A Goofy Recap!

It's been just over 2 weeks since my family and I completed our events at the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend in Orlando.  It was a great time and performance by all!

Right off the mark, I have to say how inspired I was by the performance of the three girls in my life.  Each of them had their own challenges to overcome as they competed in their particular events. My soon to be 3-year old literally (continued) to dance to the beat of her own drummer as she finished her first ever race and high-fived Mickey and Donald in her 100 metre dash.  My 12-year old overcame her self-doubt and disability to complete her Mickey Mile in a personal best time.  And my wife successfully completed the half-marathon on the Saturday and the full-marathon on the Sunday - all while 18+ weeks pregnant!

The events themselves were, of course, well-organized and well-supported.  And there was lots of Disney magic to boot.  25,000 participants in each day of the adult races, multiple waves of kidlets in the 100 metre dash, and oodles of more ambitious kids (and running partners) in the Mickey Mile - all of us had the opportunity to be greeted by characters either along the way or at the end of our races.  And the medals for all of us were awesome! 

We started our adult race adventure on Saturday with an early morning wake up call - 3 in the morning!  Gave us the time to get organized, get some food into us, and then make our way down to Epcot for marshaling for the Donald Duck Half.  There were at least 8 different corrals organized by targeted finishing time.  Heidi and I were in Corral D.  Now when we first registered, Heidi was not pregnant.  So we knew we were going to have to be a bit more reasonable with our finishing time expectations in consideration for health of mom and babe.  However, we still felt comfortable with our positioning.  The weather was awesome - reasonably warm for the start with a temperature in the mid 60's.  One of the experiences of race morning that I'm sure is not on any official Disney website is the line-ups and other antics around the port-a-potties!  Multiple line-ups and generally about 15 deep at every one.  And for those of us who have options (men) the bushes also beckoned.  It was quite amusing...It was a long walk from the entry to the actual corrals.  Several people commented that the official distance should have recognized the mile or two walk to start line.
The half-marathon started at around 6 a.m. with each wave going off about every 5 minutes.  Mickey, Donald and Goofy were there to get us going.  For good measure fireworks were also used to get our adrenalin pumping!  And then we were off!  One thing that struck me throughout the half was that we never seemed to get a whole lot of space to run.  With 25,000 people in the race I guess that was no surprise, but it seemed we were constantly dodging other athletes, or bumping elbows or shoulders, and that was particularly the case as people made stops at the port-a-potties or as we passed through aid stations.  One of the neat things about the Disney races is the various photo-ops along the way either comprised of lit up entry points/stages or opportunities to have photos with various Disney characters.  We didn't take advantage of these opportunities and on the first day in particular Heidi and I felt pressured to finish the half in good time so we could get back "home" to get the family so the kids could do their races later that same morning.

Our half-marathon adventure primarily took us through Epcot and the Magic Kingdom - so we got to run through some pretty iconic venues - Cinderella's Castle, Main Street USA, Adventureland and Epcot itself.  We joked that while my brother would partake of various forms of alcohol if he were to get back to the international pavilions of Epcot, we drank our way around the same path via Powerade! 

As we finished we hurriedly got our Donald Duck medal, got some post-race refreshments and a space blanket for Heidi - she was planning for the full marathon on Sunday!  Then it was off to get the kids for their races.  As we left, we took an overpass that gave us the opportunity to look at the half-marathon course - it was still a sea of humanity!!  It was an amazing sight.  So even "labouring" under our restriction we still performed well in the field of 25,000!

Next up was Kennedy and 100 metre dash.  Parents could accompany their kids on the race.  So Heidi had the opportunity to add an extra 100 metres to her half-marathon distance already covered.  The rest of us, Baba and Gido included, sat in the stands at the Wide World of Sports venue, to watch and take pictures.  It took some time for Kennedy to be released from the start line with several waves of kids participating in the run.  And when she got going it took a lot of Heidi's motivational skill to keep Kennedy focused on getting to the finish line as opposed to performing for the audience in the stands.  We got some great pictures and Kennedy was rewarded with a Mickey high-five, a medal and a lollipop!  I think she enjoyed the last most of all.

Next was McKenzie with her Mickey Mile.  So Dad got to be the run-along coach for this one.  We had to walk a little distance to get to the starting point which was outside of the track and field venue.  It was interesting to discuss the start and the race with M before we started.  There were a lot of participants and so she suggested we should hang back at the start to let things "cool off" before we really got going.  She did say she was nervous and I kept trying to coach her to maintain a good even pace and to avoid walking if she could.  She had her moments of challenge through the race, a few walking moments, and a few aches and pains as she worked through the challenges presented by her right leg.  As we neared the stadium, I reminded her that at that point she would have about 100 metres left to go on the track and that she would be performing in front of the audience.  I encouraged her to give it all she had for the finishing kick - AND SHE DID!  She actually took me by surprise by the strength of her finish.  As the picture attests she was immensely proud of her accomplishment!

We then went home to relish in our day and enjoy a well-deserved nap and swim in the pool.  In a few hours Heidi and I would start the whole process over again.  This time it was the full marathon in view and travels not only through Epcot and the Magic Kingdom, but also through Animal Kingdom, the Speedway, and ESPN venues.

The start up was very similar to the day before and it was neat to experience the similarities and differences as we made our way through the marathon course.  One thing that I neglected to mention before was that there were a number of people in full Disney character costume for the race.  Some of these were quite elaborate including a foursome in amazing regalia as Aladdin, Jafar, Genie and Abu.  I just can't imagine the weight and heat of these costumes.  Heidi and I noted how sweaty we were in our regular run gear particularly as the day wore on and the heat got into the 80s. 

The marathon itself seemed less packed than the half.  Same number of people but drawn out over a longer course.  So a little more elbow room all around.  As the day progressed we took it easier further into the race.  Again, I was impressed with the organization, the character opportunities, and the venues we went through.  Particularly noteworthy for me was the run around the speedway.  Not only were character vehicles from the Cars movie out there - Lightning McQueen, Mater and Sally - but so too were a whole range of vintage and exotic cars!  It was an incredible lineup.  And no race of this size can overlook the volunteers or Disney Cast.  They were always there with support and encouragement.  One of the other memorable moments in the race came as we went through Animal Kingdom - Disney Cast members helped direct competitors to free rides on Everest!  It was hilarious to see people taking a detour from the race to do the ride!

We eventually (!) came back through to the Epcot finishing area for the 2nd day.  Certainly a great sense of accomplishment and some weighty rewards at the end of the day with 2 medals around our necks.  Also a great time to be together.  Its the first and only time so far that Heidi and I have started and completed a race together.  Maybe the start of many more to come?  And maybe next time - without baby on board - we can shoot for a personal best half/full marathon time!

And just to prove that we are truly Goofy we ended our day not with an early bed-time or relaxing massage, but by taking the whole family out to a performance of the Blue Man Group at Universal Studios! 

Neither of us claimed to be sane...