DL Half Race Reports!

[Tiger Lily 03]

Thanks for the stories and photos. I am really enjoying every single moment.

Thank you!

 

[monte]

Fun pictures April, that is so neat that you're family was there to support you. Congratulations!

 

[Kristi1357]

Hi guys!

I just scanned through this thread quickly & wanted to pop in before I get to bed! We got home just after midnight last night and spent the afternoon with the doctors - seems Zack may have a broken foot! But that's a whole other story... I'll post a full race report later on, I promise!

I had the BEST time!!! I did have a secret desire to finish in 3 hours just to beat my Mom's Donald time last January , but decided during the race just to plain have fun, and not get swept! So, that I did - I spent time during the race with Pat, her DH, Rachael, Anne & Cam. I also got a picture with each & every character along the route (there is a reason I only plan on doing Disney races, ya know!)

I did walk for quite awhile with Cam. And Cam, you know what? You helped me too! I know you don't think so, but right before I saw you up ahead, I was getting pretty tired and was kicking myself for also doing the 5k the day before. I made myself run to catch up with you! Then I talked your ear off, forgetting how tired I was.

Off to bed - more later...

 

[Deb & Bill]

...ACK!!! I totally forgot her name I think it's DebBill or something? She did the 5K in Jan and her DH did the Goofy. He did the DL 1/2 and she was sitting outside the registeration waiting for him. I hope you see this but it was very kewl to come across someone we had spoke to in January and gotten such excellent tips on blister prevention and to cross paths again in Sept. Very very kewl. This entire trip was more like a reunion than a race LOL ....

Good work, Diane. You did it!! My husband was a bit slower than he hoped, but he finished in 2:11:37. After I saw you, I told my husband about us meeting again. And he remembered talking to you on the bus at OKW, too!!

By the way, was your bib number 10159? If it is, your photo is on the ASI Photo page!! http://www.asiorders.com/view_event.asp?EVENTID=11087

 

[DianeL]

Deb I still think this is soo wild to have found you at the Expo and remembered our prior meeting in January. This trip was amazing in the way of meeting you again and meeting other WISHers for the 1st time at the Expo, in DTD and the parks and finally in the race itself. It was an unbelievable trip.

I wish you could be there in January too but I suspect that we'll meet again at WDW as with each day I'm more and more hooked into Disney and running. Sure I'm not running THAT far now but I'm working on that endurance running thing.

Give Bill our wishes of Pixie dust for his Houston race and if he comes up with any other tips know that Susan and I will be eager listeners as his others have come to pay off big in avoiding blisters

Off to check ASI again (probably for the 100th time today which is probably why they put my picture there in the hopes to keep me from planting myself on their virtual doorsteps)

 

[TiffJ]

O.k. I finally have time to sit down & share some thoughts & goings on from the first ever DL 1/2 marathon. As soon as I figure out how, it will post pics.We got there on Thursday & the weather was awesome!!!! I was so excited to be there. We got to CCI & got checked in painlessly. Headed to DL for a couple of hours because I just couldnt stand not to go. I rode our familiy's favorite ride BTMR in honor of those I left home in AL Friday we did some park touring for about an hr and then headed over to the expo so we could be there when it opened. So did alot of other people (We met up with Pat & Jim outside the expo) However, the line moved pretty quickly & we hi-tailed it over to the merchandising area. We were one of the lucky ones that saw the cash only line when it only had 4 people in it, we got in that line. That area was very poorly organized and waaaay too small. Not sure why, they had plenty of room.

We met up with Nancy (perfectmatch300) and her DH, Rachel & DH , Kristi & Chad. By this time my tendonitis had started acting up & had to wrap my ankle. I looked rough before the race even started. They rode ToT, then we all went on to ride Monsters inc, Muppets 3D, and a whole bunch of other rides. We had a great time hanging out at DCA for a few hours. I loved the Orange Stinger! Another day of perfect CA weather.

Saturday (ankle still having to be wrapped) we met up with Cam & her wonderful at breakfast at CCI. We ended up eating with them & then heading over to DL & touring with them for a while. That was alot of fun. Andrew (her DS) is an awesome kid! We have a great pic of us all riding Space Mtn. BTW, the Space Mtn there is MUCH better!!!!! Love the soundtrack & its a much smoother ride. Mom & I were also able to email home pics from riding Buzz Lightyear. My kids liked that (although I did feel quilty & didn't want to rub it in that I was at DL & they weren't)

DIS meet at Napolini's was a blast. Anne's energy was contagious! We all hung out in front of the restaurant (BTW when planning a meet, make sure the restaurant has more than 3 tables) it was very small in there but we made the best of it & had a great time visiting with everyone. I have a great pic of me & my mom & Heather with her mom. We ended up being there for 2 hrs & finally decided we probably should go get our race stuff together & get some sleep.

Those of us staying at CCI decided to meet out front & walk to the start together. I was so glad because I didnt want just the 2 of us walking down the street at 4:00 a.m. It was me, mom, Cam, Howard, Pat, Jim & Helen. It was a fairly easy walk & a good warm up. While we were waiting in line for the potties the green army man (who was there to motivate us like a drill seargent) came over to Cam & said real loud over the microphone "DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING TO GET LOST?! (because of the bright WISH shirt) it was hilarious! The goings on at the start could not be seen in the back 3 corals. DL just doesnt have enough room for this size of a race. We could not see or hear anything. It was cool having the characters arrive on the monorial.

My ankle was actually cooperating this day so I decided not to push to hard so I didnt get injured. I wanted to stay at just below 15 min pace. There were alot of character pics & while going thru DL got to use a "flush potty" At this point I knew I could get thru the rest of the race without needing a porta potty I felt pretty good through out the race & was thrilled that my old ailments were not coming back to haunt me on this race.

I didnt like that along the "grease lightning" culvert was sand/gravel then when we got to the stadium we were on dirt that kept kicking up into my shoe. By the time we got out of the stadium at about mile 10 I was starting to slow down. Energy was leaving my body. At this point Anne & I ended up walking together for the rest of the race. She is so full of postive energy it's great! Which helped me alot because by mile 11 I really, really just wanted to sit down! She was thanking every single volunteer as we went by. Her energy helped motivate me accross that finish line. THANKS ANNE! We ended up crossing the line together. I wasnt thrilled with my time, but it was better than last Jan. so that's something. She saw her DH & I went on to get my medal & go to the W tent to meet up with fellow WISHers.

The line for the pic was way to long so I skipped that. Mom crossed about 4 minutes ahead of me so I caught up with her at this point. When we got to the tent Howard & Matt were there. Now Howard had to be there to wait for Cam but I thought it was so cool that Matt stuck around so long to see us other, much slower WISHers after the race. Thanks Matt! We got a group finish line pic & the proceeded to try to find our way back to the hotel shuttle. That was a mess! We had to go underneath the bleachers to get back to where we needed to go in DTD.

We went back to the hotel for a couple of hours and then showered & changed so we could go to Goofy's Kitchen for dinner. We considered skipping it, but decided we wanted some good food. I am so glad we went. It was a blast! The characters were great, the food was great. Great time!!!

Monday was our last full park day & we were exhausted. Rode everything we had missed before & did alot of shopping. That's one thing about going without kids. More shopping for mom!!!! And of course they got alot of "guilt" souvenirs from mom.

All in all it was a fabulous weekend! I am so glad we did it. And also glad I got to share so much of it with my fellow WISHers. There were several things I would change about the event, but nothing major. I was impressed by the majority of it considering it was their first time.

Of course right after the race I looked at mom & said "you know we have to do this again in 3 1/2 months" She said "is that all"

Well, I guess my rambling is done. If someone would like to teach me how to post pics, I have a bunch of WISH photos I can share.

 

[littlegreydonkey]

hey guys - well I'm finally back in NZ, so here's my report. (it's long!!!)

Got to the CCI about 10pm Thursday night, and was very happy to find cookies in my room. Was determined to save some for tim - yeh right, all six cookies later I'm definitely in carb loading mode. Go to sleep - wake up at 5.30am (1.30pm brain time) and wonder if its too early to call Nancy re meeting! Decide it is so go to 7-11 and buy Frito Lays and bananas (because chip shaped potato is not a vegetable).

9.00am - check foot! for those not around for the pre race blister chat, I had a small blister which turned into a large, very painful blister. By Friday I could no longer put weight on it, and had to tape and pad my whole foot just to get round the expo! I then headed out to the expo - met Diane (and the Pal Mickeys) then used my 'expo experience' to get my number, chip, t shirt and goodies in 20 minutes flat!! Which then meant, an hour and a bit of wandering round DTD on the foot (very clever helen) until I met Nancy. I liked the sparkly T shirts, but was disappointed they didn't have any 'marathon characters' for this one - I've got a running Donald and a running Mickey, the last two times, but I did get my pin. Met Nancy for a drink, with an added bonus of Pat and Jim. Then went back to hotel to wait for Tim (Shhh, dont tell him about the cookies!), He arrived about 5pm and went to DL for the fireworks.

Saturday: Dis meet- foot is still taped up, was great to see everyone, even though I did spend much of it sitting on the wall and we did scarper before eating. Not being anti-social, just in pain! Tried to go to ESPN for dinner, but queue was scary so hopped in car and went to Red Lobster - shrimp pasta, v good pre race food!! In bed by 8.30pm

Sunday 4am: Yeh, I made it to walk up the road with Cam, Pat etc - then went to sit down and eat my breakfast, read the paper etc - note to Wishers, if you ever want to find Helen before a race, look to the floor!!! I was in Corral B and I could see April, but I was sitting (again) on the kerb and although I kept waving she never quite saw me. Even in Corall B couldn't see any of the characters, until we crossed teh start line when I managed to hi-5 Minnie. I ran the first 4 miles in 48 minutes, and took loads of pictures - then the real race began.

That was the difference between DL and WDW for me, this one felt like a real half marathon - long and a bit boring - so I just plugged in the ipod and sang my way round. I was running 10 minute miles for the next 3-4 miles, then slowed down a bit - by now the foot had stopped hurting (ibuprofen and endorphins) so all was good. I walked briefly at mile 11.5, until I saw cheerleaders, screaming 'go tigger' - I was wearing my particularly fetching orange eared hat - so I had to run again - the finish was great, I got through at 2.29 and there were loads of characters at the end. I got my medal, but the queue for pics was ridiculous, so I decided to head back to the CCI - this was the only bad part for me.

There was one way out, and it crossed the course at the 13 mile marker - how stupid was that, the point when everyone with any energy left starts to run you have people having to cross the course!!!!! I asked a cast member who on earth thought that was a good idea - and he said 'we didn't think there'd be so many people still out here!!!' Hmmm! So 15-20 minutes later, I spinted across - pulling a thigh muscle as I went, went back to the CCI (saw Cam), got changed, put on my medal and went to California Adventure for opening - the cast member checking my ticket was amazed I still had some energy!! In fact, I kept going until 12, then had lunch then picked up my certificate (great idea that). By now the blister has been so firmly flattened, it is no longer an issue - but my legs were agony (have walked an extra 5+ miles by this point so no real wonder there), so alternated between sunbed by the pool and nap time for the rest of the day!

Sooo - all in all, I enjoyed it, but I would like them to switch the course round a bit so you got a few miles in before you hit Disney. Not sure if I'll do it next year - it does fit in quite nicely with my annual work trip to England, but labour day will be manic in the parks so not so sure. We'll seee - Helen

 

[Judy from Boise]

Anyone who needs to learn to post pictures......head over to the technical board, and check out the FAQ stickie thread. You will also need to create an account at the DIS photo gallery unless they allready are hosted somewhere on the net.

Hey Little grey donkey, my DH says he met you at the start when stretching out by the porta potties

 

[lap3]

Judging by all of the reports, it sounds like everyone had a good time...with the exception of a disappointments. Keep in mind that this is DL's "First" 1/2 marathon so it won't be perfect. With each passing event, they'll learn from there mistakes, improve upon them, and make it better each time. If any of the marathon organizers are reading this, here are my suggestions for improving this event for next year:
1) While leaving DL/DCA and coming back through DTD was magical, everything else in between was a bit boring. I think they should have Disney characters spread out at each mile marker. With the amount of characters ever created, they should have enough to cover 13 miles. This would give it a more Disney feel from beginning to end.
2) I don't know about you but I don't remember seeing a water station at the last mile. I almost bonked at the end but what got me through it was all of the cheers from the spectators....thank you!!!
3) I agree that the crossing at mile 13 in between ESPN Zone and Rainforest Cafe could have been planned a bit more differently. I understand that there's just not a lot of room there but they should give this a bit more thought.
4) I didn't get a chance to get to shop through the merchandise store at the expo because of all of the lines and my kids getting antsy with just waiting around. I think this should be larger utilizing more of the available space at the expo.

Again, I fully understand that this is DL's first 1/2 marathon and there will be glitches discovered along the way. All in all, we had a great time and we'll be back next year...I'm sure it'll be even better then!

BTW, when's everyone's next race? I just did a sprint triathlon this morning for my last race of the year. I'm thinking of doing the WDW triathlon next year. We'll see, though...

 

[wfloyd]

Finally got most of it written.

4:00 came really early but I got up and got ready for everything. I headed out about 15 minutes later and started the walk to the race line. I saw some Wishers on the way but was behind them and never caught up to them. I passed Mile 13 on the way and saw where the finish line was. There was a large Mickey balloon that would be elevated after everything started.

I went to the start area and watched the Green Army Men have fun with the crowd. They found one grandmother who was wearing a green warm up suit and called out Hi Mom. She was properly embarrassed but did get her picture taken with them. The announcer played some dance tunes to get everyone warmed up since it was a little chilly outside this morning. Around 5:10, they started sending us to the start corrals. I made a quick rest stop and went off to find where I was going to start.

Several minutes and several statistics later, we got started. Some of the stats that I remember; all but 2 counties in California were represented, 62% of runners were female, there were several countries represented, the oldest runner is 81. The announcer also said that during the Diaper Dash the day before, one of the kids decided to take a nap in the middle of the run. They sung the National Anthem and then it was time to get started. We counted down for the wheelchairs and sent them off a couple of minutes early. Then we had our countdown and started off. They had the monorail out over the start line with some characters in it. Mickey and Minnie were there to start us off and I headed out. It took me about 3 minutes to cross the start line and there were only 2500-3000 people in front of me. I think there were about 2500 people per corral from looking at different race numbers. One lady wound up falling down close to the start and some runners were trying to keep her from being trampled.

One thing I noticed, in my area everyone starts out running. I wound up running the first half mile before I was able to start walking. We started out in California Adventure and headed through a back entrance. We went through Paradise Pier and then headed by Grizzly Bear Rapids. On the way we saw Flik, Atta, McQueen, Mater, Incredibles, Koda and Kenai. Then we headed by the side of Soarin to get out of the park. Disneyland was next and we entered through the main gates. We headed out and turned right after we got on main street. We went backstage for a little bit and wound up in Tomorrowland. From there we headed to Fantasyland and the castle. I ran through castle and tried to get in a picture this time. We then headed to Frontier land and then to Adventureland before heading back to Main Street. In this park I saw, Buzz, the fairies, Aurora and Prince Phillip, Buzz, Woody, Pirates, Jack Sparrow and Donald, Goofy, Chip and Dale in running outfits. The mile markers were just balloon towers and didn’t have the sayings that they do at Disney World. I got the first three and then stopped until Mile 10 which was a little different.

Outside the park, we headed down the tram route and wound up at Mile 4 which was close to the start, just on the other side of the street. This was the beginning of getting out of the Disney area and heading to the Anaheim area. From Mile 4 to about 9 we headed over overpasses, across train tracks, down streets and then back up others. They had marching bands, Marachi dancers, Hula dancers (didn’t get any pictures of these since my camera was put up by that point), cheerleaders and others out cheering everyone on. Just before mile 9 we came up on Arrowhead Pond where the Mighty Ducks play. There were some junior hockey players out banging sticks to cheer us on. Then we headed down the “river” that appears in some movies but it is more like a drainage canal. After this was Angel Stadium. We had to run around the parking lot first but wound up in one of the tunnels leading to the field. We ran around the infield track and had the announcer calling out some names. I actually got my name called out with Palm Bay, Florida announced as well. We ran by home plate and headed out of the stadium. They had a camera to show everyone on the jumbo tron and I made it up there as well.

Mile 10 happened right as we exited the tunnels. The last couple of miles were uneventful and soon we were back on Disney property. We headed back through California Adventure in the Hollywood Backlot area and went out through the side by Soarin again. They had a couple of the monsters out and the Wave Rider band. Out in Downtown Disney there were many spectators and it was almost the home stretch. I passed Mile 13 and was running in. I saw Lynnda and Billy right towards the finish line and went across around 2:30 chip time. This was my main goal so I hit what I wanted which was good since there was one stop and lots of slow times going through the park when I was looking around. The Garmin said I went 13.27 so it evened out through all my zig zagging. I think at one point I was almost .5 miles off.

I got my Mylar and then the Castle medal. I headed out to get a couple of drinks and then stood in line to get pictures. After this I went for more drinks and a little food and headed off to find Lynnda. I got there and after eating a little, we headed back towards the hotel. After navigating Downtown Disney and runners, we made it back and got back to the room. This is where I found out that the 5k and 10 mile split times weren’t posted. The finish was so I figured that was all that mattered. These were later updated so I don’t know what really happened.

All in all I had a great time and wouldn't mind doing it again sometime but I have a feeling that finances will keep me from doing it each year.

Bill

 

[Kristi1357]

This is too funny!

I receive a budget newsletter from another Disney-related website. In this week's edition, there is a story about the DL races. I am in one of their pictures, posing by Lightning McQueen (having my pic taken with my camera by a CM)!

 

[Maherae]

OK, here goes....
We got in on Thursday and went to DL first thing Friday morning. With Haunted Mansion and the Matterhorn closed, we had done Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder, Pirates of the Carribean, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, Small World, Buzz Lightyear,watched a pirate street show and got visited by the talking trash can by eleven! The crowds seem to be coming in right around then. I kept a lookout for green WISH bands, but spied none. I figured everyone was probably in DCA. We stopped at Innoventions and played, then stayed to see the ASIMO show. By then it was lunchtime, so we headed to DTD. VERY disappointed to see that the "outdoor seating" at Napolini's was 2 tables!

Finally got to go to the Expo to get our goodie bags and numbers!!! I had forgotten about speakers being at the Expo, until I saw the sign with the list of who would be there. JOHN BINGHAM would be there in an hour!! AND JENNY HADFIELD was also there!!! No way was I going anywhere until I heard them! Fortunately, it would probably take me that long to get through the merchandise line! There were only about 5 people listening to the speakers. We sat down when Kim Jones was speaking. Yes, the Kim Jones that won the Women's division! We just thought that she was an interesting speaker! Danny Dreyer spoke next. He's the author of Chi Walking and Chi Running. Another very interesting speaker. by now, the crowd is getting a bit bigger. And then, there he was...THE PENGUIN!!

After John and Jenny spoke, a cute 10-12 year old boy came up and asked me if I was a WISHer! I was so shocked and surprised (even though I had made sure to keep my wristband in clear view!). I asked who his parents were, but before he could answer, I saw CAM!! and HOWARD!! so this must be..ANDREW!!! My first WISHers in DL!!

After all of THAT excitement, it was time for Howard and Cam's reservations at Goofy's Kitchen..and they graciously invited us to join them..THANKS, CAM, HOWARD, AND ANDREW!! Andrew is every bit as neat a kid as you would think he would be! How could he not be with Howard and Cam as his parents?

We left our WISH friends and tried to hit DCA. It was almost closing time, so we had to choose between Soarin' and Monsters, Inc. Since Monsters Inc. isn't in WDW, we decided to do that. Did run over to look at the Boardwalk at night...gorgeous!!

When DCA closes, everyone heads over to DL, oh, my!!! DH wanted to ride the train around, so we got on board at Main Street. We got to talking about the Tikki Birds show and how it didn't have the "Under New Management" sign on it. Hmmm, maybe we should go try and see it. Got off at the next stop and tried to dash over to the Tikki Birds. There was no "dashing" as the Fantasmic show was going on and, of course, every thing was crowded. Finally made it there, only to find out that they didn't have shows during Fantasmic or the fireworks! Fought our way back through the crowd, got back on the train and then got stuck right where the fireworks were being shot off! Couldn't see them, though, unless we got off of the train, and that was a no-no! What a riot!!

Saturday was left open to rest and visit with DH's aunt and cousins; until the WISH meet at 4! It was so great to see everyone at Napolini's! What a great group showed up!! Even Icesk8tingJen, who is a moderator for the DL thread, came! Dana WAS there..I'm so sorry we didn't get you in the picture!! Sorry, too, about the shadows!

 

[littlegreydonkey]

Bill - you were a minute behind me, did you see a girl in a tigger hat at any point, if so, I'm who you were chasing!!! And Anne, I like that picture - not only do I have a tree hiding my face, I look thinner than in any of my pics!!!!!! Helen

 

[Maherae]

It's finally THE DAY!!! We actually got about 6 hours of sleep. I told you that I learned my lesson about trying to do miles on limited sleep! We had no problems driving to DL. The only hold up was when we picked the wrong lane to enter the parking lot...but we got in. I thought it was so wrong that we had to pay for parking. We got a voucher for parking at the Minnie 15K. Do they give vouchers for parking at the marathon weekend?

We made our way to the parking lot where the big bright lights were, hoping someone could give us directions after that. right before we entered that area, though, there were porta-potties, WITH NO LINES, so we took advantage. Once inside the parking lot area, there were porta-potties with people 6 deep! We stumbled around, saw Howard and Cam (stretching!), Pirate Paul, and beentherealot Jeff. Those WISH shirts are just great for finding people!! I don't even remember how we found our way to corral E, but once there, we managed to get up to the front. Hey, I need all of the seconds I can get! When I found out we still had 45 minutes to the start, I sat down. Legs all around me, I didn't care. I just knew that I needed to let my legs have all the rest they could get!

Others have talked about how the start was, which was a good thing, as we only got to hear it. I wasn't able to see a clock at the start to know what my difference was and that kindof bothered me, but I set off at my usual pace. I felt like a stone in a riverbed, with everyone flowing all around me to pass! When we came up to enter into DCA, there was a gate across the parking lot and a rather small opening for the runners to enter. Maybe that was just because we were the last bunch, but I thought that was bad planning. Around the corner and then there we were!

Lots of characters in both parks, but few with "handlers" to take your picture. I took a lot of "walk by" shots which resulted in not optimal pictures. Just couldn't convince myself to stop! Saw Pat's DH and Racheal, and got passed by Heather. We were through DCA so quickly, then across to DL. Another tight spot in Tomorrowland for a crowd to fit through, but then on to the castle. I honestly didn't know I was in the castle until I was through it! I had to try and take pictures by putting the camera above my head and aiming backwards! Through Frontierland,down Main Street and out onto the tram road.

This is what greeted us just as we turned onto Ball Rd:

Not too bad, but I heard some complaints! Through the streets of Anaheim, where it was Kristi's turn to pass me, then onto the dirt path of the Santa Ana River Trail where Tiffj passed by!

Caught up to Diane just as we saw the "Big A" straight ahead!

 

[Maherae]

It was so neat to run through the tunnel and then out into the lights of the standium! I heard from people trying to find themselves on the Jumbotron ,"Get behind that bright green shirt, then we'll know where we are!" I'm always glad to help others!!! Coming out of the stadium this was the scene:

Those dreaded SWEEPER BUSES!! The girl is laughing because I'm yelling, "Bye, bye! You aren't gonna get me today!" But now I'm sad that that was where Chester and Tracy got picked up! OK, now this is probably weird (especially if you think it's weird that I memorized the course!), but I wrote the sweeper points and times in black marker on the inside of my arm!!! (reminded me of Chirsta, MelR, and Lynne with their triathalon numbers!)

Back onto the streets where I caught up with Tiffj, and then into DCA for the final leg. These guys greeted us:

as well as this:

and then out of DCA and into DTD and...THERE IT WAS!!!

<<Note the child pushing his mother(?) to the finish line!>>​

I actually got to cross the finish with Tiffj, and we high fived!! Thanks, Tiffany!! DH was there waiting for me, so we could get our medals together. He had crossed 20 minutes earlier! But what a weird set up! Once you crossed the finish line, get a mylar blanket thrown at you, walk to get your chip cut off, and walk some more to get your medal! It didn't matter, so long as I got one!! I couldn't get over how great I felt. Such a drastic difference from tha last two events! I guess that's what training is all about!! I had decided no matter what, that we would get our pictures taken with the background/characters, so we hopped in the line with the inaugural background. Pat, her DH, and Rachael were just about to get their picture done as I went in search of cold water for us. Heather and her mom saw us, that was so great. She is a speedy!! There was still water, bagels, oranges and bananas left as well as fruit cups(?). I was surprised that there was still stuff left! We must have stood in line for a good 45 minutes before we got our picture done. The CM's kept trying to get those in our line to go to other photographers that had no one, but we would tell them,"They don't have this background!" So, we got our picture, but missed saying goodbye to everyone! We did head over to the "W" tent, but everyone was gone. There were still people in line for the chair massages, so we headed over there. We stood in line for just a bit, before deciding we weren't going to wait. We did meet someone in line who got swept at the 1 mile point. She said that they took her and let her run through the parks, before taking her to the finish line. She wasn't upset, because she got engaged afterwards!

I look at my castle medal everyday and marvel that I actually walked 13.1 miles and felt good at the end of it! I have ALL of you to thank! All of your comments and advice to others, as well as to me, have been invaluable. That's why I go so nuts when I actually get to see you!!

When I think of struggling with walking an 18 minute mile in January to completing a 1/2 marathon in under 16 (chip says 15:27 for 13.1, Garmin says 14:51 for 13.67), feeling great, and able to take pictures...I am amazed. Thank you, thank you, thank you, John Bingham, my DH, and you, my WISH friends!!! Anne

 

[DianeL]

Anne!!! Excellent photos and report!!!

You have my back in DCA heading towards Screamin' and again on Main Street. Way kewl!!! But it wasn't me at the "A" sign. You were ahead of me from 6 or 7 on. Was it Tiff?

Heather was with you backstage after entering the DL Park and I joined you two about halfway backstage then "Speedy" took off again leaving us to leapfrog. Anne would get ahead of me and that would motivate me to catch up but around Mile 6 or 7 (I think! My memory took a mini vacation at certain points! LOL) I was just happy to keep her in sight.

How kewl that you got that picture the "Animated Runners" sign in DCA. I didn't even see that. How neat that they did it. I loved the sign at the stadium wishing us all Good Luck from the Angels. How kewl is that?

I remember the Bell guys from the Tower, one was able to catch and read my bib # to cheer me on by name. It's amazing how that simple touch just gives you a boost.

Loved the photos!!! Maybe we need those spy cameras in a set of glasses? Then we can keep walking and press a button or have it set to take a photo every few minutes LOL I had Clif Bloks and I wasn't slowing down to eat one of those let alone take a pic. In 2005 I took my camera and after that (the year I was swept) I decided that until I get MUCH faster I wasn't carrying the weight to be tempted to slow down. So that is also a motivator for me. Someday I want a photo with a character during a race so until then I need to get faster That or invest in a pair of those spy camera glasses Secret Agent Half Marathoner (cue the Mission Impossible music)

 

[keenercam]

WOW! I am LOVING everyone's race reports and pix.

And, Anne, you are SUCH a darling for emailing me pix from Goofy's and that one of me stretching before the race. Your energy and enthusiasm were such an amazing part of my race weekend. Thank you!!!! You and Robert were so wonderful to spend time with us Friday night and I LOVE the pix you took of John and Coach Jenny! I am sure I have some good ones of you on my camera, but have been intimidated at the prospect of making my way through over 400 pix and decide which 300 will end up in our new photo album.

I did walk for quite awhile with Cam. And Cam, you know what? You helped me too! I know you don't think so, but right before I saw you up ahead, I was getting pretty tired and was kicking myself for also doing the 5k the day before. I made myself run to catch up with you! Then I talked your ear off, forgetting how tired I was.

Kristi – This was so sweet of you! Thanks, hon! I am sooo glad you had such a great result for your first ½! Looking forward to doing many more events together as part of this awesome WISH team!

Tiff – We had SUCH a great time hanging out with you and your mom. You guys made Andrew feel so special and part of the team, too, which meant so much to me. Thank you for sharing our first visit to DL and not laughing when I got all giddy and teary walking into the park and under the tunnel. We will always think of you and your mom when we think of our exciting first visit to DL!

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

I am so loving all the reports and pics everyone has placed up. I feel the excitement.

 

[KeenHo]

Bib #4077 | WILMINGTON, DE - USA | Age 43 | M
START 5K 10 Mile FINISH
6:02:00 AM PST 28:43 1:35:19 2:07:16

TIME Chip Time: 2:07:16 Clock: 2:10:28 Pace: 9:42
Placement Overall: 2090 Gender: 1317 Division: 223

I had an awesome time meeting everyone, some for the second time. Had I known that I was ony a minute (+/-) behind Matt, I'd have sped up. Matt - you need to wear a WISH shirt next time!!!

I echo many of the comments about the course being narrow in spots (corrals, water stops, etc.) congestion was a factor from my starting position in the front of Corral B. Another big negative in my book is that once the race had begun, the staff didn't remove the crowd control gates/fences from between Corral A and B. Runners pushing forward had to shimmy and wiggle through until someone turned then a bit sideways to allow folks through. I think they were removed a bit later. That could have been very dangerous.

Overall I did well, I beat my WDW Half time by 7 minutes. Of course this time I wasn't carring around a stent in my kindey. During this race I didn't stop, didn't walk and didn't take any potty breaks. Despite this, I did not beat my Caesar Rodney Half-Marathon time (from March '06) which was 1:59:33.

Looking back it was a great trip, great family time and memorable.

Overall this year I've ran in the following events:

WDW Half-Marathon January 7, 2006 13.1 Miles 2:14:56 10:17
Caesar Rodney Half March 12, 2006 13.1 Miles 1:59:33 9:08
Delaware Marathon May 21, 2006 26.2 Miles 4:41:03 10:44
Spring Lake 5 May 27, 2006 5 Miles 44:18 8:52
21st Annual Firecracker July 4, 2006 5K 26:10 8:27
Lance Armstrong Foundation July 6, 2006 5K 26:56 8:41
4th Kahunaville/Blood Bank July 22, 2006 5K 26:00 8:24
Disneyland Half September 17, 2006 13.1 Miles 2:07:16 9:42

Looking back, it's a great accomplishment for just nine months of time.

Good Luck training for your next race. I'll see everyone in WDW for the Half and Full. As it says below... I'm goin' Goofy!



Howard

 

[TiffJ]

Awe Cam! We had a fabulous time with you guys!!!! Andrew is an awesome kid! I wish he was coming in Jan so he could hang out with Parker. They are alot alike.

Howard-great job on the time! You've been busy this year

It is so neat to share all this with such a great group of people. It makes it that much more memorable