Marathon Weekend 2022

[poohs4me]

SAFD - huge Disney fans and had family who participated in early rundisney events. Decided if I was going to run it was going to be at disney

 

[Jason Bryer]

SAFD: I discovered runDisney in 2017 when I started to get into longer distance running. I decided early summer to try for a HM in September. As training continued I thought this might be my one chance to do a full marathon. I looked around and Disney fit my schedule so ran my first marathon in 2018. Needless to say I was hooked, running the marathon again in 2019 (with a friend) and then Dopey in 2020. Looking forward to Dopey 2022!

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

SAFD: Sometime in June, 2012, DH came home from work and told me that some of his coworkers were running a half marathon at Disney with a princess theme. He asked if I would be interested in doing it, too. I told him that I would not, because a half marathon was way further than I'd ever run before, or expected to ever run. A few miles at the local park, on my own, was how I did my running then. A couple of weeks later, he brought it up again. He pointed out that I'd have about eight months to get ready, and that it was at Disney, and that I could dress up as a princess, and that there would be a big, pretty medal at the end, and. . . well, anyway, I think I must have gotten confused around that point, because I signed up for my very first half marathon--Princess, 2013. That was before the races sold out as soon as registration opened.

I learned about Jeff Galloway's run-walk-run method, and began to train with it. I made myself a princess costume (that first year was a generic princess dress, because I didn't even know that runners dressed as particular Disney characters!). I ran by myself, and didn't stop for any characters, because I was afraid of being too slow if I did. I finished in 2:30:45, with DH cheering me on, and got that pretty princess medal. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep trying to watch the Lego movie at Downtown Disney that afternoon, but I was hooked.

The next year, the Glass Slipper Challenge was announced, and I was all in! By then, I had a couple more half marathons under my belt, and was much more confident. I made myself a Queen of Hearts costume, and a Jasmine costume, and had a wonderful time. DH and I went back for Wine & Dine in 2014 and 2015 (Splash and Dash), and were running half marathons quite frequently, traveling to lots of places to run interesting races, and even completing three in the stretch of eight days one time.

By 2016, we thought we were ready to tackle the full. Of course, it was at Disney. We were back for the full for 2019, and 2020. We've also done several others, including Chicago and Marine Corps, and even a 24-hour ultra in 2017. Now, we're thinking that 2022 will probably be our first Goofy. I am really glad that my first half, and my first marathon, was at Disney. I think I would have been way too intimidated to sign up that first time somewhere else. I still tease DH that he confused me with all that talk of Disney, medals, and travel. I am not a natural athlete, nor a talented runner, but my running resume looks pretty impressive these days, and it all started with runDisney.

 

[WhereInFlorida]

Late to starting the SAFD questions, it is great to see so many engineers and professors on the forum. I am both so am not surprised that I find comfort and wise advice from this group.

In 2011 I started running and led up to a local half marathon at the end of October. It was always a goal of mine to do a marathon and after finishing that I decided to sign up for the 2012 marathon, which at that time you could see the percentage of spots left and could still register up until late in the year.

2012 marathon started my journey with RunDisney. Since that time things have changed, the run around Epcot in the beginning, the raceway, transfer point for relay, WWOS, and am sure there are more out there.
I have registered for every marathon since 2012 although 2 of those years I could not participate due to stress fractures. I hope that current health issues will not keep me sidelined, I really miss the atmosphere and race days at Disney. They really are incredible.

 

[camaker]

SAFD: In 2013 and 2014 I lost a lot of weight and returned to playing my sporting love, Ultimate Frisbee, at 44 years old. In January 2015, my PT, friend and fellow Disney enthusiast asked me if I would consider going down to run the Wine & Dine Half Marathon with him. I thought the idea of running a half marathon was crazy at the time. I’d always thought running without chasing a frisbee or ball was a boring prospect, but I agreed to give it a shot.

I started training and signed up for a 10k in April to use as a PoT and was immediately hooked. I ran my first half marathon that June. We weren’t able to register for W&D that year, so I turned my attention to Marathon Weekend 2016. I registered for the 10k and half because that was the original W&D plan. Over the summer, though, I was enjoying running and thought “I wonder if I could” and added the marathon as a ”one-time bucket list item to see if I could do it”. Ultimately, it turned out that I could and have been hooked on RunDisney ever since.

 

[dobball23]

Late to starting the SAFD questions, it is great to see so many engineers and professors on the forum. I am both so am not surprised that I find comfort and wise advice from this group.

In 2011 I started running and led up to a local half marathon at the end of October. It was always a goal of mine to do a marathon and after finishing that I decided to sign up for the 2012 marathon, which at that time you could see the percentage of spots left and could still register up until late in the year.

2012 marathon started my journey with RunDisney. Since that time things have changed, the run around Epcot in the beginning, the raceway, transfer point for relay, WWOS, and am sure there are more out there.
I have registered for every marathon since 2012 although 2 of those years I could not participate due to stress fractures. I hope that current health issues will not keep me sidelined, I really miss the atmosphere and race days at Disney. They really are incredible.

I am not an engineer or a professor, but I do work in the College of Engineering at a university. I must have some honorary membership into that club, right?

My RunDisney story began with the half marathon at Marathon Weekend in 2013. My wife was on a weight-loss journey at the time and declared that if she could do a half marathon, then I would take her on a cruise (Disney, of course). Since she was doing the half, I figured I'd sign up, too. She completed it and we went on our first of four (so far) cruises the next day. I also ran it, but did no specific training other than my normal exercising and running. My first thought when I crossed the finish line was, "There is no way I could EVER turn around and run that distance again. People who do marathons are nuts!"

I returned for Marathon Weekend and Dopey five years later. I had knee problems and eventually surgery in fall 2015. During that time period I watched a live stream of the Disney Marathon. I decided that if I got back to running I was going to do it. And if I am going to do it, why not go all out and do 48.6 miles! It was an awesome experience, and I even did the marathon in less than four hours, which was my goal.

I returned for Dopey in 2020 and plan on doing it again in 2022 (tacking on the Castaway Cay 5K). I was signed up for Princess Weekend 2021, but canceled that once it became virtual.

I hope RunDisney doesn't change too much following the pandemic!

 

[Mr. Drauer]

SAFD

Mike
Orlando (east of the airport in Lake Nona)
Environmental Consultant
married 21 years, 13 and 17 year old daughters.
sports, music, stuff.

We have had AP's for the parks since my first daughter was born. Always enjoyed disney, but my first RunDisney was 2015 Jingle Jungle 5k. I had seen the races on the local news in little blurbs, and my daughter just started in Girls on the Run, so I signed up for the 5K. Of course, at that time, you couldn't sign up multiple people at the same time and I learned the hard way and could not sign her up as it sold out. Did my first half at W&D 2016 and then started with the challenges. Wouldn't have the friends I have now without RunDisney.

 

[lahobbs4]

SAFD:

I think I first heard about RunDisney through an ad in Runners World (back in the days when we read magazines).

Same here! I never even wanted to run until I saw this ad. 6 months later and I finished my first race (the WDW marathon!) I used to make fun of DH for his years of "running and just ending up in the same place he started". Little did I know...

 

[drummerwife]

SAFD: Neither myself or DH can remember how we first heard about rD. I had never been a runner but I was a figure skater and dancer for many years. Unfortunately, I stopped all athletic pursuits after I got married. Flash forward 29 years and I was dreading turning 50. It was at that point I decided to try running and it has been one of the best decision I’ve ever made. Even though I’m now walking due to multiple orthopedic problems I’ve never been happier.

My first race was the 2011 Expedition Everest Challenge that I ran with my 9yo son. We had a blast doing it (DS was especially good at answering the questions) and enjoyed being able to ride Everest after the race in the dark.

Next was Tower of Terror 10 miler in 2012. I had originally planned to do the marathon in 2013 but the training wasn’t going well so I decided to console my hurt pride and do the 10 miler. The heat was brutal but I was hooked. I especially enjoyed the night race and after party and wish rD would bring them back.

After the disappointment of not doing the marathon in 2013 I was determined to do it in 2014 in fact I was going to do Goofy! Training was going well and then rD announced a new race... The Dopey Challenge! I happily accepted the challenge and have completed Dopey 3 times and many other races in between. Even though my Dopey days are firmly behind me (4 early wake ups are just too hard on this old body) I’m debating whether to do the half or full in January as a celebration of turning 60. Either way I’m definitely going to be doing one plus the 5k with my DH.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

When we told people we were training for a marathon they immediately asked "which one", we would say "Disney" and then came their subtle laughs, to which we always replied, a marathon is still 26.2 miles no matter where you run it (but it's definitely more fun at Disney).

Exactly. The distance is the distance.

They wouldn’t scoff if they had to run through the Ninth Circle of Hell (aka ESPN WWoS).

Not to mention the crazy conditions that can accompany marathon weekend. In 2019, I ran in a cold weather tech shirt for the Half and my best hot weather tech shirt for the marathon. And then there was 2020. Before that weekend when everyone expressed concern over the heat, I thought to myself, I made it through 2019's marathon heat, it will be okay. Little did I know. Little did I know.

I didn't run my first marathon until age 42, so everything significant I've done in running has been at 40+ (and now 50+). That's included 4 Boston Marathons and 2 50-milers. I've got a friend who's 50+ and can still run sub-3:00 in the full. You've got your entire running career in front of you. Enjoy it, and remember that age is just a number.

While I started running in my mid 30s, my greatest running accomplishments have taken place in my 40s. Three Star Wars challenge race weekends including running the second leg of the original Coast to Coast Kessel Run mere days after meeting a work deadline that is so mentally exhausting that it wipes me out physically for days, One half marathon on just 3 weeks training, broken my PR for the half twice, and two Dopey Challenges. I may not be a back of the packer, but I can do it.

SAFD: I first heard of runDisney when they announced the inaugural Disneyland Half back in 2006 or so. I thought that the medal would be neat, but there was no way I would ever be capable of running 1 1 mile, let alone another 12.1 after that. So I promptly forgot about it. Fast forward to 2008. I was heading down to southern California for a 50th anniversary screening of Sleeping Beauty in Hollywood and decided to add a few days on to the trip to visit Disneyland. This was half marathon weekend. I enjoyed the park time so much that I returned for the same Labor Day weekend in 2009. Only this time, I was crazy enough to ask some runners on their way into the parks wearing their medals about the whole experience. They were more than happy to answer my questions and outlined just how possible it actually is to average a 16 minute mile with sufficient training. I made the mistake of telling my little sister about my newfound dream of running the Disneyland Half Marathon and she wanted to join in on the fun. She pushed, prodded, and eventually refused to let me delay signing up any more and I was in for 2011. Excitement was followed with terror. Sheer, overwhelming fear that my training would never be sufficient to have me ready to go 13.1 on race day. Nevermind that the Galloway plan called for a long run of 14 miles. I still didn't believe. To top it off, I wound up fairly jealous of everyone who registered for the 5K since it had a Star Tours medal that year.

Race day itself was a mix of terror, excitement, and questioning the sanity of every single psychotic person cheering that we were about to embark on a journey of 13.1 miles at way too early o'clock in the morning. That combination resulted in me starting out way too fast and nearly giving myself a case of shin splints approximately half a mile into the race. This forced me to slow down and I concluded that I would do one of two things. I would either finish the darn race or they would have to drag me from the course because I wasn't good enough. No stopping for photos because this could devastate my hopes of finishing. Approximately 3 hours later I crossed that finish line in a state of disbelief. The next day I was waiting in line for medal photos with Chip and Dale and saw some runners with their Goofy medals and the Coast to Coast. I was so sore that I could not fathom how in the world they woke up the day after running a half marathon and ran twice that distance.

My first half was not a great experience, but when timing aligned so that I could run the 2012 Wine & Dine Half and thus earn the Coast to Coast medal, my Disney geek brain convinced me that I could tolerate two more half marathons and then retire from running permanently having accomplished everything I ever wanted to. Now having an inkling of what I was doing, I did not try to sprint a half marathon. I knew I could absorb some photo stops if the lines were short enough and I wound up actually having fun. Work exams caused me to take a couple of years off from running, but when the Star Wars races were announced, I knew I had to come back. Only this time, I decided to confront my fear of multiple races in a weekend because Star Wars. That began the multi year process of breaking down my mental barriers to various impossible things I once believed I could never do in running. And roughly 4 years later I found myself either giddy with excitement or quite possibly hallucinating as I pretended to fly through World Showcase singing along to Let's Go Fly a Kite when I realized that I would soon finish not just the marathon, but Dopey.

If you think you can't do it, you can. If you're willing to put in the hard work and get out and run when you don't feel like it, you can do it. And when you do, it's an amazing feeling.

 

[akrosie]

Another late SAFD here. I’m Rosie from Alaska. Retired teacher, married with two grown daughters. I run and bike.
When DD#2 graduated college in 2012, she asked for a Disney trip to celebrate. We had gone when she was 6, and she remembered the magic. I had such a great time, but I thought who goes to Disney without little kids? Then I discovered a paragraph in the back of the guide book—Disney has races! With generous time allowances! I could justify a trip if I earned it. 5K and 10K I had done, so it had to be a half to justify the trip. Princess was just the ticket. In 2014 we were back. The whole family did the 5K, and I did the half. We had costumes and everything! (Now DDs won’t run a race without a tiara.) We were hooked, and have been back for every Princess since. And many of the others. I took my medals to the gym, and hooked the friend who is now a running buddy, and we’ve had many great trips. Thanks to these forums I couldn’t resist trying Dopey in 2018, and to my amazement I did it! Tried twice since with no luck , but I haven’t given up, and hope to be there in 2022. As for age, I was 68 when I completed my first Dopey, so none of you should be stopping any time soon.

 

[Bree]

SAFD: My memory is caput this days. I remember many years ago (2009??? 2010???) stumbling across run disney and falling in love with the idea of running the Princess Weekend 10K and maybe someday being trained enough to run the Tower of Terror 10 miler. I ran cross county in high school and continued to run off and on after that. Never more than a 5K though. We were living in Massachusetts at the time when I found RD so I never thought we could make it happen. We made the decision to move to FL in the beginning of 2014. My DH moved down before we did because the kids were still in school and I didn't want to put the house on the market until the school year was almost done. We had flown down to visit him and I registered us for the 2015 Princess 10K from a hotel room. Long story, but it was just me that ran it and I loved it so much I decided to run the 2016 Princess 5K & challenge (go big or go home!!!). Circumstances had me defer, but I was still on a mission to run in 2017. I remember training for the half and thinking how in the heck can people run a marathon??? I would NEVER do that!!! Those people are crazy!!! I ran Dopey in 2019 & Goofy in 2020

 

[Bree]

@lhermiston This is for you. I think @rteetz was the only under 40yo marathon runner at Not Marathon Weekend. I could be wrong though. Lots of drinks were had and the memory gets fuzzy........

 

[jmasgat]

And then there was 2020. Before that weekend when everyone expressed concern over the heat, I thought to myself, I made it through 2019's marathon heat, it will be okay. Little did I know. Little did I know.

Running a marathon must be a little like childbirth in that you forget the pain and see the experience through foggy rose-colored glasses. Or else the Goof Troop Roving Road Party (TM) must have magic powers because I abhor/detest/revile/hate (is that enough verbs?) running in the heat, and yet I don't have any recollection of it negatively affecting me. I guess it means I "did Disney right"....took it easy, stopped a lot, and had fun!

 

[MATTERHORN]

My first race was the 2011 Expedition Everest Challenge that I ran with my 9yo son. We had a blast doing it (DS was especially good at answering the questions) and enjoyed being able to ride Everest after the race in the dark.

Next was Tower of Terror 10 miler in 2012. I had originally planned to do the marathon in 2013 but the training wasn’t going well so I decided to console my hurt pride and do the 10 miler. The heat was brutal but I was hooked. I especially enjoyed the night race and after party and wish rD would bring them back.

I WISH they would bring back some of the more unique races instead of the same standards all the time!!!

 

[BikeFan]

If you think you can't do it, you can. If you're willing to put in the hard work and get out and run when you don't feel like it, you can do it. And when you do, it's an amazing feeling.

That is the truth! Running rewards the persistent as well as the talented. I've known a ton of people who decided to run a marathon, and those who actually put in the training were all successful in completing the distance. Truly anyone can do it if they've willing to put in the work.

 

[Popo]

I'm late in posting this, but here is our 14yr old fur baby Kia

View attachment 552505View attachment 552506

Kinda looks like me after running the Marathon.

 

[michigandergirl]

I wanted to share my mom's running story since we've been talking about picking up the sport later in life. My mom started running 5K's in her late 30's, but the year she turned 40 she decided to train for our local River Bank Run 25K (15.5 miles). She ran her first ever 25K at an impressive 8:45 min pace, but here's the kicker...she's only 5'1" and a lifelong smoker!! She actually lit up a cigarette after the race! To this day my mind is completely blown by this. I can barely run a 5K at an 8:45 pace, let alone a 25K and I have healthy lungs. Mom's running career was fairly short-lived, she only ran a few more races after that, but I'm happy to say she finally quit smoking last year.

 

[iamsarahpotts]

Running rewards the persistent as well as the talented. I've known a ton of people who decided to run a marathon, and those who actually put in put in the training were all successful in completing the distance. Truly anyone can do it if they've willing to put in the work.

If you think you can't do it, you can. If you're willing to put in the hard work and get out and run when you don't feel like it, you can do it. And when you do, it's an amazing feeling.

THIS is the positivity and encouragement I'm here for!!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Running a marathon must be a little like childbirth in that you forget the pain and see the experience through foggy rose-colored glasses. Or else the Goof Troop Roving Road Party (TM) must have magic powers because I abhor/detest/revile/hate (is that enough verbs?) running in the heat, and yet I don't have any recollection of it negatively affecting me. I guess it means I "did Disney right"....took it easy, stopped a lot, and had fun!

As a guy, I will never know what childbirth is like. But your analogy may be accurate. I can still remember the heat and wearing an ice bag on my head for about 4-5 miles of 2019 and probably 10 or 11 miles of 2020 to cool down. Honestly, I started the ice bag on my head around mile 13 in 2020 only because I remembered 2019 and decided that a head start on things could only help me. Which it did. I reached a point in 2020 where I no longer needed it whereas in 2019 I had to go the last mile or two without one because they had run out.

I still remember the heat and it being brutal, but at the same time I have even happier memories of the race itself. Sam Eagle showed up from his perch in the Hall of Presidents while I was running through Liberty Square and I got a once in a lifetime photo in Epcot near mile 25.

THIS is the positivity and encouragement I'm here for!!

Even when you run by yourself, you never run alone. I think every single one of us has faced moments where we question our sanity, or wonder why we let someone else talk us into this, or feel like we cannot do it. I had a friend who has run 10Ks ask me in incredulity "How?" after I told him about finishing Dopey. Thing is a few months earlier I found myself openly questioning my life choice in registering for the marathon after I had paid the money to do it. After about 10 minutes of feeling sorry for myself, I realized that I could come here and share my fears. Within a few hours, I felt infinitely better and was ready to resume running the next day. It helped me immensely to just share my fears with people who understood them. We all start somewhere.