This was a great course for a marathon and I would recommend it to anyone. All of the Disney characters and the amount of participants really keep the race interesting. My plan was to pace myself at just under 9 min miles for the first 20 miles and then just give whatever I had for the last 10K. Oh the best laid plans�

They start the race with some words from Mickey and a few other characters, a countdown and some great fireworks. The first few miles start through Epcot in the dark. There were a lot of people running the race but it was not so bunched that I could not keep a good warm-up pace. There is a lot of music playing in the park if you are not motivated to run at this point you should check your pulse. I ran into one runner from Rochester and another from Elmira. I chatted with them for a few miles as we made our way to the Magic Kingdom.

Just as the sun was breaking I arrived at the Magic Kingdom. Running through Cinderella�s Castle I stopped for a double gun pose for the camera and BAM another runner ran face first into my elbow and then immediately apologizes to me. I told him that he is the one that just got elbowed in the face and no apology was necessary. The best part is that the photo came out priceless. After leaving the castle I ran down Main Street USA, gave about 300 high fives and out of the magic kingdom. This was probably my favorite part of the race. The sun was just coming up, the music was going, there were lots of characters and spectators cheering. It all made it very easy to run with a smile on my face.

After a few highway miles I passed the halfway point at 1:58 right on pace. Then I arrived at the animal kingdom. I was still holding my pace and felt really good. The animal kingdom had a lot of turns and hills. If I had to repeat this section there is no way I could take the same turns. There were a few tribey looking people playing steel drums. It was a little strange. There was not a lot of people in this section so it did not quite have the feel that the magic kingdom had but it was still neat to see Goofy in his safari gear. Immediately after leaving animal kingdom there is a fenced area that looks like something out of Jurassic Park. I asked a few of the runners if that is where the raptors were kept, I got a few laughs. Then it was back to the Disney Highway.

This is where the race got tough. I left Animal Kingdom about mile 16 and Hollywood studios is around mile 22. The entire way is along Disney highway without a lot of scenery or shade. Even so there are still quite a few spectators and the occasional Disney character to keep you motivated. Somewhere along this stretch I got passed by a man wearing a pink tutu and I passed another man juggling while running. It really is quite a site. I ran a little while with a vegetarian that I tried to convince to eat a turkey leg at the finish line, but I don�t think she was buying it. I then got passed by the 3:45 pace group. I thought well I will let them go and try to catch them after I hit mile 20. Unfortunately, my legs were starting to slow down and what I thought was a flat course was not quite that flat. I never thought running over an overpass would take so much out of you.

I hit mile 20 and all I had to do was run 9�s and I would be in under 4 hours. But I had a plan. I was going to go all out for that last 10k. So I started running hard and that was a big mistake. After about a half mile I started cramping and I decided to just run 9�s. After about another half a mile even this seemed impossible so I decided to walk a little. Then I was passed by the 4 hour pace group. I tried to keep up with them but I was really struggling to hold my form. This is were the race fell apart. After not being able to hold onto the pace group I mentally threw in the towel and I did a run a little/walk a little the rest of the way. It is hard to keep on running if you are not mentally willing to put the effort forward.

I ran in the last mile at a reasonable pace, gave Chip and Dale a high five and collected my Mickey medal.


Eat better leading into the race

Strapped some ice to my legs and walked around a little. Took a nap and then met people out for drinks.


Training, nutrition, and park visit.