Life’s A Beach, And Then You Run: A 2012 Marathon Weekend Trip Report!

Hello friends! Welcome to the story of my Marathon Weekend.

The Cast (the only picture of the 3 of us from the entire weekend):

That would be mom (Kriss), my brother (Craig, aka Princes Craiggy, 25) and me (Shannon, 27).

This was my 6th trip to WDW, and 3rd trip in the last 12 months…lucky me! :sohappy:

Past trips include…

August 1995 (All-Star Sports)
May 2009 (Honeymoon at Boardwalk Inn)
November 2009 (Boardwalk Inn)
February 2011 (Princess Half Marathon/Port Orleans Riverside)
June 2011 (Split-stay: Animal Kingdom Lodge and Boardwalk Villas)

There’s not really much to say in regards to how this trip came to be…basically before the Princess Half in 2011, Princess Craiggy and I agreed that if we made it out of the half alive, we’d sign up for the 2012 Marathon. And here we are! Yay! :sohappy:

 

[Figment82]

Awesome report! We were the slowpokes back in Corral H so I love reading your report and experiencing what the faster people see! I'm so jealous that you got to see Ludwig Von Drake! I had read reports on Saturday night of him being at the Half and was so excited to see him. Only by the time we got to that spot, they had switched him out with Scrooge. I had really wanted to see Zorro, but he wasn't out either, like he was last year. I did get to see Darkwing Duck and Chip and Dale in their Rescue Ranger outfits, so that was fun. I never take pictures during the race, so I love reliving it through your report - can't wait to read the rest!

 

[erstwo]

I am just loving this trip report!

I do agree that your mom and brother won the 'view' lottery! Wow!

That is so cool that you could see Illumnations fireworks from your area. Do you think those in the 'regular' Beach Club rooms could see them too? We are staying in the Beach Club for the very first time in a couple of weeks, but in the regular rooms/ not DVC.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

YAY, the running has begun!!!

-The bathrobe idea... genius! I'm thinking I may have to steal that if I ever run a race in the early AM hours!!
-I love me some Lady Gaga too so I can't judge!
-I would be stopping for probably every single character, even ones I don't recognize as well, so don't feel bad! lol
-Love the play by play... Feels like I'm right there along side you... Except, sitting in a chair at a desk and not running

Can't wait for more! Ahhhh, this is so exciting!!!

 

[Ariel484]

Awesome report! We were the slowpokes back in Corral H so I love reading your report and experiencing what the faster people see! I'm so jealous that you got to see Ludwig Von Drake! I had read reports on Saturday night of him being at the Half and was so excited to see him. Only by the time we got to that spot, they had switched him out with Scrooge. I had really wanted to see Zorro, but he wasn't out either, like he was last year. I did get to see Darkwing Duck and Chip and Dale in their Rescue Ranger outfits, so that was fun. I never take pictures during the race, so I love reliving it through your report - can't wait to read the rest!

Oh my...please let me clarify that I did not mean to inadvertently comment on anyone else's pace by referring to myself as a slowpoke. I hope you didn't take it that way!

I'm sorry that you didn't see Ludwig, but Scrooge is a pretty good one! I hadn't ever gotten to meet him until just before the race.

That stinks that Zorro wasn't out. I had some characters on my wish list as well based on what I saw in reports from previous years that I never saw. All the more reason to go back and do it again, right?!

Ooh...Darkwing Duck and the Rescue Rangers! Good ones! I would've especially loved to get a picture with the Rescue Rangers. Do you happen to remember where you saw them?

I am just loving this trip report!

I do agree that your mom and brother won the 'view' lottery! Wow!

That is so cool that you could see Illumnations fireworks from your area. Do you think those in the 'regular' Beach Club rooms could see them too? We are staying in the Beach Club for the very first time in a couple of weeks, but in the regular rooms/ not DVC.

Can't wait to read more!

Um...yeah. I'm sure I said "I can't believe you got this view!" about a million times. :lol: My mom especially enjoyed it - she told me she used the balcony a lot, drinking coffee and reading the paper, etc. Also, she could see the race! I'm glad they got such a great view because I know they were iffy about the price of a deluxe resort, so this was a huge bonus.

To be honest, I have no idea if you'll get a partial Illuminations view! This was my first time at the resort, so I'm no expert. I was trying to figure it out on the map...maybe this will give you an idea?

http://allears.net/acc/beachyachtmap.jpg

Epcot would be on the right side of the map, closer to Beach Club Villas, so it does seem like you could get lucky and get a view of Illuminations (earlier in this thread surfsupdon said he saw Illuminations from the Yacht Club), but it's entirely possible you'll strike out and get a view of the parking lot. I hope you get lucky! :sohappy:

And I just saw photos of a room in Beach Club Resort (from Ashley/WishIWasatWDW's honeymoon report) and they look beautiful. You'll love it!

 

[Ariel484]

YAY, the running has begun!!!

-The bathrobe idea... genius! I'm thinking I may have to steal that if I ever run a race in the early AM hours!!
-I love me some Lady Gaga too so I can't judge!
-I would be stopping for probably every single character, even ones I don't recognize as well, so don't feel bad! lol
-Love the play by play... Feels like I'm right there along side you... Except, sitting in a chair at a desk and not running

Can't wait for more! Ahhhh, this is so exciting!!!

Yay, a fellow Gaga fan!

At some point during training I was planning on going to Goodwill/Salvation Army to buy a blanket or a parka to use, but I forgot about it. Mostly people were wearing old sweats...you better start looking into this for the Tower of Terror run!

We stopped for almost every character during the Princess Half in 2011, but we passed a lot of them up this time around. There were a lot that I felt were pretty easy to meet in the parks (Pluto, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, etc.) and we'd seen a lot of them during the Princess Half, so I don't have anywhere near the amount of pictures I could have had! :lol:

 

[plaz10]

Woo Hoo! Loving this TR. You make running a marathon seem...fun. :lol: Like I am honestly contemplating running some type of event at Disney. Not soon but ya know...ever in my life. Haha.

I too am a Gaga fan (saw her in concert last year - awesome!)
But I'm also a STEELERS fan! So BOO the Browns! :lol:

Keep it comin'!

 

[TakeMeThere81]

LOVING IT!!! Woohoo for Race Day!!

How fun to run with your brother. DH ran (most of) the Princess Half with me and it was fun to have a partner. But I wonder if I could get my 28-year-old baby brother to run with me. He is a personal trainer and in good shape...

Woohoo for Corral D! Fond memories of Corral D...

How cool to have the e-mails of the updates sent to yourself. I would totally do that too!

I LOVE the monorails wooshing by! So awesome!

Lady Gaga...I have a love/hate relationship with her music...but I gotta admit it helps to pump me up too.

The fast marathoners...I always wonder in a Disney race, wouldn't you miss a lot of the fun just flying through it???

Way to go on character scores! :sohappy:

 

[Figment82]

Oh my...please let me clarify that I did not mean to inadvertently comment on anyone else's pace by referring to myself as a slowpoke. I hope you didn't take it that way!

I'm sorry that you didn't see Ludwig, but Scrooge is a pretty good one! I hadn't ever gotten to meet him until just before the race.

That stinks that Zorro wasn't out. I had some characters on my wish list as well based on what I saw in reports from previous years that I never saw. All the more reason to go back and do it again, right?!

Ooh...Darkwing Duck and the Rescue Rangers! Good ones! I would've especially loved to get a picture with the Rescue Rangers. Do you happen to remember where you saw them?

Oh, no no no - I didn't take it that way at all! I was making fun of myself! I wasn't implying anything other than the fact that I truly am slow, lol! Sorry about that... We mostly walk the races, so I'm used to being in the back of the pack.

We saw the Rescue Rangers behind Norway, I believe that was around mile 3 or 4? I wish I had gotten a photo with them, but I didn't bring my camera. Plus we were afraid if we kept stopping, the sweepers would catch us!

 

[Ariel484]

Woo Hoo! Loving this TR. You make running a marathon seem...fun. Like I am honestly contemplating running some type of event at Disney. Not soon but ya know...ever in my life. Haha.

I too am a Gaga fan (saw her in concert last year - awesome!)
But I'm also a STEELERS fan! So BOO the Browns!

Keep it comin'!

That's because it WAS fun! I think it's ruined all other races for me.

LOVE Gaga! I saw her in July 2010. She puts on a heluva show!

No, go Browns!...eh, who am I kidding. I've never really gotten into football (too painful if you live in the Cleveland area...although I guess I can saw that about all Cleveland sports right now ), and my dad is a die-hard Steelers fan, so the whole rivalry is sort of lost on me. I'm more of a baseball fan myself

LOVING IT!!! Woohoo for Race Day!!

How fun to run with your brother. DH ran (most of) the Princess Half with me and it was fun to have a partner. But I wonder if I could get my 28-year-old baby brother to run with me. He is a personal trainer and in good shape...

Actually, I'm kind of jealous of you and Holly, getting to run the races with the husbands...I would LOVE to run one of these with Will! Hopefully he'll be recovered from his health crap soon because if he is he's agreed to run either the Tower of Terror 10-miler or 5K with me. Fingers crossed!

My brother is a good person to run with, but I did find myself feeling guilty that I was holding him back during the marathon.

Woohoo for Corral D! Fond memories of Corral D...

How cool to have the e-mails of the updates sent to yourself. I would totally do that too!

I LOVE the monorails wooshing by! So awesome!

Lady Gaga...I have a love/hate relationship with her music...but I gotta admit it helps to pump me up too.

The fast marathoners...I always wonder in a Disney race, wouldn't you miss a lot of the fun just flying through it???

Way to go on character scores! :sohappy:

I wonder about the part in bold too. I mean, to each their own and all that, but for me personally, if I wanted to run a race to see how fast I could go I would do it at home. But if I pay all the money to register, fly down and get the hotel then I'm going to slow down and enjoy myself, you know?! I'm not knocking anyone that comes to these races and runs them super fast, because good for them if that's what makes them happy but it's just not for me. :shrug: That's one thing I love about these Disney races - you get people of all abilities that are there for their own reasons, and everyone (for the most part) is really encouraging and friendly!

Oh, no no no - I didn't take it that way at all! I was making fun of myself! I wasn't implying anything other than the fact that I truly am slow, lol! Sorry about that... We mostly walk the races, so I'm used to being in the back of the pack.

Okay, good! It really irks me when people feel the need to comment on others' paces/race times (which actually happened to us later in the trip) and put people down that finished the race but maybe didn't do it in a "fast" time, so I didn't want it to seem like I was doing that. I cannot imagine walking the race, that's a lot of time to be on your feet!

We saw the Rescue Rangers behind Norway, I believe that was around mile 3 or 4? I wish I had gotten a photo with them, but I didn't bring my camera. Plus we were afraid if we kept stopping, the sweepers would catch us!

Hmm...okay, so that's when you were leaving Epcot, right? They must have been switching out with Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear. If I had seen the Rescuers I definitely would have stopped! And yeah...no one wants to get swept!

 

[plaz10]

No, go Browns!...eh, who am I kidding. I've never really gotten into football (too painful if you live in the Cleveland area...although I guess I can saw that about all Cleveland sports right now ), and my dad is a die-hard Steelers fan, so the whole rivalry is sort of lost on me. I'm more of a baseball fan myself

And as a Pittsburgh fan...I'm not into baseball. :ROFLOL:

 

[Phineas fo Prez]

Loving the TR!! It is almost like I also ran the marathon!!! Only 16.2 more miles to go!!!

 

[erstwo]

To be honest, I have no idea if you'll get a partial Illuminations view! This was my first time at the resort, so I'm no expert. I was trying to figure it out on the map...maybe this will give you an idea?

http://allears.net/acc/beachyachtmap.jpg

Epcot would be on the right side of the map, closer to Beach Club Villas, so it does seem like you could get lucky and get a view of Illuminations (earlier in this thread surfsupdon said he saw Illuminations from the Yacht Club), but it's entirely possible you'll strike out and get a view of the parking lot. I hope you get lucky! :sohappy:

And I just saw photos of a room in Beach Club Resort (from Ashley/WishIWasatWDW's honeymoon report) and they look beautiful. You'll love it!

Thank you so much for the map! You are the second person to refer me to allears. You would think I'd have figured it out by now! Duh!

That gets me so excited for the trip. I still can't believe we are staying there. Two questions if you don't mind: (so sorry to ask all of this!) Is there a quick service place in the Beach Club? I didn't see one on the map? 2) Did you feel safe walking to and from Epcot alone? I always feel safe at Disney resorts, but this is sort of different in that the public can kind of 'access' the resort at any time (does that make sense?) My husband will be working a good bit during this trip and I'll have the kids alone. Last night I thought about that walk to/ from Epcot and started thinking if I would want to walk it at night alone with the kids. Especially at a slow time of year when there might be fewer people using the International Gateway? Thoughts? (And this just applies to Epcot. I would feel safe arriving back via bus from MK or AK, etc.) Thanks so much! :wave:

 

[diddy_mouse]

OMG...Professor Von Drake!?! Wow, I didn't even know he did meet and greets! That is just too cool that you got a picture with him.

I would have been so pumped to hear "Edge of Glory" (yay Gaga!) while running but I think "Party Rock Anthem" would have gotten on my nerves after a while. That's actually one thing I'm curious about, do runners listen to their iPods and the like while doing the Disney marathons? I know some races won't allow MP3 players or it's at the participants discretion, or something to that effect.

The mile marker signs are always fun to see although I couldn't tell if there was a theme for them this year. I remember reading a marathon report (might have been Holly's) and I think Sharpie was a sponsor so the markers (hah! a pun) all had something to do with drawing or creating or something like that. I know it sounds a little crazy but I swear that's what I remember. :lol::hammer:

 

[Kristia]

Just catching up again!

1. I think I may have to steal that bathrobe idea! Never even thought of that. Thanks anonymous bathrobe guys!
2. Last year there were a ton of Steelers fans lining the course too. I don't think there was a playoff game that day but not sure. Dan is a huge Steelers fan and asked someone about all the fans. They said there is a huge Steelers fan base in FL. Go figure! He was pumped to see them all and said he should have worn his jersey. Next year!
3. I HATE the people that have to comment on others running ability too. Hey at least we are off our behinds and moving. Some people are there to have fun and some are there to race. I am there to have fun. Yes, I want to get a good time and would like to best my last time (shouldn't be too hard to do that next time) but I want to enjoy myself as well! I heard someone say that if you finish in over 5 hours you shouldn't even be doing a marathon and that you could walk the thing in 5 hours. Ummm.....I don't think so (and this came from a person that doesn't even run). I would like to see you try!!
And like the person last year that was commenting on people taking pics of the mile markers, shut up and mind your business. I am not hurting you by taking pics. I congratulate everyone who runs the half or full marathon no matter how fast or slow. Even if you don't complete it, you tried and that is what counts! Stepping off soapbox :ROFLOL:

 

[Kristia]

I would have been so pumped to hear "Edge of Glory" (yay Gaga!) while running but I think "Party Rock Anthem" would have gotten on my nerves after a while. That's actually one thing I'm curious about, do runners listen to their iPods and the like while doing the Disney marathons? I know some races won't allow MP3 players or it's at the participants discretion, or something to that effect.

They kind of discourage the use of headphones but they don't disallow them. I brought mine but actually never even used them. There was so much music and entertainment going on that I never felt I needed them and also I didn't want to miss anything! I think Dan used his a bit on Bear Island Rd where it is a little boring, but I was fine. Next time I don't think I will bother with them. One less thing to carry is fine by me!

 

[HopLow]

So, I'm going to admit, I'm totally stalking your TR waiting for updates! Good for you, not only running the ENTIRE marathon (which is a huge accomplishment), but also doing it without your biggest supporter. What a bummer that DH couldn't be there, but it's good that he's getting better. It's indescribably (is that a word?) difficult dealing with health problems with close family. Best wishes to you both!

That's awesome that your brother was your running buddy, but so sad you guys got separated!! Do you run without music? I imagine that would be tough, running without your exit buddy AND without any music to distract you. Can't wait to see how you do!

Great idea those guys had with the bathrobes! You all really lucked out on the weather this year. It was probably perfect, no? I got to WDW the day after the marathon and it was gorgeous Tuesday and Thursday.

I'm sure there was more I wanted to comment on, but I just can't remember right now. Looking foward to more!! :wave:

 

[Ariel484]

And as a Pittsburgh fan...I'm not into baseball.

Ouch! But hey, at least the Pirates improved this year. My team...not so much.

Loving the TR!! It is almost like I also ran the marathon!!! Only 16.2 more miles to go!!!

Yep, that's right...ONLY 16.2 more miles! :ROFLOL:

Thank you so much for the map! You are the second person to refer me to allears. You would think I'd have figured it out by now! Duh!

That gets me so excited for the trip. I still can't believe we are staying there. Two questions if you don't mind: (so sorry to ask all of this!) Is there a quick service place in the Beach Club? I didn't see one on the map? 2) Did you feel safe walking to and from Epcot alone? I always feel safe at Disney resorts, but this is sort of different in that the public can kind of 'access' the resort at any time (does that make sense?) My husband will be working a good bit during this trip and I'll have the kids alone. Last night I thought about that walk to/ from Epcot and started thinking if I would want to walk it at night alone with the kids. Especially at a slow time of year when there might be fewer people using the International Gateway? Thoughts? (And this just applies to Epcot. I would feel safe arriving back via bus from MK or AK, etc.) Thanks so much!

1.) Yes, they have the Beach Club Marketplace just off of the lobby (it's sort of integrated into the gift shop): http://allears.net/menu/menu_bcmp.htm, and Hurricane Hanna's Grill out by the pool: http://allears.net/menu/menu_hh.htm. I never made it to Hurricane Hanna's so I can't really comment on that one. I thought Beach Club Marketplace's breakfast menu was lacking in variety a bit (compared to AKL's quick service - we stayed there in June). They seem to have a lot of choices for lunch and dinner though, and lots of fruit, snacks, things in the cooler, etc. I got french toast sticks there one morning and a toasted turkey sandwich for dinner, and they were both good.

2.) No, I never felt unsafe walking anywhere alone. The International Gateway is super close to Epcot - maybe a 5-7 minute walk. The walk to Hollywood Studios took me about 25 minutes the first evening, and I walked back at about 11 and it was fine. Of course, I wasn't trying to wrangle 2 kids, so YMMV.

You will have a FABULOUS time there! I'm sure the you'll love the pool...I wish I'd gotten to use it on this trip.

OMG...Professor Von Drake!?! Wow, I didn't even know he did meet and greets! That is just too cool that you got a picture with him.

And I didn't know he was such a rare character! I'm glad I stopped.

I would have been so pumped to hear "Edge of Glory" (yay Gaga!) while running but I think "Party Rock Anthem" would have gotten on my nerves after a while. That's actually one thing I'm curious about, do runners listen to their iPods and the like while doing the Disney marathons? I know some races won't allow MP3 players or it's at the participants discretion, or something to that effect.

Oooh yeah! Another Gaga fan! :sohappy: Yeah, I'm lukewarm on . It was annoying at the time but now I kind of like catching a portion of it on the radio because it takes me right back to the race (waiting at the start in the corrals, specifically).

EDITED TO ADD: Oops, forgot to respond to the iPod question. As Kristi said, it's discouraged in Disney races, but they do allow it. Some races don't allow it, period. I think the reasoning is that they want everyone aware of their surroundings for safety reasons and in case race directors need to make announcements. I made a specific playlist in case I hit the wall (titled, creatively enough, "Hit the Wall") and did have my iPod with me throughout the race, but I never used it. I wanted to make sure I was taking it all in! My brother listened to his quite a bit and the battery ended up dying.

The mile marker signs are always fun to see although I couldn't tell if there was a theme for them this year. I remember reading a marathon report (might have been Holly's) and I think Sharpie was a sponsor so the markers (hah! a pun) all had something to do with drawing or creating or something like that. I know it sounds a little crazy but I swear that's what I remember.

Don't worry, I read Holly's report like a million times before the race when I was tapering at the end of training and going crazy And I think that's where you saw the Sharpie mile markers. I'm not sure why they changed them, because Sharpie is definitely still a sponsor. They had an area at the expo where spectators could make signs to cheer on the runners using - GASP - Sharpie markers!

LOL'd at the pun :lol:

 

[Ariel484]

Just catching up again!

1. I think I may have to steal that bathrobe idea! Never even thought of that. Thanks anonymous bathrobe guys!
2. Last year there were a ton of Steelers fans lining the course too. I don't think there was a playoff game that day but not sure. Dan is a huge Steelers fan and asked someone about all the fans. They said there is a huge Steelers fan base in FL. Go figure! He was pumped to see them all and said he should have worn his jersey. Next year!

I feel like there's a huge Steelers fanbase EVERYWHERE. Their fans are really dedicated!

3. I HATE the people that have to comment on others running ability too. Hey at least we are off our behinds and moving. Some people are there to have fun and some are there to race. I am there to have fun. Yes, I want to get a good time and would like to best my last time (shouldn't be too hard to do that next time) but I want to enjoy myself as well! I heard someone say that if you finish in over 5 hours you shouldn't even be doing a marathon and that you could walk the thing in 5 hours. Ummm.....I don't think so (and this came from a person that doesn't even run). I would like to see you try!!
And like the person last year that was commenting on people taking pics of the mile markers, shut up and mind your business. I am not hurting you by taking pics. I congratulate everyone who runs the half or full marathon no matter how fast or slow. Even if you don't complete it, you tried and that is what counts! Stepping off soapbox

I'm totally with you on this. I just don't get how it hurts other people if I run the marathon in over 5 hours, ya know?! And I've heard people say, like you, that you can walk the thing in 5 hours...no way! Walking fast is, in my opinion, really hard. I don't think I could walk it in 5 hours. I don't see what the big deal is if you finish the race within Disney's cut-off of 7 hours. :shrug:

I especially don't understand this at Disney races. By putting a 16-minute per mile cut-off in place I feel like that's Disney's way of acknowledging that they are going to get a wide range of abilities...ya know?! I bet they'd lose a ton of money if they made a rule that people would be swept off the course if they couldn't finish in 5 hours. I certainly wouldn't be running if that was the case.

EDITED TO ADD: I will say this...it's completely justified to get annoyed when people are taking pictures - IF they stop to do it on the race course. That's Runner Etiquette 101 and I'm embarrassed to admit that someone actually yelled at me for that early in the race (I thought I'd moved close enough to the edge of the course, but I guess not ). So I don't begrudge people for that. But if you're out of others' way I don't think people should get annoyed.

They kind of discourage the use of headphones but they don't disallow them. I brought mine but actually never even used them. There was so much music and entertainment going on that I never felt I needed them and also I didn't want to miss anything! I think Dan used his a bit on Bear Island Rd where it is a little boring, but I was fine. Next time I don't think I will bother with them. One less thing to carry is fine by me!

I brought mine too and never used it

So, I'm going to admit, I'm totally stalking your TR waiting for updates! Good for you, not only running the ENTIRE marathon (which is a huge accomplishment), but also doing it without your biggest supporter. What a bummer that DH couldn't be there, but it's good that he's getting better. It's indescribably (is that a word?) difficult dealing with health problems with close family. Best wishes to you both!

Thank you!

That's awesome that your brother was your running buddy, but so sad you guys got separated!! Do you run without music? I imagine that would be tough, running without your exit buddy AND without any music to distract you. Can't wait to see how you do!

Most of the time I do run without music. Awhile back I always had it with me but then I realized that I was thinking about other stuff and wasn't really listening to it, so now I pretty much only use it on the treadmill (where I need anything and everything to distract me :ROFLOL: I HATE treadmill running!) At the marathon I wanted to make sure I was taking everything in, and I think it's sort of a good safety thing if you're running around your neighborhood - you know when someone's going to pass you, you can hear traffic, etc.

Great idea those guys had with the bathrobes! You all really lucked out on the weather this year. It was probably perfect, no? I got to WDW the day after the marathon and it was gorgeous Tuesday and Thursday.

I'm sure there was more I wanted to comment on, but I just can't remember right now. Looking foward to more!!

Yes, the weather was perfect! We got really lucky. A couple of years ago it was cold and sleeting on race day...I can't imagine running in that!

 

[Ariel484]

And now, the part of the course that most, if not all, Disney runners picture in the weeks and months leading up to the marathon (at least I did) – running down Main Street USA! :sohappy:

We were granted access to the Kingdom through a CM-only entrance. Just like during the Princess Half, I was shocked to see all of the scrims in place on Main Street.

Spectators were cheering us on to our left, volunteers were clapping for us to the right. I was just past the (heavily scrimmed) Main Street Bakery when I decided to turn around to get a shot of Main Street, only to get majorly photo-bombed! HEY, WHO IS THIS JERK RUINING MY PICTURE?!

IT’S PRINCESS CRAIGGY! :sohappy: (Dude needs to shave, no?) I seriously did not realize it was him until I’d already taken the picture. We sort of yelled at one another over getting separated (while going through the water stop he had run up ahead and was waiting for me by a porta-potty just after Mile Marker 7 I guess, while I thought he’d just ditched me altogether). Ah, siblings. Eventually I re-took my Main Street picture and we asked a volunteer to take a picture of us with the castle in the background.

Reunited, and it feels so good!

 

[Ariel484]

After our castle pic, we headed across the bridge into Tomorrowland.

As we ran toward the Lunching Pad, we were both in high spirits. We both agreed that this race was OMG SO MUCH FUN SQUEEE and he actually commented that he thought this race was ruining any future possible marathons for him. I completely agreed…where else does a runner get an experience like this?!

I was hoping for a good, classic character in front of the Lunching Pad, but we got naked Stitch (by that I mean Stich not in a special outfit). I love Lilo and Stitch, but Stitch is another character you can easily meet in the parks, so we passed him by.

We ran through Tomorrowland and into Fantastyland (past the expansion…I wonder if the race courses will change to go through the new areas?!), where we encountered a first-for-us character…the Mad Hatter!

We’re late! We’re late! And we’ve still got a few hours to go!

We bade farewell to Alice and the Mad Hatter (with Craig loudly singing “The Unbirthday Song”) and hopped into our next character line, which was right near Dumbo.

The Dumbos flew for us a bit…I guess this was the day before the ride went down for refurbishment:

And now it was our turn to meet Rapunzel (another one who was new to me – we’d met Flynn during the Princess Half).

“Hi, Shannon!” Rapunzel said.
I stared at her in disbelief for a few seconds…how did she know my name?! It’s Disney magic! Or, you know…the fact that my name was printed on my bib. :ROFLOL:
“Hi, Rapunzel,” I replied stupidly before the picture was taken. I told my brother the story as we were running away and he (rightfully so) had a good laugh.

We took a left past the carousel and came upon – you guessed it – another character meet! :sohappy: This one was right behind the castle, the scene of last year’s heartbreak when Royal Mickey and Minnie switched out on us just as we got in line to meet them during the Princess Half. While waiting in line, Craig was his usual chatty self…apparently he’d had his iPod on throughout the race and was listening to review for a nursing test he needs to take soon. :shrug: Whatever pumps you up to run, bro.

No switching out this year, but the step-sisters were a lot less animated than I’d hoped for. Oh, well.