tortoise&hare: The Walt Disney World Marathon

Date: January 13, 2013

Location: Orlando, FL

What an amazing race Disney puts on! Who knew a marathon could feel so... magical.

My approach to training for this marathon was completely different from the first two. I didn’t make or follow a written training plan at all. After having already trained for two others, I knew roughly what mileage I needed to be up to each month before race day, and so I stuck loosely to that. While before, the guilt of a printed number and the satisfaction of crossing it off motivated me to run even when it was the last thing I felt like doing, it also motivated me to run when it was the last thing I should be doing. So, this time, my main focus was on one thing only: staying injury free. And that meant no rigid training plan. At the first sign of pain while running - usually from shin splints - I took ample time off to rest and fix the problem before it even became a problem. Of course this meant at times that I was taking a week or even two off from running. That was something I never would have done before, for fear of losing progress. But I learned my lesson last time… listen to my body. And it worked. After taking time off, I hardly noticed a decline in my running performance, and running without pain made running exhilarating again. That was motivation enough to get me out the door each time.

Race weekend crept up on me faster than I expected. Before I knew it, I was on the plane to sunny Florida, leaving behind 20 degree weather. I met up with my sister Kristin, two of her running friends, and her friend’s mom. All five of us would be running on Sunday. We spent Saturday at the Disney parks, which I hadn’t been to since I was 6. As fun as the day was, my stomach would flutter every time I remembered the ever-looming task ahead. We went to bed really early that night; the race started at 5:30 so we had to wake up at 3 am! The only reason I am ever usually awake at that hour is because I haven’t gone to sleep yet.

Still, as all 22,000 runners congregated in the starting area, I would never have guessed it was so early. Everyone was wide awake and raring to go. The energy was almost palpable. This, after all, was the 20^th anniversary of the marathon, and it promised to be the best Disney marathon yet. I hopped up and down in excited anticipation.

Fireworks went off as each corral started. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy waved and blew us kisses from the stage as we crossed the starting line. After the first few strides, my jitters completely disappeared and focus set in. Especially since the first few miles were pure chaos. There were just SO many people! Kristin and I struggled to stay together as we weaved through other runners in the dark (the sun hadn’t risen yet of course). Looking back on it, all the weaving and dodging we had to do in those first few miles probably slowed us down. We almost completely lost each other at the second water station.

But despite all that, I couldn’t help noticing everything going on at the edges of the course. The first five-mile stretch was all on the highway, but there was still so much to see and hear. Disney characters, huge billboards, DJs blaring music, and – my favorite – high school marching bands. It was like watching a parade… except I was the one moving. It’s amazing how much effort Disney puts in to make the race entertaining for the runners. I’ll mention here that much later in the marathon I started talking to another runner who seemed to be in his 60s. I could just tell he was a marathon veteran, and he confirmed that he had run over a hundred marathons! Then I asked which one is his favorite, and he said “Disney. Hands down.” I could definitely see why.

The enchantment really began when we entered Magic Kingdom. The route took us down Main Street USA, which meant we ran directly toward the castle. And what an amazing sight it was! Keep in mind it was still dark out at this point, and the castle was completely lit up with beautiful lights that seemed to drip from it like icicles. It just looked so… for lack of a better word, magical. Running toward the castle was definitely my favorite part of the entire marathon. Then, we got to run through it, in the tunnel. The walls were a mosaic of scenes from Disney movies. I was definitely on a magical Disney high for the next few miles.

As we continued running, I noticed that the atmosphere of this race was much different than any other I had experienced. Everything about it just exuded FUN. Almost half of the runners were in some form of costume… including Kristin and me. Some of my favorites: Peter Pan, Nemo and Dory, Pocahontas, and Merida from Brave (complete with a bow slung over her shoulder and, yes, the crazy mass of hair… how did she run 26 miles with that??). There were even a number of men in tutus. You’ve got to love the Disney spirit.

After another stretch of highway, we entered the Speedway. This part was apparently a new addition to the course this year, and I am so happy they added it. This was my second favorite part. The entire perimeter of the speedway was lined with sweet cars, giving us our own private car show! And of course the characters from Cars made an appearance. Also when we were on the Speedway, we watched the sun rise. Never have I ever been 8 miles into a run before the sun came up.

By now the crowds of fans lining the course were getting thicker. Kristin, her friend Jess, and I were all still running together. Jess had run Disney before, but this was Kristin’s first ever marathon. I’ve said before how great it feels to hear people in the crowd cheering you on and to see the motivational signs they hold up. Kristin was absolutely loving it, cheering right back to them.

At the water station near mile 11 we were joined by another familiar face. My friend Zac – who I had biked across the country with in 2011 (with the organization 4K for Cancer) – had found us! I was amazed that he’d spotted us in the huge crowd, but I suppose after 70 days of biking together, you really get to know what a person’s back looks like J He was doing the Goofy Challenge which means he had already run the half marathon the day before, and was now running the full! He was struggling with a twisted ankle, but still managed to stay with us for the next 2 miles. This picture of the four of us is one of my favorites!

By then, we had entered Animal Kingdom. We’d visited this park the day before, so all the sights around me (dinosaurs, Mount Everest) were familiar. It was at this point that fatigue reared its ugly head, and I started to struggle. I think I’ve mentioned this before too, but SO much of the challenge of running a marathon is mental. It’s just inevitable that exhaustion at mile 13 will result in amplified feelings of hopelessness. How can I possibly run 13 more miles feeling like crap? My knees were starting to bother me, but it was just the old familiar runner’s knee… a little biofreeze and some Tylenol from a first aid station and I was good. It was the lack of energy and the heat that was really getting me. The temperature was climbing up to 80 degrees and the humidity made it feel like 90. But Kristin and I had vowed to run the entire race together, and she seemed to still be feeling good. There was no way that I was going to hold her back. So I pushed on.

The next few miles are a little hazy. I think I entered what I call a running coma where time kind of warps and you’re not completely conscious of what’s going on around you. I was trying to put everything out of my mind so that I wouldn’t be focusing on how terrible I felt. I lived for each water station. I was constantly thirsty. And I’ve never eaten so much during a marathon. I actually found myself craving the bananas they were handing out. I usually hate bananas, but now, they tasted amazing. It’s crazy how your body’s need for certain nutrients can override your taste buds.

At some point I saw someone holding a sign that said ‘Mind over Muscle’ and although this is by no means a revolutionary saying, I felt a wave of confidence flow through me as I repeated those words over and over in my head. My will IS stronger than my body. I can do this.

Around mile 17 we entered ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. I kind of blocked this part out from my memory as well, but I do remember running around the baseball field after mile 19. The stands were sprinkled with loudly cheering fans. I think Disney was hoping the stadium would be completely full, which would have been awesome, but I think it was still a great addition to the course.

Then came the ‘Mile 20 Spectacular.’ Huge Disney character puppets lined the course. They were like big floats…confirming my sense of being in a reversed parade. There was also a stage with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy bopping around and a big archway with pictures of all 20 years of marathon medals. I have to admit, all the hype made me expect a little more at the Spectacular, but as we passed the three characters on stage, Kristin waved frantically at them, and Goofy responded by blowing a big kiss towards her. We laughed and in that instant I forgot how tired I felt.

Throughout all those painful miles, I kept consoling myself with the thought that the discomfort would pass. That was what happened in Baltimore… I would definitely get my second wind. I was sure of it. Well, it never came. But it wasn’t long after mile 20 that Kristin said “I’m hitting my wall, this feels terrible.” And although I still felt horrible as well, I immediately switched into motivator mode. “6 miles is nothing! That’s all we have left!”

We both pushed on, and my craving for the finish line was becoming unbearable. I barely remember the details of running through Hollywood Studios.

The next thing I clearly remember is entering Epcot. This meant that we only had just over a mile left. We were pretty far behind our goal finishing time of 4:20 because of the heat and the crowd, but honestly, that didn’t matter anymore. That last mile seemed to stretch on forever as we wound through all the countries in Epcot. The crowd was fantastic here. Every time someone cheered my name (our names were on our bibs), I felt new energy surge through me. At one point a group of people cheering for me nearly caused me to cry. These people have probably been cheering on runners for hours, and yet they still encourage each of us as if we’re the first runners they’ve seen. I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

As the big Epcot ball got closer and closer we kept saying “The finish line will be just around this corner!… okay, just kidding, around this corner!… or this next one…” That went on for what felt like 100 corners (one of which had not the finish line waiting for us, but a Gospel choir!). It was probably a good thing the end was so twisty because the hope of the finish line being around the next bend kept us going strong.

Finally, there it was! The glorious finish line! The sound of the cheering crowd grew tenfold and relief and joy flooded through me as we mustered all of our remaining energy to run under the arch.

Kristin and I threw our arms around each other and tears welled up in our eyes as the race volunteers shoved waters and Powerades into our grateful hands.

Immediately the pain of the last 26 miles was forgotten, and all we could do was smile. I am so proud of Kristin for finishing her first marathon, and if it weren’t for her, there’s no way I could have pushed on as hard as I did. And the best part? I succeeded in staying injury-free!

One final note: the medal is definitely the coolest medal I’ve ever seen. The inside spins revealing two different Mickey photos (classic and modern Mickey), and two different Walt Disney quotes.

We wore our (super heavy!) medals around the parks for the next few days. Disney is probably the only place you can wear a medal post race without feeling like a tool. Everyone we passed – park staff, other marathoners with medals, tourists – expressed their sincere congratulations, and it made the accomplishment feel that much sweeter.