some surprises as, at the last minute, the course had to be re-routed around mile 22 due to a multiple-alarm fire the fire brigade was racing to.

In even more drama, one of the runners had a heart attack. Luckily, less than a minute behind him there was a group of fire fighters and paramedics who were running in remembrance of three firefighters who'd been killed in the line of duty. As soon as they saw the stricken man, they went into action, giving him drugs and medical care that saved his life.

The Flying Pig marathon this year was won by Andy Martin from Bend, Oregon. The 33-year-old Martin took the men's overall marathon title and finished in 2:30:40. Second was Brian List, 24, of Milford, Ohio, with a time of 2:33:33. Travis Murray, 26, of Owensville, Ohio, was third, finishing in a time of 2:34:34. Awesome result for Travis Murray, as this was his first-ever marathon, and great results for Ohio - two guys in the top three. <p>In the women's division, a 39-year-old mother of four, Michelle Didion, was the winner in a time of 3:05:18. Didion is from Laporte, Ind., and this was the first time she'd run the full marathon. Julie Spencer of Baraboo, Wis., was second with a time of 3:06:44 and Jen Gapin of Greensboro, N.C., came in third. She turned in a personal best time of 3:07:53.

The Half Marathon men's division winner was Todd Ptacek from Erie, Penn. Ptacek is 23 and won it in 1:09:22, a new record for the event. The women's division Half Marathon winner, 26-year-old Rachel Stoehr of Cincinnati, won in a time of 1:20:48. (You go, Cincinnati girl!)

This year's marathon was slightly longer than the normal 26.2 miles for a marathon. Because of the three-alarm fire, when the race was rerouted, it added .2514 miles to the distance. The time recorded at the finish line was the official time, but if you ran in it and need a qualifying time for another marathon, you can contact the race organizers when you register and tell them you were a Flying Pig runner. Most marathons know about the problems that arose at Flying Pig, so they will adjust your time accordingly.

The Flying Pig Marathon was huge this year....there were more than 14,000 runners, so no matter what your stamina level, there was probably somebody you could beat no matter what level of runner you are!