39.3 Magical Miles at the Disney World Marathon (By Shane Smith)

In 2019, I celebrated my birthday in a big way.  Although my birthday was on Wednesday, January 9, I didn’t really celebrate it until the following weekend, January 11-13.  And I did it at Disney World!

Why Disney World?  Why would anyone not want to visit Disney World during their birthday week?  But seriously, I do have a special connection with the Disney theme parks.  One of my favorite jobs ever was when I worked at the Disneyland resort in Anaheim, California from 2004-2008.  Therefore, when I learned that January 9-13, 2019 was the Disney World Marathon Weekend, I knew that I wanted to celebrate my birthday by running the Goofy Challenge, which is to run a half marathon on Saturday morning through the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, and a full marathon on Sunday morning through all four of Disney World’s theme parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios) and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. After all, what better way to celebrate one’s birthday than to combine two of his passions in one weekend, which in my case was Disney and running?  The decision was a no-brainer.

For the sake of brevity, I won’t go into much detail about Friday and Saturday.  I did visit three of the four parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios) during regular park hours.  I was able to ride most of the attractions and see most of the shows that I wanted to see.  On Saturday morning, I participated in the half marathon.  I didn’t run the half all that hard because I was hoping that I would be able to save enough energy to run a good marathon on Sunday.  My time in the half marathon was the slowest that I’ve ever recorded in a race, but that slow time was a strategic decision.  Did the strategy pay off on Sunday morning?  Read on to find out.

Anyone who decides to run in the Disney World Marathon Weekend races needs to be ready for an early start time.  Both the half marathon and the full marathon start at 5:30 am.  I set my alarm clock in my hotel room for 3:00 am on both mornings.  I had gone to bed at 10:00 pm on Saturday night, so I had gotten close to five hours of sleep when the alarm went off.  Still, one must really be serious about running in an event to be willing to get out of bed at 3:00 in the morning to make it to the starting line on time. 

You may be asking why I would need to wake up at 3:00 am for a race that starts at 5:30 am when I was staying at a Disney World Resort hotel.  When I had read the suggestions by race organizers that all runners be on their hotel shuttle buses by 3:30 am to get to the starting line on time for the 5:30 am start time, I was asking myself the same question.  Truthfully, I didn’t board the bus at my hotel until 3:45 on either morning, and I was fine.  However, I would tell anyone who wants to run in future races not to push their bus boarding time to any later than 3:45. 

It turns out that the suggestion by race officials to board the shuttle buses early was a very sound one.  Disney World Resort is located on a very large plot of land. Disney World is so large that it has its own zip codes—at least three of them.  The bus ride from my hotel to the parking lot of EPCOT, where the race starts and ends, is a long one.  It took about 15-20 minutes for the bus to get me from my hotel to the parking lot of EPCOT.  Once I arrived, my fellow runners and I had to make a long walk from the bus to a bag inspection area.  All runners and spectators who had any kind of bags, including the pouches that runners can wear around their waists when they run marathons, had to have all of their bags rummaged through by Disney security.  From the bag check area, I then checked my bag at the bag check area.  One would think that once the bag has been left at the bag check tent that he or she would then have a short walk to the start line.  Not so at the Disney World Marathon! The walk from the table where one checks a bag to the start line is a long one—approximately a full mile!  When I finally got to the starting corral, which in my case was Corral C, my step counter on my Garmin watch indicated that I had already reached my steps goal for the day—at 5:00 in the morning!

Once I got to the correct starting corral, I found the 4:15 pacers.  A large group of us decided to make 4:15 our goal.  In my case, running the marathon in 4:15 would have been a personal best, but I did feel like the goal was reachable since I had been running half marathons at times of around 1:53 throughout the fall.  While I was waiting in the corral, I spoke with the other people who wanted to run a 4:15 and found them to all be a great group of people. I met people from all over the United States.  Some of the runners were running the Goofy Challenge or the Dopey Challenge (four races in four days) for their fifth or sixth time.  I thought to myself that with this bunch of people running with me, I could certainly run a 4:15 marathon.  I felt good as our corral made its way to the starting line after groups A and B started their races.

Finally, group C, my group, made it to the starting line.  Each race is sponsored by its own character.  Since the full marathon is Micky Mouse's race, he got the runners started on Sunday morning.  Since the marathon is the second half of the Goofy Challenge, Goofy was on stage also.  Finally, since the half marathon is Donald Duck’s race, he too was on stage to get the marathon runners going.  Mickey Mouse gave the runners the countdown—3-2-1-GO!—and while fireworks shot into the air, we were off.

Our 4:15 group ran the first four miles of the marathon on dark roads.  To Disney World’s credit, they did have entertainment for the runners throughout the race.  We ran past local high school marching bands playing inspirational music for us.  DJs provided music and commentary for runners as we ran past them.  We ran past characters who were posing for pictures with runners who were willing to stop and stand in line for the opportunity.  Every mile marker was sponsored by a character, and music specific to that character played over the loud speakers at the marker.  Disney World also provided about one hydration station for every mile.  In central Florida, hydration stations are crucial for being able to run a complete marathon, so kudos to Disney World for filling that need. At mile four, we reached the entrance to the Magic Kingdom parking lot.

A mile later, we actually entered the Magic Kingdom itself.  For those readers who have never been to Disney World before, the entrance to the parking lot is still a long way from the Magic Kingdom park itself.  Most Disney World visitors either take a monorail or a boat to the park from the parking lot.  Once we got into the Magic Kingdom, we ran up Main Street, into Tomorrowland, made a left into Fantasyland, ran through the castle—something that Disney World rarely allows guests to do anymore—took a right into Adventureland, and then we ran into the backstage area to continue the race.

Miles 6-12 take runners through some ordinary roads.  The only noteworthy event for me to point out during these miles is that I realized around mile 11 that I would no longer be able to keep up with the 4:15 pace group.  It may seem strange that a person who had recorded a pair of half marathon times of under 1:54 within a month of each other less than a couple of months before the marathon would fall behind a 4:15 pace group at the 11-mile mark of a full marathon, but I will attribute my inability to keep up with the group to two factors—I had run a half marathon the day before, and the weather was hot and humid during the race, even by Central Florida’s January standards.  So the strategy to take the half marathon slowly the day before the marathon didn't work out as I had planned.  Oh well, lesson learned.

At the 12-mile mark, we finally reached Animal Kingdom.  We didn’t get to run by any of the animals during the marathon, but we did run by the Tree of Life.  The most noteworthy part about running through Animal Kingdom is that the halfway point of the race—the 13.1-mile mark—occurs inside of Animal Kingdom.  I didn’t know it at the time, but I have learned since looking at my official split times that when I crossed over the 13.1-mile marker, I was still within two minutes of the 4:15 group, so I did well for the first half of the marathon. 

Sadly, the second half of the marathon would end up being a much larger struggle than the first half of it was. 

Miles 13.5 through 17 cover a lot of roads.  Disney World did provide some entertainment from time to time on that stretch, but overall, the most common sight during those three and a half miles was road construction equipment.  Fatigue was really beginning to set in during that stretch, and I started wondering about the wisdom of trying to run 39.3 miles in two days.  Once I got to the 17-mile mark, I started noticing blisters on my feet and toes.  I knew that the having to deal with blisters for the remaining nine miles or so would be a very painful experience. I was right.

Finally, at about mile 17.2, runners entered the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex.  I had seen the sports complex on television, especially since the Atlanta Braves play their spring training home games there, but I had no idea how big it is until I ran through it during the marathon.  The route that the runners take through the complex is a little over three miles! 

At this point, I should probably take a moment to describe the outfit that I wore during the marathon in order for what I’m about to say to make sense.  Since I was running in a Disney marathon, I decided to dress up like a Disney/Pixar character.  The character that I chose was Mr. Incredible.  Luckily, I didn’t wear an entire Mr. Incredible outfit—I likely would have died from heat stroke if I had worn the entire outfit.  My outfit consisted of a short-sleeved Incredibles logo T-shirt, black leggings, and no gloves or mask.  As the race wore on, the leggings got a little hot and uncomfortable, but since every part of my legs below the knees were crisscrossed with black KT tape, I felt like the leggings would fit the superhero look a whole lot better than my exposed legs covered with KT tape would.

As we ran through the Magic Kingdom, people would shout out things like “Go, Mr. Incredible!” or “You’re looking Incredible this morning!” as I ran by.  I would always be happy to acknowledge them by waving or giving a muscle pose.  However, as I was running through the Wide World of Sports, I was tired, in pain, hot, and not in the mood to socialize.  As I ran through the complex, I found myself having to force a smile and wave or pose as more and more people encouraged me, as Mr. Incredible, to keep going.  I was beginning to wish that I would have worn something other than a Mr. Incredible T-shirt.  Even though those fans meant well, I was really looking forward to getting out of there so that I could run (or, more accurately, walk) in peace again.

The best part of running through the sports complex (aside from the fact that the restrooms have indoor plumbing) was doing a complete loop around the warning track of Champion Stadium, the stadium that the Atlanta Braves play their home spring training games in.  Last summer I traveled to Atlanta to take part in the Braves Country 5K, which ends on the baseball field of Suntrust Park.  Even though I’ve never played a single baseball game for the Atlanta Braves, I can now say that I’ve run on the field of both the Braves’ regular season home stadium and their spring training home stadium. While I ran through Champion Stadium, a high school band sat in the stands along the first base line playing the theme from Rocky, and some emcees sat in the first base dugout providing play by play of the runners as they went by.  When I approached, they took note of my Mr. Incredible getup, looked up my bib number on their laptop computer, and said, “here comes Shane Smith, aka Mr. Incredible, from Leesburg, GA.”  I looked at the camera and gave a Mr. Incredible pose.  My image as Mr. Incredible was projected onto the big video board in center field.  Even though I had been wishing that I hadn’t worn the Incredibles outfit prior to entering Champion stadium, to be on the large video board posing as Mr. Incredible was actually really cool!

Finally, just past mile 20, we exited Wide World of Sports.  Once again, we ran about three miles of Disney World’s roads.  At this point, I was just putting one foot in front of the other.  Somewhere on this stretch of road, the five-hour pace group ran by me.  I tried to keep up with them, but I didn’t have it in me.  In less than a quarter mile, I was walking again. 

My favorite part of this stretch happened just past mile twenty-two.  We were going up a hill.  I thought that I would be able to walk up the hill and run down the other side.  Instead, I was motivated to grit it out and run up that hill by one of Toy Story’s little green army men.  Like a good drill sergeant, he was barking orders commanding everyone to run up the hill.  Like many of the people who were walking like I was, I decided to run up the hill so that the army sergeant wouldn’t single me out.  Some people walked anyway.  The green army man told the walkers that if they insisted on walking up the hill, then they would have to hit the ground and give him a pushup.  Personally, I believe that if I had gone down into pushup position, I’d never have been able to stand up again.  However, many people did go down and give him the pushup.  I thought it was hilarious that so many people opted to give him the pushup rather than run up the hill.  Tempted though I was to drop down and give him his pushup, I really didn’t think that Mr. Incredible should show that kind of weakness to a fellow Pixar hero. Therefore, I kept on running, even if it was at about a 12:30/mile pace.

 

Opportunities to stop and get photographs with Disney or Pixar characters were abundant throughout the marathon.  I had already decided that since I was wearing a Mr. Incredible shirt that I would stop and get a picture with Mr. and Mrs. Incredible if the opportunity presented itself, even if it meant adding a couple of minutes to my overall finish time.  As we were about to enter Hollywood Studios through the backstage way, I still hadn’t seen the Incredibles yet, and I thought that I never would.  Lo and behold!  Just as we were about to enter the guest area of Hollywood Studios at mile 23, there they were—Mr. and Mrs. Incredible!  I veered off to my left, high fived Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, and I got my picture, complete with my muscle pose that I gave to the fans who had cheered me on as Mr. Incredible throughout the race.

 After posing for the photo, I was only a few steps from entering Hollywood Studios.  I took a deep breath, and in I went.  Once marathoners got to the park, it was open to all tourists.  The streets were blocked off from the Fantasmic! Amphitheatre, past the Tower of Terror, into the main portion of the park, and then to the park exit.  However, the course was lined almost elbow to elbow with people cheering the runners on.  I ran, albeit at a very slow pace, through Hollywood Studios because I couldn’t have the spectators seeing Mr. Incredible walking during a marathon.  Unlike the trek through the Wide World of Sports, however, I really didn’t mind running.  I had less than five kilometers left to the finish line, and that knowledge energized me a little bit.  I also started loving the people yelling out for Mr. Incredible again.  For the final three miles, when people screamed out “Go Mr. Incredible” to me, the smile on my face as I waved at them or posed for them was genuine.  I was enjoying the encouragement that I was getting from complete strangers, and I could tell that they liked it too when I acknowledged them back.  Despite my fatigue and my blistered feet, the fun had returned to the run.

Of the four parks, Hollywood Studios has the shortest route.  We exited the park and were already on the walkway that connects Hollywood Studios to EPCOT before we finally crossed mile 24.  The walkway between the two parks is very scenic.  The walkway takes people along a lake, past the Disney Swan and Dolphin hotels, and along the Disney Boardwalk.  As runners, we then entered EPCOT through the World Showcase.  We ran past many spectators cheering us on.  We ran past cast members dressed in the costumes of country whose pavilion they worked in.  Several Disney characters lined the showcase walkway posing for photos with runners.  Once again, since I was running as Mr. Incredible, I couldn’t walk.  I had to run the entire EPCOT portion of the course, acknowledging everyone who screamed “You look Incredible” or “Go, Mr. Incredible!”  Since we passed the 25-mile marker at the entrance to the World Showcase, I knew that I could hold a steady pace to the end.  I jogged; I waved; I gave muscle poses; and I genuinely smiled for my fans because I knew that I was about to complete something that I had never completed before in my life—running 39.3 miles in just over 24 hours.

Just past mile 26, we passed the Spaceship Earth attraction and went backstage (the cast members only area where guests normally are not allowed).  Since the only spectators who could see me were cast members (and other runners/walkers like me) I decided to walk the short backstage portion to catch my breath and prepare myself for the final sprint.  I took that tenth of a mile or so slowly so that I could have enough energy left to look good at the end.  I rounded a corner, and there it was—the entrance to the home stretch.  I took a deep breath, exhaled, and took off running—okay, jogging—as fast as I could.

My final sprint wasn’t much of a sprint.  However, I did run towards the finish line that I saw ahead of me.  Chip and Dale stood by the side of the chute cheering runners on as we struggled to the finish line.  I passed the chipmunks, and the finish line was about fifty yards away.  Then twenty-five.  Twenty.  Ten.  Five.  And, finally, I crossed the finish line!  I had made it.  In one single moment, I had completed both a full marathon and the Goofy Race and a Half challenge at the same time!
  

I was tired, and I was literally in pain, especially on my feet and toes which had been covered with blisters for about nine or ten miles.  However, I was exhilarated.  I felt a real sense of accomplishment, especially when I was able to bend down my head and feel the heavy weight of the finisher’s medal being placed around my neck by a Disney World volunteer.  Later, I entered a tent, where a lady verified that I had completed the half marathon the morning before, and then I received the even heavier Goofy Challenge finisher’s medal.  Suddenly, I wasn’t quite so tired anymore, and my feet weren’t hurting quite as badly as they had been just a few minutes earlier.
 

I won’t reveal my marathon time here.  Let’s just suffice it to say that I spent less time in my car making the long drive from Disney World to Leesburg that afternoon than I spent running and walking on the marathon course that morning.  I ran a really good first half of the race, but several factors caught up to me during the second half that caused me to cover the second half of the course in over an hour longer than it took me to cover the first half. 

Anyone who loves both running and Disney should go to the Disney Marathon Weekend and participate.  You can run early—and I do mean early—in the morning, and then spend the rest of the day visiting the theme parks.  The lines for the attractions aren’t very long during that weekend.  In fact, Disney World first conceived of the marathon weekend as a way to bring visitors to the resort during what is typically the slowest month of the year.  Now that I can check the Disney Marathon off of my bucket list, it’s unlikely that I’ll ever go there and do it alone again.  If I ever get married and can go with my wife and kids, or if I can go with a group of like-minded runners, then I would certainly consider celebrating a future birthday at the Disney World Marathon weekend—especially if my birthday falls on a Saturday or Sunday of that year.