I have a tremendous amount of gratitude for the person who decided that after the Disney World Half Marathon runners should be given this box with chips and cheese.
This was not my best race. I had a hip injury that largely knocked out my training in the last month and finished antibiotics for strep two days before stepping to the start line. The first half was great, and I was on pace for a sub-1:49 finish, but as great as I felt in mile 7, mile 8 was the epitome of hitting the wall and ended with me having to take a walk break. 8:14, 8:28, 8:24, 8:21, 8:11, 8:19, 8:16, 8:57, 9:52, 10:19, 10:22, 10:06, 10:07, :54 = 1:58:56. That put me 1,806 out of 21,497 runners.
Even with the disappointing second half I had more fun in this race than in most that I’ve done. They have the advantage of owning the property, but I have to give tremendous credit to Disney for the logistics of this race. From enforced corrals, easy transportation to the expo and start/finish, and tons of people available to answer questions, this was also one of the most well-organized races I’ve done too. The course also had pretty great entertainment with bands, characters, and unique experiences like running through Magic Kingdom with hundreds of screaming supporters and the castle lit up in the dark. I won’t forget that moment.
And of course a cool medal, which did not taste as good as the chips. Race morning was pretty much the only time I was out and about without being soaked by rain, but that didn’t deter me from having a fun weekend.
The upside of the rain was that it kept people from swarming the parks, which meant I got to hit the Star Wars ride multiple times without waiting one second in line.
And there was no one to keep me from the make your own droid station. I opted for the stately top hat for mine, passing on the sombrero and mouse ears that were available.
I also got to play an epic round of putt putt golf with my cousin. Turns out if you go to a pirate themed course with an actress you get pretty amazing dramatic readings of the story placards on each hole.
Then after seeing my friend AV on the local news, we played super tourists with lunch and incredibly serious time acting like adults.
Sadly, the giraffe hat did not come home with me. Maybe next time. After the race, and a much-needed hot dog, french fries and root beer, I was able to hit the Animal Kingdom park with my college friend Jackie. Funny that it takes something like this race to see someone for the first time in almost 12 years. Running brings people together!
The only downside of my trip was trying to figure out the decor at my hotel. It is called the Dolphin resort, and is located next to the related Swan resort. The Swan has giant swans on the roof and lots of swan symbols everywhere. The Dolphin has zero dolphins and many fish symbols.
I would have demanded a refund, but the room service pancakes were good, so I’ll let it slide. This time.