A One-Time Only Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge Trip Report

Hey everyone! I am back from a trip to WDW to partake in Marathon Weekend and more specifically to take on the Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge! This trip did not go entirely how I thought it would but it is over now and its time for a recap. My pictures especially for the races are a little lacking from my last marathon report. I just wasn't feeling it this trip. Cast of characters is just me (Kristy) and husband Dan.

Here is a link to my pre-trip report if you are interested in the backround - http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/goofy-challenge-pre-trip-report.857764/


The days leading up to this trip were very stressful. The Thursday before we left our gas furnace died. Luckily we have a fireplace and were able to keep warm with that and space heaters. We needed to get estimates and have it installed in less than a week. I didn't want my friend who was staying to take care of our animals to have to worry about keeping a fire going. Funds are stretched here already and a new furnace was not in the budget. Ugh. We had the new furnace installed on Wednesday and we left on Thursday morning. Talk about cutting it close! Along with having a furnace installed, my husband calls me on Wed while I am at work and tells me that our one horse is sick again. He had an issue in the past, which we thought had been dealt with and it resurfaced the day before we leave. STRESS, STRESS, STRESS! Call in to the vet but it is after hours by now. It is not a life-threatening issue but one that I don't want to be unattended to while we are gone. Needless to say, I was having second thoughts about this trip with all the problems we have been having.

We left our house around 3:45 am and arrived at our off-site airport parking about an hour later. We had a 6:30 flight out of Philly. We found a great parking service that will take you to the airport in your own car, drop you off and then pick you up in your own car when you come back. For an extra fee, at pickup, you can leave straight from the airport and they will get a ride back to the lot. Very convenient!

We finally arrived for the flight and there were a lot of other runners on this flight as well. We were all pretty quiet due to the early hour I think. In no time, we were boarding and then waiting to taxi.

I was still pretty stressed having not heard from the vet yet. I just didn't have the normal Disney excitement. I tried to sit back and enjoy the ride. We did have a beautiful sunrise!

Soon we were passing over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel system. Looks neat from the air.

Starting to descend into the Orlando area, I see the Port Canaveral area! Kind of need another cruise! (at least I think it might be Port Canaveral)

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Yay! Another running report! I'm still in awe at those of you who do multiple races in one weekend!
Your pictures are gorgeous. Well, not when you're running with a point and shoot, but whose would be?
I'm sorry you were sick! I hope you made it okay!

 

[Kristia]

Yay! Another running report! I'm still in awe at those of you who do multiple races in one weekend!
Your pictures are gorgeous. Well, not when you're running with a point and shoot, but whose would be?
I'm sorry you were sick! I hope you made it okay!

Thanks for reading! It was definitely a tough weekend to say the least! I actually saw a guy running the marathon with a Canon DSLR. I don't know how he did it! Carrying mine in the parks sometimes wears on me, let alone running a marathon. No way! Working on the next installment now!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Thanks for reading! It was definitely a tough weekend to say the least! I actually saw a guy running the marathon with a Canon DSLR. I don't know how he did it! Carrying mine in the parks sometimes wears on me, let alone running a marathon. No way! Working on the next installment now!

I agree! No way I could carry my real camera and run at the same time!

 

[Kristia]

So after starting, we reach Mile 1. According to my Garmin, it took us nearly 16 min to reach that. I am guessing it must have been because it was so crowded!

Our next mile wasn't too bad a 12:49 pace. This mile they had some nice kites just like the half.

Unfortunately, my stomach was not feeling great either so I had to stop at the next potty stop. Just my luck, at the next stop there were only two portapots and quite a line! We ended up waiting here for over 10 minutes. I was starting to panic a little while we were standing in line and I started seeing people from G corral going past us. So much for a little headstart in C corral. Sigh.

We past the pirates which were out in the same place as for the half. Luckily we got a pic yesterday so we didn't need a repeat. I was able to snap a pic of the MK gates as we ran through. Runners watch the speed bump!

Close to the MK toll gates was Mile 3. Ugh. That mile took us about 24 minutes! I haven't really looked at the times on the mile markers. I am going by my Garmin numbers which may vary a little from the markers.

Not a great picture, but shortly after mile 3, Jack and Sally were out for photo ops. The line was super long and I had wasted so much time already we decided to keep going.

And there is mile 4. I wish I could say the miles were flying by for me but they weren't.
Our pace wasn't too horrible at 13 min for 4.

At Mile 5, we began to enter the MK. I remember seeing this mile marker and wondering how I was going to do this today. I was feeling pretty crappy and I had more than a brief thought that maybe I should throw in the towel.

E also got our 5 mile split time here: 1:21:44 with pace of 16:21. Horrible! I know I must have really been feeling bad because I have absolutely no pictures inside the MK except for the mile markers. No Main Street, no characters, no castle. Bummer. I know my stomach started bugging me and I had a pit stop in Tomorrowland. At least the line wasn't as long as the portopots and it was a real bathroom! I felt bad that I was slowing Dan down but he didn't seem to mind and always waited for me.

Mile 6 was in Frontierland.

Mile 7 was close to the Grand Floridian. This area really bottlenecked just like on Half Marathon day. They shut one lane for us and had cars traveling toward us in the other lane. Dan made a comment about look at those suckers in cars...he got some laughs with that one! Close to the GF there was a Mears bus parked off the road. I overheard an older couple that were done with the race. I think the husband couldn't go on anymore. I am not sure what the problem was. They were hoping that the bus was a sweeper bus and they could get on. Not sure if it was or not.

Just like yesterday, Mary Poppins, Bert and a penquin were out for photo ops. We passed them by trying to make up some time.

Going past the golf courses was beautiful! There were hot air balloons out and it was just a wonderful scene. Almost made me forget I felt crappy!

 

[Ariel484]

Ugh. I hate that you were having such a rough time. I really admire you for pushing through...I am not sure I would have made it if it were me!

Love that picture of the golf course and balloons...very pretty.

 

[dreamfinder]

Sucks you weren't feeling good.

 

[Kristia]

Oops! Forgot to post my Mile 7 marker. We actually hit Mile 7 just before the golf course.

Mile 8 was just after the Polynesian. Miles 7 and 8 were about 13 minutes each, so we were making slightly better time than some of the previous miles!

After Mile 8, we headed onto the WDW Speedway. The entrance to the speedway was quite treacherous! We had to go down an incline that was steep and pretty narrow. Luckily most people walked it. I know I couldn't have run down that without wiping out! It was pretty neat to run on the track. We stayed on the innermost side, so the banking wasn't too bad. There were classic cars lined up along the the track. There were a ton of cars! In 2011, there were a handful of cars outside of the TTC but there were many more this time. Dan said he wanted to stop and just admire the cars, but there was no time for that! I think I was feeling a little better during this portion because I took more pics. One problem with this area is that it is REALLY sunny. There is no shade! Luckily it was still early so it wasn't to hot yet.

My new version of a mirror shot.....a shadow shot!

They had some of the Cars characters out.

Boy is that track big! It seemed like we ran forever before we were done. Mile 9 was located on the Speedway. The trip to mile 9 took us a little longer than the previous miles at about 15 min.

We exited the speedway and began the long trek to AK. This is the portion of the race that breaks people! We have 3 miles of highway before we hit a park.

The villians were after Mile 9. This was one that I really wanted to do when I saw the pictures from last year. Yet again, this line was humungous and we didn't have time to spare.

 

[Kristia]

Another villians shot

So we did stop for one character shot! There was only a couple of people in line for these guys.

And then it was Mile 10. I was starting to get hungry now. I had been eating Chomps here and there but by now I was hankering for a banana. I could remember what mile had bananas but I couldn't wait to get there!

We got our 10 mile split time after passing the mile marker. 2:40:37. Pace was 16:04. Geez...still slow. I had long resigned myself to the fact that we wouldn't be beating our 2011 marathon time but I really wanted to finish in under 7 hours. At this rate we wouldn't be able to do it.

These guys were out between Mile 10 and 11.

And then we saw Mile 11. Are we halfway yet? Not yet...

Ahhhhhh!!!! Finally... bananas, heavenly bananas! I was hungry! We took our time eating a banana each and then took a potty stop. Again, there was a line. It was a slow 22 min mile to Mile 12. That's gonna hurt.

We enjoyed the nice aroma of the wastewater treatment plant...EEEWWWW....Stinky! And then we started seeing signs that we were approaching AK.

Elephant housing

Just after this, they had animals and handlers welcoming us to AK. I saw a goat, sheep, and owl, a hawk and a couple other animals.

Backstage Area

The African drummers were out to welcome us to the park.

I didn't get too many pictures in AK. Another bummer. I did manage to get one of Everest!

 

[TakeMeThere81]

Great report so far! Your half marathon went so great! And your pictures are gorgeous! The ones of Epcot at night were so awesome! You and your husband look so fun And that picture of Jesse had me laughing out loud! She definitely does look like she's doing the pee-pee dance!

I'm so sorry you woke up not feeling good on Marathon Day! That is rough! I am still enjoying reading about your journey through the parks and such though. It's funny how you and Shannon touched on some of the same details (crowds at MK and slow-go through castle, glaring sun at speedway, etc).

 

[fmingo36]

Loving the report so far Kristy.
It looks like you had some different characters out for the races this year.
Love the Toy soldier, gingerman, reindeer, elf and the villians photo op!
And I was so bummed that Jack Skellington and Sally weren't out for the Tower of Terror 10K!

Also love Dan's quirky sense of humor--"look at those suckers in cars"

Just a questions for you--do you think the lines for photos were longer during the 1/2 or the full marathon?

 

[Bama14]

After CBJ, we called it a night. On our way out, I bought some water (still had dry, scratchy throat) and some cinnamon sugar glazed almonds for a snack.

I am always the only one in our group that likes the Country Bears, which is funny since I have an extreme hatred for all country/bluegrass sounding music. It's just better when sung by a friendly bear playing the banjo.

 

[Kristia]

Great report so far! Your half marathon went so great! And your pictures are gorgeous! The ones of Epcot at night were so awesome! You and your husband look so fun And that picture of Jesse had me laughing out loud! She definitely does look like she's doing the pee-pee dance!

I'm so sorry you woke up not feeling good on Marathon Day! That is rough! I am still enjoying reading about your journey through the parks and such though. It's funny how you and Shannon touched on some of the same details (crowds at MK and slow-go through castle, glaring sun at speedway, etc).

Thank you! I love Epcot at night! Yeah, marathon day was tough! I am hoping to finish the race portion today or tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

 

[Kristia]

I am always the only one in our group that likes the Country Bears, which is funny since I have an extreme hatred for all country/bluegrass sounding music. It's just better when sung by a friendly bear playing the banjo.

At least when we go in August, I will have another person who truly appreciates it! My sis likes it and hopefully we can convert her daughter (who is only 4, so that shouldn't be too hard)!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Awesome shadow picture. Awesome.

 

[Kristia]

Awesome shadow picture. Awesome.

Thank you!

 

[Kristia]

Loving the report so far Kristy.
It looks like you had some different characters out for the races this year.
Love the Toy soldier, gingerman, reindeer, elf and the villians photo op!
And I was so bummed that Jack Skellington and Sally weren't out for the Tower of Terror 10K!

Also love Dan's quirky sense of humor--"look at those suckers in cars"

Just a questions for you--do you think the lines for photos were longer during the 1/2 or the full marathon?

I think they may have been slightly longer during the half except for the super special characters like the villans and regal Mickey and Minnie but they were still pretty long. They didn't seem to move quite as fast as I remember too. I think Shannon mentioned that there seemed to only be one cast member to take pics with your camera rather than two that they had before. This time they had a Marathonfoto prof photographer along with the castmember at each character stop.

 

[Kristia]

I can't remember exactly, but I think Mile 13 was located in or shortly after Dinoland in Animal Kingdom. Halfway there. I was still not feeling the greatest and thinking about being only halfway done was a little distressing so I tried to just plug onward. We had made up a little time and had a 13 minute mile between 12 and 13.

We received our texts with our half split time: 3:35:38 @ 16:27 pace. Still way behind. As a reference point, I am more than an hour behind my best half marathon time! Holy moly!

In about 15 min, we reached mile 14 on the outskirts of AK. Ok, at least I can start counting downwards now. Only 12 left!

We were now on our way down the Osceola Parkway and headed towards Wide World of Sports. My pictures are a little boring as I just wasn't feeling it and only took Mile marker shots for a bit. Also this is kind of a boring stretch with not a lot too see.

A bit before Mile 16, I got a text from @fmingo36, giving me a pep talk and telling me that I could do it! That was so awesome! I remember telling her that i was feeling crappy and in a dark place and she texted me back and told me "THINK OF THE GLOW OF THE BLING!" Hee hee! It was just what I needed to get my rear in gear and muscle it out! Thanks @fmingo36!!! My hubbie also kept telling me how proud he was that I was hanging on and staying tough!

At mile 16, we could see the runners coming back from the turnaround at WWOS. How I wished I was on that other side and only had less than 6 miles to go. Oh well, I only have 10! At least I think I can finish it now. I think it was at this point that I started feeling a little better thanks to my supporters! My stomach wasn't hurting anymore and I think I was able to ignore my throat. I think I was finally getting a second wind, or maybe just a first wind, since I never really had it to begin with! Sure, my body and legs were getting tired, but I am used to that. I can work through that. About a half mile after mile 16, we turned onto the entrance road to WWoS. Soon after we were upon mile 17!

While there were some nice aspects of running through WWoS, it was just too long for me. We spent nearly 3 miles in that place! Around mile 18, we ran around the track which was a nice break on the legs and feet with its cushy surface.

Around Mile 19, we ran through the stadium. They announced people as they ran over a mat and were shown on the screen. We didn't hear our names though. I don't have a picture from the stadium yet, but that is one that I did buy from Marathonfoto, so once I get my pics, I will scan them.

And time for bed for me now! Up next, the Mile 20 SPECTACULAR to celebrate the 20th Anniversary!!!! Yeah...don't hold your breath. (How's that for a cliffhanger?! )

 

[fmingo36]

Glad I was able to give you a little encouragement when you needed it.
(Still need to pick a date to get together and celebrate your accomplishment!)

 

[Ariel484]

So great that you got such great support from @fmingo36 and your husband! I am in awe that you were able to keep going when feeling so crappy...you're awesome.

Totally agree with your throughts on WWoS...I thought that part of the course would never end!

 

[Kristia]

Oooohhh! I did have one picture from the stadium! I also forgot to add, as we came into the sports complex we were given cool water-filled sponges. They felt heavenly! It was really getting warm by this point.

So before the race, Run Disney really hyped the 20 Mile Spectacular. There was much speculation about what it would be. A lot of people were hoping for a character avalanche. Well after all the hype and secrecy, I present the Mile 20 spectacular!

They had bunch of these large puppet-like characters with handlers controlling them. It was neat but kind of disappointing. I think it would have been great if they didn't hype it so much.

After we ran by the puppets we came to these guys!

I think they were switching between the Fab Five characters because as we were coming up, I saw Mickey and Pluto leaving. I walked a good portion of this part, taking pictures. I think Dan stopped for a second to stretch and then caught back up to me. He was starting to have a little trouble at this point.

And here it is! Mile 20!

We received our 20 mile split times: 5:23:09 - pace 16:09.

We headed down Victory Way and back towards Osceola Parkway. This is the point were we could see people coming out of mile 20 as we went into the sports complex. I was kind of curious to see how many people were behind us. Utoh, there was nobody going in. We were at the near back of the pack. Thank goodness we had started in C because if we had stayed in G like we were originally assigned, we may have been swept off the course. This was a little disheartening. Probably about now, I had another thought. I had heard to earn your Goofy medal that you had to finish both the half and the full within the required time pace. If we weren't able to speed up, would they really not give me a Goofy medal? I hadn't voiced my concern to Dan yet but I tried to speed up the pace a bit.

A bit after mile 21, we saw a poor guy who was being attended to by medical. He looked like he had heat exhaustion. We went up and over the on ramp and were on our way to DHS. 5 miles left! The water stops at this point had become drink and pour water over your head stops now! Oh please let this be over soon!!