Disney
Magic by
Duncan Stewart
The Walt Disney World Marathon, like any other race, has its pluses and minuses. The main appeal of the race is, naturally, that the runners take a tour through all four of its theme parks. By this very nature, the course contains many sharp turns, as well as quiet sections while going from one park to the next. The start itself offers its own set of logistical obstacles, as you’ll soon find out...
We flew into Orlando the day before the race, took
a bus to the Disney hotel, then headed out to the expo. (more buses) We blew through there in record time, so I didn’t get to look
around much, but they had all kinds of apparel, memorabilia, and celebrity
speakers. They use a seeding system
that assigns via a corral letter, not a number. So my low bib number only meant that I signed up early. (On a side note, do you think getting up at
1am on the day registration opened to enroll online is obsessive?) Our hotel complex had the unfortunate
coincidence, for me at least, of hosting a college cheerleading event. So of course they were hooting and hollering
all night long. Ha, ha, I fooled
them. I had to get up at 3am to make
sure I got to the staging area on time.
(The last bus leaves at 4am for the 6am start!)
Once arriving at the staging area, the clothing
bags have to be turned in no later than 5am, so everyone can start making their
way to the actual start. Well, the
weather was in the upper 40’s, which is great for running but not so great for
standing around in running gear. There
was also about a 10 mph breeze. Me
being cheap and all, I was reluctant to donate my old sweats to charity. However, since this was my 20th
marathon, I had planned ahead. I made
quite the pre-race fashion statement with a garbage bag over a t-shirt over a
kitchen-sized bag, all on top of my race outfit. And, of course, I had my bottle of carbo drink, which can be used
for other purposes once empty. I met up
with Jon “Polar Bear” Korte once I got to the corral, and we edged our way up
to the front. There was this character
in the elite section that had about 20 little pigtails in his hair. I mentioned to PB that this guy had better
win or he’d feel like a clown.
Finally it was time for the start and off we
went. Although the first mile was
exactly on target, my splits were all over the place. The race starts in Epcot and winds around that park before
heading over to the Magic Kingdom, where you eventually get to run through
Cinderella’s Enchanted Castle. From
there the course takes you over to Animal Kingdom, then to MGM Studios, then
through the Boardwalk on the way back to Epcot. It was “way cool” cruising through the parks, but from a pure
running perspective I preferred the quiet stretches in between. Included in the pockets of spectators were
the Disney characters, and music here and there. At the halfway point I was a little ahead of target, according
to the race predictor, and on course for a 90-second PR. Alas, it was not meant to be, as I lost 2
minutes after the 20-mile mark despite my best efforts. My tried-and-true “Pain Is Temporary, Pride
Is Forever” mantra helped, though. My
splits: 6:24, 6:07, 6:30, 6:22, 6:19, 6:26, 6:38, 6:04, 6:08, 6:30, 6:20, 6:35,
6:24, 6:28, 6:30, 6:24, 6:21, 6:21, 6:16, 6:26, 6:32, 6:33, 6:43, 6:40, 7:02
(ouch!), 6:37, 1:21. Chip time –
2:49:13. My second-fastest time ever,
which ain’t so bad at age 40 I guess I shouldn’t complain. But it really hurt to lose that PR in the
last 2 miles! Polar Bear really
impressed me with his 2:58 on minimal training. The finishing medals, in the shape of a Mickey Mouse head, are
really cool. My family and I then spent
a glorious week enjoying the Disney World parks.
I would definitely recommend this marathon. Running through the parks was memorable and
the course is flat, so you can still post a good time if you get favorable
weather, as we did.