Mamma Mia...Marathon Weekend Trip Report

[Neon Cactus]

In 2016, I ran my first marathon at Walt Disney World and, like many before and after me, swore it would be my last. I’m never been much of a runner, but what I have done, I owe to Disney. My first race was Disneyland’s inaugural 5k in 1995 because there was no way I was going to pass on running through the park. There were no corrals, the marathon runners left first and had to do three laps through Disneyland and out to Anaheim Stadium and back. We started in the parking lot that is now California Adventure and while there were characters on the course, there were no photo stops and the finish line was on Main Street. Later that year, Universal Studios did a 5k also and I did that so I could run through their backlot. That year was the first I heard of the Disney World Marathon. I of course wanted to do it but knowing nothing about running, I used to think you actually had to run the whole distance. I was so naïve! I thought of it for a long time but I didn’t run and was completely out of shape. In 2014, I was at work and my retina decided to detach and I went blind in one eye and the eye surgeon couldn’t say for sure what caused it or guarantee that it wouldn’t happen in the other eye. So I started to think of all the things I wanted to make sure I got to do and the Disney World marathon was top of the list.




I trained, I finished it, I was happy and it was a blast and I was one and done. Then I found out about the Coast to Coast challenge. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for more Disney medals. So I ended up doing the 10k/Half Marathon challenge at Disneyland that fall. So then I was done. And then a friend of mine had always wanted to do a marathon and I love the LA Marathon course and was interested in doing that, so I was talked into that. During that training, I had numerous injuries and struggled to finish it, so THEN I was done running marathons. Then in July, I took my daughters to Disney World for the first time since 2016 and I started remembering how much fun it was. I also felt I needed a challenge and this was definitely it. My daughters are both heavily into dance and my oldest is a musical theater dance major, so I went from having seen about 4 musicals (mostly Disney, of course) two years ago to about 20. And the night I registered for the marathon, she made me watch Mamma Mia. And I laughed when I heard the song because it summed it up nicely. Here I go again!




It was going to be a very low key trip: fly in, do the race, no park time and leave early the day after the race and get home and to work. Then as I was planning and training, I became more involved in the forums. The information, support and camaraderie were great. And I feel like I’ve seen a lot at Disney World, but I’ve never seen a man getting his face painted like a panda. So on the off chance that it might actually happen, and the lure of drinking around the world, I changed to the latest flight home and bought a two day park ticket.

Getting through the week was tough but I loved getting all of the texts from everyone (it was really fun when I hadn’t turned off the notifications and my phone was buzzing almost constantly!) and then Friday night arrived and I had a good Disney omen when Disney called me about buying tickets at the El Capitan Theater. Wrong coast this time. My Southwest flight was on time. No Oreos, but I thought that was just their way of preparing me for not getting Oreos after the marathon.

We landed about 15 minutes early, I saw Disney fireworks as we were landing and I was off the plane and already getting an Uber. Since I was landing around 9:30, I decided to stay cheap the first night. I found a good deal on Hotwire at the Delta by Marriott near Disney Springs. Being 9:30, there was no way I was just going to the room. So I had Uber stop at the hotel, checked in and threw my bags in the room (literally opened the door, threw them in and closed it without going in) and had the driver take me to Disney Springs. My original plan was to head to Jock Lindsay’s but I’d seen pictures of race weekend phone cases that @rteetz had taken and went right to D-Tech and got the Dopey Challenge case, for motivation through this next year. Just being on Disney property felt good, and I went to the Christmas store, always one of my favorites. And of course the Art of Disney. My friend and I are planning to move to Orlando when my youngest graduates high school in 3 ½ years, so I talked myself out of buying things I don’t need by promising that I would buy those things when I move there. So I think I’ll need a six bedroom house. One room for me and five for all the Disney stuff. I grabbed dinner at Earl of Sandwich and took Uber back to the hotel and of course because I was planning on getting up early the next day, I couldn't get to sleep until around midnight.

NEXT: Who needs sleep?

 

[Neon Cactus]

WHO NEEDS SLEEP WHEN THE MAGIC KINGDOM IS OPEN?
​

When my alarm buzzed about three hours later, I woke up surprisingly quickly. I must be at Disney World! My original plan was to sleep in a little and go to the Expo and then just walk as little as possible. I've been known to walk up to 14 miles in the parks and even knowing the marathon is tomorrow might make me walk less, but I know I would still overdo it. So I wanted to protect myself from myself. But I’m a slow runner, so I knew by the time I got to the Magic Kingdom in the marathon, it would be somewhat light. So I wanted to be in the park at 5:30 AM when the sky was completely dark and Main Street and the castle would be all lit up. So I got up at 3 (I told myself it was dress rehearsal for the next day), took Uber to EPCOT. Next to Cinderella's Castle lit up at night, one of my favorite views is Spaceship Earth at night, so I took a moment there and then on to my first ride of my Disney World trip - the monorails over to the Magic Kingdom. I got there around 5 and had my first rope drop waiting for them to let us on Main Street. And it really was one of the highlights of my trip. The sky was totally dark, Cinderella’s Castle, the Christmas tree and all of Main Street lit up, background music playing, shops open. And some friends and I used to work for a company doing travel packages to Hawaii and when one of us would go, we'd call them from California when it was the middle of the night in Hawaii and wake them up. You'd think we'd have matured, but no. It was 2:30 in California and I knew my friend who is a DVC member would want to know I made it into the Magic Kingdom.









I got a spot right by the rope near Casey's Corner. I am convinced that I finished the first marathon because I had good shoes, a good playlist and because of the amazing strangers cheering me on. I’ve been on the receiving end and it was great to be on the giving end this time. I think the first runner came past us about 28 minutes after the start. Before them there were a lot of the wheelchair runners. Most of the elite runners may not need the cheering, but to get the high fives and the thank yous and see how what you’re doing helps other runners, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. The area I was in was pretty loud so it was fun. I left the Magic Kingdom around 8 and took the monorails back to EPCOT and then took a bus to Saratoga Springs, which was closest to my hotel. I then took Uber and had him stop at the Delta for me to grab my bags and check out and then on to Pop Century, my home for the rest of the weekend. I like the Deluxe resorts and my overall favorite is Port Orleans French Quarter. And I'll spend the money when I'm traveling with others. But when I go by myself, I’m rarely in the room so I'm fine with the Value and Moderate resorts. Pop Century has become one of my favorites. I got my text that my room was ready at 8 AM, so I put my bags in the room and got on the Expo bus and went to pick up my bib.



I liked the Expo. It was more spread out and seemed to be fewer vendors than 2016, but there was no line to get the bib or shirt and I walked into the baseball stadium (it’s almost spring training!), then to check out the merchandise. I looked at the shirts and the jacket and nothing really stood out to me, so I bought a water bottle and that was it. I did see a shirt that summed my thoughts up perfectly.



Then I took the bus to the Boardwalk. I had a gift card for Gordon Biersch restaurants for doing market research for them over a year ago. Then they closed up all of their restaurants in Dallas, so my options to use it were either in Tennessee or Big River Grille at the Boardwalk. So I went there and had a nice lunch, then walked around the Yacht and Beach Club, soaking in the atmosphere. Then I took Uber back to Pop Century and took a short nap because I knew I wasn’t going to sleep a lot. I was enjoying the texts flying back and forth in our text group. I had dinner at the Pop Century food court. They had a really good rotisserie turkey meal that hit the spot. I then tried to go to bed early and finally just left the Cowboys-Rams game on. Few things are as calming to me as hearing the Cowboys lose and that put me to sleep.



NEXT: WHY DID I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?

 

[PrincessMickey]

Following along, enjoyed meeting you for DATW!

 

[Caitlyn Allen]

All of these marathon trip reports are so motivating to me!!!
Can’t wait to hear how it went

 

[Neon Cactus]

Following along, enjoyed meeting you for DATW!

It was great to meet you, too. I enjoyed talking to you. That was such a great time.

All of these marathon trip reports are so motivating to me!!!
Can’t wait to hear how it went

Thanks! The people on these boards are very motivating and a big part of keeping me going. Glad you're looking at doing a run. They are addicting and trust me, I'm a walking example of how anyone can do a marathon. I'd probably be the first runner sponsored by Mountain Dew and Crunch Berries!

 

[Neon Cactus]

Winnie the Pooh’s voice woke me up at 2 and I didn’t like him quite so much. So I got up and ate breakfast. Whoever on the board that suggested uncrustables, thank you. That and a granola bar was breakfast. Then I showered and got ready pretty quick and was on the 3 AM bus. Which was good because our driver got kind of lost and took us into the wrong part of the parking lot and they wouldn’t let him drop us off, so we got there later than I wanted. When I got through check in, I heard the corrals were open and didn’t seen anyone, so I figured I missed the meet up. So I wandered around the area for a little bit and when I came back, @lhermiston was there with the fancy sign and we had a pretty decent size meet up. It was nice to meet a lot of the runners in person I’d been talking with online and texting to. I talked with @Princess KP on the way to the corrals, which made the trek seem faster. I was about a third of the way back, in the second wave of the corral. I’m not a big fan of the announcers and I think having to listen to them four times might be one of the hardest things about doing the Dopey Challenge, but there’s still nothing like the start of a Disney race. The fireworks, music and anticipation getting closer to the start line gives me a big adrenaline rush.

I knew I was in for a challenge this time because of my training, so I was fully prepared to accept not finishing if it came to it. In fact, there were a few of us in the text group who had accepted that we would probably die during the marathon. I knew I could push myself to do the distance, but wasn’t sure about the time. I’ve always been a very slow runner, like my body is telling me I should be happy I’m running at all, so don’t judge. But I had a really good start and kept a consistent pace through Mile 10. Running through the Magic Kingdom is always a great experience. One thing I started doing in the first marathon that has helped me is mentally breaking up the race. I broke this up into 10 segments: Start to TTC, TTC through Magic Kingdom, Magic Kingdom to Polynesian, Polynesian to Animal Kingdom, through Animal Kingdom to Mile 14, Mile 14 to WWoS, WWoS to Mile 20 in the stadium, Stadium to DHS, DHS to Mile 25 in EPCOT and then the last 1.2 miles. It was great because in parts where I struggled, like around Mile 17, I could just tell myself, push it for one more mile. And then my next segment was only two miles, so it made it seem more manageable.

I hadn’t planned to stop for characters or rides much because I didn’t expect to have much of a cushion. But I used to love the Adventurer’s Club so when I saw Hathaway Brown and Otis T Wrenn there, and with no line, I had to stop.



Starting around the out and back, my poor training started to kick in. From that point on, pretty much any time I would start to run, I’d get a cramp like a charley horse in one leg, so I had to walk a lot from there and just run when I could. I never had any issues running in the parks. As I got into Animal Kingdom, Timon was right there and with no line.



It started to heat up, but I was feeling good and while the road to WWoS is really boring, I always feel good when I see the Tower of Terror because I know after wandering aimlessly around one field after another, that’s where I’m ultimately headed. After Mile 17, I noticed that I could no longer make a closed fist because my fingers had swelled up. I was pretty sure it was lack of salt but I Googled while I ran to make sure it wasn’t some symptom of impending heart attack or stroke. When I found out it wasn’t about to drop dead, I kept going. By that point, it could have told me to stop immediately and I’m not sure I would have. Mile 5, sure. Close to Mile 18, I’m finishing this thing. I’m not a big fan of WWoS, but there are two parts of it that help me. I love the surface of the track, plus it makes me kind of competitive, so even when I’m really tired by that point, I’m able to run. And I’m a big baseball fan, so when I’m in the stadium, I get a second wind and I can run that entire part with no problem. Right outside the stadium were Joy and Sadness so I got my picture with them. My daughters said with my red shirt, I looked like Anger and I should have run really hard before I got to them so my face would have been red too.



That’s when Disney freaked me out. I looked at my phone and it said I crossed Mile 17 with a pace of 17:03. Prior to that, my pace was slightly over 15 and I didn’t think I’d been going THAT slow. From that point to Mile 23, I was worried about my time and convinced the balloon ladies were going to sneak up on me and past me. I pushed myself really hard to Mile 23. I always know if I can get to the Studios, I’ll finish because from that point on, it’s really just a normal day at Disney World, feet hurting and all. But then when I finished, my final pace ended up being nearly a minute faster. And I know there is no way I had a negative split on those last six miles.

One thing I find funny is that the reason I did the marathon over the half was to be able to run through all four parks instead of just two. And then when I do the marathon, by the time I’m in the Studios, I just am ready to be finished. The spectators on the part going from the Studios to the Boardwalk are really great. And I love getting into EPCOT in the UK pavilion by the red telephones, just going from backstage to a large crowd of cheering spectators just brings up the energy. I always (or I should say both times) I take my earbuds out and just enjoy the last 1.2 miles. From that point, it was just muscle memory getting to the gospel choir and then out and across the finish line to completing the marathon. And then of course, as soon as I crossed the line, I suddenly felt like I had a lot more energy!



NEXT: Did I say no parks this trip?

 

[cavepig]

Oh I didn't see that purple shirt, I love that, it is perfect! Great recap and marathon, thanks for sharing!

Googled while I ran to make sure it wasn’t some symptom of impending heart attack or stroke. When I found out it wasn’t about to drop dead, I kept going.

This is funny, but totally get it!

 

[Neon Cactus]

Oh I didn't see that purple shirt, I love that, it is perfect! Great recap and marathon, thanks for sharing!

This is funny, but totally get it!

Thanks, I was laughing while I did it. Other than the swelling and my feet being mad at me, I felt fine, but I thought I should check anyway. I don't usually have my phone out much during the race, so I got caught up on the group texts at the same time, which helped pass the time.

 

[Neon Cactus]

After the marathon, I was hungry but nothing in the box they gave me looked good and all of the Powerade, sport beans and bananas made me sick at the thought of eating something. So I was debating eat first or shower first. I opted for the shower. My plan was to go to the room, shower and then hopefully be able to eat and get to the Studios by 3:30 when I had my Fastpass for Rock N Roller Coaster. That didn’t quite happen. I got to the room and sat on the bed to take off my shoes and then laid down for a moment. That moment became 90 minutes. I may have dozed off for five minutes but I didn’t really sleep, I just didn’t want to move. I kept thinking I should at least turn on the TV and the remote was about 2 feet away from my hand. I didn’t want to bother getting it. I still had my bib on my shirt. I rationalized that Rock N Roller Coaster has a single rider line, so it’s not a big deal if I miss that Fastpass. I finally got moving because I definitely was not missing my Tower of Terror FPs.

In 2016, my feet were dying after the marathon and I’m sure I looked great trying to walk around EPCOT and the Magic Kingdom. At the Dallas Marathon Weekend Expo they had a sale on Hoka recovery sandals that are supposed to make your feet feel much better immediately. I was skeptical, but thinking ahead to this weekend, I figured I’d try them. So I went with comfort over style and wore them to the park and I have to admit, they were great. First stop was the Tower of Terror. I was here the year it opened and it pretty much instantly became my favorite ride and when I’ve been asked what my favorite Disney hotel is, my answer is always the Hollywood Tower Hotel. While I like almost everything better at Disneyland, the Tower of Terror at Disney World is better.



I always like getting medal pictures with characters and Kylo Ren had a pretty short line, so I went to see him. He told me the medal showed that the force was strong with me, that the dark side was calling to me and I couldn’t run from it. I laughed and told him you’re right, I can’t run from anything right now.



Then I walked around trying to figure out what I wanted for dinner and checked out the decorations. I’m a sucker for Christmas decorations, especially at Disney.



I finally got pizza for dinner. I love the table service restaurants at the Studios but I hate the quick service restaurants there. I don’t know why but I’ve never had a good experience there. I usually favor Backlot Express but nothing on their menu looked good that night. But it’s hard to mess up pizza and it was fine. Then I had Fastpasses for Toy Story Mania. If I was thinking straight, I would have gone to Star Tours and kept going for the rides. Rock N Roller Coaster broke down right when I got to the park and never reopened while I was there. Then I made a terrible mistake and that was going to see Fantasmic. I went in and sat down and then the lights went down and it sucked the energy right out of me. About twenty minutes later, the show was done and so was I. I watched the Star Wars fireworks show right after and then left for the night. And after doing the marathon, I am definitely not a fan of them moving the bus stops farther from the gates! When I got back to Pop Century, I really wanted a milkshake, but they didn’t have them at the food court. I would have settled for a float, but they didn’t have that either. So I bought a cup of the vanilla ice cream, bought a soda and made my own Coke float. Then I went back to the room and had absolutely no trouble falling asleep.

NEXT: Do I have to leave? But I just got here!

 

[Neon Cactus]

Monday morning, I got up early and finished packing, checked out and dropped my bags off at the front of the hotel, then had breakfast at the food court and made it to EPCOT half an hour before park opening. My feet weren’t nearly as bad as 2016, so I was happy for that. At rope drop, I went to Frozen, and then there was only a 10 minute wait to meet Anna and Elsa, so I went to have medal pictures taken with them. They were both great and Anna was especially impressed that they gave us chocolate.





I did single rider for Test Track, then had fastpasses to do medal pictures with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy.






Then I rode Imagination. I know it’s a shadow of its former self, but I somehow feel it wouldn’t be a real trip if I didn’t see Figment (plus I’m a Python fan so it’s nice to have Eric Idle there).

Then it was time for DATW so I headed to Mexico with a quick stop in Club Cool. It’s just ok when I’m by myself, but I love bringing people who haven’t been before and getting them to drink Beverly. The look of betrayal on their faces when they drink that vile liquid is always priceless! I could drink the pineapple, watermelon and green apple sodas all day. Then it was on to Mexico. I’ve always been a rum drinker and never cared much for tequila, until the first time I tried a margarita at La Cava. Then I realized I didn’t like tequila because I always get the margarita specials with the cheap tequila. So I went to La Cava and didn’t see anybody there at first. I ordered a drink and then met @Novatrix , who said she thought everyone was over at the Cantina, so we went over there and found the group. Now I’ve never been to Vegas for a championship bout, but I imagine the electricity in the air that morning was pretty similar. The big question of the weekend, almost as big as the races themselves, was about to be answered. Would @rteetz get his face painted like a panda or not? He was a great sport about it and I did notice he stayed far away from the face painter, but he did compromise by wearing the panda mask. It was an incredible time. Getting to meet everybody was fun and the turnout was great. @Keels did an amazing job with the lanyards and medals. There’s not a lot more I can really divulge about the day. What happens in EPCOT stays in EPCOT. Lunch at Via Napoli hit the spot and I made it through Japan before I had to leave to catch my flight.



For some reason, if some travel delay hits on my Disney World trips, it’s always on my trips TO Orlando. I never get stuck there on the way home. Everybody is way too efficient getting me out of there. Magical Express was early and too efficient, it only took me about 10 minutes to get through the security line. It was awful.

After my first marathon, I told myself there was no way I could do Dopey, doing a half and a full back to back was something I wasn’t ready for. This time, I started off the plane flight plotting next year’s itinerary to do Dopey and leaving a full day for DATW. And then the sake kicked in and I slept very well all the way to Dallas. My daughters picked me up at the airport and I told them about the weekend and my oldest said you guys should be like those people that get together and have reunions every year. This year was so awesome, I’d agree with her!

I find it hard to really put into words how amazing this weekend was. If anyone who reads this is thinking of doing a RunDisney event, do it. I'm the living, breathing example that anybody can do a marathon. On this trip, I met a lot of great people and DATW was genuinely one of the most enjoyable times I’ve had at EPCOT in a while. I’m always sad to leave Disney World, but this time I really didn’t want to leave. And I was just there for one pre-race meetup and the DATW. I think having the text group before the races started was great because it really set the tone for what was to come. I’ve been truly inspired by the people I’ve met and I feel this time like I can do Dopey. I’d love to wait for the anniversary year, but at my age, why wait? So I’m planning that for next year.

I remember sitting on the bus after the 2016 Marathon and talking to a guy who’d finished Dopey. I said I’m not a runner, and he said you ran a marathon, you’re a runner. I laughed and said I’m more like a Disney freak who wanted the medal and went to extremes to get it). I’ve always started with I’m not really a runner, but… My friend said to me when I got back, that after three marathons, a half, a 10k, and running every 5k near my apartment, it’s time you admit you’re a runner. I said ok, I’m a runner, just not a very good one! Lol I’m not here to bash my ex, but when I came home after the LA Marathon, the first thing she said to me was “Are you finally done with that running stuff?” So now no, I’m far from done. I’m doing the Texas Rangers 5k in April and the Universal Studios Hollywood 5k in May. I’m going to my first D23 Convention in August and Star Wars Land should be open at Disneyland. I had plans to go back to Disney World in September and started looking at ticket prices for that and Dopey next year and figured that the annual pass is a better deal and bought the annual pass after a 23 year hiatus. And I’m planning on running Dopey next year, then there’s one more race I need to run – Disneyland Paris. So maybe next year will be Castle to Chateau and both Dopey and the 36.1 Challenge.

However this year and next year play out, I feel blessed to have been a part of such a great experience with this marathon and am thankful for all of you who played a part in it.

 

[rteetz]

Awesome report! It was so great meeting you and you are gonna rock Dopey next year. One of the big reasons I keep doing these races is the people you meet and develop friendships with.

 

[Neon Cactus]

Awesome report! It was so great meeting you and you are gonna rock Dopey next year. One of the big reasons I keep doing these races is the people you meet and develop friendships with.

Thanks. It was great meeting you too. The whole Pandamonium made the weekend more fun. Congrats on three Dopeys!

 

[CDKG]

And the winner for most quotable trip report is... @Neon Cactus !!!

After Mile 17, I noticed that I could no longer make a closed fist because my fingers had swelled up. I was pretty sure it was lack of salt but I Googled while I ran to make sure it wasn’t some symptom of impending heart attack or stroke. When I found out it wasn’t about to drop dead, I kept going.

I got to the room and sat on the bed to take off my shoes and then laid down for a moment. That moment became 90 minutes. I may have dozed off for five minutes but I didn’t really sleep, I just didn’t want to move. I kept thinking I should at least turn on the TV and the remote was about 2 feet away from my hand. I didn’t want to bother getting it. I still had my bib on my shirt.

Okay, I admit I might have found myself slumped on my hotel room bed only half dressed following my post marathon shower too... it took a while to talk myself into actually getting up and moving again!

He told me the medal showed that the force was strong with me, that the dark side was calling to me and I couldn’t run from it. I laughed and told him you’re right, I can’t run from anything right now.

They were both great and Anna was especially impressed that they gave us chocolate.

Wait...there was chocolate?!? Oh...the medal... (I kinda wish it was chocolate!)

After my first marathon, I told myself there was no way I could do Dopey, doing a half and a full back to back was something I wasn’t ready for. This time, I started off the plane flight plotting next year’s itinerary to do Dopey and leaving a full day for DATW. And then the sake kicked in and I slept very well all the way to Dallas.

You gotta look out for that hot sake!

It was very nice meeting you at DATW and I too am already looking forward to next year!

 

[Neon Cactus]

And the winner for most quotable trip report is... @Neon Cactus !!!





Okay, I admit I might have found myself slumped on my hotel room bed only half dressed following my post marathon shower too... it took a while to talk myself into actually getting up and moving again!





Wait...there was chocolate?!? Oh...the medal... (I kinda wish it was chocolate!)


You gotta look out for that hot sake!

It was very nice meeting you at DATW and I too am already looking forward to next year!

That's funny, but at least you made it to the shower first. I think if I'd have made it there, I would have been fine and out the door right after. After my first marathon in 2016, I'd read about what you should do post-race. Ice bath, warm shower, and then rest for a while. The ice bath lasted about 15 seconds, way too cold, I was fine with the warm shower and I sat on the bed to rest and then couldn't because I had Fastpasses. This time, I laid there and couldn't even will myself to the shower for a while. I told her about getting chocolate at the Studios. Her reaction was awesome. I've had sake before and every time, I keep asking why I decided to drink it again. But when in Japan, I guess...

It was great to meet you too! I've already got Pop booked for next year and have all of Monday set aside for DATW! I wish I could do Wine & Dine. I did see that I'm getting there late the night of the Star Wars half marathon, so if anyone is sticking around on Monday, I'll be there.