My Name is Barry Beck and I am 38 years old. The Flying Pig will be my second Ohio marathon, having run the Columbus race a few years ago. My reasons for entering the Flying Pig race are mainly to bring my family together. I lived in Cincinnati from the time I was in kindergarten all the way through high school, in Forest Park. I went to college in Columbus, where I attended The Ohio State University. After college I relocated out west to Colorado, where I have resided ever since.

My father still lives in the Forest Park area, and I'm sad to say that I have not had the opportunity to re-visit the Cincinnati area for 10 years. Due to my busy schedule and having two toddlers, I haven't made an effort to introduce my children to where their dad grew up. So, I'm using the marathon as a motivation to bring my kids back to Ohio for a week's stay to introduce them to their grandfather's and father's home state. I will be busy during the course of the week, leading up to the race. My kids' grandfather has many special activities planned for my youngsters, including a Reds game, a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo, and also the Piglet Kids Fun Run on Saturday morning. Time permitting, a visit to Kings Island is also planned.

The entire week will culminate with Dad running 26.2 miles around and through the city in which he grew up. I believe that Cincinnati was a wonderful place in which to grow up, and I want to instill in my 5 and 3 year old some of the history and heritage that is unique and significant to Cincinnati.

I will also be looking forward to a cold Hudepohl and some Skyline, after the race is over!

Barry Beck