This weekend is the Disney Marathon Weekend. I have run the 26.2 magical miles x’s 4. And last year I ran the inaugural Dopey Challenge – 4 straight days, 4 straight races – Thurs 5k, Fri 10k, Sat 13.1, Sun 26.2. For all those running any of the events this weekend, or thinking about running in the future, here’s my official guide.
BE SURE TO CLICK ON THE RECAP LINKS BELOW FOR TONS OF PICS/VIDS/INSIGHT!!!!
The 6 Dopey Challenge Medals.
1. The Expo!
Yup, that’s an expo.
The Expo is Huuuuuuge. It’s takes over three buildings at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. You pick up your race packets, you get to see famous expert speakers, and you shop. You can shop for miles. It can be pretty overwhelming, but luckily there is a bar on hand where you can relax with a cold one, if you so desire.
Our boy has run the Kids’ Race x’s 3. The races also take place at the ESPN sports complex. Distances depend on age and desire, from the 100 to a mile. And yes, parents can run with their kids. And yes, it can be pretty chaotic. The start times, corrals, etc. can AND DO change at the drop of a hat. My advice: Be early, be ready, be flexible. They are a lot of fun though, and it’s great to get kids involved in the marathon weekend.
To read my full in depth Kids’ Races recap, CLICK HERE NOW!
3. The 5k (or Day 1 of the Dopey Challenge)!
All smiles at the finish photo line!
The 5k takes place on Thursday at the parking lot of Epcot. The race itself basically takes you in and around the theme park. It’s actually kind of neat to be in the park before it’s open. They still have characters you can take pictures with, and tons of volunteers to cheer for you. And just like that, it’s over. A quick 3.1 miles through Epcot.
Don’t really need gloves in Florida heat, but ya know…
2014 was the also the inaugural 10k. I gotta say, this was probably the least exciting of all the races. Again, you start/end at Epcot, but the first 3 miles you are on the dark roads outside the park. There’s a little entertainment, but mostly it’s silent. The second 3 miles you do run through a resort before entering Epcot to the finish – that part is fun!
5. The Half Marathon (or Day 3 of Dopey & Day 1 of The Goofy Challenge)
Yes, I wore a child’s Snow White apron.
The half marathon again starts/ends at Epcot. The difference is here that you do an out and back from the park to Magic Kingdom and back. The highlight is running through Magic Kingdom (and thru Cinderella’s Castle), but in between the two parks, again you’re just running on roads. Of course, they do have people cheering, characters, entertainment, and there’s more to see (resorts, etc.). And this race can be a lot of fun.
To read my full in depth Half Marathon recap, CLICK HERE NOW!
6. The Marathon (or Day 4 of Dopey & Day 2 of Goofy)
Medals 6/6 (includes Dopey & Goofy bonus medals)
The marathon is the shining jewel of the whole weekend. The granddaddy. The big kahuna. And it’s my favorite as well. Over the course of 26.2 miles, you go through all the theme parks (Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios) as well as through several resorts and also a lap on the race car track and a jaunt through the ESPN sports complex (incl. a lap on the track & baseball stadium). There is excellent support along the course & tons of entertainment. This is Disney at it’s best. They pull out all the bells & whistles. Really a magical marathon.
Of course, Disney is a big draw. Not only for tourists, but for runners as well. I’m really happy that at the Disney races I’ve run, I’ve been able to meet-up with so many long lost (and new) friends. At the Dopey Challenge, I couldn’t believe how many old friends, fellow bloggers, etc. that I had the fortune to meet up with.
Of course, Orlando is a huge tourist destination. There’s tons to do and see there. Disney World has so much to offer. But so do others, such as Universal. So many rides, foods, drinks, good times.
To see my in depth recap of how we celebrated CLICK HERE NOW!
9. Finally, Be Thankful!
Anyone who runs, knows it takes a lot of support. Months and months of early morning miles can’t happen without the support of family, friends, social media pals, etc. This was not lost on me when I was Dopey last year. And so I made sure to thank everyone – from fellow runners to fellow bloggers to the fams.
So to all you who are running in any or all of the races this Disney Marathon Weekend, I wish you the bestest of luck! Whether you’re running or not, or just thinking about running this event in the future – hit me up with any questions you have! I’ll try to help! Soooooo……
Today’s Question: What Disney Marathon Weekend questions do you have for me?
Welp, we’ve dun it. Anuther trip around the sun. Looking back, 2014 was a pretty decent year. Let’s take a peek at a few hightlights, shall we?
It kicked off with a BANG! In January I ran the Disney World Dopey & Goofy Challenge. That’s 4 straight days, 4 straight races.
The 6 Dopey Challenge Medals.
Day 1 – Thursday – 5k (3.1 miles)
Medal 1/6 gotten!
Day 2 – Friday – 10k (6.2 miles)
Medal 2/6 got.
Day 3 – Saturday – Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
Medals 3/6 got.
Day 4 – Sunday – Full Marathon (26.2 miles)
Medals 6/6 (includes Dopey & Goofy bonus medals)
All in all, it was a magical 48.6 miles.
Running at Epcot, waving to my fans.
Included in the weekend was the Kids’ Race, where the soon to be 5 year old rocked it!
Medals for everyone!
Oh, and did I mention my sis and ma also did the Dopey?
At Magic Kingdom with our medals.
Shortly afterwards though, I was going for a run, tripped, felled, and Nancy Kerriganed my own knee.
Put me out of commission for a little while.
I was able to eventually get active again by doing a lot of yoga in a retail store.
Cat, cow, what difference does it make?
I really think yoga is important for everyone – including runners. So I do a lot of it. And besides…
#NotCreepyatAll
Another part of my cross training is lifting weights. And besides…
Dumbells make you smart…and sexy.
I also like to mix up my runs with track work. And besides…
Track work makes you sexy. Here’s the proof!
Trail runs are also great. And besides…
#truth #obviously
Eventually my knee felt better and I got back on the roads with some of my fave people. Like Thursday Night Social Runners.
TNSR, Representin
And also my crazy early morning elfen crew.
They like to run at like 5am. They cray cray.
I also made a few Luke’s Locker social trail runs.
Run trails, eat pancakes. Repeat.
And the White Rock Running Co-op, who really helped me to become a better runner this year.
WRRC. Good runners.
To help fuel my workouts, I ate lots of tacos. Lots.
Legit, son!
In between training, I also got to see some of my fave bands…like at this FREE concert – The Killers!
About 30 rows deep, my mouth a gasp with excitement.
And the Old 97’s.
Seen this band countless times.
And I was super thrilled to see the traveling Broadway show, based on the movie – Once!
And I got to make my annual Jimmy Buffett concert experience…TWICE!
JB concert #1. Just call me Front Row Joe.
JB concert #2. Things get wild at the tailgate parties…trust me!
I also got to hangout on stage during a Graceland Ninjaz concert.
On stage open mouth selfie.
As well as Pentatonix.
I liked to imagine they were all cheering for me (they may have been).
They were amongst the Celebs that got to hang out with me this year.
They asked me to join the group based on some of my youtube karaoke videos.
And my model friend Brooke Becker.
She’s kewl.
And long time friend, fashion blogger, and TV host, Hilary Kennedy.
We had to wear our shades because of the flashes from the paparazzi.
And all around media star, and long long time friend, Ashley Kamrath.
At the Emmy’s. We didn’t win this year, but we’ll get again next year!
And I made another video with friend & TV host, Emily Reppert.
On the set with my actor friends.
And I made a new BFF when I interviewed Olympic gold medalist, Jennie Finch.
See, told ya we were new BFF’s.
And my Dallas Half Marathon Champion friend, Logan Sherman.
Logan, Me, Patrick. Mustachioed.
And model/actor buddy, Shane Land.
We have played brothers in two movies. Can you see the resemblance?
And a Dallas Cowboy – Charles Haley.
A couple of legends.
Anyways, back to running. I ran a bunch of races. Starting with Abby’s Run 5k, where I won my age group!
Yay! I got a photo with Abby (who the race is named for) and her mom. Ann photobombed us.
Then came the Rock the Block 10k. New PR – 46:00!
And we’re off! -Photo from Dallasnews.com
During the months of Texas heat, it was really hot, so I only ran a few unofficial races. Like the Boston Marathon virtual run.
And the America, F**k Yeah 4th of July 10k.
Censored Bling
And the TNSR Beer Mile.
This was a bad idea.
Then came the Fall. Autumn is always a time of change. For us, a big change was the boy starting kindergarten. Where does the time go???
He’s grown about 5 times his size. Based on that growth rate, I figure he’ll be about 80 feet tall by his 20’s.
I even volunteered to coach his soccer team. That was a lot of fun!
Landsharks on three!
And the little girl just keeps growing too!
Stop looking at me swan.
Fall also saw a lot of PR changes. Starting with the Oktoberfest 5k – 21:33. When you PR, you have to celebrate…
They love me.
Next up was the Dallas Mavericks 5k. Another PR!
The Mavs Dancers asked to have their photo taken with me. I obliged.
Speaking of which, my brother ran his first half marathon this fall! And my dad is running his first half in January 2015!
Dad, Bro, Me at an FC Dallas game this fall.
The next PR to fall was at the Dallas 13.1 – 1:42:59!
Bottle opener medal.
Next was the annual Halloween fun run.
Our costumed group.
One sad change was that we lost our oldest doggy this fall. She was such a great pup.
sweet Bailey girl
But in happier times, I set another PR at the North Texas Turkey Trot 5k 20:04. Bummer was the course being .1 miles short.
Stop looking at me turkey.
Next up was the Rudolph Run 5k. And yet another PR – officially 21:29, but my watch had the course being long. According to it I came across at 20:50-something. Either way, I got 2nd in my age group!
Last year’s race was cancelled due to ice. So I got two medals!
The final race of 2014 was the Dallas Half marathon. No PR this day, but still got my 2nd fastest half – 1:45:01.
Big state, little medal.
And as part of the Dallas Marathon festivities, I got to meet MEB!!!!!!
Me n Meb
The end of the year was spent with friends and family for the holidays.
Looking back, it was a pretty good year. Lots of tacos, shows, good times, and running. In fact, I went over 1,200 miles on my feet. I even surpassed 5,000 miles total with my Nike+ watch – starting when I got it a few years ago.
5 g’s over the past few years.
Here’s hoping 2015 will be even better! Happy New Year, y’all!
Today’s only question: What’s your top 2014 highlight?
I wrote a little while back about a bet I had going on with a running-blog ‘friend’. You can chickity check it HERE.
Well, I lost the bet. His team beat my team in the NBA playoffs. And of course it went the maximum 7 games, which meant I owed him 7 400’s on the track. Today I did that to pay off the debt.
Photo taken after…hence the sitting.
He tweeted me in jest after the final game and said he’d like to see my splits from the track. Well, I don’t run with my phone (camera), so I just tried to keep track in my head. Best I could make out with my math skills were that it went something like this:
1 – 89 seconds, 2 – 86 seconds, 3-7 – 85 seconds.
It was tough. The winds were between 25-30 mph, with gusts much stronger than that. The whole back side of the track was a wall of wind and it felt like I was running in place. Hopefully that made me a stronger runner though.
The flag is holding on for dear life. It’s like that every spring here.
Luckily I forgot to mention to him how the gaggle of my fellow bloggers commented that they wanted us to up the ante with an embarrassing costume, or the opponents team jersey. In fact, I had planned on wearing my throwback Mavs jersey in spite, but I forgot it at home.
#MFFL
Truth is, I don’t get embarrassed easily, so it wouldn’t have bothered me too much to dress up for it. You know this if you followed my Dopey Challenge races.
Knee out. Hands on hips. It’s slimming.
Besides, if I had been dressed in drag like some of your suggested, I might have gotten a visit from the cops as I was running on a middle school track – and their girls soccer team was practicing on the infield. I can hear the 9-1-1 call now, “There’s a creepy man in a sports bra and tutu running laps at the middle school.”
From a Halloween past – The Drag Queen Bee. Or Prom Queen Bee. Whichever you prefer. Aren’t you impressed I found heels to fit me? And a prom dress for that matter?
In the end though, it wasn’t all bad. Sure, I’m disappointing that my team didn’t win, but hey, I got a good workout out of it!
How bout y’all? Lost any wagers lately? Dressed in drag lately? Besides my blogging friend at hellyontherun (who let’s me know via Twitter) is anyone else interested in the NBA playoffs? Anyone want to go to the prom with me?
This should be the last Dopey Challenge post (unless I come up with something else later). If you missed any of my other Dopey Recaps, you can see them here: Expo, Kids Race, 5k, 10k, 13.1, 26.2, Post Run, & Meet-Ups.
Much like my first marathon (Disney 2008), my sister is the one who urged me to register for this challenge. So first shout outs go to her.
2008 – First marathon experience was painful.
Not only for that, but also running with me (and finishing herself), driving us around, letting us stay at her place, and getting us into the theme parks. Here’s a tip for anyone wanting to run a Disney race – try to get a sibling that works there, it has its benefits, ha!
Us runnin through Cinderella’s Castle.
Another shout out goes to her roommate. She had to put up with a few things, like us crowding up their place. But more importantly she put up with a few days of watching Disney Jr non-stop on the TV as her and her beau watched the boy when we were up early for the races. She also was able to bring him to the final race in time for us to cross the finish line. Then she took him into Epcot while we went to meet our ma when she finished.
Glad they were able to make some roomie.
Speaking of which, more shout outs to the mom for not only paying for a couple meals and groceries, but also some theme park photos. She also gets props for finishing the Dopey herself. I’ve had many comments from people on how impressed they are with that last fact. She had never run a full marathon before, and was able to do that after three days of consecutive races. Not only that, but she finished it faster and stronger than a lot of people who didn’t run the previous three days.
Her arms were being ripped out of their sockets.
Also, I need to shout out to all the bloggers who supported me through all the training and races. The amount of positive messages you sent was unbelievable! I don’t want to leave anyone out, so I won’t mention specific people, but know that I appreciate it!
That also goes for all my friends and family who supported me either with words, messages, or even running with me! Like my “coach” Rexy and the fine folks at Thursday Night Social Run and Project Run 214. As well as my yoga instructor and chiropractor who helped keep me injury free during all those training miles.
My constant companion, the training sched.
Finally, I have to thank the immediate family for putting up with my months of training. I tried to do it without inconveniencing anyone – like running in the wee hours before they were awake – but I know there were a few times when I did. So thanks for TCB and allowing me to put in the hours!
So now it’s time to move on to new challenges. I look forward to continued support as well as supporting everyone else as they take on their endeavors! Let’s do this!
What challenges are you looking forward to? What kind of support do you get?
I love how that now-a-days pretty much all my friends are so active. It always amazes me that I can go to a race, or just go on a training run, and I’m almost guaranteed to “run into” someone I know. I like that. It was no different when I traveled half way across the country for a race. At the Disney Dopey Challenge, I got to meet-up with a few peeps.
If you missed my recaps of the races, you can see them here: 5k, 10k, 13.1, 26.2
First off, these aren’t really reunions, but traveling with me was our boy and my moms. The boy was doing the Kid’s Race for the 3rd time.
Collage credit goes to my mom. She got all artsy recently.
My moms was doing the Dopey Challenge too. She only started running a few years ago, and hadn’t run a full marathon yet, but she wanted to make this happen!
Traditional pre-race family photo.
And of course, my sis. She lives in Orlando, FL so of course we saw her. Also, her and her roomie let us crash at their crib (I’m so hip), so that was groovy (see). And if you’ve followed along, then you know that she ran the Dopey too! We even ran the whole half marathon portion together.
Sibling photo op. The castle photo bombed us.
Many of you asked how my mom and sis did, and I’m here to tell you that they both finished! My sis came across the full marathon line a little after me and we reunited when she passed by me stretching next to the medical tent.
With Sis before the marathon. We looked much better here than afterwards.
After we cleaned up, we went into Epcot to look for our ma. We bought a rose with a Mickey Mouse in it to give to her. Our plan was for the boy to hand it to her as she passed so she could cross the finish line with it. All we had to do was wait.
While waiting, we cheered on all the other runners. And we saw my sister’s friend and cheered for him! He had met us each morning (he was Dopey too) before the races and served as our official pre race family photographer.
Pre one of the races with my sis’ friend.
Then we finally saw our ma! We yelled at her to come over so we could hand her the rose, but get this…she blew us off!!! Haha! She literally waved us off and kept going. Everyone around us thought that was pretty funny too. They said it was comical that we had been waiting there for her, and she was not interested in stopping.
The boy said he was looking “stylish”.
Now I know how it is in a marathon, and I’m sure at that point in the race she just wanted to finish, but it was still funny to us. Anyway, we gave her the rose a little later.
You can see the rose on the ground next to her. Don’t marathons look fun???
Another mom collage.
Another meet-up I had was with a friend from high school…who I hadn’t seen since high school. We ran track together at our Ohio high school, but now he lives in Hawaii. Not a bad gig if you can get it. Anyway, he was doing the Dopey too. I actually bumped into him in my coral before the 5k and we ran the whole way together.
That’s him next to me (he’s in the kilt).
We would see each other before and after each race. It was cool to catch up.
Representing the mean streets of our hometown – Westerville, Ohio.
I had another long time reunion. Now I must preface this with a short fun fact – also in high school, I used to travel the East coast competing in (mostly) hip hop dance competitions. My sis went to a dance school, and I just kind of fell into it.
National championships in Myrtle Beach. I know you’re jealous of my mighty dancing shoulder pads.
So, one of the gals I used to dance with now lives in Florida and her and her husband were running the marathon. After they finished (PR’d!!!) we met up for some post race re-hydrating.
We had to refill our carb levels somehow.
I hadn’t seen her in a long long time, so that was awesome!
Another meet-up I had was with a fellow blogger. Danielle over at Live, Run, Grow. There were many that I wanted to run into, but I was only able to find this one. And here’s how: before the Dopey she had blogged her race costume – Newsies. After the 10k, I saw a group of Newsies, and knew it must be her. So we had a brief meet-up.
Virtual friends meet! We take life very seriously.
That’s a great tip from her – post your race costumes before hand so people looking for you can find you! For you other blogger friends who were there, know that I was looking for you, and I’m sorry we weren’t able to meet up.
So there are the running reunions I had at the Dopey Challenge. So cool!
How bout you? Ever run into old/new friends at races? Any surprise get togethers?
This is it. The last race of four on consecutive days. If you missed my recaps of the earlier races, you can see them here: 5k then 10k then 13.1 half marathon.
Now we have the 26.2 full marathon to complete the Goofy and Dopey Challenges. I had stuck to my plan of running personal worsts (PW) for the first three races. Now I wanted to go for it in the final race.
Ready to go 26.2 rounds with Mr. Mile.
My “A” goal was to break 4 hours (9:10 per mile). Considering my pace at shorter distances, I should be able to shatter 4 hours, but I have yet to do it. My “B” goal was to PR (PB). I would accomplish one of the two goals.
Traditional pre-race family photo.
We got a gift this day from the Weather Channel gods. The temps went from hot and humid the day before at the half, to chilly (and a little humid) for the full!!! It was in the 50’s (American) at the start!
With Sis on way to the corral!
Even thought it was chilly, I knew my body temp would warm up once we started running, so I wore light clothes – including a new Ohio University tech tee that the wife got me for Christmas!
Ain’t I purdy?
I also carried the GoPro camera with me. Looking back, it probably was a bad decision considering I was going for a PR. It definitely took energy and brain power (I don’t have much to spare) to use it throughout the course. But I decided to take it anyway, and I don’t really regret that. We did pass some cool attractions along the way.
Mid race selfie vision.
The edited down video is a bit blair-witchy, but I think it shows the race experience. It’s funny to watch how I go from cracking jokes and getting somewhat stable shots, to gradually having zero sense of humor nor the energy to hold my arm out straight! Haha!
The night before the full I spoke via phone with my “coach” – My good friend (and awesome endurance athlete) Rexy. We actually have history of sports at Disney World. In college, we were cheerleaders and competed in the National Championships there my senior year.
Rexy is 3rd from left in front. I’m 2nd from right in back.
Anyway, she gave me a pep talk and helped work out the race strategy. She said to stick to exactly 4 hr pace for the first half. Then evaluate how I felt and pick up the pace if I could for the next 7 miles. Then let it all hang out the last 6.2. She told me to leave it on the course, and that if I crash, it’s better to do so the last few miles knowing that at least I tried.
Peace homey.
Again, we had a 2am wake up call. And the race started at 5:30am. The course began and ended at Epcot. It immediately went from there to the Magic Kingdom.
26.2 magical miles. Click to enlarge.
The first few miles were a bit crowded. I wasn’t able to go my normal pace, and I had to do some weaving. By the time we got to Magic Kingdom, I knew from the clock that I was going too slow. But I also knew I had time to correct that. 5 Mile in 47:39 – 9:32 per mile.
Runnin Down Main St, USA!
We got into the park – which is the highlight for me. It’s still dark out, and the whole park is lit up. Main St. is lined with tons of cheering spectators. And Cinderella’s Castle is all lit up! We get to run right through the castle, which is neat. The MarathonFoto folks had some pictures of me at the castle, but they lost them. I had even stopped for the official Castle photo – like I took with my sis during the Half the day before…
They did NOT light up the castle for the half. I wish I had the pretty lit up one to share with y’all.
…But they lost that one too. Bummer. If they find them later, I will share. They did have these though…
Still in the park.
Feelin the love.
Feelin a little fuzzy in Magic Kingdom!
After we left the Magic Kingdom, we then headed past the Polynesian Resort and the golf course. There was a glow in the East and I knew the sun would be rising soon. The weather was still cool, and I felt GREAT! I was actually smiling and having a really good time. My pace was steadily fastening.
Suns comin up. Right on my forehead.
Then we headed into the Speedway – their race car track. We did the mile lap, and there were a ton of classic cars out. A childhood fave – Herbie the Love Bug – was there, but for some reason the characters from the movie Cars weren’t out this year. Where’s Lightning McQueen???
I think running on this race track is a pretty unique experience though – how many people get to do that? Again tho, the MarathonFoto folks couldn’t find my photos from that locale. Sorry dude.
(photo missing)
Then it was on toward Animal Kingdom. Still feeling great. Still picking up steam. 10 Mile in 1:32:49 – 9:17 per mile.
*Side note. My sis works at AK, so I happen to know a few other of the zoo keepers there. I was glad to see some of them at the entrance to the park. They were there to cheer for us, very cool!
Feelin fine.
AK also had some animals and characters out. And some marathoners would stop to ride the roller coaster, but I didn’t have time for that.
I’m ahead of the guy that thought he could fly.
Once we left the park, we reached the halfway point. I was almost EXACTLY at 4 hour pace. Right at 2:00:06 for 13.1 miles – 9:10 per mile. I had made up the time I lost due to the slow start.
B.O. check.
Now was time to reevaluate. I still felt good, so kept picking up the pace. We were on the way to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. There we got to run through the sports fields, along with a lap on the track where we had been before for the Kids Race.
Unidentified location.
The highlight here is getting to run a lap on the baseball field. This is where the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball do their spring training. It’s a really cool experience, especially with people in the stands cheering! It was in WWOS that I had my fastest mile, but that would soon change.
I already got to first base, now I’m going for home.
Looking back, I think all the energy I spent trying to make up the time took it’s toll. I started to feel it around this point. But at mile 20, I was still on pace to break 4 hours. 3:02:30 – 9:07 per mile.
An angel in the outfield.
From there we headed toward Hollywood Studios. Getting closer to home, but like they say, the real marathon starts at mile 20. I was really feeling it and took short walk breaks at the drink stations to grab a little powerade (and one port-a-potty stop to get rid of the old powerade).
The tower of terror ain’t got nothin on my towering form.
But then I felt doing that worked and I got a second wind! Awesome!!! But then at mile 21 I think I made a bad choice. Instead of continuing on with my new energy, I decided to stick to my recent pattern and grab a quick drink at the drink station. After that brief walk, I never recovered. I should’ve just kept running past it.
Putting on a brave face.
Also at this point, I think the cumulative miles from the previous 3 races started to kick in. My legs started to cramp. Every step I could feel my quads tense, and when I pulled over to try and stretch them, my hammies cramped into a giant ball. OUCH!
You lookin at me?
My pace slowed considerably as I tried to deal with the cramping. Kept running, but had to take a few walk breaks. Mostly at drink stations, but also on a hill or two. Speaking of which….
…This is supposed to be a flat course. It is decidedly not! Sure, it’s not super hilly, but it does have it’s fair share of long steady inclines and declines. Mostly from the bridges and overpasses we had to traverse.
That’s a big wizard hat. Where’s the wizard sleeve?
Anyway, at this point I could see my “A” goal slipping away. It was frustrating, and I felt like I was letting people down who I knew were following along with the auto text/facebook/twitter updates runDisney was sending of my splits. I also felt like I was wasting a great opportunity because of the weather and all the training I had put into it. But I couldn’t control the leg cramps. Maybe I wasn’t mentally tough enough to fight through it this time. Ahh, the stuff we think when we look back.
Goodbye Hollywood.
By now the sun was up and the parks were open, so there were lots of people there. I’m sure they were annoyed that they had to wait behind a rope for us to pass before they could get to the churro stand, but many of them still cheered, and I appreciated that. And I had made it through the Studios.
I almost wore the same outfit as that chick…that would’ve been embarrassing for her.
We then made our way to the Boardwalk Resort. I know that we’re close to finishing, as it borders Epcot. I was slowing even more, but still going.
Somewhere in Disney World.
Finally we enter Epcot. You’d think we’d be right at the finish, but get this – we still have 1.2 miles to go before getting to the parking lot finish. That’s how big those theme parks are!!!
The big spiky golf ball means we’re in Epcot.
Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament.
By now I knew my “A” goal was gone. And when I saw some characters with virtually line (queue), I decided to take the opportunity to stop for a photo – especially with DOPEY!!!!
I cannot explain the Dopey expression on my face, other than we were 47.6 miles into the Challenge.
Disney puts characters ALL along the course, but this is the first time I’ve ever stopped for a photo. Then I got a second one with one of my Asian wife’s fave movie characters – Mulan!
I want a funny pet dragon.
One of the highlights, right before you leave Epcot, hidden from the general public, is a gospel choir. When I ran past them, I turned to look at them and had one final big full body CRAMP! I stopped in my tracks and doubled over in pain. A race attendant asked if I needed the medics. I shook her off, sucked it up and ran toward the finish!
Waving to my fans.
About 100 meters to go and I see my boy! My sister’s roommate and her boyfriend graciously agreed to babysit him while we ran, and they made it just in time to the race to see me finish! That was the final boost I needed to finish strong!
Waving at the boy. Pretty cool pic!
Past the bleachers of cheering spectators, I ran to the finish, and high fived Donald Duck (why wouldn’t I?)…
That guy quacks me up.
His hands were downy soft.
And finished with a defiant fist pump!
I will punch you air, in your face’s mouth!
Yes, I was disappointed that I didn’t break 4 hours, but I still PR’d! I broke my previous personal best by 2+ minutes to finish at 4:07:47 – 9:28 per mile.
Yay for me!
They said there were somewhere between 25,000 – 30,000 people in the marathon. In the end, only around 19,000+ of them finished.
It’s too bad, I had a nice negative split going on until I bonked. But hey, at least I finished the challenge! Next time I run a Full Marathon however, I will NOT run 3 races in the days leading up to it!
Pace getting gradually faster…
…and then the wheels fell off.
After we crossed the line, I collected my Mickey medal for the full. Then on to the Goofy station to get that medal. Then finally to the Dopey station to get that medal.
Finally our blingy reward!
It’s funny, as soon as they put that medal on my neck, I felt real emotional. Instantaneously. I guess it finally kicked in all those months and months of training, all the early hours, all the miles and miles, all the preparation. But sadly, the Disney folks don’t let you stop and enjoy the moment. They.keep.you.moving. “You can’t stop here. You can’t stretch here. Keep walking. Keep moving.” If only I had the energy to tell them that I can’t walk right now. My legs are a ball of lactic buildup!
I’m screaming in triumph, or pain, either or.
Funny story after I collected the medals and walked past the medical tent, a medical person started screaming – the other medics all thought someone was really hurt, but it turns out she went to Ohio University too. You have no idea how many “Go Ohio!” and “Go ‘Cats” I got on the course. Such great support!
After a chat with her, I then retrieved my gear bag, which had the other medals ready for their photo op!
Finally, they are all got!
Later on after all our friends and family members finished, we wore our 6 medals into Epcot to cheer on the later finishers and to ride some rides and get some Guinness and grub. People commented that we sounded like robots with all the clinking that accompanied each step.
It really was kind of heavy. The weight we Dopes carry is indeed a heavy burden of joy.
So there it is: 48.6 miles done. It was a fun challenge, and I’m glad I did it. It’s always a treat to run through all the parks that we would visit as kids. And they do a good job of having characters and volunteers along the way to keep your spirits up! Also, I’m glad I followed my “coach’s” plan the best I could, and even though I crashed toward the end, at least I left it all on the course.
Rumors confirmed – I am dopey.
In the future I’m not sure if I’ll do it again. But I would like to do another full with this same training. I think if I put in the same mileage, but with only one race as the goal, then I can slap that timing clock around!
I will say this though, the thing I’m most proud of is that while I was doing the Dopey Challenge, and posting about it on Twitter and Instagram and such. That I had people message me that I had inspired them to get out and run themselves! That’s probably the best result of this whole thing!
Did I leave anything out? Any questions about the inaugural Dopey Challenge? You have any desire to do it? What’s up?
I’ll get to my recap of the Dopey Challenge Full Marathon soon, but I didn’t want to move on without writing about something else we took part in during the Disney Marathon Weekend. In addition to the 5k, 10k, 13.1, and 26.2, they also had kids races. And our just turned 5 year old participated.
His heel kick left the back of his shirt dirty!
It was his 3rd time doing the runDisney Kids race. Last year he even won his heat of the 100 meter race! But this year he’s in a new age group. And the distance doubled to 200 meters.
Last year’s race. I wish I had that form!
I learned form years past to let the pushy over-eager parents take their kids in the first couple heats. I planned to do the same this year. The emcees said there would be 4 heats. I decided we’d wait till the last one. But after the first 2, they decided to lump everyone still waiting into just one giant (3rd) heat. This was not a welcome last minute change. Because of this, we were several people back from the starting line. It was a mob scene. And yes, the parents run with the kids, so it was doubly crowded.
Fighting through the crowds (and his oversized sweatpants).
So he was pretty boxed in at the start. Bummer. But once he found an opening…he.was.GONE! You can see it unfold in the video I took:
I was boxed in behind him, so the only way to catch him was to cut through the infield. It’s shaky, but I think it’s kind of funny. I caught up to him right as he high-fived Mickey at the finish line!
High Five Mickey!
Oh, and BTW, if he looks sleepy, it’s because he WAS. He was ready for a nap. And he had gotten something in his eye, so he kept rubbing it, which made them kind of puffy. But he’s a trooper.
Post high five.
In the end, he had a good time, and added another medal to his young collection!
Bringin home the hardware (or software, as it is rubber).
And I was happy that he got to be part of this weekend of family running! Hopefully he’ll continue to race as he keeps reaching new age groups!
Post race with the boy!
And get this, for Christmas he was given a Disney gift card. And he decided to use it at the Expo to buy a running Mickey doll (with it’s own medal of course).
Medals for everyone!
What do you think about kids races – ever been to one? Should I add the distance of this race to my 48.6 Dopey total?
Race 3 of 4 of the Dopey Challenge. This time it was time for the Donald Duck themed half marathon. The evening before the race, we prepared by chilling a bit at Downtown Disney.
My sis and I carbo-loading.
Our sunny set view.
Then came the morning and another 2am wake up call. By now I was used to it. I had used up all my pre-race sleep jitters before the first race (5k). And while I still hadn’t had a full night sleep, at least I got a few hours. And of course we took our customary pre race photo.
Sis, Me, Mom.
Still wanting to take it easy, so I wore one last costume (as you can tell). This time it was my PR 214 tech tank with an Alice in Wonderland apron. My friend (who looks like an elf) lent it to me the day before I left for Florida.
Knee out. Hands on hips.
She told me she got it at Disney World when she was a little girl…so it’s probably like 50-60 years old (JK – if she read this). She also lent me the matching dress, but I could no way in Hades get it on. I tried, but couldn’t get the waist over my broad manly shoulders. Nearly split it in four. I guess costumes meant for a 6 year old girl don’t work on me.
I do like how the rabbit is chasing time – just like us runners!
The apron got quite the few comments and gawks. One example during the race: a couple bros asked me if I lost a bet – I told them that it was either a result of too much medication, or not quite enough.
I’d be much faster if I ran like a normal person.
I also ran with the GoPro camera. But I had forgotted to charge it the night before, so I only got a few moments of video recorded during the race. You can see the fleeting moments here:
As you can see in the video, there was a bit of a let down at the start of our corral. Now I won’t get into the corral complaints here, as I’m sure the runDisney folks have gotten quite the mouse earful already. But what I wanted to bring up was that our corral got extra jacked up. You see, Disney shoots off a pretty nice little fireworks show for each corral start – except for ours. Something happened when the dude pushed the boom button and we got zilch sky explosions. Bummer, bro.
But no matter, we were underway!
Follow the yellow brick road…or painted line, as it were.
I ran the whole way with my sis. We chatted the whole way too, further ensuring that we’d take it easy (in addy to the costumes).
I have to correct my running form. So does she.
We didn’t stop for any characters, but we couldn’t pass up the Cinderella’s Castle photo op (no lines!).
As much as my arms are in the air, I hope I didn’t have B.O.
I was looking forward to this leg of the Dopey. I had run the Disney Marathon 3 times, but never one of their 13.1 races. I wanted to know what it was like.
I think I thought I was in 2nd place here.
But after running it, I can now say that I’m glad I run the fulls. They didn’t have all the bells and whistles out for the half. The course only hit up two parks (Magic Kingdom and Epcot).
Half of the most magical place on Earth.
The lights of the castle weren’t even on. The people who run the half really do miss out on all the action of the full – but I guess that’s part of the reward for the people who are more than half crazy???
Catchin flies.
Anyways, it was pretty warm and humid. So the apron and everything else got nice and sweaty (if Elf reads this – we did wash it after). I’m really glad we didn’t have this weather for the full! It was swampy!
Put the guns away already!
Once again, the race started and ended in the Epcot parking lot. The crowds of supporters were bigger than the day before (10k), which was bigger than the day before (5k).
No mid race selfie for you! Battery is dead bro!
But once again, I was trying to go for a personal worst (PW). This was the 3rd of 4 legs of the Dopey Challenge and the 1st of 2 legs of the Goofy. And once again I succeeded!
I must’ve run the entire way with my hands in the air. Sheesh.
We finished at 2 hrs 17 mins. A near 30 minutes slower than my previous half (1:48). Just a nice easy medium-long run.
And at the finish, I did a little high step dance, but I couldn’t get the video for y’all, but you can kind of tell from the pics.
Sideways high steppin.
Anyways, we enjoyed the journey and Disney does make a fine race medal!
Thumbs up, finally arms down.
So now we’re 3 races down, with just one to go – the full 26.2 mile marathon!
Family reunion time.
The only scary thing was that people started to point out that even though we’d finished 3/4 races, we hadn’t yet reached halfway of the total mileage!!!!! We wouldn’t reach that until a few miles into the full. I wish nobody had pointed that out.
You can lick the medals if you want. One of the benefits.
So there you go. We are now 1/2 Goofy and 3/4 Dopey. One (big) race to go to complete the challenges!!!
***Side note – I saw a really funny race shirt that day – it read on the back, “Is this the line for Space Mountain?” Bwhaha!****
If you missed the previous recaps, here’s the ones for the Expo, 5k, and 10k.
How bout y’all? Ever cross dress in an ill-fitting outfit for a race? Can you suggest a new mid-race pose other and arms up? Should we had made fireworks sound effects when their real ones malfunctioned?
Day 1 of 4 of the inaugural Dopey Challenge. This was the 5k Family Fun Run. It was chilly, but humid. I was there with my mom and sis. It was early. The 2 am alarm clock did not allow for much sleep – especially since I kept tossing and turning afraid we’d miss the alarm. I also couldn’t shut my mind off while struggling to figure out which outfit to wear for this race (a manly problem, I know).
Sis, mom, me. Before the race.
My goal for the first 3 races was to finish with a PW (personal worst). I wanted to save my legs for the finale of 26.2 miles in just a few days. To remind myself to take it easy, I had brought a few outfits to wear. You can’t take a race too seriously if you’re wearing something silly. I decided on an old Goofy hat that I own, along with giant Disney cartoon gloves. And of course, I had to represent my Ohio Bobcats!
The theme of the race was Pluto, but Goofy’s a dog too…isn’t he?
I also carried a GoPro video camera to capture some of the highlights. If you have a couple minutes, and don’t mind Blair Witch style cinematography, then you can watch the video here:
And while I wanted to get a PW, I still wanted to RUN all 4 races. I figured part of the Challenge is to actually run, and not walk. Save for a few photo ops. Not that I have anything against walk/runners, but for me personally, I wanted to complete what I took to be part of the challenge – running the races.
Yes, I started and finished the race before the sun came up.
The 5k started in the Epcot parking lot, and finished there too. Basically the course took us on a lap of the park.
The warm-up runs.
I was a tad disappointed with the lack of characters out. They’re were a few – but the line to get a pic with Dopey was insane!!! Luckily I got to meet up with him later on (stay tuned for that pic)!
Judging from the photos, I ran the whole race with my arms in the air…like I don’t have a care.
I was also a tad disappointed that they didn’t have all the Disney flair going on – Like lighting up the giant torches. This was done for a later race, however.
At the finish, next to a lady with a glorious lion mane of hair!
I was lucky to start in Corral A. From the peeps I talked to who were in the later corrals (through E), it took a long time before they got started. In fact, I talked to some who said people were finishing the race before they even started! Apparently the gap between corral starts were kind of lengthy.
Bird’s eye view of the finish. Hands still in the air.
In the end, I reached my goal of getting a PW by about 10 minutes – 35:26. Considering my last two 5k’s I finished right at 21:50, I’d say this result is a good job of taking it easy!!!
All smiles at the finish photo line!
Race 1 done, 3 more to come! 3.1 miles over, 45.5 to go! And a fun finisher’s medallion to boot!
Medal 1/6 gotten!
This race was over quick. Like I said, it was still dark out at the finish. And it was good to get the race jitters out of the way. It was weird to line up for a race that I wasn’t “racing”, but like I said – I had a plan and stuck to it!
So there you go, Dopey Challenge Race 1 Recap! Next up will be the race 2 recap – the inaugural Minnie Mouse 10k! If you missed my recap of the Expo, you can read it HERE.
How bout you? Ever ran a race that you didn’t “race”? What do you think of the Disney 5k? Holla at me!
Since the Dopey Challenge was four days of races, I figured I’d break up the recaps so I don’t bore you with one big huge one.
Anyway, the first day started with an early morning rise to get to the airport. I was traveling with my mom and my almost five year old.
On dee plane. He’s a good flier, or is it flyer?
We got in to Orlando where my sis picked us up and went straight to the Expo. Both of them were doing the Dopey too! Crazy cause my moms hadn’t ever run a full marathon before, but she wanted in on the action!
With my sis and mom and dwarf.
The Expo takes place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. That’s where they have all their soccer, baseball, and football fields, along with a track and some field houses.
The Expo was divided into three buildings. The first one is the main baseball stadium where we had to pick up the boy’s kid’s race packet. While we did, we took a chance to preview a portion of the marathon course that runs there on the Atlanta Braves baseball spring training field.
Diggin’ the dugout.
The other two Expo buildings housed all the usual stuff that you usually see at an expo.
Yup, that’s an expo.
I’m not big into expos, I prefer to get my stuff and get out of the crowds. But I did have to take a closer look at some of the bling we were shooting for!
My precious is so close.
I wish that was the end of the story, but it wasn’t. The big thing this year was the RunDisney New Balance designed running shoes. There were lines down the street, and people were buying them even if they didn’t have their size! Turns out a lot of them were turning around and selling them on Ebay for like $700. Crazy! That said, my mom and sis wanted some, so we went back to the Expo a few more times the next few days until they were able to get them.
They were all the rage.
It wasn’t all bad though, as they had a bar there for me to play at. And one booth had a Wii for the boy to play with. And I got to see some of the speakers. And my mom bought me some new running shades. And we got stickers for the cars – you know, the kind that say 48.6. Hayup.
Anyway, we got through the Expo, got some dinner, and went to the hotel to sleep (or at least try to) because the 2 am wake-up call was looming.
My Dopey Game Face.
So there you have it, the Disney Dopey Challenge Race Expo Recap (from my perspective).
How about you? If you were there, do you have any opinions on the Expo? Either way, how do you feel about Expos – Do you like all the crowds and merch? Or are you like me and want to get your race stuff and go because you prefer to buy things on your own terms?
Piratebobcat 