Running News Daily

After 6-year-old ran Flying Pig last year, the marathon is changing age rules

After last year's Flying Pig Marathon, there was outrage from Olympic runners, hundreds of critical comments on social media and even a report sent to child protective services.

All of this happened because a 6-year-old ran and completed the full race. Some people believed this was far too young for a 26.2-mile run.

This year, the race has drastically expanded its policy concerning the age of racers. Last year, the policy simply stated that no one under 18 could participate in the marathon unless they got an exemption from the race organizers. How and why those exemptions were granted was not defined.

New age rules and requirements for the Flying Pig Marathon in 2023

The updated policy states:

Participants must be 18 years of age on race day to participate in the marathon, 14 years of age on race day to participate in the half-marathon, and 12 years of age on race day to participate in the 10K and the relay.

There is no age requirement for distances less than 10K. 

Waivers for participation in the half-marathon and marathon distances will be considered for those 12 years and older on race day.

Waivers for participation in the 10K or relay will be considered for all ages.

This year, the waiver process has also been more clearly defined. Those who are younger than the age limit must:

Have parental approval.

Have approval from a primary care physician.

Allow Pig Works medical staff to discuss participation with primary care physician.

Meet in-person or via phone with Pig Works medical staff.

Have a guide to participate with them throughout the duration of the event and/or provide a personal emergency action plan for race day contacts.

All waivers were required to be submitted at least 30 days before the race and are subject to the discretion of Pig Works, the non-profit that organizes the Flying Pig and several other area races.

Following the 2022 race, Pig Works CEO Iris Simpson Bush took responsibility for allowing the 6-year-old son of Ben and Kami Crawford race. The Crawford family of Bellevue, Kentucky, has a large social media following and has published a book about hiking the Appalachian Trail together.

"This decision was not made lightly because the father was determined to do the race with his young child regardless. They had done it as bandits in prior years before we had any knowledge and we knew he was likely to do so again," Simpson Bush said.

A "bandit" is someone who runs a race without being properly registered.

The Crawfords defended their decision to let their son race. Ben Crawford said his son had begged to participate and they were prepared to let him stop at any time. They produced a documentary about it.

The Crawford family did not reply to emails or messages on social media asking about their plans for the Flying Pig this year.

In a statement this year, Simpson Bush said about 40,000 people are set to participate in the Flying Pig Marathon and its associated races.

“The Flying Pig Marathon was created to provide opportunities for people of all abilities. The safety and security of everyone on the course from participants, volunteers and spectators remains our top priority," she said. "With that in mind, we review our policies every year with our medical team and our board of directors to ensure they provide safety for our event.”

(05/05/2023) Views: 735 ⚡AMP
by Cameron Knight