Poor Unfortunate Soles: Marathon Weekend 2013 (5K, Half and Full Marathon)-COMPLETE!!

[Ariel484]

2013 Walt Disney World Marathon! Wide World of Sports, Part 1

We were about to head into the Wide World of Sports and were running right past the runners that had already exited the complex (they were running the opposite way down Osceola to get to the Studios). They were almost to mile 21, and an announcer on their side kept shouting excitedly how they had "less than 6 miles to go!" DUDE. SHUT UP. Those of us at mile 16 can hear you! I took a short walk break to eat my Gu chomps and thought very mean thoughts about the announcer. People around me didn't seem to appreciate it either.

By now it was about 10:15, 10:30 and we were approaching the hot part of the day. The water stops were AWESOME though. The first few volunteers had one job - to re-fill bottles that runners were carrying. I'm sure this isn't some new thing, but I've never seen this at a race before. Then there were volunteers giving out cups of Powerade, then cups of water like normal. But in these later miles a fourth set of volunteers were added to the stops, and their sole purpose was to dump water over runners' heads. This was FANTASTIC. Whoever thought of this is a genius. I was still dealing with the heat better than I'd expected, but by now instead of alternating Powerade/water at each station I was now taking one cup of each. Add in getting the water dumped over my head and I was a happy camper, except for the time that it went right into my eyes. Blech.

Finally I arrived at the complex (passing by naked - i.e. no special costumes - Chip and Dale).

UPDATE: Lower appendages still hate me. Nothing new there. Yet feeling somewhat awesome otherwise.

This was another addition to this year's course, and just like the Speedway I was pretty "meh" on the whole thing.

Again, I can appreciate that this gets us off of the highway/back roads, and it does break up the awful mile 20/21 out-and-back that I hated so much in 2012...but when I first saw the map I was dreading all of the twists and turns, and just like the Speedway I knew we wouldn't be getting much shade.

But right after Mile Marker 17 one of my VERY FAVORITE things of the entire day was given to me...

*cue angels singing*

That's a kiddie pool filled with wet sponges. Squeezing the sponge over my head and shoulders felt amazing. Unfortunately I made the mistake of tossing the sponge almost immediately...I wish I'd kept it with me and got it re-soaked at each water stop like I saw other smarter runners doing later in the race. Oh well.

So by now we were in the complex...which was fine at first.

We ran by a few practice fields and came up to the track. I know Olympians train here and all that, but rather than channeling my inner-Olympian it mostly just took me back to having to "run the mile" in high school PE, which I HATED. It was kind of a funny thing to think about in the middle of my second marathon. At least the surface was a nice, squishy change from the concrete we'd been running on for 17 miles.

To leave the track area we had to go over a grassy, lumpy area. I had a brief vision of me spraining my ankle on one of those lumps...thankfully I came out unscathed. Mile 18 was right after the track.

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

2013 Walt Disney World Marathon! Wide World of Sports, Part 2

After the track we passed a practice baseball field. I am a big baseball fan so I thought this was cool, but I read later that a runner got hit by a foul ball...and I think they actually needed medical attention. Yikes. I wonder if runDisney will re-think the scheduling here.

By the time we got to mile 19 I was starting to curse this place. The turns weren't as bad as I'd expected, but in looking at the course map I'd somehow failed to grasp just how long this part of the race was going to take. Seriously, it felt like this portion going through WWoS would NEVER END. Clearly Disney wanted to take advantage of the fact that they could keep the runners on an enclosed area of Disney property and off the roads for as long as possible, but man, I just wanted to GET OUT OF THERE. It was annoying to think we were in both the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom for less than a mile, yet now we were getting a very thorough tour of this place. I understand that they work with what they have when it comes to running through the parks during these races (what portions can actually hold runners, still having the park operate as normal for day guests, etc.), but when you really look at the course maps and see how little time is spent in the parks it's kind of...sobering. Or maybe it's just the fact that I was 19 miles in and seriously contemplating walking on my hands for the last 7 miles...so every emotion was heightened. Who knows.

This race seemed like it had happened AGES ago at this point.

But I will say this about the WWoS - I saw lots of *REAL* bathrooms here. At least 3, I think...but they had huge lines. Arrg.

Now we were approaching Champion Stadium where the Braves practice for Spring Training. We took a VERY sharp turn to enter the ballpark. Didn't like that so much.

So remember that loop I said I'd watched on the WWoS channel, the one with the race info? One part of the loop had Bart Yasso (running legend and editor of Runner’s World magazine) describing the course. He said that the stands of Champion Stadium would be filled with tons of fans. He also said that the Mile 20 Spectacular would take place here. What's the Mile 20 Spectacular, you ask? It was some surprise that runDisney had been hyping for months – something they were working on in secret in honor of the 20th anniversary of the marathon that would knock our socks off.

Now, runDisney has a weird history with "surprises." Awhile back they put on an elaborate scavenger hunt to introduce a new race. It went on for weeks and resulted in them announcing the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. Obviously it’s great that Disneyland got another race, but making a huge deal out of what is essentially the West-cost version of the Princess Half marathon disappointed a lot of people. (Similarly there was a lot of fanfare around releasing the concept art for the special 20th anniversary marathon medal...but I DO think that the medal lived up to the hype.)

So when this surprise was announced months before the race I tried not to get my hopes up, but I was really hoping there would be tons of rare characters to meet. In particular I had visions of Steamboat Willie dancing in my head. On the other hand, runDisney had really annoyed me with the Tinkerbell Half stuff, so I also knew it was quite possible that after all this hype the big surprise would be seeing ourselves on the jumbo-tron in the stadium. One extreme or the other.

Anyway, we made the (way-too-sharp) turn into the stadium. Folks that had completed the lap around the warning track were heading out...nothing looked "spectacular."

The warning track gravel was nice - softer than the concrete - but kind of uneven. Where are the tons of fans??

So yeah, that was it. One lap around the track, a few fans, then gone. I think we were on the jumbo-tron but I totally missed myself. Had we been punk'd by runDisney again?

Blerg. The thought of getting my Goofy medal cheered me up!

Yasso saying the surprise was in the stadium had been confusing to me since the course map clearly indicated that mile 20 was OUTSIDE of the stadium. So I quickly decided that we just hadn't made it to the surprise yet. And despite the fact that I had tried not to think much about the surprise in the months leading up to the marathon, it suddenly became my motivation to get through WWoS. "Just keep going…you’re almost out and you’ll find the surprise."

Continued in Next Post

 

[ZellyB]

WWoS was not a fun time. I mean, there were portions that were okay, but the pounding sun (I was quite some time behind you so the heat was pretty bad by that time) and just the length of time it seemed to take us really zapped me. I was worried the whole time in the stadium that I would slip or twist an ankle, so I didn't enjoy that portion at all. Like you, I understand why they wanted to take advantage of that mileage, but it was not fun for me as a runner.

 

[Ariel484]

WWoS was not a fun time. I mean, there were portions that were okay, but the pounding sun (I was quite some time behind you so the heat was pretty bad by that time) and just the length of time it seemed to take us really zapped me. I was worried the whole time in the stadium that I would slip or twist an ankle, so I didn't enjoy that portion at all. Like you, I understand why they wanted to take advantage of that mileage, but it was not fun for me as a runner.

I totally agree. It may have been better if there was some entertainment, or music, or SOMETHING...but there really wasn't much. I hope they take that portion out in the future, but I could see them leaving it in just because it gets us off the roads and we're all contained...

 

[BigEeyore]

I too thought the run around the baseball field was the hyped 20 mile surprise, thinking what a huge let down. I just did not have a good time in the WWoS, sent a text to my husband somewhere in there that included profanity I think!
I understand why they wanted us in there for so long, but they could have made it a better experience with some kind of entertainment along the way. I did grab a banana at the food stop in there, which was actually the first time I had eaten "real" food during a run - I was worried how my body would handle that after 18 miles but no issues. Good to know!

 

[tehvalerie]

WWOS was terrible. I was one of the last people on the course (I was swept at the intersection just past mile 21) and knew at the the 18 mi marker that I was basically in a death march, so that probably didn't help. It was just hot and never ending. When I got to the ball field and the "spectacular" I thought they'd already cleared everything out but...nope! It was just lame for everyone. Oh, and the announcer at mi 20 was still telling us "just 6 miles to go!" as we approached our final mile and the buses. I had to laugh but I wish someone had clued the guy in!

 

[AB6876]

Hello, I just wanted to let you know I just read through your report. I subscribed weeks ago and just got the chance now to read it.
LOVE it brings back memories from a month ago lol...
I keep looking at your splits and for the most part my husband and I were about 5 minutes behind you. Congrats on goofy, it was tough but very much worth it.
I totally agree with you the mile 20 surprise was confusing I kept thinking the same thing you were, how can mile 20 be IN the stadium, and when we got there it was, "meh". At least the thought process of trying to figure it out on the course was a distraction hahaha. WWoS was long and horrible, but I guess it could have to do with the fact it was late in the race, but not late enough. It was hot too so that probably had a lot to do with it too.

 

[emilyindisney]

WWoS looks pretty rough! I'm not a sports fan so I know running over tracks and baseball fields certainly wouldn't keep me entertained that late in the race.

What a disappointment about the baseball field! I remember watching a race course video a few months ago and they were hyping that up with crowds, running the bases, etc. I hope the mile 20 surprise was worth all the work it took you to get that far.

Almost there! Can't wait to hear about crossing the finish line!

 

[Ariel484]

I too thought the run around the baseball field was the hyped 20 mile surprise, thinking what a huge let down. I just did not have a good time in the WWoS, sent a text to my husband somewhere in there that included profanity I think!
I understand why they wanted us in there for so long, but they could have made it a better experience with some kind of entertainment along the way. I did grab a banana at the food stop in there, which was actually the first time I had eaten "real" food during a run - I was worried how my body would handle that after 18 miles but no issues. Good to know!

Okay, so I'm not the only one that was confused on where the surprise was. I didn't text any profanity to anyone, but I was definitely thinking less-than-magical thoughts!

Entertainment definitely would have helped. I don't mind the portion that goes from the MK to AK just because they at least have character stops, music, etc. WWoS had nothing.

WWOS was terrible. I was one of the last people on the course (I was swept at the intersection just past mile 21) and knew at the the 18 mi marker that I was basically in a death march, so that probably didn't help. It was just hot and never ending. When I got to the ball field and the "spectacular" I thought they'd already cleared everything out but...nope! It was just lame for everyone. Oh, and the announcer at mi 20 was still telling us "just 6 miles to go!" as we approached our final mile and the buses. I had to laugh but I wish someone had clued the guy in!

"Hot and never ending" is the perfect way to describe it. I knew we'd be in there for awhile but it felt like it would NEVER END.

I'm sorry about your injury and that you got swept.

Hello, I just wanted to let you know I just read through your report. I subscribed weeks ago and just got the chance now to read it.
LOVE it brings back memories from a month ago lol...
I keep looking at your splits and for the most part my husband and I were about 5 minutes behind you. Congrats on goofy, it was tough but very much worth it.
I totally agree with you the mile 20 surprise was confusing I kept thinking the same thing you were, how can mile 20 be IN the stadium, and when we got there it was, "meh". At least the thought process of trying to figure it out on the course was a distraction hahaha. WWoS was long and horrible, but I guess it could have to do with the fact it was late in the race, but not late enough. It was hot too so that probably had a lot to do with it too.

Hello! Sounds like a lot of us were at the same places at almost the same time.

WWoS was just not good any way you look at it. I think you hit on a lot of the points I've heard most people bring up - late in the race, no shade, etc. If they add some entertainment in the future I think it would help a lot!

Congrats on finishing the marathon!

WWoS looks pretty rough! I'm not a sports fan so I know running over tracks and baseball fields certainly wouldn't keep me entertained that late in the race.

What a disappointment about the baseball field! I remember watching a race course video a few months ago and they were hyping that up with crowds, running the bases, etc. I hope the mile 20 surprise was worth all the work it took you to get that far.

Almost there! Can't wait to hear about crossing the finish line!

It was! I AM a sports fan and still didn't really like it!

I'm sure there were lots of fans in the stadium earlier in the race...they just didn't stick around for the rest of us!

Mile 20 surprise coming right up...

 

[Ariel484]

2013 Walt Disney World Marathon! The Mile 20 "Spectacular"

And now, here it is: the Mile 20 spectacular. Turns out I was right. The surprise WAS beyond the stadium...and it was over-hyped.

(No idea what the sky-writing says.)

I guess these are from an old Disneyland show?

(There was also a Tigger puppet, but my picture won't post because part of the link to the photo won't make it past the filter and I don't know how to correct it! Oops! If you squint real hard you can see him in the back of the first puppet picture. )

Basically the 5 giant puppets, the race mascots (who I later heard were switching out with other members of the Fab Five), and a special mile marker...

I definitely thought the mile marker was cool - it has art of all 20 WDW marathon medals.

I think I actually laughed when I realized that this was it. THIS was what they'd been talking up for months. THIS was what they had been working on. THIS was supposed to get us excited and give us the energy to push through to the end. Oh runDisney...you got me again.

(20-mile split: 20 miles in 4:40:35, average pace of 14:02/mile. Estimated finish time of 6:07:50 (11:58AM). Ate more Gu chomps here! Nom.)

I truly don't know why they do this. Scratch that, I do - they put on these big campaigns to draw attention and get people to sign up for the races. I have actually read statements from people saying that the Mile 20 surprise was a deciding factor in signing up for the race. I don't think I have read ONE person say that they weren't disappointed in the surprise. If I hadn't heard this being talked about for months and totally didn't know about it I think I would have thought this was a really awesome little area of the course. Instead it just ended up being a let-down.

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

2013 Walt Disney World Marathon! Miles 21-23

Moving on from the Mile 20...thing.

By now we were back on Osceola Parkway (oh goody...you again ). At least now when the announcer said there was less than 6 miles to go I didn't do a face palm.

Lots of folks just entering the WWoS from the other side of Osceola...

Shuffling along...legs and feet still on fire, otherwise feeling pretty good.

For awhile I'd been running near a guy dressed as Richard Simmons (you can see him in the above post in the Sebastian picture). Sounds bizarre now, but my brain was so warped 21 miles in that at the time it seemed completely normal. Like...OF COURSE fake Richard Simmons would be running the marathon. DUH.

We reached Sarge and some soldiers, and Richard dropped and gave Sarge 10. Better you than me, sir.

Oh good, Mile Marker 22. Time for the Studios!

We ran down a highway toward the park and sang (shouted) along to "Sweet Caroline" blaring from the speakers. We entered the park behind the MOST AWESOME Tower of Terror and I passed Mr. Incredible on his Pixar Pals float.

The Studios was my least-favorite park in 2012 as far as characters go, so I wasn't expecting much this year. I did get a picture with this guy though...

I'm gonna wreck it!

And down through the Backlot Tour Tunnel...oh man did it feel amazing to be in the cool shade.

Then I got to Mile Marker 23...

As odd as it sounds, throughout training I never gave much thought as to whether or not I'd actually be able to complete all three races...but I definitely would not have signed up if I didn't think I was capable. And up until this point - throughout the weekend and during this race itself - I also hadn't thought too much about it. I'd been able to keep my emotions in check for the most part, but now, standing at Mile Marker 23, I felt myself start to get choked up. At first I didn't know why - I wasn't even at the finish line yet! - but then it dawned on me: I had 3.2 miles left. Just a little over a 5K...and I'd crawl that last 5K if I had to. For the first time, I knew without a doubt that I was going to finish this thing.

Continued in Next Post

 

[beachta1]

The end is in sight!!! Great job.

 

[camandjacksmom]

I'm glad you made it out of WWOS!! I was totally having flashbacks of the tower of terror race as you retold your race!!! This was the point I felt like it would never end!!! Did they send you a questionnaire about the race?? I really hope they listen and maybe change who is in charge of making the plans for these races.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

You're getting me choked up too! I don't know if I can do a marathon as my body doesn't like even 10 miles, but I can persevere for 3.1 more miles. Not 16.2.

 

[schoonersky]

So exciting!! Almost there!!

 

[AB6876]

Awesome update! Now I know we were running close to one another. "Richard Simmons" was near us most of the race. We started in corral D with him right up front. He was hilarious.
I had the same EXACT feeling when I hit mile marker 23. I think I started crying and it was funny because I was laughing because I could not figure out at the time why I was crying. That goofy challenge will get you. I have run a marathon before and did not get emotional, however mile marker 23 and as soon as we entered Epcot was like all the adrenalin from the weekend was just draining out and I could not help myself. Thank god I had sunglasses on lol!!!

 

[creativeamanda]

This is not the first complaint I've heard about mile 20. You described it about the same way that it's described on the Mickey Miles podcast, believe it or not.

Either way, I am amazed that you were able to do this and just seeing the pictures. . .awe just doesn't quite describe it!

 

[pxefig]

you're getting me choked up too! I don't know if i can do a marathon as my body doesn't like even 10 miles, but i can persevere for 3.1 more miles. Not 16.2.

amen!

 

[ZellyB]

The Backlot Tour Tunnel......AHHHHHHHH!!! I was so incredibly happy when we had that brief respite from the sun.

 

[croach]

I will forgive having to run all around WWoS and the meh mile 20 deal simply because of those wonderful sponges they were handing out. Like you I didn't think to hang on to mine either. Great job!