marathon supporter

[akamaleficent]

i am so very proud of my sister who is training for the half-marathon and we are planning a family trip to support her and my aunt while they run. I would like to know from any runners or supporters if there's anything i can do to make this day special and/or easier on them. any ideas?
thanks.
akamaleficent

 

[PCFriar80]

I'll be running the 1/2 myself for the first time....not to take away from your thunder. What to do to make it special? Give her the wake-up call ......I'll let you determine what time....busses start at 3:00 AM. Give her a little runners
gift pack..... runners hat, power gel, a throw-away long sleeve tee, and a disposable camera. Just some thoughts!!

BTW ...the throw-away tee is to keep her warm before the race starts....Disney donates all discarded garments to charity.

 

[nliedel]

OK as a runner and a triathlete I have som ideas!

A sign is great. Keep it SHORT. You cannot really read a long sign as you run past.

NEVER EVER Tell ANYONE they are "Almost there, keep it up" unless they are within 1 mile of the finish. The marathon does not really begin for most runners until 20 miles. Telling an exhausted person they are "almost there" when in fact they have 6 long miles to go is not a kind thing. Same goes for your Sister's half. Ten miles is a long way, that last 3.1 goes on forever!

Never say "Looking good". The runners know you are a big ole liar! No one looks good after 13.1 miles. "Lookin Strong" is a great thing to yell.

Cheer other runners, not just your family. Some of those runners don't have anyone cheering them. Call out bib numbers or names if they are on shirts as they pass.

Get a Coolmax shirt in her size and put her name on it. It is really great to hear "GO __" and your name. If people can see her name they will call it out. First names only are fine.

If you get a gift pack with Gel be sure and get the type of gel she is used to already. It is NEVER a good idea to try new food on race day. Put Imodium in the gift pack, trust me.

Just let her know how VERY, VERY proud you are of her. This is a huge undertaking. So much more than the single day. It is often life changing for so many people. Months and months of training lead up to a race like that. A Half Marathon is just as hard, in many ways, as a full marathon. She is fantastic!

 

[bama_ed]

I've done the 5k, the 10k, the half and the whole all at DW in four consecutive years. I will tell you what I looked forward to was looking forward to seeing someone I knew at a pre-designated spot! This year they've changed the half course to begin/end at Epcot. There are a couple spots along the course you can get in either multiple viewings of your relatives or a single good one.

First is to see them as they go down Main Street USA in the MK. This is between mile 5-6 so depending on their pace you can reasonably guess when they will come through. When they shoot off the gun at 6 a.m. to start the race it can take up to 10 minutes before you cross the start line so if they do a 10-minutes pace they should go down MS about 7 a.m. (5x10+10). They open MS early to the hub but no further. When I ran I stopped for a quick picture with family then kept going. You can jump the monorail back to Epcot to see them at the finish or drive(?).

Second is the parking lot area out in front of TTC and Poly. Runners will loop through the TTC parking lot on the way to MK (about mile 3-4) and then have to come back up the road by the Grand Floridian and Shades of Green/Poly later. Good thing is you get to see them twice but bad is you probably won't make it back to the finish line in time. Again, estimate the pace. The runners are like ants but if you are looking for someone (and they are looking for you) it is a great pick-me-up.

Third is as the runners go under the road (where the trams go) in front of the TTC you can see the runner there and then hop the monorail back to Epcot and see them at the finish line.

Fourth, if you can't get in the MK you can ride the monorail to the Contemp at mile 5 go out to the road in front (on the MK side) and cheer the runners on as they go under the water way and up the hill to the MK.

Don't stop on the road on the way back & forth betweeen the toll booths to MK and the Epcot road. It's about 4 lanes in each direction, trafficy, cars blowing horns, and windy.

It's great fun, great to finish, but I didn't feel like my family had to be there at the finish. It is fun to find them at their appointed place along the course where I expected them. That's the main thing. Thanks for supporting them!

Bama ED

 

[bama_ed]

Reread original post and thought of a few more things.

I'm a guy and I am low maintenance so I don't want gifts/wake-up calls/froo-froo stuff. What I want is a nice carbo-load pasta dinner the night before about 5 p.m. and I want to be in bed by 7 p.m.. Shhhhhhh.....quiet....... marathoner sleeping! Keep the phone calls, the noise, the well wishes away when it is bedtime. And thanks for the thought but your runners will be pretty wound up anyway so try to keep things and them low key. I was so excited I was up at 3 a.m. early. The buses are the best way for the runners to get to the start.

Have your runners wear something distinctive to help you find them. A tie dye shirt, a yellow bandana around their head, SOMETHING. If they wear a white shirt with black or read shorts (any color combo) they will look like the other 18,000 people running that morning........

Now on the evening after the run everybody wore their half- or whole- medals to dinner around WDW and we congratulated each other and compared victoryies. It was a huge brother/sisterhood that night. I admit I felt silly wearing it leaving the room but I had seen a few others doing so as I was getting ready for dinner that night. Your runners may want a nap that afternoon after the race but they will want to party all night afterward!

Bama ED

 

[Deb & Bill]

Go to the Expo and order them a frame to put their medal and a photo in (if you expect that she will finish the race). They have all sorts of finisher stuff to buy. We got the poster made out of tiny photos the first time my husband ran and I framed it. We searched all over it to find his pictures. You have to pay ahead of time to have the runner's picture included in the poster.

 

[mckymama]

I read the post about the wake-up call. If she's going to be on-site, make sure she orders the wake-up call from the hotel. I will NEVER forget my 3 a.m. call that morning of my first marathon. It was Mickey Mouse, telling me to "rise and shine." Whatever you do, don't ask her what took so long. I know you wouldn't do that. However, my 5 y.o. had to wait at the finish line for me for a very long time. Imagine his frustration, standing outside the MK, in the parking lot, waiting for me. As I crossed the finish line, tears streaming down my face, he looked up at me and asked "What TOOK you so long?" Good luck to your sister. She will have a wonderful time.

 

[akamaleficent]

thank you so much for all of your responses. we are so excited about this trip and knowing we have such a great disney family in the DISers is a wonderful feeling.

 

[Kristi1357]

I don't know how much, if any, money you want to spend. But they offer a marathon/sports massage at the WDW spas. I always mean to book this for DH every year, and every year, I forget!

Better call about that one now - while I am thinking about it!