We Made it- 13.1!

I completed the Disney World 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) today with my sister-in-law Amber Cullum. We finished in 2 hours 31 minutes.

We drove to Orlando on Friday afternoon and got our race numbers and t-shirt and timing chip at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Kyle's parents, Sam and Amber with their 9 month old son Bennett, and Kyle, I and the kids stayed at a hotel in Orlando for the night.

Sam, Amber and I woke up at 3:45 a.m. to get ready. Sam was our chauffeur driving us to the race with the intention of going back to the hotel and coming to spectate with the rest of the family. Traffic was so backed up trying to enter the park that Amber and I got out of the car earlier than we had planned. We ended up crossing a wet drainage ditch and getting our shoes and socks wet, but we were able to use the bathroom a few times before we arrived at our starting corral just as they were singing "The Star Spangled Banner".

The official start of the race was 5:35 a.m. We were in the 5th starting wave so we started about 6:00 a.m. With each start Disney put off a fireworks and Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy cheered the runners on in their own running suits. 27,000 plus people were in the race. The entire race was a "sea" of people.

Some highlights of the race were:

- We saw Sam at the 1.5 mile. He has gotten stuck in traffic and wasn't able to leave the park.
- High School bands played in the start and finish where it was only woods and road.
- Running through through Magic Kingdom on Main Street and through the Castle.
- seeing all the Disney characters throughout the race (runners would stop and stand in lined to get their picture taken- we didn't)
- passing Al Roker from the Today Show. He and Meredith Vieira were running the race. We passed Al about mile 7 I think.
- walking times...we ran 10 minutes and walked 1 minute throughout the race. I needed the walking portions especially at the end.
-doing the race with Amber. I am happy she invited me to come. I never had run more than 3 miles that I can remember before the training. It is something I couldn't have done alone. It really helps to run with another person.
- seeing so many people running. Disney's Marathon was not cheap, but it is nice to see that it does motivate so many people to be healthy.
- FINISHING...I become overwhelmed with emotion and started to cry a bit. I couldn't believe I had finished. My legs were aching since about mile 8, so those last 5 miles were really hard.

The rest of the family never got to join us. Too many roads were closed and there were not that many places where family and friends could view the runners. Instead they stayed behind at the hotel and explored the area there. Sam was able to see us again at the 12 mile and finish.

Unless you are a HUGE Disney fan, which I am not, I wouldn't suggest ever doing the Disney Marathon mostly due to the cost and the really early start. However, I would suggest trying to do a 1/2 marathon especially with a friend or relative. It feels good to accomplish something you never thought you could do.

Sam has a few pictures I will post when I get them.