Marathon Weekend 2021

[brent02139]

I'm Brent, 43 y/o, a manager in a medical device company, living in Cambridge, MA with my wife and two young kids(DD5 and DS1). I've been running since I was 15, never was blazingly fast, but built tough like a Clydesdale. Only been injured a handful of times. After 10 years of putting running on the back burner because of work/school/kids, my wife and I have new goals of running the Disney Marathon in 2021. Slowly converting my wife to becoming a Disney fan with the help of my DD5. My wife's goal is to finish her first marathon and my goal is to BQ again. My other hobbies are photography, traveling, and video games. Oh, also running marathons while dressing up as videogame characters.

 

[chantaldb]

I’m John, a financial controller living in Dubai. I’m an endurance sports enthusiast, dog agility judge and exhibitor, and a scuba dive master. I’m also a wine lover & craft beer fan, though sadly good versions of both are hard to come by over here. I’m not as cool as @rteetz and only have one Twitter & Instagram account - @jmsenger

Just catching up on reading thread, and bit late for the SAFD roll call. But this caught my eye. DH, DD and myself will very likely celebrate NYE 20/21 in Dubai - at the JBH. And yes that's the week before the WDW marathon 2021! Still undecided if I will fly to Orlando directly from Dubai, or fly to the Netherlands and spend a night or two at home and then fly on.

 

[FFigawi]

Just catching up on reading thread, and bit late for the SAFD roll call. But this caught my eye. DH, DD and myself will very likely celebrate NYE 20/21 in Dubai - at the JBH. And yes that's the week before the WDW marathon 2021! Still undecided if I will fly to Orlando directly from Dubai, or fly to the Netherlands and spend a night or two at home and then fly on.

We used to live in the Hilton on Jumeirah Beach. Their skybar has a wonderful view of the JBR fireworks. For getting to marathon weekend, I'd take the direct flight on Emirates. Less hassle, great airline, and gets you to Orlando with more time to get over jet lag. The flight leaves at a terrible time (3am), though thankfully gets to Orlando around 10am. You can easily be at Disney by noon.

 

[PrincessMickey]

I’m Sarah! I live in Colorado. I’m a happily divorced mom with 2 boys, 14 and 16
I have been dating someone for a few years now, semi long distance and it will stay that way for 2-3 more years so we just make do for now until we can finally be closer to each other.

I didn’t start running until 3 years ago. I ran my first half at MW 2018. First full as part of Dopey 2019. Skipped this year to save money. Definitely in for wine and dine. Undecided for marathon weekend yet, I was really missing it this year so we’ll see how the vacation days play out. Too many races, not enough time...or money.

I’m not a gym person so all my runs are outside, snow or sun. I also try to do the mini incline at a park (200 stairs up, stairs or trail back down) once a week or so and the big incline in Manitou Springs at least once a year. I might try to add biking this summer too.

In my limited spare time my favorite outdoors hobbies are hiking, paddle board, camping. Indoor hobbies are reading sewing, knit and crocheting.

 

[chantaldb]

[... I'd take the direct flight on Emirates. Less hassle, great airline, and gets you to Orlando with more time to get over jet lag. The flight leaves at a terrible time (3am), though thankfully gets to Orlando around 10am. You can easily be at Disney by noon.

Agree on Emirates! Usually we travel on Emirates to DXB. I guess they run the A380 on that flight? It'll depend on the price as well, flights at the end of the year are at a premium and this would be a multicity trip. And there's the logistics of my luggage of course.....my Disney running gear will be of little use for the NYE gala and my high heels and "dress to impress" might be overkill for the marathon .

 

[philliab]

Hi! I'm finally coming out of lurkdom to join the fun.

SAFD: My name is Mandy. I grew up in Virginia but now live in Idaho with my DH, corgi, and 2 horses. Mostly my hobbies revolve around being active and in the sunshine...ie. I'm either at the barn, running, lifting, or out with the DH and pup.

Thanks to Disney (and my husband's offhanded comment 15 years ago about wanting to run the WDW Marathon), I'm a runner and thrilled to find a community that is so supportive. Let's just say it's a breath of fresh air compared to the competitive world of horse shows. lol

Looking forward to getting to know y'all and talking RunDisney!

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

This is a lot of fun getting to know some of y'all better! I'm Jenny. I grew up in Northern CA, went to college in Idaho, and since getting married 16 years ago, we have lived in Idaho, Arizona, California, Virginia, and now Utah (west of Salt Lake City). We have 3 kids: DS14, DS11, DD8. I mostly stay at home with the kids, but also work very part time at the elementary school. We have a cute little fluff ball, a bichon frise named Luna Lovegood. We had to say goodbye to our amazing black lab Maverick about a year ago when he was almost 15 I ran my first runDisney race in 2016 and have tried to do one weekend a year since. Hobbies include running, going to the movies, watching sports, going to see musicals, reading, and all things pop culture I also love planning trips whether its to a National Park, a new city, or of course Disney. I'm on instagram as @fueledbycocoa and I put family pics as @jenny.nyholm

 

[LdyStormy76]

I'm Jennifer. I grew up in the west suburbs of Chicago and recently completed a relocation to southern Illinois for DH's new job. In 2016 I was fortunate enough to be able to quit my job to become a docent at Brookfield Zoo; since the move I have mostly been reading and looking for a new house so we can get out of the rental. I'm an introvert so getting settled into the new community is challenging. No kids, but a spoiled 14 1/2 year old Aussie mix; we rescued her 2 1/2 years ago to be a companion to our, now deceased, Beagle mix who is my profile pic. Love to travel and I take decent pictures of everything but people. An odd fact about me is that for a college course I was able to spend 2 weeks cross county skiing/dog sledding in the Minnesota Boundary Waters.

Found the forums in 2017 while planning my first half marathon in January 2018. I had been slowing building mileage so that I could comfortably complete a walking intensive trip in Spain in October 2017 and decided since I would already be at 10 miles having the goal of the half in January would motivate me to keep walking once I returned home. DH has been financing my training and racing ever since.


@Barca33Runner love the first day of work photo. It reminds me of my various first days when my brain would reach the new information overload point.

 

[BigEeyore]

I'm Heather, I live northeast of Atlanta with my DH and our two girls, ages 14 and 10. I met my DH at Georgia Tech (go Jackets!), and then went on to Auburn for vet school (War Eagle!). I ran track in HS, then ran sporadically until after our second daughter was born when I got into triathlons.
My first rD event was Princess half in 2011, and I was hooked! I have done the Disney marathon 5 times, including two Dopeys and two Goofys. I am "perfect" for the SW race weekend at WDW. I try to do at least one triathlon a year (usually a 70.3 race, but I have done one full IM) and really enjoy the cross-training much more than just running all the time.
I am a lifelong Disney addict - my first job was a summer job at Disneyland in Fantasyland food services (it was SO much fun!).
I work part-time as a vet, so that I can take care of our girls. We have 3 dogs (2 goldens and one Cavalier spaniel), and two cats as well.

 

[pwmitch237]

SAFD (or WAFD, just saw this): I'm Patrick. 25. Call Houston home now, but originally from New Orleans. Disney marathon was a bucket list item for me since a little kid, and last year, finally made that dream a reality. Had some medical issues rolling through the training, so never made it past 11 miles, but still started Dopey 2020. Completed the 5K, 10K, Half, and then made it to mile 21 of the marathon after spraining my ankle around Mile 12! Heat, injury, and humidity got to me. However, Dopey was my first 5K, my first 10K, my first Half, my first official races, and my first marathon start. DNF > DNS. And I am proud to say I started.

2 Weeks post Dopey, my ankle finally feels like normal, and hoping to get back out there soon. Running Star Wars 10K & Half in April!

Went to Alabama where I majored in Operations Management, and completed my MBA soon after (Roll Tide), and big Saints fan (Who Dat!). I worked for Alabama Athletics, and can talk sports all day. Love Star Wars (yes, I teared up the first time I walked into Galaxy's Edge), and traveling the world both in life and at Epcot. Been known for crazy travel trips (such as flying half way across the world on 2 day notice).

My twitter/instagram is @patrickmit, and I look forward to being more involved for this MW 2021!

 

[FFigawi]

Agree on Emirates! Usually we travel on Emirates to DXB. I guess they run the A380 on that flight? It'll depend on the price as well, flights at the end of the year are at a premium and this would be a multicity trip. And there's the logistics of my luggage of course.....my Disney running gear will be of little use for the NYE gala and my high heels and "dress to impress" might be overkill for the marathon .

Sadly, no 380 to Orlando. Not enough demand and I'm not sure MCO is equipped to handle one. Bummer, because that's my favorite plane these days. I fly the 380 to Houston regularly and spend most of my time at the bar in the back.

You might be okay on flights. Emirates offers extended layovers of 2-3 days for free. Maybe you can structure your NYE plans into one of those.

 

[Sleepy425]

I'm Lindsey, a dental hygienist in CT. My husband and I have 4 permanent kids (6,6,7,9) and are foster parents (mostly for teenage boys). So I run to get some alone time! My family always went to Disney when I was young, and in Spring 2004 I did the College Program (MK custodial). We have 2 cats, 1 bird, and 1 dog. Unfortunately even at a young age (he's 13 now), my current dog was never a good running partner. He's more of a sprinter than a long distance kind of pup.
I will take any excuse to vacation. I don't care if it is a night in a hotel 15 minutes away just to let the kids swim, or going to visit my best friend at whichever base the military has her family at (currently it's Nebraska - not as boring as I thought it would be!). I just need to always have a multiple nights away scheduled in order to make it through the daily grind.

 

[chantaldb]

So TAFD...I'm Chantal. Born in Belgium, but left that country soon after finishing my studies. Moved to the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg first for work and then to the Netherlands - near The Hague- 22 years ago. Live here with my husband and daughter (18). My first visit to Disney in Florida was somewhere in the late seventies (so only the MK!). In the meantime we've visited all the Disney resorts. Hobbies are travelling (mostly to Asia), and Geocaching. And as for running: I've picked that up again some 4 years ago. Have done the 36k Challenge in Disneyland Paris twice now, and will do so again this year and of course in 2021 for the Castle to Chateau challenge. I've done quite a few half marathons, and finished my first full one last month. Will be running the Frankfurt marathon next October. For 2021 the plans are Dopey (I've booked it already) and hopefully one of the majors. Kind of hoping for the London Marathon actually. I train and run solo, through a typically flat Dutch landscape that includes windmills and cows and usually a lot of wind. Oh yea... no socials except for Strava

 

[Smilelea]

I’m Candace.
- 36 years old
- wife of 10 years
- mother to two boys (7 & 3)
- one cat, Harry Potter 16yo
- one dog, Luna Lovegood 10yo
I’ve worked in the special education department for an AL public school system for 17 years - started as a paraprofessional, then teacher, and now, more on the administration side.
I started running after my first son was born but didn’t stick with it until after the second. I started and restarted the C25k a few times before I kept at it and then moved onto other training plans.

Running is my time. My stress reliever. My first runDisney event was the MW half in 2019. I saw a friend post about a runDisney race and thought it looked like a blast. So I challenged myself to run further than my comfortable 5k distance. I started with the plan to run the 10k. But once I ran one for a POT, I decided I could do more. I had such a blast during the half that I ran a local one a few months later. My next one is W&D with my final goal being my first marathon (and possibly my last) in 2022.

When I have extra time (ha!), I love to read and scrapbook. I also love all things Disney as well as the Wizarding World.
You can follow my running life (mostly all I post about) @smilelearuns. It is private so if I don’t recognize your DB name I probably won’t accept it. You can send me a message and let me know it’s you. I have a personal Instagram but I never post on it. I’m not even sure I remember the password for it.

 

[kirstie101]

Hi all! I’m Kirsten. Im 42 and have a daughter who just turned 13 and my son is 8. I’ve been married coming up on 15 years this June. We have 2 dogs and live just outside Sacramento. Born and raised here. Im a musical theater mom, baseball mom, Cub Scout mom and I guess I’ll be a football mom next fall cause my son wants to give it a try. Our house is SF Giants, Sharks and Niners territory!

Disneyland is my happy place. We were AP holders but we just let them expire to try new things. Marathon weekend was my first WDW trip and I can’t get Animal Kingdom out of my head. We do a lot of camping. I love the coast and hubs loves the mountains so we do both.

my Instagram in Kirstenharp and it’s mostly pics of wine, running, dogs and my kids. Oh yea I love wine. Pretty fond of beer too! And if you wanna throw me something with rum or tequila in it, well I’m game for that too!

 

[StacyStrong]

Alright, so I think my rundisney travel partner and I have made a decision.

We are going to do the 5k, 10k, and Half in 2021. Then we are going to either do dopey or goofy 2022.

A year gives us plenty of time to train, but neither of us have done a marathon before and I haven’t even done a half yet. We COULD be ready in plenty of time, but we see no reason to rush it when this isn’t a one and done trip for us.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Quick question - it seems that the pattern is that WDW Marathon weekend falls the weekend before Martin Luther King, Jr. day.

Past examples:

2018 - Jan 7, MLK following weekend
2019 - Jan 12, MLK following weekend
2020 - Jan 12, MLK following weekend

Stands to reason the WDW Marathons for 2021 and 2022 would fall on Jan 8-10, 2021, and Jan 7-9, 2022, correct?

Thanks!

 

[PCFriar80]

Quick question - it seems that the pattern is that WDW Marathon weekend falls the weekend before Martin Luther King, Jr. day.

Past examples:

2018 - Jan 7, MLK following weekend
2019 - Jan 12, MLK following weekend
2020 - Jan 12, MLK following weekend

Stands to reason the WDW Marathons for 2021 and 2022 would fall on Jan 8-10, 2021, and Jan 7-9, 2022, correct?

Thanks!

Your assumptions are correct!

 

[leholcomb]

SAFD: better late than never!

Hi, I'm Lauren! 31 yo living outside of Nashville, TN. I am a Health and Safety Professional for Royal Canin (parent company, Mars). My boyfriend and I have a terrier mix, Sadie and a newly adopted special needs kitty named Ella. We love to travel and seem to be going somewhere every time we turn around! Do any of you have any great suggestions for where we should go next?

I've been running Disney since Jingle Jungle 5K 2013 with my first half being Princess 2015. I have my eye on Dopey 2021 and cannot be more excited! I'm usually a lurker but want to be more active in the group this go around.

My fitness/running instragram can be found @laurenslossishergain. Hope to see you there!

 

[PrincessMickey]

I was a little bored at work the other day so I started an instagram account for my running journey. Princessrunner1