Tell us about your favorite part (most memorable) of a race (possibly outside of the Disney bubble) that you have done.
In random order:
2018 San Francisco Giant Race Half Marathon. This was my first non Disney race. I was physically prepared and ended up PRing that day, but was not mentally ready at all so the race felt like a death march. I remember being stunned as I calculated each mile in my head and realized that in spite of everything I might still PR. While the race was miserable, getting to be on the field and in the Giants dugout after the race was such an incredible thrill. It helped wipe out most of my memories from that race.
2015 Star Wars Rebel Challenge. I finally got my dreamed of Star Wars race and was very excited to earn the Medal of Bravery from the original Star Wars movie inspired medal. This also marked my first back to back race weekend and though I didn't know it or really believe it at the time, the very beginning of the idea of eventually running the marathon even though it would be 3 more years before I began to seriously consider that idea.
2016 Star Wars Half. Mostly notable because I timed my playlist to play the end music from The Force Awakens and the Throne Room music at the end of the race, so I almost felt like I was really in Star Wars or something.
2017 Kessel Run. So this ultimately encompasses 4 different races, namely the Rebel Challenge and the Dark Side Challenge. I dreamed of that Falcon medal and had essentially trained for 18 months for those races because Dark Side training coincided with 10 hour days at least 6 days a week so I had to learn how to cope with high work stress and heavy training loads. In fact even after finishing 2019 Dopey, the Kessel Run medal remains my very favorite medal. And again though I didn't quite realize it at the time, another race experience where I had to do things I had once believed impossible in order to finish, namely training during the aforementioned 10 hours/6 days a week work schedule with none of that training occurring on the one day a week I had off.
2018 Star Wars Half Marathon. Running through World Showcase with Star Wars music playing over Epcot's PA system nearly moved me to tears because John Williams music is that amazing and the Epcot sound system is that powerful.
2019 Walt Disney World Marathon. My first marathon. Shortly after Wide World of Sports, I found small victories in the littlest things. A beloved movie on the mile marker or the construction on Galaxy's Edge as I could clearly see the spires of Batuu became monumental things to celebrate and helped me keep moving forward. Somewhere in this stretch I also realized that I absolutely hated the taste of powerade and water, but had to continue drinking it because I knew how important it was. Once I entered World Showcase I knew the finish line drew ever closer. I found the a kiosk in the Morocco Pavilion and proceeded to purchase the single greatest smoothie I have ever tasted in my entire life. It possessed the virtue of being 1) icy cold as opposed to not cold and 2) it tasted nothing like water or powerade. Shortly after this, Let's Go Fly a Kite came over the sound system and I began to feel like I was flying. This was either the elusive runners high or a hallucination. I finished the smoothie shortly after exiting World Showcase and happily proceeded to the finish.
In the words of Clark W. Griswold from National Lampoon's Vacation, I spent the rest of the day feeling like I would require plastic surgery to wipe the smile off my face.
Not sure what the Disney equivalent is (maybe getting out of WWOS?),
I think it was even later for me. Perhaps it was because it was my first marathon, but I think I started holding on for dear life somewhere in Wide World of Sports. While my mental preparation was sufficient for the entire race, it wasn't until I got to Hollywood Studios where I knew the rest of the course was extremely similar to the Dark Side 10K and Half finishes that the focus on just getting through this switched to almost there.
I try not to run races outside of WDW lol!
I've only run 2 races outside of Disney.
Anyone else here seen that classic Seinfeld episode The Race? The finale is one of their best ever. And that's saying something for a show like Seinfeld.
First place has to go to the Osborne Lights during the 2014 W&W Half - AKA Splash & Dash. The rain let up for a few minutes just as I got there and it was absolutely beautiful! I walked slowly though, stopping for a few pictures, and enjoyed every soggy moment. ♥
