Walt Disney World Marathon - RunMarathon

Wasn't sure what to expect with running the 1/2 the day before and the warm temps, so I figured I would be happy with anything between 4hrs and 4.5 hour finish. So I decided to start out just in front of the 4:15 pace group and see where I was at 1/2 way. The first 6 miles were familiar territory from the 1/2 the day before. Went out at a very steady, easy pace. I was relieved that legs didn't feel sore or tight from the day before. First few miles I was within earshot of the 4:15 pacer, but then picked it up a little and put some space between the group and myself. At mile 6 hit the Magic Kingdom, which at 6 something in the morning (still dark) lived up to its name with everything lit up and a huge crowd lining main street again. Stopped for a picture in front of the castle again, but the photographer was irritated with the runners not going in the exact spot and that kind of ruined 'the magic' (in my picture I am not smiling). We ran on service roads for a few miles and then entered the Richard Petty Experience Race track. This was cool, but I was now 'experiencing' the need to use a 'pit stop' of my own. I had never gone to the bathroom in the middle of a race. However, I had been very diligent with my hydrating, getting water at nearly every aid station, plus some sips from my fuel belt. So I made the decision to use a porta-potty. I got in and out pretty quick (my wife would be shocked), but then I decided to wash my hands. They had a a little sink with soap outside the porta-potty, except after I put on soap, I realized there was no water. So I pulled one of my fuel bottles out, rinsed the soap and I was good to go...now that I had went. Only problem is I lost about 2 minutes and saw that the 4:15 group was just out in front of me. So I decided to hit the speed button for a bit. Mile 9 my pace was about 8:20 and mile ten about 8:50. After that I decided to reel it back in for a while. Plus I wasn't planning on any more stopping. About mile 12 we entered into the back of Animal Kindom. As we entered the park, some of the staff had some animals. There were birds of prey and a goat and...then I saw them: two Donkeys!! I really had no choice, I stopped over and asked one of the handlers to take my picture with a Donkey and less than 30 seconds, I was off. This was a fun park to go through, as I was feeling really good. In fact I continued to feel really good. I continued to get water at every aid station, took my enduralytes and shot bloks on schedule (enuralytes every hour, shot bloks every 45 min. At 15 (and again at 20) they had aid stations with bananas and I took one at each station. At mile 15 I gave myself permission to pick up the pace. The sun was getting hotter and there were a few more 'hills' (overpasses) At mile 17 there was a bit of an incline up to ESPN Wide World of Sports. I passed quite a few people who were starting to fade. We ran a few miles around the various sports fields. After mile 19 I looked down at my watch and realized that my pace had slipped a little. At mile 20 we went into the baseball stadium where there was lots of cheering fans and you appeared on the jumbo tron. I wasn't really crazy about this part because we were on the warning track made of crushed gravel. Things were still feeling ok and I saw I had an outside chance of finishing in 4 hours. By this point I was baking pretty good and there was no shade in sight. My pace was slowing a bit each mile. No big drop off, but I was feeling 'it'. Whatever 'it' was. Miles 22 and 23 took us through Hollywood studios. I really wanted to enjoy this part, but things were getting tough. Then I entered an attraction I had not noticed on the map, the "pain cave." However I have to say, as pain caves go, this one was relatively mild. I also tried to tell myself to enjoy these last miles as this was my reward for all those wintery training miles I had put in. To this point I had not walked a step in the race, but I decided to walk the aid stations at miles 24 and 25. Mile 25 was the toughest (it usually is) with a 'you call that running?' pace of 10:58. Then it was into Epcot for the 3rd race in 3 days. With the finish calling me, I picked up a little and tried to soak it all in. I finally crossed the finish line, exhausted, but plenty happy with results of the weekend. I got my medals, got my finisher photo, got some food and found a place to sit down in the shade. Then my tummy got angry with me...real angry. So I staggered over to a trash can and threw up. (Don't worry I took my medals off). Then I laid down on the ground and slept it off like some drunken street person. As I finally felt good enough to stand up again, I thought, this was great, I would like to do it again next year...

First, lets start with what I did right:
Followed coach Dave's plan. The back to back long runs in training paid off.
Took the the 5k and 1/2 very easy, even though I was tempted to go fast.
Walked around the parks between races with compression sleeves.

Just enjoyed the event and didn't get too hung up on the results.

What needs improvement:
Proper sleep. I never could figure out the early morning wake up calls (2:30) and went to bed too late.
Powerade. Took it to fend off the effects of sun and sweat, but I had never trained with it. Also I took my own in my fuel belt which was not as diluted as the stuff on the course. I think this may have contributed to my stomach upset.

see above for laying down post race


I don't know running a 1/2 marathon and a 5k the days before and racing in temps that were 30-40 degrees warmer than my training runs.


Really you can't beat this race for entertainment value. Disney does an amazing job considering the number of people that do this race. Only disappointment is post race food, although I wasn't really in the mood anyway. I would highly recommend this race to anyone.