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Ken Clancy -- January 2001 -- Walt Disney World (CBR)January 5 - 10, 2001 January 1, 2000 It's New Year's Day and one of my resolutions for the coming year is to start running and loose some of the spare tire I have managed to accumulate around my mid section. We are really big Disney fans, as anyone who has seen our upstairs TV room can attest. It's decorated in just about everything Disney. I have been running off and on again over the past 10 years and one of the items on my "Things to Do During My Life" list is to run a marathon. Knowing that the 2000 Disney marathon would take place in just a few days, I set a goal for myself to run the 2001 Disney marathon next January. This trip report will be a little different from others in that it doesn't spend a lot of time detailing our events in the parks but mostly covers the marathon run. For those of you who are novice runners like myself, the Disney marathon is a great race for first time marathoners. It's very well organized and the fact that we're Disney fans and go to Disney often helped me in my motivation. Friday, January 5, 2001 We depart from our home in Pace, FL around 8:30 in the morning and, after dropping our dog off at the kennels, make our way east on I-10. The drive from the Florida panhandle to Orlando takes about 7 hours. We're staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort and we pull up to the entrance gate around 3:00 that afternoon. Check-in takes about 20 minutes, as there are quite a few other people also checking in at this time. I imagine that any Friday afternoon is a busy check-in time for all the Disney resorts. There are also a number of runners in the crowd and I hear several discussions going on about the upcoming race. After getting our room, 3253 in Trinidad North, we drive down to drop off our luggage. We have a corner water-view room and it takes a little wandering around through the buildings before we finally find it. We bring in the remainder of our stuff from the van and then head over to the Wide World of Sport complex, which is where race packet pick-up is taking place. The packet pick-up goes smoothly and is very well organized. I get my race number and runners chip on the upper concourse and then go downstairs where I get my race shirt and other race packet goodies (Power bar, safety pins, ointment samples, etc). There are lots of running vendors displaying their wares on the main floor so Becky and I walk around looking at what they have to offer. After seeing everything we wanted to see here we head off to Epcot and finish the evening watching the Illuminations fire works. Saturday, January 6, 2001 The plan for Saturday morning is to go to MGM so we have a quick breakfast in the room and head out to catch the bus. Luck is with us as the first bus to arrive is to MGM. We're still trying to figure out which viewing areas Becky should go to during the race to watch me run. We're not sure if there would be enough time for her to watch me at the Magic Kingdom and then go to Animal Kingdom. We hear someone else on the bus talking of watching the race and she assures us that there is plenty of time to make it between MK and AK before the racers pass through. So, that's our plan. Once inside MGM, we head straight for Rock'n Roller Coaster and get a Fast Pass. We have Florida Resident Seasonal passes and we use a trick learned from previous trip reports on Brian's web page. We get a Fast Pass on our annual pass for RnRC then go over to Tower of Terror and get Fast Pass for it using our room card. In fact, we have two daughters who didn't make this trip but we brought their annual passes anyway just to use for additional Fast Pass tickets. We do RnRC (twice) and ToT once. We decide to go see Bear in the Big Blue House since neither of us had seen it before. Not too bad, especially since we were probably the only adults there who didn't have any children with them. After BitBBH, I want to have a baked potato for lunch in an attempt to carbo load. We go back down Hollywood Blvd to the eating area next to RnRC and get lunch. After eating we decide to go over to Animal Kingdom to find a place where Becky can view the marathon there. We get to AK but we're not too sure where the course goes through the park. Becky asks a CM in Dinoland if he knows whether the marathon runners would come through this area. He said that the race would come by this way so we decide that I should look for Becky somewhere here in Dinoland during the race. At this point I want to get off my feet and relax so we go back to the CBR. We noticed while we were at MGM that morning that tonight is the last night for viewing the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights display at MGM. Becky wants to see them so she takes the video camera and heads out while I grab a book and take it easy in the room. I sip water and watch TV until Becky comes back. She's surprised that I'm not asleep yet but I'm just not tired enough to sleep. We talk for a little bit and I think I finally drift off around 11 pm. Sunday, January 7, 2001 - Race Day had laid out all of my running gear the night before. I had pinned my number on to my shirt and double-checked the rest of my stuff prior to going to bed. Since this was my first marathon, I wasn't sure how well I would sleep. I did manage to get about 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep and I didn't have any nightmares about running the race during my sleep. I left a wake up call for 3:00 am and, sure enough, Mickey greets us right on time. I get dressed and have a half-cup of coffee to get my caffeine fix along with a banana and a power bar. Following the training advice about keeping hydrated, I also drink a 32-oz bottle of Power Aide. I have been watching weather forecasts for race day and I'm a little concerned that warmer temperatures were being anticipated for Sunday. I step outside to get an idea about the weather and discover that I won't have to worry about the Florida heat - at least not for the early part of the race. I can easily see my breath in the cold air and I learn at the race staging area that the temperature is 37 degrees. Brrrrrr. Realizing that it could be very cold at the start, I had packed a pair of cheap cotton gloves and a headband to keep my ears warm. I also brought an old long sleeve running shirt that I can toss along the race course if/when it gets too warm. Disney also recommended bringing a large trash bag to wear while waiting at the start, which I did. By 3:30 am I'm ready to go so I make one last bathroom stop and then Becky and I go out to catch the race bus to the start area at Epcot. I wanted to be there early as I had read about potential transportation problems from previous years race reports. We have no problems transportation-wise as a bus pulls up within a minute of our getting to the stop. In fact, as we go through the rest of the resort I see another bus immediately in front of ours plus another bus behind us. The trek to Epcot takes about 10 minutes so we are there in plenty of time. The parking lot is lit with portable floodlights and the cold air immediately hits me as I get off the heated bus. I sip from a bottle of water as we wait in the parking lot and listen to the race coordinator making announcements over the PA system. They keep us informed about what is to take place at what time and also keep us apprised of the current time. They're having a contest for most distance traveled for the race. I believe the winner was someone who came all the way from Australia. It's during this wait that I realize that I probably have over hydrated myself, as I have to go to the restroom 2 times during the 45 minutes prior to going to the pre-staging area. The cold temperature probably has something to do with it, too. At about 4:20 am they make the announcement for the runners to start heading back to the pre-staging area. This was an area behind the race tents and fenced off for race participants only. I strip off my jacket and hand it to Becky along with the rest of my water. I give Becky a kiss goodbye and she wishes me luck. I know where Becky will be during the race and where I should look for her. She also has aspirin, gum, Power Gel, and water for me if I should need it. All the runners eventually are packed into the pre-staging area. This is turning into a long wait and I make casual conversation with some of the runners around me to help pass the time. I'm towards the front of the mob of 18,000+ runners and in the middle of the pack. The port-o-potties are lined up on both sides and I debate about making my way through the crowd to use them once again. Figuring that there would be another opportunity to go, I elect to stay in the warmer center of the mass of people. After about an hour, they take the wheel chair racers up to the start area, which is about a half mile from the staging area at the Epoct parking lot. Finally, there's a cheer from the front and we begin making our way to the start. There's an immediate dash to the woods by several male runners to relieve themselves so I follow their lead and do the same. As we continue to the start we come out onto a road that is also part of the racecourse between the 3 and 4 mile mark. There are port-o-potties lined up along the side of the road so I figure better safe than sorry and take one last bathroom break prior to lining up for the start. Most of the males leave the port-o-potties for the female racers and instead step into the woods. I keep wishing that I hadn't drank so much water. The start area is well lit and we enter our appropriate corrals based on race number. Our race numbers are determined by our predicted finishing time, so they line the racers up with the faster runners towards the front. We're also split into two groups - red and blue. The red group is on the right hand road while the blue group is to our left on the road on the other side of the median. The Blue group is also a few hundred yards further back than us as we run separate routes for about the first 3 miles. I think splitting up the groups helps everyone get off a little quicker and also provides a safer start. They have some motivational type music playing as all the racers make their way into the proper corrals. I was surprised to find myself so far up in the second corral on the red (right hand) side of the road. I consider myself a fairly slow runner. I mentally go over the race one more time in my head. I have extra gum in the glove on my right hand and Power Gel in the glove on my left hand. Chewing gum helps keep my mouth from getting dry plus the sugar provides a small dose of energy. They aren't handing out Power Gel at the water stops until later in the race so I brought some of my own to take at the mile 6 and mile 9 water stops. I know where to look for Becky in the Magic Kingdom and also at the Animal Kingdom. I plan on drinking water/sports drink at every stop. Since I can't run and drink at the same time I also plan to walk during these stops and then pick up the run again once I've downed the water. A quick layout of the marathon course has the runners starting outside of Epcot, running through Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Wide World of Sports complex, MGM, Boardwalk, back through Epcot and finally finishing in the Epcot parking lot. It's quite a tour of the Disney World area plus I'm looking forward to running through the parks, too. It takes a little longer than expected to get all the runners into their proper corrals. Finally, about 10 minutes late, they start the wheel chair racers and then the countdown begins for the runners. I toss my garbage bag to the side of the road and try to tell myself not to get caught up in the hoopla at the start and take off at too fast a pace. After a "Ready, Set, Go," from Mickey (yes, he was there) fireworks go off and I begin making my way forward. I'm still far enough back in the pack that I can't run right away so I shuffle along with everyone else until there's room to start jogging. I try to start my watch as I go across the start mat but, with gloves on, I can't press the button on my watch. I have gotten off fairly quickly and I figure, worse case, that it took me a minute to make my way to the start line (it was actually 43 seconds). Disney has race time displayed at every mile marker, which made it easy for me to keep track of my pace so not being able to start my watch was no big deal. We immediately come to the first viewing area on the left side of the road and I take glances over that way to see if I can catch a glimpse of Becky. There are just too many people to pick her out so I give up and stay to the left-hand side figuring she might be able to see me instead. There's the 1 mile marker - hey, only 25 more to go! At about 2 1/2 miles we come to the front of Epcot and there is a good-sized crowd in front of the entrance and also on the monorail walkway cheering us on. We go into Epcot and make our way around Spaceship Earth and past the fountain behind it. It's still dark out and the illuminated fountain looks pretty neat. When we get to the entrance of World Showcase we head left past Mexico and then cut left again behind the Mexico pavilion where we go backstage. We join the other half of the runners (Blue side) at the 3.3-mile mark. We circle around to the road in front of Epcot and make our way again past the start viewing area for mile 4 and 5. At this point things are finally calming down and I'm comfortably into my pace. Just before mile 6, where we loop onto the main road going to the Ticket Transportation Center, I look towards the North and see the long procession of runners in front of me making their way up World Drive towards the Magic Kingdom - quite a sight. I also secretly hope that there are at least that many racers behind me, too. I take my Power Gel at mile 6 as planned and keep on going towards the TTC. The monorails pass periodically and the drivers honk their horns as they make their way between the TTC and Epcot stops. The sun is just starting to peek above the horizon and I'm feeling fine. As we round the Richard Petty race track I see other runners who have already gone through the Magic Kingdom making their way back towards us and off to the Animal Kingdom. That group is already 4 miles in front of me but I try to not worry about them and just concentrate on keeping within my own pace. I take my other Power Gel at mile 9 as I make my way out of the TTC and then past the Contemporary Resort. There is a viewing area in front of the Contemporary and lots of people are up early cheering us on. The Magic Kingdom and Space Mountain are clearly in view now and I remember that Becky will be somewhere along the Main Street viewing area. We enter backstage near the front of the Magic Kingdom and then reappear on Main Street next to Town Square. Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale are all out helping us along. Several runners have disposable cameras with them and stop to get photos taken with the characters. The viewing area is only on the left side of the street so I stay to that side looking for Becky. The crowd begins to thin out the further towards Cinderella castle I go and I finally see Becky near the hub filming me with our video camera. I smile and wave as I go by and set off through Tomorrowland. The Queen of Hearts is waiting for us near the Tea Cups and she makes an "Off with her Head" gesture towards one of the female runners in front of me. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are also out waving to us as we run by. As I make my way behind the castle I notice that the Dumbo and the Carousel rides are running even though the park is not open yet and there is no one riding them. We approach the back of the castle and all the runners yell as we go through the castle. The walkway in front of the castle narrows quite a bit so I have to watch myself as I and all the other runners crowd together through this part. After coming out of the castle we go back through Liberty Square, Frontierland, and then out of the park backstage behind Splash Mountain. I'm now at the 11-mile mark and I'm still feeling pretty good. We pick up a road from the rear of the Magic Kingdom and run past the Grand Floridian and back towards the TTC parking lots. As we approach the TTC I hear a loud speaker telling half-marathoners to keep left and full-marathoners to keep right. The half marathon finish is in the parking lot at the TTC. There are occasional jokes from the half marathoners as they proclaim their rapidly nearing finish line while the marathoners are only half done. About a third of the racers are running the half marathon and we finally part ways as I make my way towards the Animal Kingdom. The Animal Kingdom is about three miles up the road and at the first station past the half way point they have fruit, Power Gel, water, and Power Ade available. I take my time at this station and eat half a banana, suck on a couple orange slices, take some more Power Gel, and then head off to Africa in the AK. I knew this portion of the run would be a little boring as there are no viewing areas on this part of the course. I'm beginning to feel a little warm and decide to take off my long sleeve shirt and toss it aside. As soon as I do this I enter a wooded area on the course where the sun has yet to shine. I start to get chilled and now wish I had hung on to my long sleeve shirt a little while longer. Oh, well. Becky is going to try to catch a Disney bus from the Magic Kingdom and go to a spot in the AK near Dinoland to watch for me. It takes me about a half an hour to get from the half marathon point to the back entrance into the AK at mile 16. I'm starting to feel a little fatigued and my knees are starting to ache a little bit also. The crowds are supposed to be sparser in the AK and I hope to be able to get some aspirin from Becky if I see her in the park. We come into the back part of Africa in the AK and make our way past the Tree of Life. The surface in the AK is tough for me to run on and causes a little bit of pain to the bottoms of my feet. I cross the bridge going into Dinoland and I begin looking for Becky. Alas, I don't see her at our agreed upon place and I head backstage out of the main park area. I figure that Becky must have got stuck in traffic and couldn't get to the AK in time to see me. Suddenly, we come back into the AK towards the front entrance of the park and there Becky is - still filming me with our video camera. I'm not smiling as much as I was at the Magic Kingdom and I try to signal her as I approach that I want some aspirin. She stops filming as I get to her and I ask for the aspirin bottle. She has them ready for me but the water bottle strap is caught under the belt of her fanny pack and I can't lift the bottle up to get a drink. Fortunately, I haven't put the aspirin in my mouth yet. She finally gets the water free and I down the pills. She tells me I'm "Looking good" as I head off and I say "I'll see you at the finish." I'm not really feeling all that well right now but I don't tell Becky that since I don't want her to worry. Coming out of the AK the route heads up Osceola Parkway to the Wide World of Sports complex. This part of the course is slightly uphill and it fatigues me even more. I lose track of where I am on the course and after coming across the first overpass I begin looking for the stoplight at the corner of Victory Way that heads to the WWoS complex. When I can't see it I finally realize where I am and that I still have to go over another overpass (~ 1 mile) before I get there - grrrrrr. So, I keep trucking. My knees and now my ankles are starting to hurt. Not so painful that I think something is wrong, but it's still a little uncomfortable. I also notice that the tips of my toes on my right foot are starting to feel numb. As I get to mile 20, we head up towards the WWoS complex for half a mile then turn back. As I hit the turn around point I see that they have a mat on the ground to record our runners chip. I'm assuming this prevents someone from maybe cutting early and not going all the way up to the turn around point. With the WWoS checked off, I head towards MGM. I've passed the 21-mile mark but my pace is dragging and I'm starting to shuffle instead of picking up my knees in the run. My longest training run preparing for the Disney Marathon was 20 miles so I'm into new territory and I try to concentrate on keeping form. It feels like there are two bowling balls attached to my ankles. We take the entrance ramp back on to World Drive and I end up running on the side of the road both for a relief to my legs plus the slope on the off ramp makes it difficult to run on. There's another water stop at mile 22 and I find myself taking longer and longer at each stop to start running again. My legs start to stiffen up if I stop running too long which makes it harder to get going again. There's a slight downhill area just prior to heading into MGM, which provides a little bit of a break. We enter backstage into MGM and I'm not exactly sure where we are as we make our way through the back area. The next water stop, mile 23, is a relief and I try to convince myself that 3 more miles isn't that far - ha! They're passing out chewable candy at this stop so I grab some and stuff them in my mouth. They're not as good as I expected them to be but I figure the sugar may help anyway. We pop out on Hollywood Blvd next to the Rock 'n Roller coaster and make our way through the streets of MGM. Both the AK and MGM are open by now and they have cast members keeping the crowds clear of the course. They let people across the course at certain points in the street where there are large enough gaps between runners. I go out the front of MGM and get on the sidewalk that runs between MGM and the Boardwalk. At this point my mind wins over my body and I start to walk. I tell myself that I'll walk until I get to the Boardwalk and then try to run again. There's a water station just prior to the Boardwalk so I take some more water and sports drink. I get to the beginning of the Boardwalk and try running again. Ugh ... my legs are really tight and I try to lengthen my stride as they begin to slowly loosen up. I run through the Boardwalk area then up the pathway that runs between the Boardwalk and the back entrance into Epcot in World Showcase. Small inclines and little hills are now turning into mountains for me and I have to walk a couple more times during these areas. I can see Spaceship Earth now and I try to find solace in the fact that the finish line is not much further. We enter backstage at Epcot and wind around the back of the United Kingdom pavilion. I finally come out into World Showcase next to the United Kingdom and head counter clockwise towards France. As I cross the bridge between the UK and France there are race photographers taking pictures as we go by. I'm thankful that at least I'm still running at this point. Spaceship Earth appears to be getting further away as I make my way past the different countries in World Showcase. I guess that during all of my previous visits to Epcot, I never really worried about how far away it was. Cast members from the different countries are standing outside applauding our efforts. As I pass Mexico I recall how I felt the first time I ran by here compared to how I feel now. That was some 23 miles ago and it's quite a difference. I'm less than half a mile to the finish now and I run past Spaceship Earth. There are other runners about 10 yards in front of me and I quickly dismiss the thought of trying to catch up and pass them. At this point I'm just trying to get to the finish line. We exit Epcot behind the dog kennels and then come out into the huge parking lot. In my limited racing career, I have always hated finishes where I could see the finish line several hundred yards in the distance and have to run, which seemed like forever, to cross. Here at Disney, instead of a straight beeline to the finish, the course makes some 'S' turns. There are lots of people clapping and cheering. Finally, I come out of the last turn and see the finish just a short distance ahead. Suddenly, after a year of training, three pairs of running shoes, and hundreds of miles of training runs, the end is here. I'm taking quick looks to see if Becky is anywhere in this mass of people but don't see her. While I don't see Becky, she was able to see me and films most of the last part of the run prior to the finish. Mickey is off to the side so I make a slight detour and "High 5" him and I cross the finish line with my arms raised a la Bruce Jenner. That's it - it's done. I have run a marathon. One of the hundreds of volunteers for this race gives me a solar blanket to wrap around myself and another clips the plastic tie that was used to attach the running chip to my shoe. A few more steps and I receive my gold Mickey finisher's medal, which I proudly put on. I try to keep walking so that my legs won't stiffen up too much. I get a bottle of water and some more orange slices. After finishing those I get a bottle of Power Ade and a muffin to eat. I slowly make my way out of the finishing area and go to the reunion tent where Becky and I plan to meet. I don't see her so I keep walking around that area trying to stay loose. After a few minutes I finally see her running up to me and I get a big hug and a congratulations kiss from her. Wow, I'm still having trouble believing that it's really over and that I was able to finish. We manage to make our way over to the resort bus pickup area and get on the bus back to Caribbean Beach Resort. The first step up into the bus seems about three feet high and it takes a little doing to lift my foot that high. On the drive back to CBR we go across an overpass, which looks out on to the course at about the 22-mile mark prior to MGM. I'm surprised to see the number of people still running the race and I'm thankful that I'm done. I know the feeling that those people must be experiencing at this point in the race as they continue to make their way towards the finish. Disney contracts out for busses and drivers to take racers to and from their resorts. Our driver was going to drop everyone off at the check-in area for CBR and let us walk to our rooms from there. For those who may not know, CBR is a very expansive resort and, after just running 26 miles, we weren't going to walk any more than necessary. So, after a near riot and mutiny, the driver finally takes us around to the different stops. Getting off the bus at our room stop is also difficult as my legs are really gone after sitting on the bus for 20 minutes. But, I guess looking back on it - it was still a good feeling - one that I will never forget. The racing staff and volunteers who helped pull off this event were great. The people who handed out water at the stops were super and I made a point of saying thanks at each one. "Team Diabetes" was one of the charity organizations running in the Disney marathon. They raised hundreds of thousands of dollars during this event and my hat's off to those who ran this race not for themselves but for someone else. They had a large support crew along the course and I know many of them were also running their first marathon. Monday, January 8 - Wednesday January 10, 2001 Becky and I stay at CBR for three more days and visit the parks each day. I wear my finisher's medal in the parks Sunday afternoon and try to walk as much as possible to keep my muscles from getting too tight. I ate my post-race meal in Germany at Epcot and it was comprised of stuff I couldn't eat while training - Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, and a large beer. Yes, it tasted great! Those who had run the race were easy to spot as we all had a unique "gimp" in our walk. By Tuesday morning my legs had no soreness in them and I even contemplated taking a little jog that morning - nah! I deserve a break. We did E-night at the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday evening and it wasn't crowded at all. We departed for home early Wednesday morning. Will I be there again for the 2002 marathon? Only time will tell. I'm not sure how many more times I want to check 'Marathon' off my "To Do" list. The health benefits of running are certainly not arguable (I dropped thirty pounds during this evolution) but the time spent in training is definitely a big factor. A full marathon is probably doubtful but I possibly could be talked into running the half next year. And if I do I'll be sure to yell across the road that I'm almost finished while you full marathoners still have another 13.1 to go! Ken Clancy kclancy@networktel.net Mail a Comment to Ken Clancy |
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