Pig Works, the nonprofit behind the Flying Pig Marathon, broke ground Aug. 4, on a 17,000-square-foot headquarters at 792 E. McMillan St. in East Walnut Hills, placing the organization's new home directly on the marathon course that thousands of Hyde Park and Oakley runners travel every spring.
The facility, called the Coughlin Campus, will double as a year-round gathering spot for running groups and community events. CEO Doug Olberding told CityBeat the building is "more than a place for us to just go to work and keep our stuff."
"Our course runs through Gilbert Avenue, right over there… it's almost a driveway to our start and finish line," Olberding said at the groundbreaking. "This is going to be a place for running groups to gather to begin and end their training runs, and then when they finish up, they can go over to Esoteric or Fireside or any of the lovely restaurants that are here in the area."
The Flying Pig Marathon course runs along East McMillan Street before continuing through Hyde Park, where spectators pack Hyde Park Square at mile 11, and on toward the mile 21 party zone near Delta and Eastern avenues in Oakley. USA Today named the race the best marathon in the country in 2024, and the 2026 edition drew more than 36,000 participants.
The campus is named for Bob Coughlin, who founded both the Flying Pig Marathon in 1999 and Paycor, Inc. Coughlin serves as honorary chairman of Pig Works' $12 million capital campaign, titled "When Pigs Fly, Anything's Possible." Board chairman Mark Ramler said the organization is proud to establish the facility in Walnut Hills, crediting donors and the participants who have built the Flying Pig over nearly three decades into one of the top running festivals in the world.
No opening date has been publicly confirmed. Construction details, including the architect and general contractor, have not been announced.
What's ahead
- The next Flying Pig Marathon Weekend runs April 30 through May 2, 2027.
- Donors can contribute to the capital campaign at flyingpigmarathon.com.
