My Profile

@BigCountry160

Cincinnati, OH Raving since 2018 Active 4 years ago

About Me

  • Running club(s):

    50 West Run Club, Rhinegeist Run Club, Hogwarts Run Club (Slytherin)

  • Rave race:
  • Race that's calling my name:

    Navy Nautical Ten Miler

  • I run because:

    I used to be a big ol’ boy, pushing 300 at a little over 6’0″. Running helped me get down to a healthy weight and it provides me with some time where I don’t have to worry about anything else.

My Races

Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.

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Half Marathon

Marathon

Ultramarathon

(Marathon or Ultra) + Half

Marathon + Ultra

Other

Future Races

Personal Bests (4)

Race Distance Location Date Result
Marathon Cincinnati, OH May 5, 2019 6:03:00
Half Marathon Cincinnati, OH Mar 10, 2019 2:13:27
10K Cincinnati, OH Nov 22, 2018 1:02:07
5K Blue Ash, OH Oct 20, 2018 26:56

Future Races (18)

Race Distance Location Date Paid
Marathon Weott, CA TBD
Marathon Chicago, IL TBD
Marathon Gulf Shores, AL TBD
10K Boulder, CO TBD
Marathon Hopkinton, MA TBD
Half Marathon Columbus, OH TBD
Half Marathon Rachel, NV TBD
Half Marathon Two Harbors, MN TBD
Marathon Hamilton, OH TBD
Marathon Indianapolis, IN TBD
Half Marathon Louisville, KY TBD
Half Marathon Louisville, KY TBD
Marathon Arlington, VA TBD
10 Nautical Miles (11.5 miler) Millington, TN TBD
Marathon Staten Island, NY TBD
Marathon Philadelphia, PA TBD
Marathon New Orleans, LA TBD
Marathon Burlington, VT TBD

Past Races (11)

Race Distance Location Date Result My Raves My Performance
10 Miler Washington, DC Oct 10, 2021
Marathon Cincinnati, OH May 5, 2019 6:03:00
Half Marathon Cincinnati, OH Mar 10, 2019 2:13:27
5K Cincinnati, OH Mar 2, 2019 30:09
10K Cincinnati, OH Nov 22, 2018 1:02:07
5K Blue Ash, OH Oct 20, 2018 26:56
Half Marathon Wright-Patterson AFB, OH Sep 15, 2018 2:43:30
Half Marathon Cincinnati, OH May 6, 2018 2:22:44
5K Cincinnati, OH Mar 3, 2018 27:19
10K Cincinnati, OH Nov 23, 2017 1:07:55
5K Clarksville, OH Oct 28, 2017 33:19

My Raves

After training for this marathon since November of 2018, I was so ready! It was going to be my first marathon ever and I was pumped to do it at … MORE

After training for this marathon since November of 2018, I was so ready! It was going to be my first marathon ever and I was pumped to do it at the Flying Pig, the biggest three-day party in Cincinnati and the same place I did my first half marathon. I started strong, I was on pace to finish in 4:30 or less… and at 13.6, I fell and popped my ankle out. I was devastated. I walked the last 12.6 miles on my busted up ankle because I didn’t train for that long to walk away with nothing!

Expo was wonderful and easy to navigate, swag was excellent as always (I wish the medals changed a little bit from year to year, but the quality is high and design is still nice), you get to go through so many Cincinnati neighborhoods and see what the city has (spoiler, it’s a lot), and the crowd support is always out of this world. I love the Flying Pig and I will be back next year to run the whole marathon FOR SURE!

DIFFICULTY
3
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
4
SWAG
5

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This half marathon exists entirely to raise money for the American Heart Association, so my expectations were adjusted based on that. First and most importantly, this is NOT a race … MORE

This half marathon exists entirely to raise money for the American Heart Association, so my expectations were adjusted based on that. First and most importantly, this is NOT a race to run if you are looking to PR. It’s just hill after hill after rolling damn hill, with one straight uphill portion around mile 6 that will destroy you for the rest of the run, even if you’ve been running hills for a month in preparation like I’ve been. I still PR’d, but that’s more a testament of my own hard work and training than the course. The Scenery was meh for the first 7-8 miles, it’s just an out and back down a normally busy road, nothing to see really on either side but the number of people running it gets you hyped up (it’s the largest single fundraiser in Cincinnati). Race logistics were mostly smooth, though I found the expo to be lacking in anything really engaging. Swag is good for it being a fundraiser race, their priority is obviously to make money for their cause, so the medal has a cool design but is made of a lower grade metal and the shirt is cotton. I will never run it again because, THOSE DAMN HILLS, but I am glad I did this one time and would recommend everyone do it once!

DIFFICULTY
5
PRODUCTION
3
SCENERY
2
SWAG
3

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?

Second-year running it, and I probably will for as long as my legs work! Course is straight through downtown Cincinnati, you get to see lots of murals and cool older … MORE

Second-year running it, and I probably will for as long as my legs work! Course is straight through downtown Cincinnati, you get to see lots of murals and cool older buildings. All the participants are in a great mood because of the post-run party, the energy is very much alive here! Medal is, as always, also a bottle opener, and the shirt has a nice design on it. I ran it slower this year because for my birthday I did this race then drove down to Louisville to do ANOTHER race and didn’t want to burn out, but I still had a blast at Bockfest and would definitely recommend it to anyone! Only thing that needs improvement is there needs to be kennels so that runners can be up front and walkers in back, my first mile was almost a minute slower than my other two because the first half mile was just dodging walkers constantly.

DIFFICULTY
2
PRODUCTION
4
SCENERY
3
SWAG
4

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?

The race is the same course as last year so it was familiar, but there were more issues this year than the last. More people were running with strollers and … MORE

The race is the same course as last year so it was familiar, but there were more issues this year than the last. More people were running with strollers and there were a LOT of walkers who didn’t start in the walking/stroller pen and were just mingled in with the rest of us. The first 1.5 miles was significantly slower because I had to constantly dodge these people and it was very frustrating. The swag for this race costs extra, the long sleeve 3/4 zip was very nice material but you could only pay with cash or check so I couldn’t purchase one because like most people I don’t carry cash or checks on me. Having a Square for an iPhone or some other way or processing credit card purchases would’ve been nice so that anyone could get the swag. Instead, I was left with the hat that was included with registration, and while the logo is nice it is a very awkward shape and is white with the logo screen printed on so it will last all of a couple months before being too stained to wear out or the logo will scrape off. Still no medal. This race is great to avoid Turkey Day guilt but is not a well-done race in a lot of facets.

DIFFICULTY
2
PRODUCTION
4
SCENERY
3
SWAG
1

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Proceeds go towards the scholarship fund for UC Blue Ash, a local regional campus of the University of Cincinnati. Smooth out and back race around the campus, down the street, … MORE

Proceeds go towards the scholarship fund for UC Blue Ash, a local regional campus of the University of Cincinnati. Smooth out and back race around the campus, down the street, and back again. One water stop at the halfway point and students cheering along the way! Finish line had breakfast sandwiches and donuts and bananas AND cookies, very well done. Shirt is cotton, but a nice design, would definitely run again!

DIFFICULTY
2
PRODUCTION
4
SCENERY
4
SWAG
3

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This race had so much potential but there were multiple things, some within their control and some outside of their control, that made it not as fun as it could’ve … MORE

This race had so much potential but there were multiple things, some within their control and some outside of their control, that made it not as fun as it could’ve been. First and foremost: the damn heat. The half starts at 8:30AM so the sun is up and in full force when you start. I was on track to PR by over 20 minutes for the first 6 Miles, but the 85 degree weather plus 75% humidity combined with the zero shade on the course knocked me out (not literally, though there were LOTS of people medically pulled from the course), and with hydration stations only every mile and a half it was hard to stay fueled. The shirt is a tech shirt but is the ugliest shade of blue, and the 5K and full marathon shirts are also ugly as sin, only the 10K looks nice. The medal is amazing though. I understand the race takes place partially on an active military base so you can’t just let anyone and their brother in for security purposes, but the lack of crowd support really stunk also, I wouldn’t imagine it would be super difficult to arrange areas outside of the base where folks could be. Crowd support for 6 Miles is better than no crowd support at all.

The expo was run very well and, while there weren’t an exorbitant about of sponsors and booths there, there was enough to keep me interested and get some good stuff as well as the information I needed. Packet pick up was simple and quick. The food at the finish line was amazing, full bottles of water and Gatorade, bananas, chips, and donut holes from Panera, and getting your medal put on you by active Airmen (mostly officers but there were some senior NCOs as well) when you cross the finish line was very nice.

DIFFICULTY
3
PRODUCTION
3
SCENERY
1
SWAG
3

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?

I don't even know where to start with this race. It was my first half and in my hometown, the Queen City. The course takes you through multiple neighborhoods including … MORE

I don’t even know where to start with this race. It was my first half and in my hometown, the Queen City. The course takes you through multiple neighborhoods including 2 across the river in Kentucky, Covington and Newport. You see some of the best parts of the city like Over the Rhine but you also see some of the more scenic bits like Eden Park which includes a beautiful view of the city at the top of a stupid steep hill.

The course was tough because 6.5-9ish is just straight hills. They don’t call it the City of Seven Hills for nothing after all. That being said, the support from the crowds makes this race worth running again and again. Folks of all ages from all walks of life came out to cheer on the tens of thousands from runners from all across the country and the world. Swag was QUALITY, a nice tech shirt with a smart design, a thick 3D finishers medal, a blanket, and for those that did a full they also got a nice jacket. Every part of the race went off without a hitch with the exception of the finish lane being just one lane of traffic wide so there was quite a bit of bottlenecking, but other than that this is a marvelous race that made me love my hometown even more. I will be an annual runner of this race for as long as my legs and my wallet will allow.

DIFFICULTY
4
PRODUCTION
5
SCENERY
5
SWAG
5

2 members marked this review helpful. Agree?

This was the best race I've ran so far. 2 free beers and a coney from Skyline Chili when you cross the line. The shirt is also really cool looking, … MORE

This was the best race I’ve ran so far. 2 free beers and a coney from Skyline Chili when you cross the line. The shirt is also really cool looking, and the medal doubles as a bottle opener! The scenery is cool if you enjoy modern settings, this takes you through the historic Over-the-Rhine area of Cincinnati. This is also the first race in the Run Beer Series, which is sponsored by the Flying Pig. Very well ran, good swag, good beer and food at finish, would recommend.

DIFFICULTY
2
PRODUCTION
4
SCENERY
3
SWAG
4

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?

So, this was my first 10K ever. I trained for it for 5 months and was very excited as it's kind of a Cincinnati tradition since it's been going for … MORE

So, this was my first 10K ever. I trained for it for 5 months and was very excited as it’s kind of a Cincinnati tradition since it’s been going for over a century. The course is kinda hilly for the first 2 miles or so (Cincinnati isn’t called the City of Seven Hills for nothing) but after that’s it’s mostly smooth. My biggest disappointment was that there was no medal, but the shirt you get is very nice. Not a tech shirt, but it’s still a nicely designed shirt that I regularly wear when it’s too chilly for short sleeves but too warm for a jacket. I probably will run this race again just so I don’t feel bad about how much I eat at Thanksgiving that night.

DIFFICULTY
3
PRODUCTION
4
SCENERY
3
SWAG
2

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?

This course is a trail run, which I didn't know at the time but I should have. It also rained/snowed the whole night before the race so the course was … MORE

This course is a trail run, which I didn’t know at the time but I should have. It also rained/snowed the whole night before the race so the course was very slick and muddy, I was lucky I didn’t fall but I saw a lot of folks who did. It was a FunK. There were lots of cool Fall themed activities to do which I’m sure would have been a blast if not for the aforementioned winter chill that went through the area the night before. It was a challenge, and it destroyed the pair of running shoes I was using at the time, but I don’t think I’ll do it again.

DIFFICULTY
4
PRODUCTION
4
SCENERY
3
SWAG
3

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?

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