RENThead09
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2006
good call. it could have been that. they all run together. LOL
Wonder if he will be there for the public, or for the kids races only.
Marathon Weekend 2018
- Thread starter FFigawi
- Start date
good call. it could have been that. they all run together. LOL
Wonder if he will be there for the public, or for the kids races only.
This is separate from the Kids races I believe.
camaker
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing
- Joined
- May 8, 2015
That's where they were for the inaugural DS weekend. At least BB-8 was there, maybe others.
Motivation to running is it is good exercise and doing something for myself. I need a goal otherwise I rarely run over an hour. So much has happened since I signed up, I lost a few close relatives, with one being intense and having to decide to end life support. Our lives have been crazy and running gave me time to process and think and reduce stress. I missed some runs but am proud I was able to hit all the long runs and feel ready.
I never really imagined I’d ever want to run a marathon but something about running through the parks and being at Disney sounded fun. It isn’t as intimidating as some of the others and seems to be a friendly race with whatever your pace is. Everyone I know who has done it, keeps coming back. Can’t wait!
courtneybeth
Boston Runnah - 2018
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2014
What Motivates Me To Run
In June of 2014 I weighed 215 pounds - being 5'2" you start to look very round at that weight. I managed to lose about 65 pounds in 18 months and began a quest to run 16 half marathons in 2016 through Rock n Roll Marathon's Hall of Fame Program. Running that many races across the USA and Canada, I lost another 20 pounds and was ready to then transition to full marathons starting in January 2017. I use running as a way to manage my stress and for "me time" - i feel so good after a long run and I enjoy the time on my feet. 130 pound Courtney is much happier in general than 215 pound Courtney
Why RunDisney
I live 20 mins from Disneyland, so at the time the rD West Coast races seemed like an easy solution since the greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas don't have many races. I like the aspect of running through the parks in the dark and enjoying the streets of Anaheim. I did my first WDW race this year for Princess so I could earn Coast to Coast - which was awesome. Now with Dopey I am taking on an endurance challenge - a year ago I didn't think it was possible for me to even complete a full. Now I'm starting on a journey for World Marathon Majors in February.
Tennesotans
Excited to Storm The Castle (TWICE)!
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2003
What motivates me to run?
a) stress relief
b) weight management
c) trying new training techniques to get "juuuust a little bit faster"
Why runDisney? We got a DVC membership around 2004. We live in MN, so getting to Florida once a year (in winter) sounded very attractive. I actually thought I'd only hold onto the membership for a decade and then "move on." In 2008, my brother challenged me to run the Donald. I crashed and burned but completed the course. Repeated the same mistakes the second year but got REALLY motivated to train. Since then I've lost 40 pounds and run 13,000 miles.
a) stress relief
b) weight management
c) trying new training techniques to get "juuuust a little bit faster"
Why runDisney? We got a DVC membership around 2004. We live in MN, so getting to Florida once a year (in winter) sounded very attractive. I actually thought I'd only hold onto the membership for a decade and then "move on." In 2008, my brother challenged me to run the Donald. I crashed and burned but completed the course. Repeated the same mistakes the second year but got REALLY motivated to train. Since then I've lost 40 pounds and run 13,000 miles.
girlwithmickeytattoo
Living the Disney Dream
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2017
SAFD: why do I run? Because it saved my life. Running helped me lose 160 pounds. Running helped me control my blood pressure, it kept me from becoming diabetic. Running helps me to find happiness when I struggle with depression.
Run Disney is my reward to a goal. I told myself that if I stayed motivated, I would register for a 5K. Marathon weekend 2017 was my first. 5K wasn’t enough for me so I trained myself to do a 10K. I did the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta this past July. Now I’m coming back this coming marathon weekend to do the 5K and 10K!
I hope to meet all of you amazing folks in just a couple of weeks!
Run Disney is my reward to a goal. I told myself that if I stayed motivated, I would register for a 5K. Marathon weekend 2017 was my first. 5K wasn’t enough for me so I trained myself to do a 10K. I did the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta this past July. Now I’m coming back this coming marathon weekend to do the 5K and 10K!
I hope to meet all of you amazing folks in just a couple of weeks!
FFigawi
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2009
dragitoff
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
Why I run: Originally I started running like so many on this thread. I was 260lbs. and most importantly, I was seeing my kids becoming overweight. I was setting a terrible example. 7 years later, I'm still running and I've lost 80 pounds and continue to set new fitness goals for myself each year. First I ran a half, then a full, then had to run a sub 4 hour marathon, then a sub 1:40 half, then a triathlon. In 2018, I turn 40 and my new fitness goal is completing Dopey.
Now, I'm confident in my running and I've found a new purpose. 3 years ago my wife and I adopted a sibling group of 4 little boys. We went from a family of 4 with 2 teen/pre-teen daughters to a family of 8 with 4 boys under the age of 8. Our lives honestly were turned completely upside down. 2 of the boys have major issues due to trauma, health and behavioral diagnosis. Running is my outlet to clear my head and truly enjoy some "me" time. I'm a planner, so it helps me plan out the day, think through a major decision, pray....whatever is needed to get through the day. One of the greatest things ever was running a 5k with one of my adopted sons for a charity race that benefitted the private foster agency my boys were with.
Now, I'm confident in my running and I've found a new purpose. 3 years ago my wife and I adopted a sibling group of 4 little boys. We went from a family of 4 with 2 teen/pre-teen daughters to a family of 8 with 4 boys under the age of 8. Our lives honestly were turned completely upside down. 2 of the boys have major issues due to trauma, health and behavioral diagnosis. Running is my outlet to clear my head and truly enjoy some "me" time. I'm a planner, so it helps me plan out the day, think through a major decision, pray....whatever is needed to get through the day. One of the greatest things ever was running a 5k with one of my adopted sons for a charity race that benefitted the private foster agency my boys were with.
dragitoff
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
Quick update......I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous about my 20 miler this weekend as the final run of my "Dopey simulation". The 2.5, 5, and 10 milers went off without any issues, but my legs felt pretty tired Saturday morning when I started out on my 20 mile run. My race goal is 8:30 so I've been training at around 8:55-9:05. When I got started my headphones notified me my battery life was at "MEDIUM". How the heck did I forget to charge them back up after my 10 mile run the day before???????
Somehow, they (both the headphones and my legs) lasted me for 16 miles. I pushed through and even came up with a new mantra! I'm physically strong enough. I'm mentally strong enough. I'm spiritually strong enough. I laughed out loud at that mantra that just came to me because my thought process was obviously you have to be physically strong enough to run long distances. You also have to be mentally tough enough to push through once your body tires out. The last one was what made me laugh as I thought if the first two failed, you could always pray for God to keep you from dying! I finished my 20 mile run at a 9:05 pace which is exactly where I wanted to be. My splits were fairly consistent, which was encouraging because I genuinely thought my second half would've been significantly slower. I have my fueling, pace, and hydration dialed in now. As long as the weather cooperates and doesn't throw a curveball of ridiculously hot weather, I should be good to go.
Somehow, they (both the headphones and my legs) lasted me for 16 miles. I pushed through and even came up with a new mantra! I'm physically strong enough. I'm mentally strong enough. I'm spiritually strong enough. I laughed out loud at that mantra that just came to me because my thought process was obviously you have to be physically strong enough to run long distances. You also have to be mentally tough enough to push through once your body tires out. The last one was what made me laugh as I thought if the first two failed, you could always pray for God to keep you from dying! I finished my 20 mile run at a 9:05 pace which is exactly where I wanted to be. My splits were fairly consistent, which was encouraging because I genuinely thought my second half would've been significantly slower. I have my fueling, pace, and hydration dialed in now. As long as the weather cooperates and doesn't throw a curveball of ridiculously hot weather, I should be good to go.
cavepig
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2001
I'll just use his answer as mine as it's pretty much what I would type (but not as cleverly)Motivation - I don't really know. I guess I just like running(most days anyways) and it keeps me active.
Why run Disney - I like running, I like Disney. Smash them together you get runDisney. See what I did there? Clever huh? No not really.
SheHulk
off to the (runDisney) races
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2016
Why I run: I feel like I can't *not* run. I am prone to anxiety and depression and if I'm not running I turn to unhealthy things (too much food and/or alcohol) to deal with those things. I've been running all my adult life, but up until my mid-thirties I never ran more than 3 or 4 miles at a time. Like many other folks on here I felt that I didn't have time to run when my kids were small and had gained a lot of weight through a) not exercising and b) using food as a stress relief. When I started running again, the weight didn't melt off and I find diet is much more important to weight management for me. Really for me it's more about mental health and having hobbies that I enjoy that include goals.
Why I run Disney: I had run local half marathons but always dreamed of running a marathon. If I was going to do it I needed it to be a big field because I was legitimately worried if I joined a smaller race I might be absolutely last. Most of the big marathons I had heard of were in the fall, and bless you guys who train for marathons over the summer but I just could not do it in the heat. I saw an ad for the Disney marathon and saw that it was in January. That felt perfect because it meant longer training runs in cold weather and also it happened over my winter break (I'm a professor) so if I really injured myself I wouldn't miss class or important meetings. My family, younger DS in particular, loves Disney and we vacation here on average maybe once or twice a year so that's a bonus. The action -packed course keeps me coming back. We have a local trail marathon that is fast and flat but I can't imagine running a full marathon with few spectators and no entertainment! Disney has ruined me on that front.
Why I run Disney: I had run local half marathons but always dreamed of running a marathon. If I was going to do it I needed it to be a big field because I was legitimately worried if I joined a smaller race I might be absolutely last. Most of the big marathons I had heard of were in the fall, and bless you guys who train for marathons over the summer but I just could not do it in the heat. I saw an ad for the Disney marathon and saw that it was in January. That felt perfect because it meant longer training runs in cold weather and also it happened over my winter break (I'm a professor) so if I really injured myself I wouldn't miss class or important meetings. My family, younger DS in particular, loves Disney and we vacation here on average maybe once or twice a year so that's a bonus. The action -packed course keeps me coming back. We have a local trail marathon that is fast and flat but I can't imagine running a full marathon with few spectators and no entertainment! Disney has ruined me on that front.
ZellyB
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2010
I started running mostly because my husband @Chris-Mo really wanted me to run a race with him. I knew I needed to get active and wanted to do that for him and me. Then I saw an advertisement for a local Galloway group and the idea of run/walk made the idea of running a long distance manageable.
During a training run a group member mentioned that Disney hosts a marathon run and the rest is history.. We really love Disney(especially in January) and they are just great races, so there you go.
During a training run a group member mentioned that Disney hosts a marathon run and the rest is history.
. We really love Disney(especially in January) and they are just great races, so there you go.
Simba's Girl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2000
SheHulk
off to the (runDisney) races
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2016
Oh my gosh I blew past this and thought it was a real address
Anisum
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 15, 2015
I feel better when I run regularly. runDisney got me into running because it looked like it was such a fun race and I feel like outside of an ultra the Dopey is one of the hardest races and I enjoyed it.
emilyindisney
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2012
I love how this question brings out so many different answers! It’s cool to think that for whatever reason we’ll all come together and toe the start line even though the journey there is different for everyone.
I started as a non-runner though someone casually athletic who wanted to run a Warrior Dash with my sister. The WD was in the fall but January 2012 it was my new year’s resoluation to start running. Over that summer I became comfortable enough that I ran a couple 5ks and found that I enjoyed the excitement of racing (though I’m not very fast.) I returned to college in the fall and decided to join the charity long distance running club to eventually run a half marathon. I thought I signed up for the Philly Marathon Weekend 8k with them in Nov 2012 but somehow got wrangled into the half marathon. One foot over the finish line of that race and I was hooked!
RunDisney was something my sister and I stumbled upon that was a mutual interest. We grew up with a 5 year age difference so we weren’t always close. As we got older we both really liked the Disney parks so that was something that allowed us to bond. Our first Disney trip as sisters, we arrived at the tail end of marathon weekend 2013 to see all the runners walking around in their shirts and medals. This prompted some ‘if we ever ran in Disney’ discussions that turned into ‘when we run in Disney.’ When we found RunDisney we expanded our mutual interest- we’ve since spent many a long run together and have really become best friends in our adulthood. Thanks, RunDisney!
camaker
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing
- Joined
- May 8, 2015
Like a lot of others, I run Disney for two reasons. The quick and easy reason is that I've always loved Disney. Second, and more importantly it's to maintain my weight loss. After knee surgery in 2009, I let myself go after the surgeon told me I should never play Ultimate Frisbee, my sport of choice, again and that I should even avoid walking up and down stairs as much as possible. I ballooned up to 335 pounds and had a myriad of health issues. This was me at my older daughter's graduation in 2011:
In 2013, I decided enough was enough and started counting calories and walking. I could make it about a 1/2 mile at a time when I started. By pushing the distance further as I was able, the weight came off and I was back to playing Ultimate that fall after losing more than 100 lbs. Ultimately, I ended up losing ~150 lbs and my PT, also a huge Disney fan, convinced me to try running a 1/2 marathon at Disney with him. I thought I was crazy to try it. My entire sports career was based on burst speed and sprinting. Lo and behold, I immediately fell in love with distance running and the rest is history. I ran my first non-Disney 1/2 marathon in 2015 and did my first Disney event, 10k + Goofy in 2016. Here's a picture of me from the inaugural Dark Side for comparison:
Now, the running is all about maintaining that weight loss and pushing myself to see just how far I can go. In many ways, maintaining the weight loss is harder than losing it initially. Watching the scale come down is intoxicating and motivating, but who gets excited when things stay the same? Running allows me to still enjoy eating while keeping that scale from drifting up out of control! It's especially motivating to have my love for Disney mesh in so well with it!
In 2013, I decided enough was enough and started counting calories and walking. I could make it about a 1/2 mile at a time when I started. By pushing the distance further as I was able, the weight came off and I was back to playing Ultimate that fall after losing more than 100 lbs. Ultimately, I ended up losing ~150 lbs and my PT, also a huge Disney fan, convinced me to try running a 1/2 marathon at Disney with him. I thought I was crazy to try it. My entire sports career was based on burst speed and sprinting. Lo and behold, I immediately fell in love with distance running and the rest is history. I ran my first non-Disney 1/2 marathon in 2015 and did my first Disney event, 10k + Goofy in 2016. Here's a picture of me from the inaugural Dark Side for comparison:
Now, the running is all about maintaining that weight loss and pushing myself to see just how far I can go. In many ways, maintaining the weight loss is harder than losing it initially. Watching the scale come down is intoxicating and motivating, but who gets excited when things stay the same? Running allows me to still enjoy eating while keeping that scale from drifting up out of control! It's especially motivating to have my love for Disney mesh in so well with it!
Chaitali
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2011
I love reading everyone's answers to this question! Running and Disney are intertwined for me. Back in 2013 I got back really high cholesterol results and knew I had to do something to get fitter. I started researching and saw that there were races at Disney. I set the 2014 Tower of Terror 10 miler as my goal because I didn't think I could do a half marathon. I started training and not only did I do the Tower of Terror 10 miler, I did the Richmond half marathon as my first half a month later. But the motivation to keep running at that point was solely because of the opportunity to go to Disney and the fact that I felt like it would be a waste of money if I wasn't able to do the race. But it turns out that I fell in love with running. I love the challenge, the me time, the time spent outside exploring, etc. I began doing more local races and also other destination races like RnR. But I do see myself continuing to come back to Disney every couple years. This January will be my first marathon (only?) and I can't see myself doing it anywhere other than Disney. The course support, the organization, and the fun they bring to the races are all important to me. And it's not to say I haven't found those things in other races, I have. But it seems like it's more guaranteed at Disney.
Share this page
-
New Treats at Vivoli il Gelato in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World
-
Nothing is Amore About Mama Melrose's New Menu at Disney's Hollywood Studios
-
Two Guest-Favorite Guided Tours Return to the Disneyland Resort
-
Need Help Planning the Itinerary for Your Walt Disney World Vacation?
-
How Many Days Do I Need to Enjoy Walt Disney World?
GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
