Disney's Goofy Challenge Race Report: 1/9 - 1/10

Leave it to Joey to have been the one to suggest we do the Goofy Challenge – a silly idea. I love endurance sports, but I need to cap my distance at 26.2 miles for now. That is sure to change sooner or later, but for now, I like the challenge of running the best time I can for half or full marathons rather than how many miles I can do. Don’t get me wrong, it was a fun experience, but def. not something I’ll do again anytime soon. So, with that, on with the race report…

Pre-Race

Everyone headed down to Disney on Friday. It wasn’t until 8pm that we all met up for dinner and than headed to bed for some short hours of ZZZ’s.

1/9/10 - Race Morning (Half Marathon)
Disney is annoying. The parks open at 9am and to make sure they can open on time as so they don’t miss out on losing one single dime from people buying their ridiculously overpriced park tickets on these two days; they start the races at 5:40am. An early race start means we were up at 3am which doesn’t sit well with me. With some food and coffee, we headed to bus transportation where we, along with a couple hundred other runners, waited 45 minutes for a bus. That was awesome. Not to mention that Florida was in a “deep freeze” so temps were in the teens and twenties and the weather called for snow/sleet that morning. Sweet, so happy. I could have gotten this in Boston for much cheaper, thank you.

The bus trip took 35 minutes from the resort to Epcot where the race started… about 25 minutes longer than needed, but whatever, it was a warm bus. At race start, people were decked out in trash bags and winter gear, so much so that many only had their eyes exposed to the cold. It was hilarious, actually, to see this scene in Florida.

While we were waiting in line for the restrooms near the corral line up, the fireworks went off to mark the start of the race. Jus, Joey and I were in the first corral so we ditched the line and ran straight to the start to begin our run. Nothing like a sprint right before you start. The bathroom would have to wait… till the end of the race.

Race (Half Marathon)

There really isn’t much to say about the race course. It’s flat… as flat as can be. You’re on access roads and highways the entire time, minus one, yes ONE mile through Magic Kingdom. To pass the dark and lonely time, local bands, cheerleaders and Disney characters found their spots on the side of the roads and gave some good energy boosters to the runners. The race weather started with sleet, switched to snow, switched back to sleet and finally switched to drizzle. It was messy, miserable weather all day long.

I felt absolutely fine for the half marathon, running faster than I wanted. Jus, Joey and I stuck together until mile 6, after which Jus broke away. Joey and I stayed together the remainder of the race, finishing just seconds apart. The last maybe half mile is through Epcot, which I thought was a cool ending. Through out the run we took pictures of the course and with the characters. Unfortunately, there were lines for every character so I only got a few. There is a reason why the requirement is to pace a 16min/mile for this race! At every mile marker there was a billboard that marked the mile that runners could take a picture in front of which was neat, too.

After a strong finish, we wrapped ourselves up to stay warm and went to spot Court come through the finish line which sure enough, there she was, feeling great and looking good with a smile on her face!

Post-Race (Half Marathon)
Off to the buses and back to the resort, we took some hot showers, bundled up in our outdoor clothing and cuddled up in front of the TV under blankets and fell fast asleep until we were all fully defrosted.

1/10/10 – Race Morning (Marathon)
It would have taken very little to convince me to not go out and run the marathon. My legs were tired and so was I and given that it was even colder outside than the previous morning, I had no motivation. But, no one tried to convince me so off to the marathon I went, this time, wearing leggings, baggy running pants (to trap the heat in), a Craft turtleneck shirt, a pullover, two pairs of gloves and a beanie hat. Sadly, I dressed perfectly for the weather. The routine was the same as the half marathon, only this time the buses were prompt and we had plenty of time pre-race to do what we needed to do. Finding a group of people in our corral, we hung out for a bit until the race started. During this time, I met the CEO of Sharpie – yes… the REAL CEO this time ;) Hopefully pictures to come… (ok, he wasn’t the real CEO).

Race (Marathon)
Same old same old – the first half of the course was exactly the same as the half marathon course, except with a 4 mile loop around Epcot in the beginning. The marathon course was a bit cooler because there were a total of about 7 miles through the parks. We went through Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot. There was a great crowd out, especially at race start which I give big props to them! It was EARLY and COLD!

If you’re looking for a qualifying race – do Disney. This course is flat as a pancake. I wish I could have attempted this time around but knew better not to (nor was I in the condition to). Jus, Joey and I ran together until just after Magic Kingdom and then we all split from there. After Magic Kingdom until Animal Kingdom, a 4 mile stretch, was rough. There was nothing to pass the time. However, a hilarious couple in character acting as lost, obnoxious tourist gave me a laugh at mile 14.

You leave Animal Kingdom hitting mile 18. I was feeling really good. Tired, of course but was in a groove, however, other runners were dropping like flies. I was observing the Wall first hand. Left and right people were stopping to walk and stretch. I had never paid much attention to the runners around me in my previous two marathons to see if the Wall was actually real but I certainly saw it in Disney, that’s for sure.

From mile 21 on the course was pretty awesome. Lots of crowds, beautiful scenery and action to keep your mind occupied. Here I started counting down the miles… 4 miles to go, 3 miles to go… almost there. I wanted this race to be done with. I took a quick pic in front of the mile 26 billboard and was off to the finish line. DONE! I am officially Goofy and have my three medals to prove it.

And with that, I say, never again.

Half Marathon final times:
Liz:  2:04:29
Justin:  1:58:11
Joey:  2:04:25
Courtney:  2:54:59

Marathon final times:
Liz:  4:31:12
Justin:  4:13:40
Joey:  4:38:26

My legs hurt a great amount the days after the race and what better way to make them feel better than walking around the parks all day? Monday and Tuesday were park days and we all flew out Tuesday night.

Big thanks to Jen and Justin’s parents for being totally awesome and coming out to cheer! I was counting down the miles till we got to see you all – it was small highlights in my run : ) Jen was so awesome that she lost her voice – that’s the kind of cheering I’m talking about! Ha ha. Thanks to Cork as well for heading out to cheer for the marathon with a hurt foot after doing the half herself : )

Once the pictures from the race are developed, I will be posting them so stay tuned.