Disney Half Marathon/Marathon (The Goofy) 2011
By: Janette Gaw
Goofy was something to check off the bucket list. There were no goals except to finish injury-free since I just recovered from plantar fasciitis and I haven’t trained at all.
The Disney event was huge but quite organized. I felt like Diane shopping at the Expo. I think my credit card developed DOMS.
The half was nice and easy (1:56). The miles went by quite quickly because of the crowd and the entertainment. Ice bath and a lot of cussing and I was good to go for the marathon.
I was too complacent with preparations for the marathon portion because I wasn’t doing it for time. I forgot about the rule of not eating different the night before. The gnocchi dinner plagued me the entire marathon. My gut was NOT happy. Fortunately there were plenty of port-a-potties. I ran slowly. Texted at every mile from 18 on to keep me entertained. Finished in 4:27 injury-free. It was amazing how not sore I was by taking my time. I was running around the park the next day (you get a free admission to any Disney park) and was back at the gym the day after.
Some notes for people with Disney on the list:
1. The course is flat especially for you North Carolina people. There were some inclines and declines along the roads to keep it interesting.
2. There were plenty of stops with both water and Gatorade. Some stops had chocolate bars, Clif gel with caffeine, and bananas.
3. There were medical tents throughout that have Vaseline and Tylenol. I’m sure they had other things but I didn’t look too closely.
4. Photo opportunities are everywhere with Disney characters and entertainers. If you’re not doing it for time, run with somebody to keep it fun and interesting.
5. I know it’s Florida but the weather is unpredictable. This year was perfect at 40-50 degrees. Last year it was 20 degrees and there was black ice by the water stops.
6. The one thing that helped was staying at a Disney resort. There are Disney buses that pick you up and drop you off close to the bag drop-off area and the corrals. The roads close early. (I had a friend run 3 miles to the start of the half marathon, continued running and still won 3rd in her AG). Resorts are expensive but there are value resorts for just over $100/night. Book early. I didn’t book til late and ended up with quite an expensive one. Even by staying at the resort I had to wake up at 3. I can’t even imagine how early others had to get up.
That’s all I can remember. I hope to see you soon at the BRR!
