Marathon Weekend 2021

SAFD:
2011 Princess half - my very first Disney race and first half! This race not only got me hooked on runDisney, but was also the spark that has led to me getting into endurance events.
2013 WDW marathon - my first marathon! It was SO hot and I did it solo, but I had a blast and broke down crying happy tears at the end.
2016 Star Wars dark side challenge - my first SW race experience, and I really and truly felt like a kid meeting Darth Vader and getting all the fun photo ops on course (the one with the Wampa is just brilliant!).
2017 Star Wars Light side challenge at DL - I decided that I really wanted that coast to coast medal and the Kessel medal, so I jumped on a plane and made it happen! So glad I did it when I could - we had no idea that they would pull the plug on DL races (hope they come back - the 10K course is really amazing!)
2018 marathon - this was also my 2nd Dopey, but I had talked 3 friends into running the marathon with me and we had such a fun time!

Honestly - I probably have a story for every Disney race that I have done, and I have done dozens of them, which is one reason they are so special! Cherished memories!
 
SAFD:
3. 2017 MW Half (that was cancelled). I remember being crushed by the news the evening before. But I was there to do Dopey so I got up that Saturday morning ready to knock out the miles. Expected to see a few people running; but I was just blown away by the number of people out running their half too. The energy, the comradery, the support. It was very moving to me.

2. 2019 MW 5K. First Disney with my Daughter. She was 10 at the time. She loved it and I just soaked in the moment of her excitement as we ran through Epcot!

1. 2015 MW Marathon. My first at Disney (and first in almost 20 years). It was a horrible, painful, super struggle-fest of a race. But I finished. I did not know if I could finish until I got back to Epcot. But then I was filled with satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment like I had never felt. I cried at the finish.
 
SAFD:
3. 2017 Pixar Challenge. The whole weekend was brutally hot with temps of 103+ in the parks in the afternoons. The races were miserably hot and humid, as well. I decided to go all out for the 10k and ended up running by myself for most of it, setting a PR in the process. The half marathon conditions were no better, with runners dropping right and left later in the race. I buckled down and made it the only sub-2:00 Disney half i‘ve done.

2. 2018 Disney World Marathon/Dopey. Coming off of the disappointment of the not quite Dopey of 2017, I was ready and motivated. It was cold and windy all weekend and I knew I might be in trouble when an easy-paced 10k felt like a tempo run, followed quickly by illness. Things blew up in the half and I struggled to a personal worst half marathon time. I didn’t know if I should even try the marathon, much less whether I could finish it. I made a game time decision to start and made it through using creative run/walk interval management. I found out after I got home that I’d run essentially all of Dopey with bronchitis.

1. 2016 Disney World Marathon (10k + Goofy). Intended as a bucket list one and done, just to see if I could, I tore my hamstring the September before and was only able to train to half marathon distances while rehabbing. I was scared to death waiting to start and almost left the corral. But I started. I felt stronger and stronger as the race went on and by the time I hit halfway, I knew I was going to finish. I rode a runner’s high the rest of the way to the finish. My first Disney race weekend and my first marathon, that race has done more to give me confidence that I can do more than I ever imagined than anything else I’ve ever done. Truly life changing. By the way, that “bucket list one and done” is now 10 marathons and 3 ultras!
 


3. Disneyland Paris Half 2016. It was a solo trip and I LOVED being there for the inaugural. I was able to walk to the start from an off-site hotel, not unlike the Anaheim races (RIP), the weather was cool, and the course was flat and lovely. Character lines were very, very short despite my middle of the pack time, which is unheard of during half marathons stateside when the weather is good. Only reason I haven't been back is conflicting travel at that time of year.

2. WDW Half 2012. My first Disney race, my first half marathon, and my mom's last trip to a Disney park. I'm so glad that I was able to show my mom that I could follow through and do it, because growing up, I quit every sport I tried. My sister was there for the trip too, and we made great memories as a family.

1. WDW Half 2018. I loved that run from start to finish because of the chilly weather, and because my boyfriend and I ran it together and stopped for photos. He's a lot faster so we always run separately at non-Run Disney events. That weekend was also his first WDW trip since he was a kid, and it helped him see why I've come back for the same course on the same weekend every year since 2012. I'm so thankful that he's on board with my little yearly cult pilgrimage. We ran the half together again in 2019 and 2020, and I think this year was the most fun we've had in the parks since Tokyo in 2017, but it was too hot for the race itself to count as a favorite.
 
3. Disneyland Paris 2018. Liked bring able to walk to the start, the smaller race and the courses. Lots of behind the scenes time, themed buildings and a fire station crew that was out cheering all the races. Love the medals too.

2. WDW marathon 2019. Guts, determination and stubbornness got me across the finish line to finish my first marathon. The weather was a challenge, with full medical tents, I learned why most people despise WWoS (I loathe the ball field now) and I aggravated a recently healed ankle injury at mile 11.

1. WDW half marathon 2018. My first half, a pr that still stands. This is the medal that means the most to me.
 
SAFD:

3) 2014 Expedition Everest 5K/Scavenger Hunt Challenge - Loved the night time event, even though it was short (and it rained and they played 'Let it Go' on repeat while we waiting in the corrals), it was different! Plus my family went and we had a couple teams.
2) 2013 Wine and Dine - Night race , even though I didn't pace myself during the day leading up to the race, still a great night and post race party.
1) 2017 Tinkerbell Half Marathon - The weather that weekend was perfect. And it was an overall great trip with my bestie.
 


I haven't done as many Disney races as a lot of people on the boards so these 4 are literally all of them. I feel like I've done more from just watching everyone else's recaps. My family prefers I don't run a million races on vacation so it's a bit sparse or I have to fit in short 2-3 day trips every few years on a budget. Looking at this makes me a little sad that I didn't push for at least one full race weekend before 2020 happened. I think I've met more disboard people at non-disney mdwest races weirdly!!!
1) Tink HM 2017. This was my first Half Marathon ever and it was on Mother's day. My sister and mom came to cheer me on and it was my mom's last Disney trip. I also met up with a ton of dis-board people, so it was very magical. I prefer DL races because of location of corrals to hotel and more park time.
2) Marathon weekend 5k 2015. This was my first Disney race and the reason I started running. I ended up running local 5ks all year to train for it and I'll never forget running through Epcot before sunrise!
3) Fall Feast 5k 2017. This was around the time I was my fastest and my only corral A disney race. I managed to get all character stops and finish in 28 minutes in a dark Animal Kingdom that included Pandora and was pretty much "by myself" or with only a few people for most of the race. It felt amazing but I wish I had slowed down a bit in AK to enjoy the scenery a bit more as I had to wait for a long time before I could leave to go back to my hotel. I also regret not staying one extra day on already scheduled family trip to do the HM and get my Coast to Coast. Hubby did the 10k that year and I'd love one day to be able to run with him at Disney when kiddo is old enough to hang at the hotel (or run with us!)
4) Marathon weekend HM 2019. I ran this one with a friend from back home and we had a really fun time on course taking our sweet time. But this was shortly after my mom passed and I ended up hanging with my Dad most of the trip because I didn't want him to be lonely, and did not go to many meetups with disboards which I regret now.
 
Lurker checking in:

2011 Goofy: Perfect weather. My first marathon. I just loped along and had my most enjoyable marathon ever.
2018 Goofy: I registered for Dopey but only did Goofy due to scheduling conflicts. I paced my nephew for the first 6 miles of his first marathon. I had a tough day on Sunday, but managed a controlled dead-stick landing, rather than a crash and burn. It was my latest marathon (I've learned not to say my 'last') and put a nice 'Goofy' bookend on my to-date marathon career.
 
SAFD:

1) 2018 Dopey - Finishing my first Dopey was the greatest feeling! Running around Epcot with a beer in my hand truly felt like a victory lap. I was so proud to wear that Dopey medal around the parks.

2) 2020 MW Marathon - Goof Troop!!! Even though it felt like we were running on the surface of the sun that day, it was still so much fun to run with the Goof Troop Roving Road Party (TM).

3) 2019 Star Wars 5K - This was my kids first runDisney race and it was definitely memorable when the race was delayed due to an approaching severe thunderstorm. We had to take shelter in the Electric Umbrella at Epcot. We then ran a shortened 5K in the pouring rain. Not exactly the experience I was hoping for, but I think the 3am wake-up was the worst part in their minds.

4) 2016 MW Marathon - My first runDisney race and first marathon.
 
SAFD Countdown:

3) 2015 Star Wars Rebel Challenge at Disneyland. This race weekend marked the true beginning of my eventual path to the marathon though I didn't know it at the time. I was practically giddy with excitement over the Star Wars theme and loved seeing all the Star Wars goodness along the course and the runner costumes. Such a fun race.

2) 2019 Walt Disney World Dopey Challenge. This race weekend marked my first marathon. I experienced the proverbial runners high (or possibly a hallucination) in Epcot when Let's Go Fly a Kite came on and I sort of flew to the finish line. Years of believing I could not run a marathon slowly morphed into believing I could run a marathon, but did not want to train for one and eventually culminated in actually running the marathon and enjoying the experience.

1) 2017 Kessel Run Challenge (Star Wars Half Marathon The Light Side at Disneyland and Star Wars Half Marathon The Dark Side at Walt Disney World plus their respective 10Ks because Star Wars). This actually remains the running accomplishment I'm most proud of. In order to earn that Kessel Run medal, I had to train for a half marathon during a time of year when I'm working anywhere from 10-12 hours a day 6 days a week with an occasional Sunday thrown in to boot. And then I had to run that half marathon mere days after surviving a grueling work deadline that is always harder than the marathon. I never dreamed that I could train for a race during that time of year. But for the Kessel Run medal, I would do it. And I did. Plus it came with the added bonus of the 10th anniversary Coast to Coast medal.
 
SAFD:
3 - Marathon 2019. I'm very torn on my overall experience with this race because I shouldn't have run it at all, but it was a good experience for the most part and had a lot of individual moments that I loved.
2 - Princess 5K 2015. My first runDisney ... so cold, but also so fun. That's what got me started.
1- Princess Half 2020. Being with my sister as she ran her first half and for her first time running through MK (our favorite park) was absolutely priceless. Such an amazing experience.
 
Good morning, runDisney all-stars!

For this week's Sundays are for Disney, what is your all time favorite Disney race? Or top 3? Or top 5? Who cares! Use whatever criteria you want - individual performance, fun factor, medal, etc. If you haven't run a Disney race yet, what's your favorite race experience from any race you've run?

3. Disney Marathon 2017 - my first marathon and first Disney race. The race that got me hooked on runDisney and running marathons. I ran it solo and I dealt with knee pain half the race, but it was so magical and so fun.
2. (Tie) Disney Marathon 2019/Marathon Weekend 10K 2020 - The marathon was my completion of my first (and only, but not last) Dopey and I loved that sense of accomplishment. Much better weather than 2017, as well. 10K was the Rogue Two adventure with @FFigawi. So much fun.
1. Disney Marathon 2020 - Goof Troop! Need I say more?

Have a safe and healthy week, everyone!

I've run two Princess Weekends, my first was just the half and my second was all three races. So I'll rank those!

3. Princess Half 2018 - My first half marathon & Disney race! I had a blast and decided there and then I wanted to do the challenge next. It was hard, but so worth it.
2. Princess 5k 2020 - The costumes my friends and I wore (kakamora) were FANTASTIC. Some of my best work. I also ran this with my parents and it was just a fun, no pressure race. We had such a blast, even though it was cold and rainy.
1. Princess 10k 2020 - Ran this with my friends, again. It was another cold, rainy morning but so fun! I was with my parents for some of it, but lost them for a little bit.

I don't rank the Princess Half in 2020 because that whole weekend I was battling a Kidney Stone plus I was way undertrained and I had an asthma attack mid race for the first time. So slow. So hot. So miserable. In 2018 I was able to do all 4 parks after the race and in 2020 I left my friends at Magic Kingdom and cried as I walked alone to the buses to go back to the resort because my feet were in so much pain.
 
Good morning, runDisney all-stars! It’s been a garbage year and we’ve all been impacted in one way or another, but Thanksgiving is coming up nonetheless. For this week’s Sundays are for Disney, what are you thankful for?

Disney-related:

I’m so thankful for Marathon Weekend 2020. My first solo trip. Awesome races and memories with friends. The Goof Troop Roving Road Party (TM). Definitely one of the highlights of the year.

I’m thankful for the friends I’ve made through Disney and the support they’ve shown me. I’m thankful for the distraction SAFD provides.

I’m thankful WDW and MW will be waiting for us when this is over.

General:

I’m thankful for my daughters, my family and my friends. I’m thankful for my health and every step I was able to run this year. I’m thankful for the new life I’ve created for myself in this chaotic and disruptive year.

Have a safe and healthy week, everyone!
 
I am thankful for good health not only of myself but my family. Thankfully no one in my family has been impacted by the virus. I am thankful for my friends of course in this time of uncertainty.

I am thankful for running as that keeps me sane. That outlet relieves stress and gives me a break from everything else even if I am not as motivated now.
 
SAFD(x2):

Last Week:

My favorite races are indistinguishable because they were all firsts and all perfect in their own way. They were the 2012 WDW Half, 2013 WDW Full, and 2014 WDW Dopey Challenge. They were my first race, my first marathon, and my first multi-race challenge.

The 2012 Half was the first time I had been to WDW since the mid-90’s when I was a kid. I didn’t think I’d be able to finish the Half Marathon but I did and it started the addiction. You never forget your first marathon, so even though it was hot and long and painful 2013 was amazing. The 2014 Dopey was awesome because it was the inaugural event and it felt cool to be in on the ground floor. I had some of my best races and it was the first trip where I really fell in love with the parks. We’d spent a day at MK with my nephew in 2012 but we’d avoided the extra expense until 2014. I’ve written much more in depth about these races in my journal and other places in the past.

This week:

I am thankful for the health of my family. Having social anxiety and spending so much time alone with my dog left me uniquely prepared(?) for the last year. Still, it’s hard to see the few people I do spend time with, my close family, so much less. I’ve done Thanksgiving and Christmas alone before so it won’t be difficult this year (additionally, going to sleep before midnight on New Year’s Eve is a nice bonus).

I’m also very excited to have my Christmas shopping done early and to be adding a new member to my family this December:
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My new Saint Berdoodle, Adorabeezle Winterpop (Darby).
 

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