Cincinnati – Nearly 3,000 participants helped kick off the spring running season Saturday, March 8 at The Banks in Cincinnati at the Bockfest 5K, part of the weekend Bockfest celebration of all things bock beer and the first event in the TQL Beer Series.
Tanner Williams, 23, from Cincinnati was the overall winner of the Bockfest 5K in a time of 15:08. Second was Joey Schlich, 26, of Cincinnati in 15:50 and third was Nathan Kuck, 30, of Royal Oak, Michigan.
In the women’s division, Stephanie Pierce, 24, of Fairborn, Ohio, won in a time of 17:46. Second was Megan Francus, 34, of Cincinnati in 18:20 and third was Katie Hallahan, 31, in 18:30. Hallahan is a past winner of Cincinnati’s Queen Bee Half Marathon.
Bockfest is a uniquely Cincinnati event, celebrating the city’s brewing heritage by marking the coming of spring with the brewing of bock beer. The beer is linked to the spring season because German monks drank it as a substitute for food during Lenten fasts.
The Bockfest 5K is the first installment of the TQL Beer Series, which also includes the Fifty West Mile on Friday of Flying Pig Marathon weekend and the 14K/7K beer run as part of Oktoberfest Zinzinnati in September.
The 27th running of the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon weekend is May 2-4, 2025. Follow the Flying Pig Marathon on Facebook and Instagram @FlyingPig Marathon and register at www.flyingpigmarathon.com.
