Marathon Weekend 2022

[bovie]

Intro: I'm Kasey.

I found RunDisney when my BFF ran her first half there. I had run one a couple years prior but essentially started from scratch with Couch to 5K. Over time, we've done the Princess Half (2017), the Glass Slipper Challenge + 5K (2018), the Wine and Dine Half (2018), and our first Marathon at Disney (2019).

RunDisney has been such a source of happiness in my life over these past few years. Something to make me exercise when it meant running laps around work cause I had to be nearby. Something to look forward to when everything was dreary. Something to challenge myself.

I don't participated in these boards as much as I should- I tend to binge- read two months' worth at a time- but it also has been a great place for encouragement and solidarity. I hope that in person racing returns and I get the chance to finally DATW with y'all!

 

[Kerry1957]

Special shout-out to the over-40 crowd. I'm 37 and, for reasons that aren't clear to me, it's hard to look past 40 in terms of my running career. So, it's especially encouraging to see those 40 and up who are still knocking out races or even just beginning their running careers. I'd love to do this at least into my 50s.

After a 35 year hiatus, I started running again at age 58. Ran my first half marathon at 59 and my first marathon at 60. Now at 63 I've run 3 marathons and dozens of HMs. I'm not sure how many marathons I have left in the tank, but I'll definitely do Disney Marathon 2022 if its a live in person race. With sensible training and a bit of luck, you could be running into your 70s.

 

[BikeFan]

With sensible training and a bit of luck, you could be running into your 70s.

My mom ran the Disney Half a few years back for her first half marathon . . . at age 75. She hasn't run that distance since, but still continues to run 5Ks and 10Ks. It's never too late to try!

 

[Cabius]

SAFD:

I'm in for my first full marathon, Lord willin' and the creek don't rise!

I had never been a runner -- I'm not sure I'd ever run a single mile -- until I decided to sign up for the 2020 WDW Half-Marathon. I realized that WDW is the only thing that I love more than I hate exercising, so it's the best motivation, right?

It was so worth it. I went from being totally sedentary to actually wanting to exercise, and losing almost 30 pounds. (Don't worry, I found them again. They were hiding in my house during the pandemic.)

As much as I'd looked forward to it and hyped it up, I really wasn't prepared for the magic of running up Main Street USA. I was completely overcome, and bawled my eyes out -- just awful, snotty ugly-crying -- from the moment I rounded the train station until I turned into Tomorrowland. It was a moment and a feeling I will never forget.

So this year was a bit of a loss -- though I did run the "Virtual" Half (turns out you have to ACTUALLY run, not just, like, visualize the whole thing).

But next year I'll take on the next milestone and aim for the full. I'm already walking a DVC reservation at the Poly. Nothing can stop me now! (Unless my wife and I finally get pregnant again, and the timing prevents me from traveling... hmm, I may need to re-think my life choices).

Anyway, that's more than anybody wanted to know about me! I'm Caleb, and I'm very excited.

 

[garneska]

SAFD:

Sorry i am late but we are at the Fort. I will add a pic from my phone after I post. I found out about run disney on my honeymoon trip in Feb 2001. It was my second trip to WDW while DH had gone a lot. We were staying in concierge at the Yacht Club. I was going out for a run and the concierge asked if I ran the disney marathon. I was like, what did you say? I got yeah in Jan there is a disney marathon. When i got home and used my dial up internet I found out that the race for 2002 was full both the half distance and full distance run at the same time. I had already completed one marathon in 1999 and said never again, until. In 2002 then I decided I needed something and was going to run the WDW half marathon in 2003, except by the time i looked the half was sold out but there were still spots for the marathon. I talked to DH and said I need to do it. My first disney marathon was in 2003. In 2004, i happened to be in florida so i was able to spectate then. I moved to atlanta in 2005 from central PA and at that point i was like marathon weekend. I started in 2007 and did them all until 2021 .

 

[NewYKRunner]

SAFD:

My wife had known about the Dopey somehow, and about two years ago around Christmas she challenged our friend to do the Dopey in 2020 and he accepted. I had always said I was never going to be a runner, plus it's pretty hard for two working parents to train at the same time for something like the Dopey. Enter the pandemic, and with my wife accepting to be a 911 dispatcher full time (shift work) plus still doing her regular job, two kids at home and me still trying to work fulltime, my regular routine (Bowflex Max trainer and some weights) was getting hard to keep up. The answer? Get up early, enjoy the calm early morning and start going for walks which turned into jogs which turned into longer jogs and runs. Now I just did 21 Miles yesterday on the treadmill. So I'm pretty much ready for a full, I'll work a lot more on my shorter runs - going harder and faster. Our friend's goal was to qualify for the Boston Marathon before he's 40. His 'shorter runs' are on pace to complete the full at around 3 hours currently so he's pretty much there, but we all turn 40 by the end of the year.

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

Another Golden Eagle here, although my allegiance to Ohio State athletics goes back to the womb and overrides my Marquette allegiance in the incredibly narrow possibility of the two meeting.

My commencement was the one which the speaker used all of his time to make gifting promises in order to try and get the board to switch the sport team names back to Warriors (and ultimately resulted in the illustrious Marquette Gold era).

Ahh yes, how can we forget the Marquette Gold? What a bizarre few days that was! That happened when I was a senior in high school, probably not too long after I had made my college decision, and I was not happy! I’m so glad they at least went back to the Golden Eagles.

 

[MamaBTX]

SAFD:
I don't know when I first learned about runDisney, but when they announced the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge for the Disneyland Half in 2013, I decided to sign up....never having run a single race. I did not train well...I think my longest run before the Disneyland 10K was 4.5 miles, but I managed to finish both races. I 'wogged' the 10K with my dad and just kept my feet moving for the half. As painful as it was, I was determined to do it again...and again. We did the Disneyland Half Marathon/and at least one Disney World race for 5 years until they announced the West Coasts races were put on hiatus. My last half was the Wine and Dine in 2017. Hoping to get back into Disney running events in 2022! (And looking forward to the return to west coast races!)

 

[FFigawi]

After a 35 year hiatus, I started running again at age 58. Ran my first half marathon at 59 and my first marathon at 60. Now at 63 I've run 3 marathons and dozens of HMs. I'm not sure how many marathons I have left in the tank, but I'll definitely do Disney Marathon 2022 if its a live in person race. With sensible training and a bit of luck, you could be running into your 70s.

My father in law is in his early 80s and still runs half marathons. The guy is a machine.

 

[Neon Cactus]

SAFD: I'd never been a runner but in 1995, I read in the newspaper about Disneyland doing their first 5k and full marathon and we'd get to run through the park. So I talked a friend into doing it. We had a lot of fun doing it and that was the first time I heard that Disney World had a marathon. I thought that would be fun but there was no way I was doing a marathon. Fast forward about 20 years and I got a detached retina and lost sight in my left eye and since there was no guarantee it wouldn't happen in my right eye, I started thinking about all the things I wanted to make sure I did, in case I eventually go blind. Disney World Marathon was the first one that popped in my head. I knew nothing about running but read just about everything I could find on it.

My experience with RunDisney has been awesome. It was supposed to be a one and done for me, then I found out about the Coast to Coast medal if I ran at Disneyland that same year, so I did that. When I started running, I never thought I'd be able to do the Dopey Challenge and I did it last year, along with a lot of other races. No question that if it weren't for Run Disney, I never would have run at all. And the people I've met on this board have been great. I've learned so much, gotten so much support and have enjoyed the virtual runs and relays this past year with them.

 

[BigEeyore]

I love reading everyone's stories! We all came to rD through such different ways!

My story - in February 2010 we went to WDW and I was seeing all these women walking around with medals and race swag so I asked what was going on that weekend and was told that it was Princess race weekend. I was instantly intrigued - I have been a lifelong Disney fanatic, and I was just starting to get into endurance stuff (that was the year I did my first triathlon). So I decided that I wanted to be a part of that fun and signed up for the Princess half in 2011 and I knew the second I turned down Main Street to run toward the castle that I was hooked. I broke down in tears at the finish and knew I would be back.
Since that race, I have done 2 Dopeys, 3 Goofys, one "just" the marathon, along with every SW race weekend, one SW weekend in DL, one W&D and another Princess.

 

[MATTERHORN]

SAFD: A little late! LOL

I've been a Disney fanatic since I was young, but didn't come to RunDisney until a friend here talked me into volunteering at the races. Then once that happened, my daughter decided she wanted to run one with my friend's kids. Then we all started running/walking them! Now it's an addiction. We don't really like running anywhere but Disney, but have done a few other races (Dollywood, etc) just for fun!

Have had great experiences, honestly, I don't think there's anything I can complain about! We do it in a group and always have fun together racing or volunteering! Now my daughter's goal is Dopey, which will wait until in person races begin, and C to C, which I wanted to happen this year for her 21st birthday, but apparently will have to wait!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Special shout-out to the over-40 crowd. I'm 37 and, for reasons that aren't clear to me, it's hard to look past 40 in terms of my running career. So, it's especially encouraging to see those 40 and up who are still knocking out races or even just beginning their running careers. I'd love to do this at least into my 50s.

My mom ran off and on when I was a kid. Something like 3-5 miles once in a while. But only started really training in 2014. She ran her first HM at 59, Marathon at 60, and Dopey at 61.

 

[michigandergirl]

SAFD: I had never heard of runDisney until early 2015. My friends and I were wanting to take a girls trip to celebrate our upcoming 40th birthdays. I mentioned that I wanted to do something crazy and out of my comfort zone. My friend agreed and said she wanted to run a marathon, the Disney Marathon. I had not run anything over a 5K at the time, but the idea grew on me (especially because it included a trip to Disney), so in May of 2015 we signed up for MW 2016 and the rest is history - I have not stopped running since! I've done MW 3 times - 2016 (Marathon only), 2018 (Dopey), 2020 (Goofy) and 2019 Star Wars (Kessell Run).

I hope to be back for 2022 or 2023. I'm trying to convince my sister, who just turned 40 this year, to run a race with me at Disney (probably the 10K or half). I helped her train for a 5 mile race last February, and finishing that helped to boost her confidence, so maybe I can convince her she can go longer.

 

[MATTERHORN]

My mom ran off and on when I was a kid. Something like 3-5 miles once in a while. But only started really training in 2014. She ran her first HM at 59, Marathon at 60, and Dopey at 61.

That's awesome, good for her! As someone who started around 39, that's encouraging!

 

[pluto377]

I started running in 2001. 6 months after I started I ran MCM. I stuck with running after that and completed lots of shorter races. I ran NYCM in 2005 and thought I had retired from marathons. But then I heard about Disney, not sure how, and decided to run in 2009. The experience was so great we went back in 2010! Loved that cold weather.

I put Goofy on my to-do list, but then I had my 3 boys and it didn't seem like it would ever happen.

I finally got back to RunDisney in 2017 for Princess 5K. I did Fairy Tale Challenge in 2018 and then decided to go for the Goofy. But then I heard there was a Dopey challenge now, so I figured why not? Completed it in 2019, but I was really disappointed with my marathon experience.

I only did the 5K and 10K in 2020. Hoping to do one last Dopey in 2022. I hope to keep attending MW after that, but probably not doing the marathon again.

 

[Rogue224]

I'm late in posting this, but here is our 14yr old fur baby Kia

 

[PrincessV]

SAFD: Way back in the 90s, I vaguely recall my triathlete then-husband mentioning the advent of the Disney Marathon, though he did not participate in it. I'm not even sure the rD brand existed yet?? Then in the late 2000s, a friend's husband was planning to run during marathon weekend. It wasn't until 2012 that a friend of mine ran the WDW Half and I decided maybe I'd try a rD race - I registered for the PHM 5K a month out, and the rest is history... and is in my signature lol!

About that over 40 thing... I've been an athlete my entire life, and have run for fitness since I was a kid, but I ran my first race at 41, first marathon at 44. 2021 would have been marathon #6.

 

[PrincessV]

Heading for a two day staycation at Caribbean Beach to enjoy this beautiful Florida weather we are having!

I did the same thing, but at BCV! Booked on Friday for a Sunday arrival. That weather was too good to resist!

 

[MATTERHORN]

I did the same thing, but at BCV! Booked on Friday for a Sunday arrival. That weather was too good to resist!

It really was! I even appreciated a few clouds earlier in the day so that we didn't have full sun! Pool was good, a tad chilly for my taste at first but then was really nice! Hope you had fun!