Rise and Run
Rise and Run
164: Running Holiday Wishlists and the New York City Marathon
Lace up and get ready for an exhilarating journey starting with an intro from Laura and Adam as they share their latest running exploits, from Laura's triumphant finish of the virtual New York City Marathon to Adam's intense preparation for a 100-mile Cape Town race. Discover the vibrant tales from fellow runners like Jack and Alysha, who candidly share their race prep stories, personal victories, and the mental strategies that keep them going. And if you're a Disney fan, you'll be thrilled with our deep dive into the latest news from runDisney, holiday festivities at the parks, and a sneak peek at the Disney Treasure's magical offerings.
Join us for an engaging chat about holiday cheer and the perfect gifts for the runners in your life. Whether you're exploring compression boots or funny running shirts, our gift guide is packed with ideas to inspire your holiday shopping. Plus, we've got you covered on the latest festive happenings at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, from Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party to the enchanting Grinchmas at Islands of Adventure, thanks to our friend Maggie of Magic Bound Travel.
Finally, we celebrate the camaraderie and community spirit of the New York City Marathon weekend with stories from several members of our Rise and Run Community. Experience the uplifting atmosphere, the challenges faced, and the personal milestones achieved on the course. With heartfelt gratitude, we wrap up our episode by offering encouragement and support for your marathon training journey, reminding you of your potential for greatness. Whether you're a seasoned marathoner or new to the sport, this episode is packed with inspiration, celebration, and a dash of Disney magic.
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3 am again. Why did I ever think this was a good idea? Welcome to the Rise and Run podcast. Join our group of Run Disney friends. As we talk about running at Walt Disney World and beyond. We'll discuss recent runs, training, upcoming races and surprise topics suggested by you, our listeners. Well, the alarm's gone off, so let's go.
Speaker 4:Rise and shine, Rise and Runners. This is Laura.
Speaker 5:And this is Adam and we are doing the virtual New York City Marathon. Laura is kicking butt out here. We're in the last mile of this shenanigans.
Speaker 4:And Adam is on his third day of 20 in a row for his 100 miler coming up.
Speaker 5:Laura's looking absolutely amazing. She doesn't know this, but she's going to be an ultra marathoner today because we're going to go 27 plus, so we don't miss the mileage.
Speaker 4:be an ultra marathoner today because we're going to go 27 plus, so we don't miss the mileage. So way to go, laura, get out there. Just keep moving forward as a pace and keep it going just like that. All right back to you, bob and crew.
Speaker 2:Bye laura and adam. Thank you so much for that introduction. Laura, congratulations on completing your virtual New York City Marathon, so that'll be good news for you coming up next November in 2025. And Adam, again and Jack can attest to this you're a beast Triple 20s in one weekend Prepping for a 100-mile race in Cape Town, south Africa. You, sir, are an inspiration to us all. So great job getting it done, team. We love to see it.
Speaker 2:Folks, welcome to episode 164 of the Rise and Run podcast. As I always like to say, I am not Bob. Bob forgot that he purchased tickets to go see Mannheim Steamroller, so he is ready to kick off the holiday season here in the middle of November to hear some Christmas tunes. So we will be holding down the fort for you tonight, but have no fear, you will hear Bob's voice in this episode. A couple of segments were recorded a little early, so Bob was present for those, but for, uh, a good chunk of this, uh, it's, it's gonna be my friends and I, and those friends include Alicia hello, jack, hiya and John hey how you doing.
Speaker 2:I'm, I'm doing, I'm doing swell, john, thank you. Thank you for asking.
Speaker 6:I know.
Speaker 2:You're always so kind and I greatly appreciate that. On this week's episode we are going to be chatting about all sorts of things Run Disney related. We're also going to officially, since Bob is kicking off the holiday season at Mannheim Steamroller. The holiday season at Mannheim Steamroller. We're going to kick off the holiday season by talking about things that we are hoping to receive running related-wise as gifts this holiday season. But if you're also looking for the right thing for the runner in your life, we're hoping our discussion will provide some insight for you as well. But speaking of Laura and the virtual New York City Marathon, in this week's Race Report Spotlight and it's a very, very extended Race Report Spotlight we are going to be talking to a slew of friends who completed the New York City Marathon just the other week, so you will want to stick around for that.
Speaker 8:If you enjoy the Rise and Run podcast, Please share us with your friends and introduce them to the Rise and Run family. We want to share in their Run Disney journey. Please remember to follow us on Facebook At Rise and Run Podcast. Instagram at Rise and Run Pod. Check out our YouTube channel and visit our webpage at RiseandRunPodcastcom. If you have a question, Comment Raise support page at riseandrunpodcastcom. If you have a question, comment race report or want to introduce an upcoming episode, please call us at 727-266-2344 and leave us a recorded message.
Speaker 6:We also want to thank our Patreons, whose support helps us keep the Rise and Run podcast rising and running. If you'd like to join the Patreon team, please check patreoncom. Slash riseandrunpodcast and we'd like to welcome our newest member, carrie, who's at the plastic cheese level carrie, thank you so much for supporting us.
Speaker 2:And again, if you want to up the ante, take that plastic cheese of yours and add the m&ms to it and then dip the chip and you'll be. You'll be quite surprised the flavor profile that you get there. Also want to give a nice shout out to our patrons. We had put up a post the other week that we want their help in terms of playing producer for our episodes for the rest of the year. We got a lot of great topic suggestions, a bunch of guest suggestions as well, and I want to let our Patreons know that we are hard at work in getting those things scheduled. And there was one topic in particular that was, um, very, very requested in that thread and, folks, I will tell you that that idea may be coming to fruition soon, but that's all I'm going to say at this moment.
Speaker 7:So be sure, do this to us, greg I'm sorry, jack, I I got.
Speaker 2:I gotta leave suspense here. You know we got to give the people wanting more I know, I know it's so hard all right. So before we move on to the training schedule, just want to give two quick apologies and alibis. The first is our friend Lauren. Last week had submitted us a race report that she recorded on her own and we unfortunately forgot to play it. So we're going to go ahead and play that for you now.
Speaker 9:I ran in the Alpharetta Women's Half Marathon in Alpharetta, georgia, this weekend, sunday November 3rd. It was great running weather about 50 degrees. The sun stayed hidden for most of the course, with a few bouts of misty rain around my mile six Around half of the path was through a park with beautiful fall scenery and I can report much of this was flat or slightly downhill flipping. If this was flat or slightly downhill flipping, my watch only captured about a 600-foot elevation, most of which was at the end when I was pre-spent. But my goal was to finish my first half marathon at two and a half hours and I came in at two hours and 22 minutes. Ironically, my bib number was number 22, so I thought that was pretty cool. Anyway, next race I'm signed up for is the Princess Challenge, but if my knee recovers quickly, I may see what I can find between now and then.
Speaker 2:Thanks, lauren, great job and congratulations. And again our deepest apologies that we forgot to include that in last week's episode. And then last up in apologies and alibis uh, we need to give an apology to baby george. Bob made the accusation, uh, that george probably already lost his bun that he had received at the wine and dine meetup, but david was very quick to mention on facebook that no, george still has his bun. It is pinned to their diaper bag. So I can guarantee you that diaper bag is coming to all run Disney weekends and baby George will be sure to have his his pin ready to go.
Speaker 2:So, less than eight weeks away from the 2025 Walt Disney World Marathon weekend, we are in training week 20. Doing just the marathon, like alicia and I. If you are doing goofy or dopey, uh, your long run this weekend is six and a half miles. So you just had a mini simulation, uh, last weekend. So now you'll back it off for a little bit. But one of the you know the big doozies, especially if you're doing dopey is coming up soon and around the Thanksgiving holiday. So I'm sure in the coming weeks we will chat about that and be sure to give you plenty of tips on how to navigate that particular weekend.
Speaker 2:Then, following the marathon weekend in Walt Disney World, we have the Disneyland half marathon weekend. That is 11 weeks away. You are in training week seven, and if you are doing the half marathon or the dumbo double dare challenge, your long run this weekend is three miles, with the second mile of those three being a magic mile. And then, finally, we have princess weekend. That is 14 weeks away. We are in training week number four, and your long run for the half marathon and the glass slipper challenge is five miles. I will now kick it over to my beautiful co-host, because I know two of them ran a whole bunch of miles, uh, in the past couple of days. So let's kick it off with some host training updates. Jack, tell us about what you did this weekend.
Speaker 7:I ran 30 miles on Saturday, oh my goodness. So I was originally supposed to be scheduled 10 and then, due to so you're an overachiever is what you're trying to tell us well, okay, so I switch yes and no, yes and no.
Speaker 7:But so basically, I had to switch around my schedule, though, because I'm flying to ohio next weekend, which is when I would have done one of my long runs. So I was like, you know, I could do my triple tens in one day, so you do um, if you've never done like a triple day. Um, what I had scheduled from customized training was a 10 miler wait two hours, another 10 mile wait two hours, and then my other 10 miler. I don't know, I felt like the first two went great. The third one, um tightness in my calf, but it I think it's good because it's kind of like I didn't really necessarily feel too tired, um, overall, but it's just kind of it's kind of confirming like, hey, you're actually it's my second to last long run.
Speaker 7:That's the thing that I really wanted to celebrate with you guys. It's my second to last long, long run before um, my 100 miler um do I think I'm ready for the race? I will be completely honest and say I didn't put in as much training as I would have liked, but considering that I just did my triple tens and it went okay, I have a little tightness in my right calf and that's okay Because I'm going to stretch it out and hope for the best. But I mean I'm going to try and try, I will.
Speaker 2:Jack, remind us when the Daytona 100 is again, so we can all follow you in the upcoming weeks.
Speaker 7:Yeah, so funnily enough it's exactly a month from Thursday, because it's on December 14th through the 15th, because there's no way I'm finishing it within that Saturday. I'm just praying that I get to finish. I don't know if I'd ever do a 100-miler again. I'm like this training is something else. It's not for the faint of heart.
Speaker 6:She'll be signed up a week after she finishes it guys.
Speaker 7:Yeah, I know probably, but like the thing that I really didn't really come, I contemplated a little bit, like dopey has come to a whole new meaning for me, like cause. Like you know, I do the race for the 100 miler, then I go and do the races for dopey. I just pray to God, my feet work. I don't think I've thought this through, not that I've ever really thought things through very much in terms of running.
Speaker 2:Um, I was trying to hold back the laughter, jack but, I, couldn't Remember you are a verb.
Speaker 7:Well, let's just say if I need to get wheeled around, I apologize. Oh, you know what, I'll wheel myself around. It's my own um fault for being in such a way. I'm sure after those oh gosh well, jack, we were.
Speaker 2:We're really, really proud of you way to get it done. I mean nothing like almost running a uh an ultra, you know, all in one day. So we, we know, we know you're gonna smash it uh in a couple of weeks.
Speaker 7:So, thank you, I'm really nervous. So, yeah, if you guys, uh, would like to follow me for probably over 24 hours, um, I'll go ahead and put a link on facebook so you guys can track me. Um, I'll probably. You know what, when I was in my, like, doing my 10s, I was like you know what, I was daydreaming of the race and stuff. You know what. I think I might actually post on the story a little bit and be like yo, I made it to like mile 10. Yo, I made it to mile 30. And then you're going to see me crying at 95. I was crying just thinking about it because I was so excited, you know, potentially seeing a finish line. So, yeah, I'll try and share the story, my story, over the story on Instagram and then you guys can follow me through the app. I don't know how it works, but I will figure it out and I will let you know, because I'm technologically sound in life. That's why I have you guys. Greg, john, alicia, you all know you're going to help me, right? Yes?
Speaker 4:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Cool, well, excellent. Again, super, super proud of you and we can't wait to follow your little dot on the tracking. It's going to be great. Oh, thank you, but but you're you're not the only person in the rise run crew that put in some serious miles. Alicia, how was your run today?
Speaker 8:it went really well. I did 20 miles um, and I actually did 20 miles before we left for wine and dine, and today I was 20 minutes faster than. I was for that one, so I was really excited about that.
Speaker 2:I think that's about a minute per mile faster.
Speaker 8:Yeah, that was some good math but I did want to share with the listeners a couple things that I did between the two runs that may help you on your long runs. So for the first 20 miler that I did, I did a lot of visualization. And what I did is I actually pictured being in my car and driving the first 10, rather than running. Obviously I was running, but I was visualizing that I was driving, so it didn't feel so hard on my legs because to me 10 miles was a doable distance. And then when I got to the 10 miles, I was like, ok, I'm ready to start my run. I even texted my mom I'm starting my run now. I put it in quotation. She knew what I meant and that really helped break it up for me. So that's something that you possibly could do if visualization works for you.
Speaker 8:And then today, what I did was I usually break my runs up into smaller segments, like five miles, but today I decided I'm just going to do each mile individually in my head. So all I focused on was each individual mile. I was like, okay, gonna run a mile, gonna run a mile, and I truly didn't feel anything, any soreness or anything until like mile 18 and a half today in my legs. So Beautiful, yeah. So that might be something that could work for some of our listeners, but yeah, it went overall really well and I'm very proud of myself.
Speaker 2:We're proud of you too.
Speaker 8:Thanks, I've been really consistent and getting better in my running, so yeah, I think that's so beautiful.
Speaker 7:Like, I love those like tips because, like, I'm a visualization person in terms of, like, I daydream a lot or I have a lot of my best thoughts while I'm running, which makes me forget about how I'm feeling. Yes, yeah, I mean um. I love that you take segments of oh, I'm not just um, like, if it's a 10 miler, you know, you're just taking it in segments of like two and a half or five or whatever. Because, like, even with like long races, whether you're just taking it in segments of like two and a half or five or whatever, because, like, even with like long races, whether you're doing the half marathon, marathon, whatever, it's always best to keep them in chunks, smaller chunks, and that's how I usually do it, especially like if I were to like, look at my ultras. I've never thought of it as a whole distance. I've always thought of it as one aid station to the other. Okay, so I have six miles. Okay, let's just get through the six, re-evaluate and keep going. And another good thing, if it's okay, because you have fun tidbits and I was like I thought of a tidbit too. You're totally fine.
Speaker 7:Yeah, you know what I kind of do when I run and I did it a lot on Saturday is is when you're running kind of also remember about your posture while you're running, cause when you're doing long distances there is that natural ability of our shoulders just kind of concaving forward and there's like a natural hunch, cause you're tired and so you, you kind of you know you're actually wasting more energy when your body is all tired and forward and concaved and everything. So sometimes what I'll do is I'll do a posture check. So if I'm running by a building and I see windows, I'm like, okay, let me look at my posture, how I'm running. Oh, whoa, okay, let me fix that. And I fix it, and then I keep going. I think posture checks are always a good thing because that's going to help you in the long run as well.
Speaker 2:Jack, that's a great tip. The only thing I'm picturing now is Jack looking into windows and then thinking that the people that live in the house think that she's some type of like Peeping Tom or something like that.
Speaker 7:No, I don't do businesses. Come on, I don't live next to houses around here. They're all apartments or buildings, jeez All right, ladies.
Speaker 2:Well, congratulations on some amazing training runs, and thank you for sharing your tips and advice, because I know I'm going to start doing some more visualization. I'm sure our listeners will too as well. Yeah, all right, will too as well. So, yeah, all right. Well, moving right along, as they like to say, in the muppet movie run, disney also decided to get into the holiday spirit yet a different holiday, though. They dropped the themes for the 2025 disneyland halloween half marathon weekend, and to say that the internet is a buzz would be an understatement. So, alicia, what do you think of of today's news?
Speaker 8:so I think it's very exciting and I like that most of the artwork is a new thing. I was kind of disappointed to see the same artwork for Ursula, but besides that I'm really excited about Cruella and Maleficent and Pain and Panic. I love them so much. I love Hercules, so I think that's great.
Speaker 2:You know who's really really like conflicted at the moment uh, I'm gonna say a woman by the name of jack no, actually no, oh no.
Speaker 7:Her name starts with an l.
Speaker 7:I was gonna say le, yeah, it's Lexi. I had no clue. There was an announcement at all. And if you don't know me and Lexi, we actually work in production accounting. We're on the same project together currently, and so she comes into the office that I'm in for accounting and she was like did you see, see what they announced? The themes Of what? So she showed me them and it's like all of her favorite villains. If the theme for Ursula could be switched to Evil Queen, that would be, you know, lexi's villain. So Evil Queen, cruellalla, maleficent, done. Those are. Those are her. You know characters that she, she loves villains. If you ever like, watch the videos on passport to run or pictures that we've ever posted, like she's almost always in a villain's costume. This is her race weekend and, um, I don't think she's going to do it. But too bad though that would have been such a fun weekend. I mean, I would love to do it, but I don't know my future. I can't think past January, to be honest.
Speaker 2:No, it's funny you say that, jack, because as soon as I saw the announcement in our podcast host group chat, I was, you know, immediately like Lexi are you sitting down and are you breathing? Because I knew that there was probably a chance that she was hyperventilating and I'm glad that, uh, that that that was not the case. But no, I I think they they knocked it out of the park with this one oh, absolutely.
Speaker 2:I mean, yes, alicia, you're absolutely right. They did use the you know very similar artwork for ursula, but like what I loved about that that logo, though, was how 5k was spelled out in like you know the. You know, like the seagrass and everything like I thought that was really cool. I'm still waiting for someone in the community to be like run Disney. Why did you steal our 101 Dalmatians idea for the 10 K? But you?
Speaker 8:know again.
Speaker 2:I loved how the bones were. Were the you know spelling out the 10 K, maleficent? I mean I could take her leave Maleficent. But again, artwork was really cool, but the fact that they went with pain and panic, on on a challenge.
Speaker 2:I thought that was phenomenal and I think that's that's really going to draw, um, a lot of people out. And now I will say this is not my idea. I, I, I heard this through instagram, I I can't remember who who was, so I can't, unfortunately, get proper credit to, but someone made the comment and and it kind of puts like run disney in canon, a little bit so like, if you looked at the themes for springtime, surprise, everything is heroes, and then then the next race weekend is all built. Obviously it's not one-to-one like yes, we do have a Hercules 10K and then Pain and Panic in terms of the challenge. So again, it isn't directly correlated, but the idea of heroes and villains and again, even though it's two separate run Disney teams, I thought that was a really cool, cohesive way to bring everything together.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 6:I really agree. The artwork, I think, is the best they did in a while with the race race weekends, the color schemes perfect. Uh, unfortunately I won't be there, uh, but maybe one of these years I'll get out there if they keep pushing some nice artwork out is anybody thinking about going from this group?
Speaker 2:from the four of us here? I don't think so. But you know, john, I was surprised you haven't made the comment yet that that you made in our, our group chat this morning, and that is with how awesome these themes are. I really hope that that doesn't affect the number of rising runners who were considering going out the burden hand because, again, both of those race weekends are um the exact same weekend, so you kind of have to make a choice. If you were wavering between the two, do you want some awesome disney villains or do you want selfies with camels and amish barbecue? So you'll have to to weigh the pros and cons there for sure and the chicken is worth it alright, gang.
Speaker 2:Well, great discussion on the themes again. You know it sounds like opinions across the board extremely positive. Everyone loves the artwork. You know who they chose for this. So awesome, awesome villains weekend coming up and next September september early september that is if you're interested in registering for this race. Registration, believe it or not, is right around the corner. If you are a member of club run disney, registration opens on november 26. So that's the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and for general registration it will then open on December 3rd. So again, it kind of makes sense why the themes came out, because registration is right around the corner.
Speaker 7:You know, with those registrations coming out so early, you know what would be great to start thinking about is the best gift for run Disney runners, whether it's the gift of a race or so much more jacket.
Speaker 2:It's like you planned that segue.
Speaker 2:It was so beautifully executed, bravo, yeah.
Speaker 2:So so we we wanted to have a little conversation that this was actually an idea of Lexi's, but unfortunately she couldn't join us this week.
Speaker 2:But, you know, wanted to have a little conversation that this was actually an idea of Lexi's, but unfortunately she couldn't join us this week. But you know the fact that, you know, we probably all have family members in our lives who, that you know, even though it's the middle of November, are probably wondering where are our Christmas lists or Hanukkah lists, or Kwanzaa lists, and, and you know, we gotta, we gotta start thinking about these things. So what we thought would be fun is just to go around the, the, the virtual, the virtual table uh, that is the rise and run podcast and talk about running related items that we're hoping for to receive this, uh, holiday season, but also just ideas to give to you, you know, if you know if you have a runner in your life that you're trying to shop for, and we're hoping that these ideas, uh, can help make that list writing a little bit easier. So who, who here has has an idea for, um, something this holiday season that's running or run disney related?
Speaker 6:For some running related gifts that I would like maybe to get is maybe a different Theragun, like a Theragun or something like that, to work out some of those knots and kinks.
Speaker 2:And they do make travel sized ones. I know, I think Allie.
Speaker 6:Allie has this small triangle one.
Speaker 8:I have a small travel one too.
Speaker 2:Because I've been known for Marathon Weekend to bring my BFF and I feel like that that takes up like a third of my.
Speaker 6:Oh, thanks, Greg.
Speaker 2:Of my. I feel like that that thing takes up like a third of my luggage weight. It gets the job done, but is is so bulky and so heavy, so, yeah, so that theragun, that's a great idea. Alicia, what, what idea are you hoping for this holiday season?
Speaker 8:for myself. I'm pretty boring. I just really want new running shoes and some fuel, because I am out after my 20 mile today, so I need to get some more. Something that may be helpful for runners in your life is compression boots. They have super expensive ones, but you can find very affordable ones. That, for me, has been a game changer for marathon training and then, especially when I did Dopey, to do that in between the days. So if you have a friend or family member that is doing dopey or goofy or another challenge in the upcoming run Disney season, that could definitely help them out.
Speaker 2:That's a great idea, alicia, and I'll give one recommendation then. I do not own knees, but I learned about them this past wine and dine. When I got back to my room after the meetup on saturday, hollywood was sitting in his bed with some knockoff normatech boots on and he said that he got his from costco. And I want to say they were sharper image boots and I think he said that they were like around 200 or something like that, so definitely less than half of what you know normatex cost. So but but I'm great. I'm sure there are probably plenty of other knockoffs, but no, having that the you know the big boots, you know that that's.
Speaker 6:That is definitely vital, for sure I, I got a pair of the knockoffs if you want to call them knockoffs of norma techs and I think they were great. I mean, I, I was in both, you know, but for 200, over 700, you know I'm boring, I just want the ability to not limp through the new year.
Speaker 2:Um, ideally are you asking santa for that check?
Speaker 7:and to get me across the finish line, please. Oh, but I'm serious. No, alicia, I actually bought those um leg compressions because that's the thing that you had sent me and those things because you got it off of Amazon and what was it? It was like 80 bucks, $80. Yep, yep, about 80 bucks. And those are lifesavers because you can go to the Disney Expo and they'll have, like those full on 300, some $400 leg compressions. Or you can spend $80 on something almost exactly similar and they work just the same.
Speaker 8:And if you're interested in those ones, I believe they're still linked in our Amazon affiliate links on our website, right, john?
Speaker 6:Yes, we will link them somewhere. Okay, they changed the way they did the links, but we'll get them somewhere Okay.
Speaker 7:There is one thing I want for Christmas that I'm serious about. I have found it on Etsy and it's a Pooh Bear shirt and it has Pooh Bear on it and he's running and it says running makes me poo and I think that's. I think it's so adorable. I told my fiance about it. He's like you didn't buy it. I said it's not Black Friday yet.
Speaker 2:Jack, if you get that this holiday season, I think it's a requirement that you have to wear it to the meetup, uh I was gonna wear it to the expo oh, yeah, okay, or to the expo. There you go. I was gonna say the meetup, uh, during marathon, that that, that's fantastic standing next to a porter potty would be great yeah yeah, next to corral p, though, that'd be wonderful it could be.
Speaker 7:Maybe I can request the design to be poo bear holding up, uh, like a port-a-potty that's falling over, or something like that. No, I'm just kidding, that's really disgusting. I don't know why. That just pictured in my head.
Speaker 2:No, I just you know we'd like to call that nightmare fuel for lexi, but I will say the one idea that I had and jack this, this comes on the heels of you know, something you mentioned to start off this segment and that is asking for a gift of a race entry.
Speaker 2:Uh, for me, I, uh, I have on on my, my christmas list this year someone to register me for the Bird in Hand Half Marathon, so that way, I figured that's one less race registration out of my pocket.
Speaker 2:But if you wanted to take this from the Run Disney perspective, though, the one thing that you could definitely ask for are Disney gift cards, and if you just keep stacking those up, the one thing that you could definitely ask for are Disney gift cards, and if you just keep, you know, stacking those up, you know if you use that grant we talked about this on our run Disney, on a budget series that we did a couple of months ago.
Speaker 2:If you go to Disney gift card dot com, you know, say, you get like a twenty five dollar here, and then you get your Aunt Susie gets you a fifty50 one you can go on this website and combine all the totals into one card, because what makes paying for a Run Disney registration. A little difficult using the gift card is that you can only use one form of payment, so it's not like you can use oh okay, well, I'm going to use $50 off of this gift card and I'm going to put the rest of my credit card or something like that. You can't do that, so using that website, um, is really, really helpful. So, again, if you're looking to do any of the races in 2025, you know, including, you know, disneyland half marathon you know asking for those gift cards is is definitely a way to help budget, uh, yourself.
Speaker 7:Yeah, and I've actually been gifted a race weekend before by two wonderful friends, rachel and Lexi. It was actually a birthday gift and that kind of gift is a lifetime of memories with the people that you love and the people that you're closest with, and I will say that was such a wonderful gift and I'm forever thankful for those guys. So if you are trying to figure out what to get them, that is a fantastic choice.
Speaker 6:I got some great little stocking stuffer ideas for people. Ooh, here we go, because I am notorious for this If you got a Garmin watch, get spare charging cables. Watch, yeah, get spare charging cables. Or or the same thing for your shocks, headphones get them some spare cables, because that you can actually put in your run bag that you take with you, so when you forget them at home you're not going crazy trying to find a charger like lexi did during one and done, I had to bring out my shocks cable to the oh, that's right it's.
Speaker 6:You know, for a couple bucks an extra cable here and there. It's just put it with your. I have a run bag that I have my stuff in, that I take on my trips.
Speaker 2:It's always in there and I don't got to worry about forgetting them no, the idea of stocking stuffers, I think, is great, you know, you know, ideas that are coming to top of mind for me is fuel, you know. So, whether it's goose cliff blocks, you know, you know the waffles, or something like that, I think those are great stocking stuffers. I mean heck. You could even go as so far to say body glide, that that that would. That would fit really well into a stocking. So socks, socks. Yeah, there we go.
Speaker 8:That's very meta, john socks within a, a big sock so there you go going off of that, um, even like giving somebody a bag with those stocking stuffers in it, because, like you, john, I have a run bag that I put all my stuff in for the races. Um, so just having those little things that they could then use would be great I think that's fun, going on with what john was saying earlier with the cords, I mean.
Speaker 7:Another thing that's really good to have is the like a portable charger, so that way like a small enough one that you put in your pocket during the race because I've done that before and that way you could charge your phone or camera or whatever, um, and have that ability to do that. And then one thing you guys are forgetting are those lovely bags that we have been gifted, those rise and run ones absolutely.
Speaker 2:That's a great call, Jack.
Speaker 7:Yeah, I mean, those bags are so great. So to help describe it, it's what kind of material is it? But it's like small enough that can be folded in and put into your pocket.
Speaker 6:Nylon.
Speaker 7:Nylon yeah, it's like thin enough but like it's perfect, because by the time that you are given your food, your snacks, your metals and everything, there's so much in your hand and having that bag that was in your pocket during the race and again it's small enough you won't even recognize it, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:And to have that bag to be able to use, to put everything in at the end of the race, that's, that's a gift, that's a jack I could not agree with you more and I know this is going to sound like a shameless plug for you to go to rise and run podcastcom slash shop to find the bag. But I mean like no, literally it is a godsend. The fact that you just have everything with you, especially like nothing, is worse than like you want to go, you finish the race and then you want to get your photo taken, whether it's with one of the characters or with the. I did it, sign with the step and repeat that they have there, and then you just have to plop all your stuff onto the table. The fact that it's all in the bag and you just can gently set it down and it's all neat and together it's absolutely beautiful.
Speaker 6:Something else which is really good when you're coming back on the bus, you hook it on the little hook in front of you.
Speaker 8:There you go. You just take it all off the bus with you and shout out to our friend Stephanie, who made those for us. We're very grateful.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, stephanie. We cannot thank you enough. But, john, now you have an assignment for next week, though, now that we've talked about this at great length, I would like a detailed report of how many bags sold between this episode dropping and when we record next week, so you'll see what kind of influence we have here on the podcast. So well, speaking of you know thinking of ideas to to put on your holiday wish list, one thing that I think everyone would love to have on their their holiday wish list is a trip to a Disney destination or elsewhere around the world, and if there is one group of folks that can provide those services for you, it's our friends over at Magic Bound Travel, and we are so excited. It's been a couple of months since we've had her on, but we're we're so excited to have her back.
Speaker 2:Maggie, welcome back to rise and run hey guys, thanks so much for having me so we have lots of exciting things that we want to talk about in in the realm of travel, disney travel, things going on within the magic bound family but obviously in this episode we have been talking about things that we want this holiday season as runners or ideas for the runner in your life and but obviously the holiday season is a wonderful time to go to walt disney world or the other orlando attractions and such in in the eyes of yourself and magic bound travel. What are the new and new and hip things going on uh down in the world this holiday season?
Speaker 12:Okay, well, I mean I'm I'm already in the holiday spirit. I listen to Christmas music all the time, but I won't let me up in public spaces, so I have my own little dedicated corners of the house that I'm allowed to have my Christmas spirit on. But, as you guys have probably seen, they've already kicked off the Mickey's. Very Merry Christmas party. Those have already begun. You know even in what? What's it been down there? What was the temperature today, bob?
Speaker 1:Oh, mid 80s.
Speaker 12:Yeah, I think it makes that snope falling from the sky even more magical yeah, I think it makes that snope falling from the sky even more magical.
Speaker 12:Um and uh. And then, for a second year, the jollywood knights is back and, um, I'm hoping to be able to squeeze in a trip down there. I've heard great things so far. You know they had a lot of things to learn about from last year's experience, this, and, and we went probably I don't remember if it was a couple weeks into it and had an amazing time. So, even from day one to the time that we went, they had, they had streamlined a lot of things. But it's, it's really cool some of the new exciting stuff that they've got. Uh, haven't seen coverage of it yet, but I think there's even, like um, olympic ice skating rink.
Speaker 2:That's right there in front I did see that on on social media over there. Yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 12:Oh shoot, I'm gonna glisten I think, listen, shine, glitter, something, I don't know. There's a lot of gold, a lot of gold, a lot of flair going on, um, but yeah, it's just. You know, it's a very different experience. Still, fans of the the christmas party if if you got to pick one or the other, but for folks that have kind of been there, done that, deliwood nights is just a really really cool, different, very uh, obscure character meet and greets and um, just a lot of fun I mean the fact that it also has kermit and miss piggy, I mean you really can't go, really there either
Speaker 12:yeah, so there's several new things. Yeah, the ice show um kermit and miss piggy, which they had a great stage show over there at the Beauty and the Beast stage last year, but I think they've seen the popularity of that so it's even even more stuff going on. Let's see what else I mean by the day. There's more stuff going up. The Gingerbread House is already in construction at Grand Floridian. I just saw some amazing photos. I absolutely love going over to the Beach Club Resort to see the carousel, and they do a different theme every year with that gingerbread carousel, and so this year it is Mickey's Christmas Carol, so can't wait to get a little character, almost like little Easter eggs that they hide over there.
Speaker 12:Let's see. And then all the trees will be up. So you know, we're probably in the next week. I would say it's going to be full out Christmas. Every single thing will be all decked out and going on and then that runs really through the first of the year and typically when we've been there for Marathon, marathon weekend, there's still been Christmas stuff up.
Speaker 12:Now the festival of the holidays, which doesn't start for another couple of weeks over at Epcot that will wrap up. So unfortunately, that is something that if you don't get there in the holiday season, you've kind of missed that mark and I highly I've highly recommended to folks that want to go there over between Christmas and New Year's it is like the busiest time of year at you know to go. But rather than trying to get in there early for Magic Kingdom and be among the sardines for the firework show, we did Epcot last year for New Year's Eve and it was incredible. They had so much going on. They had great crowd control. They had dance stages at all different places, so they really knew how to keep. Keep the pathways not so crazy crowded, give everyone something to do. So, yeah, lots of fun stuff at Walt Disney World, and then I mean we could talk about it now, we could talk about it later. But one of my absolute favorite times of year in Orlando is Grinchmas over at Islands of Adventure.
Speaker 2:Oh, yes, yes, yes yeah.
Speaker 12:So all their holidays at Universal will kick off a little bit later, right there before Thanksgiving, I think it's November 22nd is when that kicks off, and then that goes through new year's and so that's Grinchmas and all the the festivities and character breakfast and VIP tour that you can meet Max and you can have personalized time with the Grinch, the stage show. It's also Christmas at Harry Potter Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is even more magical than on a typical day, and then they have an amazing nighttime parade, which is amazing all local talent entertainers, and then they also have some of the balloons from macy's oh, wow great.
Speaker 12:So it's it's, yeah, it's fabulous pretty cool, yeah, well, excellent.
Speaker 2:Well, several times during that answer you talked about new year's, and obviously not only does it, you know, mark the turn of the calendar, but it also means that we are very, very close to marathon weekend, which I know so many of us are so excited to participate in. I think we're just eight weeks away now. But even though we're that close now, from the travel agent side of things, what is Magic Bound seeing in terms of room availability, if you've kind of been dragging your feet and you are participating in Marathon Weekend, can you still get a room for Marathon Weekend, or is this a situation where you might have to start looking off property?
Speaker 12:No, we're still finding availability. Now, of course, the room types, the room categories, that might be a little bit more limited, unfortunately, but this is typical, this isn't anything new. We don't find a lot of the promotional savings. They, you know, disney really knows like they're gonna, they're gonna fill those rooms. They don't need to discount the prices, they're not, they're not hurting to to fill those. So yeah, there's still a lot. I was just in the system earlier today. There were still some, even deluxe villas which I was looking for, a group that was six traveling together, and so things like that are really great to not only have, you know, plenty of space, a little bit of a kitchenette, washer and dryer, but also in some of those prime destination areas like the boardwalk, where you also have some people traveling with you that want to sleep in, step out and cheer and then go back to bed okay, well, good, good to know that that there's still availability left.
Speaker 2:And obviously I mean I know we just talked about marathon weekend, but I mean, if there's still availability for that race weekend, obviously I would have to imagine that there is still availability for princess and springtime surprise and springtime?
Speaker 12:yep, and we have actually found some. Some of the special promos have been applied to some.
Speaker 2:I was going to say there's a particular magic bound agent who might be I might be speaking to on this podcast right now, who told me about one of those special promotions for springtime surprise. So it's it's definitely worthwhile to work with a magic Bound agent so you can get those savings for the race weekends. Now, something that I just thought about in terms of the end of the year slash beginning of the year is there's some pretty big news in terms of Disney Cruise Line, and that is the treasure is on its way to US soil. Actually, I have to shout her out, our friend Leah. I am so excited for her because she I don't know how, I know she works for Disney Cruise Line.
Speaker 12:It's a cast member invite.
Speaker 2:yeah, yeah, she got a cast member opportunity to be on the transatlantic sailing that left, I think, from the netherlands was a 14 night cruise to, you know, to florida, to to get the boat ready and everything like that. I think that they were part of the rescue mission that happened on day of recording. You know there was a capsized vessel in the treasure saved a bunch of people today. It's awesome. So, maggie, tell us what you've been hearing about the treasure. And, um, you know, grant, I'm sure those first couple of sailings are probably locked in or even if there is a room available, it's probably uber, uber expensive.
Speaker 12:But tell us what you're hearing about the disney treasure yeah, oh my gosh, we are so excited and I've I've been messaging her because I know that the cast members that are on that have been kind of locked down on what they can and cannot post out yet until it's actually here, um, but I have so many questions. I kind of keep messaging her, hoping that she'll get on uh, wi-fi and say, yes, there is a slide to the kids club, because what we know is this is the sister ship to the Wish. I mean, I'm sorry, yes to the Wish. So it's going to be the same design, but all of the interior is different theming and all of that. So it has been very popular, but there is still a lot of availability. It has been very popular, but there is still a lot of availability. Actually, as of date of recording, so probably as of Thursday release, this might change. But you know, if you're hearing this and you want to reach out and see, when I last looked today, there were still 10 interior staterooms on the maiden voyage available. So that would actually be christmas at sea. And so it's the 21st to the 28th.
Speaker 12:Um, now, an interior state room for two yes, about eight thousand dollars.
Speaker 12:It's a maiden voyage of a new disney ship.
Speaker 12:That honestly isn't that bad, um, but it is an interior room which you know is that honestly isn't that bad, but it is a interior room which you know is still going to be deluxe on the treasure, but you'll have to always go aboard to see the ocean.
Speaker 12:But yeah, so that is going to be incredible, it will get here. They have a couple what they call shakedown cruises, which is where different cast members that did not get to take part of the Transatlantic cruise will get to be on there for like a short two, three night and those what they call those shakedown. That just means they're testing out things. They're actually taking it out to sea. It may not go anywhere, it may just go down to Castaway Cay, it might come right back, but it's for them to actually try everything out with real people on it and work out a lot of those kinks so that when the inaugural sailing maiden voyage comes out, you know they've got everything done. I'm super excited to share that myself and three of our advisors will get to go on one of these preview cruises.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's awesome.
Speaker 12:So we will be down there. Cruises, that's awesome, so we will be down there. Our invite was for one that was for media and for travel agencies to be there on the 5th. No, I'm sorry, december 12th to the 15th. So we will be getting a ton of content and by the time this releases, we'll have already put this out there.
Speaker 12:But we're going to be running a special holiday promotion because we're super excited about the coming of the treasure. Is anybody that either already has booked because we've got quite a number of people already booked on treasure sailings in 2025 or new bookings, and we'll probably cut this off. About December 10th is then, when we're on the ship, we will be doing a drawing of all of those names for an additional $100 onboard credit. So we already, at Magic Bound Travel, have an internal onboard credit program that we do just for Disney Cruise Line, and so it's based on the total amount of your sales. There's info on our website about it, but so, in addition to that that we already offer our guests, we're going to do a raffle drawing and we'll find some creative way to do it on the ship for an additional $100.
Speaker 12:Well, we'll definitely be following along and when you find out that information, that if the slide does go into the Kids Club, let us know, because I know John has been really really wondering about that you know coverage of me going down it because you know that's what I always do on on embarkation day I head straight for the kids club to do the tour, because that's the only time that the grown-up kids get to play and have fun and do all the things before they kick us out of course, of course.
Speaker 2:Well, that's exciting. Again, we'll be watching all your channels, the facebook page and everything we. I can't wait to get eyes on this ship, especially the uh, the haunted mansion themed bar and the coco themed restaurant. It's, it's gonna be, it's gonna be awesome jungle cruise lounge I might be that's right the time, 20 000 leagues under the sea.
Speaker 12:Don't think that I'm not planning my outfits to go with every single one of these lounges.
Speaker 2:Run. Disney has trained you well.
Speaker 12:Well, I'm trying to save money, and so those outfits might also turn into my four themed outfits for dopey.
Speaker 2:There we go. You know now, maggie, the one thing I realized is I should have said that this trip of yours is going to be epic, because I know you had mentioned to me that magic bound is in the process of being able to book new destinations, and I would have to imagine that one of those destinations is one, of epic proportions, of a new theme park down the street from Walt Disney World, of a company whose name I'm not going to utter because you know that the U word was a curse word in my household.
Speaker 1:It's universal, maggie. It's universal. That's what he's talking about.
Speaker 12:I know, yeah, say its name, it's Voldemort, take away.
Speaker 2:There we go, there we go. So tell us what you know in terms of the Magic Bound travel side about being able to book Epic Universe for folks.
Speaker 12:Yeah, oh, we have been booking Epic. Epic has been very popular since we just got access to that a couple weeks ago, so that will. It is slated right now. Of course, things can always change because they are still in construction and all the code, you know, all the approvals. But May 22nd is the official opening day. Hopefully there will be some soft opening kind of stuff where we will get some coverage and get to see some things before it's open to the public.
Speaker 12:They are going to roll out. They have not given us a timeline of how long this is going to last, but they are going to be doing a special system. Thank goodness it is not going to be a park reservation system, but what it is going to be is managing those ticket sales, and right now that's managing those ticket sales through a multi-day ticket. So what we are able to book right now is a multi-day ticket for the other three parks that we already have right across the I-4. So Universal Studios, islands of Adventure, and then you can always add on that third park, the Volcano Bay, which is the best water park in all of Orlando, and then it's going to have one dedicated day at Epic. So if you buy a four-day ticket, for example. That's gonna be a three day where you can spend at the other parks, and then your one day is gonna be dedicated to Epic, the way that they're managing those. They're hoping that that crowd control is really gonna max out. So if you're going from park open to park close, they're really gonna be managing those crowds so that you get the full experience during that day. What we're waiting on is that sometime in the spring we hopefully will have access to some type of like single day epic tickets. They've already done that. Some pass holders were able to get single day tickets, so those sales came out whirlwind. They sold out instantly. So now we kind of wait for the rest of the general public.
Speaker 12:So what we've been doing is we also can book them as packages, and so that's what we found that majority of our guests have wanted to do is we're actually booking them as a hotel resort stay at any of the existing resorts or the three new ones. So Helios is the one that you see all the concept art about. It's actually going to be connected to the park, so it will have its own dedicated entrance right into the park and it's this glorious celestial themed hotel. And then Terra Luna and Stella Nova, which are going to be value resorts, very basic but very space, celestial kind of themed, and they're right around the corner.
Speaker 12:But of all of those properties, we can book that as a package and then lock in dates, lock in prices, and then when they do roll out these new ticket types, it's a lot easier for us to go in and change those, modify those, make that customized for what people actually want for their vacation. So so, yeah, we're booking all the way through. So really we can't start any tickets there until may 22nd, which those, of course, are sold out for that whole first week, um, and then we can book all the way until december 31st 2025. We also have a lot of folks that are they're super excited for Epic, but they want to give it a little bit of time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 12:Get the crowds over with, get the kinks worked out with some of the rides, all that kind of stuff. So we're seeing a lot of people want to travel now for the holidays, like we were just talking about, then take a year off in 2025. And then, as soon as 2026 is available, look to go back so that's smart, makes a ton of sense, awesome.
Speaker 2:Well, maggie, thank you so much for all of this information, and I know we will have you and brad back on as soon as run disney gets their act together and gives us the rest of the schedule so we can get cruise planning for the the first ever rise and run cruise.
Speaker 12:We're so excited about it I know, I know a little teaser, I know, yeah, it was soon enough.
Speaker 2:Soon enough we'll have it, but it will. But um, just one last time before we wrap this up. Maggie, if anyone wants to reach out to you or any of the other agents at Magic Bound, what is the best way to go about doing that?
Speaker 12:Oh, best way. Facebook and Instagram are probably the quickest, fastest ways to reach us, so, on both of those, it's Magic Bound Travel, and then our website is wwwmagicboundtravelcom. Any of those general quotes or general inquiries all come to me If there's somebody in particular that you're wanting to work with or they have before. We've got all those information, but just really encourage people to hop online, kind of check out all the things, and we're going to have some more coming. So stay tuned. If you're not already on our email list, too, that's a great way, and we're going to have some more coming. So stay tuned. If you're not already on our email list, too, that's a great way.
Speaker 12:Sometimes those things are all consolidated rather than trying to keep up with how they're all getting posted out to our social media. If you go to that website, you can actually sign up to be on our email list, and we are expanding and growing. So we're going to have some new destinations that we've had people asking for for a long time and we're finally ready to offer to our families and our families that maybe have adult kids or don't want to go on a cruise with their kids. Yep, we've got some all-inclusives. We've got a lot of different things that we have vetted and we'll be revealing soon.
Speaker 2:Excellent. Well, we can't wait to hear the news. Maggie, thank you so much for your time, and we cannot wait to see you all at Marathon Weekend.
Speaker 12:Yep Countdown is on.
Speaker 6:Okay, that was great, maggie, but as of day of recording, we found out that Pop Century and Port Orleans are doing some extensive refurbs, where I think pop will be being refurbed during next year's marathon weekend, not this coming up one next year's and also springtime for Port Orleans. So that's something you can do. That's why a travel agent will help you change those reservations If things don't go your way.
Speaker 2:No, that makes a ton of sense, John. When it comes time to book those race vacations and you're having trouble with availability, our friends at magic bound can definitely, definitely take care of you.
Speaker 6:It is a one year refurb, so that's a long time.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, I mean, heck pop century is what I believe. It's the largest resort on property. I think if you, if you take the all stars as separate entities, like if you put all the all stars together, then yes, all stars the biggest resort. But I think you just like.
Speaker 2:Look at that. Like one to one to one, I think pop has the most, the most rooms of anybody. So thank you for that important piece of information, john. Greatly appreciate it.
Speaker 2:Before we get into the race report, uh, just a quick announcement here. Even though marathon weekend, as we said before, is just about two months away, we just wanted to make sure that we promoted um our wonderful friends kristin and devon over at the dopey strong facebook group and and their collaborations of their various Run Fit Fab programs. As just again quick reminder, they are hosting their first ever pop-up event during Marathon Weekend. It will take place on January 10th at 12 noon until 2 o'clock. I can't remember if it's the Swan or the Dolphin, but it's within that hotel complex.
Speaker 2:If you're interested in attending, you can purchase your tickets at Eventbrite. If you just search RunFitFab, it should come up, but the ladies do also have it linked on the Dopey Strong Facebook page. We highly encourage everyone to come out to support these two amazing women and on top of that, we also encourage you to come because at that event we will be recording a live Rise and Run podcast episode in collaboration with RunFitFab. So we're really looking forward to that. So again, there are some tickets still available for the event, so just visit eventbritecom or go to the Dopey Strong Facebook page and you can secure your ticket there. I think that's all we have in terms of announcements, so now it's time for.
Speaker 1:The Race Report.
Speaker 2:The Race Report is sponsored by our awesome friend, tom Stokes at Stoked Metabolic Training. If you're interested in any of his various programs that he is currently offering, be sure to visit stokesfit, slash, rise and Run Coaching. All the information about the various programs will be listed there, and also, tom is very, very active on our Facebook group as well too, so I'm sure if you had any particular questions about any of the programs or registering, I'm sure you can probably reach out to him on Facebook as well. But again, the website stokesfit, slash, riseandruncoaching.
Speaker 1:Friends, let's kick off the race report. Let's go back two weeks now, because we spent a lot of time talking about wine and dine last week. That's what we do when we're down at Disney, but we had a world major occurring at the same time and I never, I never, want to ignore or miss my friends, who are friends, who have run a world major. So we have several friends here with us who ran the New York City Marathon while we were in Florida. These folks are running the New York City Marathon. Let me tell you who they are and they will introduce themselves to you, and I'm going to go in the order that you're appearing on my screen here, friends, and I'm going to start with Tara.
Speaker 15:Yes, I am Tara from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Yes, New York City. This is my absolute first time. I was very apprehensive but absolutely, absolutely loved it. I have done Chicago and just finished Berlin a few weeks ago, and next up for a world major is London in April.
Speaker 1:Awesome, awesome, four. I know I I'm not even going to ask, I know you're going to nail all six. Carrie, hi, carrie, thanks for joining us.
Speaker 10:Hi, thanks, I'm happy to be here. My name is Carrie. I'm from Chicago, illinois. This was my first New York as well, and it was very overwhelming but also exciting and my fourth world major, and I just finished doing Chicago for the fourth time three weeks ago.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's, that's great. The first two people are world major veterans for each. Awesome Jason. How about you? I am Jason.
Speaker 16:I'm from middle of nowhere, texas, a little town called Stephenville, and this was my first time doing New York. It is my fourth major Seems to be a trend here. It's a trend, yeah, I've done.
Speaker 1:Last year, I did Chicago and this year I did Tokyo, berlin and now New York. Wow, that that's great, hi, amanda Welcome.
Speaker 15:Friends, my name is Amanda. I'm from Signal Mountain, Tennessee. It was my first time running New York, but my second world major. I also ran Chicago three weeks ago.
Speaker 1:Feeling tired, amanda, just a bit. You're loud, you're allowed. That's, that's cool.
Speaker 13:Hey, katie, how we doing I'm katie I well, I grew up in new jersey, but I've lived in uh queens now for a while and, um, uh, this is my. This is my second new york. Um, I ran it once in 2015 before kin um tried, tried to get a little bit faster than that one, but it just wasn't in the cards.
Speaker 1:But I was very close. That's all right, that's good. Hey, brenna welcome hi friends.
Speaker 11:Yep, I'm brenna. I am from washingtonC and this was my first New York City Marathon and first world major.
Speaker 1:There you go, good Good, somebody had to do it, and I'm glad it was you. Brenna, it's good to see you. Thanks for joining us, hi Megan.
Speaker 14:Hi everyone, my name's Megan. I am from Long Island, new York. This is my second New York in person, but I actually did one New York virtually, so I guess my third.
Speaker 1:Okay, did you do that thing where you do it virtually, so you can get guaranteed entry?
Speaker 14:I actually didn't. I was registered for New York in 2020 and then they canceled it, so it was actually my first marathon. I ended up running it by myself on Fire Island in New York, so different experience.
Speaker 1:I'll bet it was. I'll bet it was. That's putting it mildly, I'm sure Sarah welcome.
Speaker 3:Hi, I'm Sarah. I'm from a small town in Virginia.
Speaker 4:This was my first New York City Marathon, as well as my first major Good deal as well as my first major Good deal and not last, but just the last person who I see on my screen, nicole, is with us. Hey everyone, my name is Nicole and this was oh. I'm from Melbourne, florida, and this was my first New York and my first major.
Speaker 1:Very good. Well, this is a nice big group here. I'm glad it's appropriate. I did read. You know, chicago this year set the record for the number of finishers in a world major. Did you know that New York broke it? Yeah yeah, this New York broke it, not by a lot. Yeah yeah, this New York broke it Not by a lot. But I don't have the right number in front of me. Go ahead, john, it's 55,634 total finishers. Yeah, and I think Chicago is 54 something.
Speaker 6:So yeah, big deal, big deal Compared to the first marathon. They ran where there was. I got it right here 127 people started the marathon and 55 finished it. When was that, john 1907.
Speaker 1:1970? 1970. Oh, by golly, I would have thought.
Speaker 6:The entry fee was a dollar. I think it went up a little bit since then. It's gone up some.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, great Well, it's good to have you all here with us.
Speaker 2:Can't wait to hear about this awesome race weekend, but you really can't start any race weekend until you pick up your bib so you can get onto the course and all that jazz. So, jason, why don't we start with you? Tell us about your experience navigating the Javits Center to pick up your bib and check out all of the awesome merch and vendors?
Speaker 16:well, I'll say that of the four majors that I've done, it was the best run expo by far. It was Berlin was absolutely chaotic and New York was so well run. It was very organized, got in and out very quickly. We got there Friday. We got to New York about one o'clock Friday, dropped our luggage off at the hotel, went straight over and got our bibs. We had all that done within I don't know five minutes of arriving there. The busiest place was the New Balance official merchandise area. That was pretty crowded and when we started to check out the line was insane looking because it was just wrapping around and around and around and around and we got through it so quick. And when I got to the cash register or the checkout fella I complimented him on how fast and efficient it was running and he said they had 60 people checking people out there. And then the rest of the expo was pretty much typical expo type stuff. But it was lots of stuff, lots of pictures to be taken and it was very, very well done.
Speaker 2:Well, speaking of pictures to be taken, uh, in following all of you and other friends who participate in this race, one of the favorite photos that I saw was Grover from Sesame street was at the expo. Did anybody get a chance to see Grover?
Speaker 13:I waited on mine. I waited on mine tell us about it. Um well, I, my sister, actually has a history with sesame street. Um, like working with them, so I was like oh my gosh, I have to get this photo. Um and grover is one of my favorites, uh, so definitely had to get that photo.
Speaker 2:Very cool, very cool. It's not something you see in every world major, that's for sure.
Speaker 3:Now Carrie.
Speaker 2:I see you're wearing some of the merch. I know this is an audio only podcast, but what were your thoughts in terms of the merch that was available at the expo?
Speaker 10:There was a huge amount of merchandise. At least I went the first day, on thursday, because I got there mid-afternoon, um, and walked over from the hotel, so, um, there they were replenishing, and when I went back on friday a lot of the merchandise was gone already. Uh, they had a different finisher jacket, jacket that I wanted and kind of debated on, and it was gone the next day. So, but a wide variety and big selection of merchandise, not just the New Balance area, but some of the other vendors that were there as well.
Speaker 14:So they did have this section where you could print out a picture of your dog and they made a sign for you. So a lot of people did that. I printed out my two dogs um, those are really encouraging signs, so I needed that. Uh, you know, 20 something miles in a picture of your dog.
Speaker 1:That's interesting. What did you download it? From your phone or something, or?
Speaker 14:yeah, you downloaded it from your phone. Uh, the sponsor was purina, so it was a little startling arena at a marathon event.
Speaker 2:It's the official fuel sponsor of the New York City.
Speaker 14:Marathon.
Speaker 1:But it was awesome. That is pretty cool though.
Speaker 6:Okay, so before you guys run the marathon, they have a little shakeout. Run 5K. Did anybody run the 5K? I did. I ran it with my sister did yeah so how is that and where where did they do that run?
Speaker 3:um, it starts right near the un and I enjoyed it. We had a really good time, me and my sister. We just took it really slow. A lot of people out cheering, so it was really nice.
Speaker 1:Nice, good, good crowd for a 5k.
Speaker 3:That's cool, good crowd out.
Speaker 16:Yeah, I agree it was. It was a fun little 5k and um, we had a lot of fun doing it and it ended at the marathon finish line. So a lot of it was through central uh, through central park, and it ended at the marathon finish.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's kind of neat If someone's not up to doing a marathon yet and they do the 5K and they can finish it. That's pretty cool.
Speaker 16:The one negative that I had about the 5K is they didn't have medals.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's what I was thinking, because they give out medals in Chicago, and I was like oh, Berlin does the same thing.
Speaker 13:I mean the shorter New York Roadrunners races don't have medals.
Speaker 3:Really what's up?
Speaker 13:with New York oh.
Speaker 3:I never realized that.
Speaker 6:It's a thing up here in Jersey too. Most of your 5Ks, you get a shirt and that's about it.
Speaker 13:Yeah, even up to like.
Speaker 16:No shirts. No, nothing from there. So you got a bib.
Speaker 3:You got your little hat.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2:the little beanie from the 5k. Yeah, all right. So before we get to the big show on sunday, uh, we did have an opportunity not not not me or john or bob personally, but uh, we had, thanks to our friend Doug he was so wonderful to organize the official Rise and Run New York City Marathon featuring the We'll Run For podcast.
Speaker 2:I had an absolute blast listening to Aaron's recap of running. That kept hammering Doug over, over and over and over again. Is that how? This was the Rise and Run meetup? Yet no host from the Rise and Run podcast was present, yet three of the four hosts from We'll Run For were there. So first of all, we want to go on record and say, doug, thank you so much for organizing this event. Baking cookies From me personally. Welcome to the trolling aspect now of the We'll Run For podcast.
Speaker 2:They will never, ever let it down. But who here was able to attend the meetup and what was your experience like?
Speaker 3:I went.
Speaker 13:Yeah, I went too. No, it was great. I feel like I'm always too shy or nervous to do any of these meetups where I have other things going on, especially when we're down at Disney. So I was like my parents have the kids for the weekend, let me just go and actually finally meet some people. And it was great. And and then to like I saw a couple people on the course to like on the side, and so that was. It was really cool to see a familiar face in the crowd because, um, I don't know, it kind of gives you that extra boost. So it was nice. It was nice we went to. We met in bryant park and you know they have all their christmas stuff up and it was.
Speaker 2:It was a nice little free race, I don't know, meet up now, kat, not to put you on the spot or anything like that, but who makes better cookies, doug or Becky?
Speaker 13:There's only one right answer. I haven't had either. I didn't eat any Doug cookies. I am actually a pastry chef.
Speaker 1:Oh, you shouldn't have said that, katie, I did not partake.
Speaker 13:I actually didn't have a cookie, I feel bad.
Speaker 2:No worries, no worries.
Speaker 6:So we now know who we can get to make. Yeah exactly Now. Becky's off the hook.
Speaker 2:This is great.
Speaker 13:I would love to. I would love to.
Speaker 1:All right, this is recorded, you know.
Speaker 13:That's fine.
Speaker 1:I want to give doug some credit now I doug got trolled. Doug hit me up a while back asking about setting this up, so we set up the the chat for it. Well, the chat was already set up. Was will run for planning to do a meetup, or did they just piggyback off of doug?
Speaker 2:I'm not sure and I'm going to keep my mouth shut in respect of not getting trolled, because I got trolled enough by them. So I don't want to add fuel to the fire.
Speaker 6:I did tell Doug I was going to try to get there depending on what was happening, but it was my granddaughter's 10th birthday party, so I really couldn't walk out on that to go. Come on, she'll have one next year, yeah, but yeah other things start happening after that bob, you know I'm I'm joking, john well.
Speaker 2:Once again, doug, thank you so much. And and again, if you need a support group for those who are trolled by, we'll run for, uh, you know how to reach me and we can. We can stand in solidarity together. But let's move to sunday and the marathon.
Speaker 2:And, amanda, I want to start with you here, because what makes new york really unique is that, unless you have your own form of transportation, you have to get on a bus, because I imagine most people are probably staying in manhattan, and you get on a bus and you know, so it's, it's quasi run, disney ask and you get bussed out to Staten Island for the official start of the race and sometimes you might have to sit there for a really long time. I know she couldn't join us tonight, but, like I know our friends, uh, kristen and Shailene and I thought this was a genius idea they brought disposable inflatable pool mats with them and blew them up so that they had something, you know, very comfortable to sit on while they waited for the race. What is that experience? Like you know, you know having to travel that far out to the start line and waiting around for so long far out to the start line and waiting around for so long.
Speaker 2:So I will say that run disney trained us well um, because I was with kristin chalene and lauren.
Speaker 15:Okay, oh you were okay, okay, okay. So I was one of the four people on the pool floats, but, um, oh, nice as well, because we were like we're gonna take the bus we're we know what bus, we Very comfortable with that and, of course, run Disney. We're like we're going to get on a really early bus. We didn't have the early start time. We felt it was important. Just we just want to get there and get settled.
Speaker 15:Chalene came to us with this idea. She was like you need to get pool floats. She sent us the link from Amazon. She brought a little portable pump and we get out there. And the bus ride was really quick. We thought it was going to be longer and so we ended up out there like at 540. We didn't start till 1055. Oh, wow. So I'm really, really glad that she's like get pool floats. So we get our pool floats out. We start pumping the looks people were giving us because they were trying to figure out what we were doing and we are sweats on and blankets and a bunch of hot hands on us and we were just comfy, cozy, we were lounging with our Dunkin' coffee and a bagel. It was very as relaxing as it can be before you start a marathon. We had a great view. We just kicked back and just relaxed. It was so calm for what we were about to do. That's awesome.
Speaker 15:That is my biggest tip. We thought we were going to see a lot of people with things like that. No, we saw people just sitting on the pavement. We saw people standing around. I can't believe people were standing on their feet.
Speaker 1:For five hours.
Speaker 15:Yeah, so pool float, I think they were like 11, it was fantastic well spent actually I did pool floats so, but I did not think the pump would have been us. I thought it would have been such a smart idea and we're all sitting here trying to blow these things up and we're like, okay, we got to take a break, these things are huge.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're hyperventilating before a marathon.
Speaker 15:But it was the absolute best to have these full float, inflatable ideas. It was comfortable. We were off the ground. We kind of set up our own little kind of camp. There was six of us, we had mylar blankets, we had food. There was six of us, we had mylar blankets, we had food, we had what like. It was fantastic and, yeah, to walk around and see how people were so miserable sitting on asphalt, shivering. We'd set people in like shorts with no extra layers. It was. It was awful. We brought like rolls of toilet paper, we were prepared and you go into the porta potties and unfortunately a few of them did run out, were restocking. But you know, we, you just if you plan those five hours or four hours, it's like just flew by. It was fantastic and that was my biggest fear is, you know, being there, you know, trying to make my way to the start village and enduring this horrible weight. I loved it. It was so much fun with friends. You just have fun out of it and, yeah, that's the best way to pass the time.
Speaker 2:Now, brenna, did you bring a pool with you by any chance? We keep talking about pool floats, but did you actually bring a pool with you yourself, or what was your plan here?
Speaker 11:Did you actually bring a pool with you yourself, or what was your plan here? So I will say I didn't have to take my transportation as early, given I was running with the charity team for kids, so I kind of experienced the VIP treatment. We had a private ferry pick us up from the mid-term ferry. We didn't even have to go too far from our Manhattan hotel and then they had like the air conditioned charter buses that took us from Staten Island to the starting line and then I only waited maybe 45 minutes because I got to the starting line around nine 30. And then we got into our corrals by 10.25. So I was able to be in the warming tent a little bit. The benefit we also had our own private porter potties and it's just a really easy way to start. I did not wake up even until 6 am that morning.
Speaker 1:I'll be done. Carrie, I'm watching you shake your head here. You had the similar experience.
Speaker 10:Yeah, I was also with Team for Kids and in your wave, so in same crowd. Um, that start time and it was so luxurious. It took off so much pressure, because there's always the nerves, especially not knowing where you're going and in such a large city, so and that knowing like how long it's going to take to get somewhere. So I was early in my uber to get to this the ferry, but after that it was very seamless, everything was very well organized, so it made things a little bit less stressful I know there's food and amenities at the start village.
Speaker 6:Did your charities have special tents or anything there for you guys?
Speaker 11:yes, yep, and they had their own food and water bottles as well.
Speaker 1:Wow, what did the rest of you do for food and the five-hour wait?
Speaker 16:Bagels and coffee. That's all there was. Oh, all right, unless you brought your own.
Speaker 3:Well, we had bagels and coffee and bananas. I was for Team for Kids as well, but, yeah, we had the same things as you guys. We had a DJ in our tent and portable bathrooms, and it was nice that they did a warm-up before every wave so nice, a little spoiled I took the byop.
Speaker 14:Byop, bring your own pop tart perfect at a girl.
Speaker 1:all right, that's what I was eating before the half.
Speaker 13:Yeah, I ended up taking the ferry because I live here and I it actually from Queens. It took me three hours from my house to get on the ferry and then get to, like, the starting village, because there's a long line for the buses from the ferry to the starting village. Um, but I was still. I was in the last wave, I was in 11 30 and so I mean I had, I still had plenty of time. I left my house, I don't know what time, but I still had at least two hours to kind of hang out. So I ate my uncrustables and walked around and got a little bit of coffee and, yeah, it wasn't so bad, it goes fast. It seems like it's a long time, but it goes fast.
Speaker 15:One thing that I found very interesting is with the corrals. They would open and then literally 15 minutes later they would close. So I found that very unique compared to all the other races. So you didn't I mean basically everybody would wait outside the corrals, but basically the the crowd would open, everybody would line up, hurry up, get inside. It was great, there was lots of porta potties inside, but then it was a hard close 15 minutes later and they would come on and announce if the crowd closed, you have to wait for the next wave. They would not let you in, and so I thought that was very unique. But then once you're in the wave or once you're in your corral, it wasn't a very long wait until then everybody started moving. So that was really nice and very different compared to Disney where once they let everybody go, you just all went.
Speaker 2:There was no stop go, stop go, stop go, it was just go well, tara, based on our experience at wine and dine last weekend, um, if you need to get in, the password is by you, by you, that that should, that should get you back back into that corral. So, all right. So these are wonderful, wonderful tips about getting to the start and the starter's village, but now let's actually talk about the race itself. Nicole, obviously you touch all five boroughs over the course of this race. The crowds are insane, outside of just having dead silence on the bridges. Give us your course highlights over, uh, over the span of the race.
Speaker 4:So I was a back of the Packer, so I was one of the last to start. Um, definitely a party in the back, but it was just. I was amazed the whole time. I grew up not too far from New York city so I'm familiar with, you know, the vibe and the buildings and everything. But I found this is completely different. I was running through those streets and I just kind of stared at everything in awe the entire time. You know, I was looking at all the signs and checking out all the buildings and it was really cool. Nike had a bunch of different ads on all the buildings around there, if you all caught them.
Speaker 4:So I was just kind of reading those and high-fiving all the kids and just there was so much going on. It was just a ton of fun the entire time For me.
Speaker 14:It was such an incredible experience. I had a pretty rough lead up. The last couple of weeks going into the marathon Really didn't get in the training mileage that I thought, just due to some injuries, some illness. So my goal going into it was to really go and every family member that I saw I was going to give a hug and every person looking for a high five I was going to give a high five and I think that feeling of just being really excited and being really happy to be there and kind of catch the vibe of each borough really propelled me forward, so I ended up PRing the course by 25 minutes and PRing on time by 20.
Speaker 14:So it was. It was awesome and I think that really is just a credit to like the, the, the vibe. Everyone keeps talking about the vibe and that's absolutely true for New York. It doesn't disappoint.
Speaker 16:I was a back of the Packer as well and our plan I was running with a friend of mine and our plan was party pace and we were going to take all the pictures and do all the high fives and we had a great time running it. The crowds were amazing for the most part, Um. The signs were incredible. I saw it was probably the best marathon that I've ever run for their signs, because there were more original signs at this one than I've ever seen in any other race. What sticks out? Oh, I probably shouldn't say it on a public podcast because it was a political one.
Speaker 1:All right, we'll pass that one. What was the second best?
Speaker 16:Let's see. Oh, the second best, okay. So there was a lady standing there with a sign at her feet and her dog was laying beside her and the sign said I get the zoomies, zoomies to run, human run. I thought that one was pretty cute. There were a lot of dogs along the course too.
Speaker 1:Those were pretty cool I think amanda saw that sign because she was shaking her head and laughing yeah, there were bunches of signs like that.
Speaker 16:Obviously, the bridges were quiet. The long, long bridges were very quiet, yeah, and I could tell that there were a lot of people that had the confetti cannon things. Oh cool, those were really cool. I've never seen those in a marathon during the course before, but I could tell in some of the areas where there weren't that many people that there had been earlier because there was confetti all over the road. So they've been there before and you know it's a long day.
Speaker 16:I started in a wave and so by the time we hit Central Park it was an hour after sunset and you know I'm sure people got tired and left. I absolutely don't blame them, but overall the crowd was great. It was just fun, other than the hills and the bridges.
Speaker 1:Amanda, I hear that this is actually kind of a tough course. What would you say?
Speaker 15:So yeah, I mean, yes, the bridges, the bridges are tough.
Speaker 15:Bridges make it tough Okay out and, yes, it's quiet on the bridges, but the crowd was just so electric the rest of the course that I knew it was a hard course and I didn't have any goals in mind when I started the race but I just wanted to have fun. But I realized pretty quickly I was going a lot faster than I planned and I wasn't really feeling like I was going faster than planned. The weather was amazing, it was absolutely perfect weather. But the thing I really wanted to talk about for me, the thing that really stuck out I mean, there's a lot of things, but the thing that really got me going right at the beginning is the start of the race.
Speaker 15:They walk you out and you get on the bridge and I'm vertically challenged so I can't see anything but shoulders. I have no idea where the start is. I hear the cannon and I'm waiting for people just to start like shoving forward. There was none of that. Instead, they're playing New York, new York and people are singing and dancing and just casually, just kind of strolling up, and people didn't really start running until like we were right at the start and so it was just even. You know, it just had such a relaxing feeling to it and then you know go.
Speaker 15:And I think that just set me up to have a great experience, and I actually got a new marathon PR out of it. So yeah, it was. It was just fantastic. The word for me, it was just electric. I can't, can't, I cannot describe it. It was so fun and the crowds were so loud agreed to end.
Speaker 10:Like, touching on the start bridge, I have really bad anxiety and somewhat of fear of heights, so I wasn't quite sure. Everyone kept asking, like, are you going to be on the top or the bottom? And I was like, wait, you have to pick. Like. So I was very nervous but you really couldn't feel as much as I thought I was going to be and I was, given the crowds and the music was amazing, it was definitely. It took the edge off and I just started and everything just kind of went away. So I was also nervous about going over multiple bridges but I made it through, you know, struggled a little bit at mile 20 and had to walk the rest of the way from some nausea, but you know I finished and that's all that matters and there is no crowd, that is like it. I thought Chicago was amazing and I'm very partial, but yeah, there's nothing like it.
Speaker 3:I have to agree, I felt like the course was actually no matter, like, despite the amount of people that were there, there was never a lot of course, like congestion, there was no pushing really. I mean sometimes people would bump you accidentally, but considering the amount of people that were running this race, it was very well planned and like the timing was great so that no one was like on top of one another.
Speaker 8:I think, that's a result of them spreading the start out for three hours, but it works. Yeah, it makes everyone, I feel like, have an enjoyable time, though you know well worth it.
Speaker 1:Awesome.
Speaker 11:I'm curious if anyone else put their name on their shirt. Okay, I see some that, I think, really helped me never hit the wall because, although I had some friends and I missed John um hearing from me out on the course everyone was screaming my name because I had my name on my shirt and then I also had some leftover letters, so I put run walk on the back of my shirt. Oh, that's a good idea.
Speaker 11:And because I run walking. I think that really helped. Or I tried to help the people behind me anticipate, like my upcoming walk breaks.
Speaker 3:I had a lady say to me that she was never going to forget my name because everyone kept saying it.
Speaker 1:And she was with you most of the time.
Speaker 6:She was like I'm'm never gonna forget your name somebody said a trick was everyone you know you're yelling the person's name. They don't realize that they're calling them. Call their last name, because, like, how many brennas are out there? How many carries are out there? You, how many Carys are out there, you know? Call their last name, then they'll recognize you when they're coming by, because all you're hearing is you know, sarah, sarah, sarah, and there's 50 Sarahs coming from 15 different directions.
Speaker 4:That's actually a really good idea, Because it just kind of blends together Like you hear your name so much, it's almost like you don't hear it eventually I ran dressed as a ghostbuster, and my my running buddy.
Speaker 16:She was dressed up as stave puff marshmallow oh no excellent. We got a lot of we got a lot of entertainment from the fans.
Speaker 6:I was telling people if you see a ghostbuster, come by, let me know I go. I'm looking for a Ghostbuster Because I know your costume was easy to pick out.
Speaker 16:Oh, nice Stay. Puft was much easier to pick out. Yes. She was in a big giant white onesie.
Speaker 2:No one steps on a church in my town.
Speaker 6:Greg would have quoted the whole movie with you if he was there?
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 13:I felt like the first half of the race like it went really well for me. Um, like you know, like the miles just kept, like mile markers kept coming. I was like awesome, awesome. And then, like I, I have plantar fasciitis and even that cortisone shot a few days before just didn't do enough, um, but I still, I just stayed very, um, steady with my like one minute on, 30 seconds off and just tried to just keep trucking through that. Um, it was crazy. At mile 18, a woman I met at the playground once when my first was like one year old, maybe like six or seven years ago, she was there and had a sign for me and like, yeah, it was really sweet.
Speaker 13:And then at mile 23, when I was just I was hurting, but uh, this woman just like looked at me and was just like you are so something. Uh, beautiful, now you look amazing. Nobody else looks as good as you. Right now I know she was lying, but it was really really really nice and like people on the course, they're handing out bananas. I had like three orange slices a lot of Halloween candy.
Speaker 13:Yeah, yeah, so that was, that was really, it was. It was a good race. I, yeah it, it was definitely. The crowd is just like everyone said, it's insane everyone's, you know, stumbling on the bar, cheering your name and, um, I had my name on my shirt, um, but yeah, it was, it was awesome. And my husband, uh, he was able to kind of like sneak his way close to the finish line, so I got to see him right before that, yeah, so that was, that was nice.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, it was good tara, I've, I've set you up for the hard part. Okay, eight people now have described the new York City Marathon to us and I'm going to come to you and say, tara, how was your marathon? And I know I have every confidence you're going to come up with something unique.
Speaker 15:And actually I do have something unique.
Speaker 1:I know it. See, my confidence was justified.
Speaker 15:I was one of the oddballs that started on the bottom of the bridge.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 15:So I don't think I've heard anybody. Oh, okay, anyways. So I had this contemplating on do I move up? You know I was like no, no, I positioned in the, you know, for the bottom I was in pink, that's fine. You know, went over the bridge, it was really cold, fine. Uh, you know, went over the bridge, it was really cold, but you know, went over and we kind of were off in a different section for the first three miles, so, uh, well, I should say two miles over and then a couple of miles before we meet up with the rest, and so it's kind of quiet, it's kind of different. And then, as you're kind of coming up to meet up with the rest of the colors, it's like this, you can just hear the crowd starting and that just the noise. That just got louder and louder.
Speaker 15:And I have to admit I wasn't exactly thrilled about running New York City. I was like, okay, I'm doing it because, right, check, it's one of the six stars, um, but my friends were all there and I was like, okay, if I'm ever going to do it, it's going to the six stars. But my friends were all there and I was like, okay, if I'm ever going to do it it's going to be with my friends, and so not that we were running together, but just, you know, we all got there, we had to start Village and you know, and I was out and and oddly enough, my other friend was who started in a different color we met up at one point and then we kind of separated. But just, yeah, I can't say enough about the crowds, because they really were, you know, just, they really propelled that energy and so up until that point I was like, ah, you know, just trying to find the you know the reason to be here and trying to be positive about it. But that energy really pushed me forward. But that energy really pushed me forward.
Speaker 15:And from then I literally had a smile, from like probably mile three to mile 26.2. I did not let that smile go Like 19,. I was like, okay, just got to make it to 20. But literally that was the only part that I kind of struggled. Even bridges were kind of like let's just, let's just be peaceful and be quiet, and it was okay to not have screaming in the loud, like it was just nice, you know. And so, um, my wonderful husband and my dear friend liz and her friend becky, they were my cheering squad, so that was like I get to see them at you, mile eight and mile 16 and mile 23.
Speaker 15:And then, you know, it's just the miles just melted, melted away, like I just I was even so surprised of how, how well it went. And you know I'm taking photos and selfies and sending them to everybody and texting, and like it was just, it was just about having a blast. Get into Harlem and they're like welcome to Harlem, have a beer. And I'm like, okay, okay, I know, disney, my all of my run Disney people, you all do beers. I don't always do that, so I was just so excited and just crossing, like going through Central Park, and yeah, that finish line is epic, like I just, you know, like just the smile again and I had the best finish and my photos didn't exactly turn out the best, but hey, it's all good, my memory it's in my head. Um, and then you, you know you finish the race and you get your medal and you get your amazing warm, cozy poncho and the water and the snacks, and then you're like, hey, let's go walk for two more miles to yeah, yeah, I was gonna ask tara.
Speaker 2:I was gonna ask about that because in tracking everyone this weekend you know it was the alert okay, so and so has crossed the finish line, and then there would be another alert so and so has exited the park. And I wanted to ask about that so that that makes a ton of sense now.
Speaker 15:Super long, super long. It's like, hey, they want to get all that lactic acid and get you stretched literally like two-plus miles to get out of there. But again, I mean very well organized. I can't say enough Out of that. Many runners, super organized and very spaced out. And yeah, kudos to New York City because they did an epic job.
Speaker 16:Yeah loved it. Their photographers after the finish line were amazing. There were photographers everywhere and they had backdrops and you could take tons of pictures. That was amazing, just the number of photographers they had after the finish line Nice that was amazing, just the number of photographers they had after the finish line.
Speaker 1:Nice, actually listening to you. Uh, I've seen photos of friends walking off with the ponchos around them from behind. You know the long line of of runners finishing up the race.
Speaker 6:Classic stuff congratulations everybody that ran the new york city marathon. So now, the way it lines up next year, wine and dine and new york city marathon are on separate weekends. Who's going to try to do both?
Speaker 13:I I don't I don't see anybody volunteering, john I'm thinking about volunteering during the race. I've I've done that, but no, volunteering during the race. I've done that before. I've volunteered at mile 25 once and I got to hand out medals the year after. Um, I did too. You have to, like volunteer a lot and then they pick you to. They like it's like a process to get selected to hand out medals and you have to volunteer at at least six or seven races and then and then they pick you from that to make sure that you're serious, because they only pick a few people that's the prime.
Speaker 13:That's one of the the great jobs is handing out the medals, yeah yeah, I did that the year after I ran so it made it that much more like impactful. So I made sure to stay as late into the night as I could and I'm sure they get those last runners yeah all right, my friends, thank you, you, thanks.
Speaker 1:First of all, as it's been said already, congratulations. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for sharing your story. We get great stories about all the world majors, but I think I think we might get the best stories about New York. It really sounds like a fun event. So I'm not going to go and ask everybody when we're going to see you again at Disney, but I know we will. We'll see you soon. Meanwhile, thanks for joining us. We'll talk to you later.
Speaker 8:Bye Again. Congratulations to all of our New York City runners. We're super, super proud of you. To start off our race race report, we're going to start on friday night the light the way 5k in dollywood, pigeon forge, tennessee. Megan was there. She did really well at this course and she was trying for a pr. But unfortunately they mismarked the course and a bunch of the runners went the wrong way and it took them a while before they were told that they had to turn around and come back.
Speaker 2:Why would Dolly Parton do that?
Speaker 8:I know right, so that was super classy lady.
Speaker 2:Why would she do that?
Speaker 8:That was super frustrating, um, but overall Megan had a great time, um, and she was there with um Jimmy and he said that this one went better than last year but the race again needs some tweaks to make it a better race. He loves seeing Megan and other running friends. Susan and Mark were also there. They wore Christmas pajama tops and light up tutus, which is super fun. They made some friends that had also been at Wine and Dine. They said that the first mile was just parking lots so that was kind of boring, but once they made it into the park it was well worth it. The lights were beautiful and they slowed their pace down to enjoy the scenery and had a great time. Great job to all of our friends that were at the light the way.
Speaker 2:5k you know, when I looked at all of these photos it just made made me yearn for Disney to bring back the Osborne.
Speaker 8:I know yeah.
Speaker 3:I wish.
Speaker 2:Now I did bring this up, I think, on the the rise around zoom call last week that you know. If you do miss that and you want to experience an event like this, I highly encourage all of our friends to um visit uh, the website for the give kids the world village. They are doing their gingerbread run at the end of this month. I believe it's actually I think it's, I think it's next saturday, but they're doing a 5k at the village and it's at night with all the christmas lights up and everything like that. So I guess if you wanted a taste of the Osborne lights and to participate in this type of run, be sure to go visit our friends over at Give Kids the World Village. So thank you for that wonderful report, alicia.
Speaker 2:We will now move to Saturday and in a city not too far from where I live, in Philadelphia, pennsylvania, we had the Rocky run and our friends Kay and Lizzie both participated in what is called the Italian Stallion Challenge. So this is running a 5k and then getting back and then running a 10 miler. So in theory, you know you're getting a half marathon out of it. Uh k says that she absolutely loved running with uh lizzie during this event. Uh, she said great crowd support around the philadelphia museum of art and that the volunteers were fantastic and they were giving out post-race snacks, like it was Halloween trick-or-treating, and Kay and Lizzie made sure to take full advantage of that. And then, of course, this wouldn't be a rocky run without Kay running up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The thing is, I think she went a little bit further than where Sylvester Stallone actually stood at the top of the steps and was pumping his fist and yelling go Adrian. But Lizzie did a great job as the videographer on that. And then just a real quick update from Lizzie as well, too, she got a 28-minute PR.
Speaker 8:Wow.
Speaker 6:Greg, it's from Chasing the Chickens.
Speaker 2:It is from Chasing the Chickens, and speaking of which this is what she also included in the report is myself and some other friends that ran Bird in Hand were sending both her and Kay messages along the way that included references from Rocky, and neither one of them knew what we were talking about, so we highly encouraged them to go and watch the movie afterwards, so hopefully now they will understand about chasing after chickens and the fact that women weaken legs.
Speaker 6:And Kay did dress as Rocky from Rocky 2. Yes, she did.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, she did. And then also just a quick update here from Lizzie as well too. She went back and looked and she also PR'd her 5K by 13 seconds. So two PRs there for Lizzie over the course of this race. Congratulations, ladies. Sean was also there as well seconds. So two prs there for lizzie over the course of this race. Congratulations, ladies. Sean was also there as well. He he registered for it on a whim after seeing all the signs and the course getting set up during a morning run. So he finished with an official time of 82 minutes and 27 seconds and hoping that that will be a good enough proof of time for a corral in dopey in 2026.
Speaker 2:Down in the sunshine state. The umatilla kiwanis 5k. Ryan ran this race, he said. Five years ago his buddy nudged him into running this 5k and five years ago, he said, it changed his life. He has yet to break a sub 30 at this race, but he was more than happy with his 30-minute and 15-second finish, which is good enough for 25th overall and second in his age group. Ryan, that is awesome. Congratulations. Second in his age group, ryan, that is awesome, congratulations.
Speaker 2:In mount airy, north carolina, we had the mayberry half marathon. Morgan ran this race. Morgan goes on to say that there was a beautiful weather with a very nice course. They had otis, the town, drunk from the annie griffith show out at the start line of the half marathon and was led out by an old time squad car Like they used to drive in the show. So that that's what was very, very unique. So that again. So if you're a fan of the Andy Griffith show, you'll have to make your way down to Mount Airy, north Carolina.
Speaker 2:In Louisville, kentucky, the through the zoo 5k. Ashley ran this race race. Actually says that she's done this event several times and this is the first time that she has run, walk, run it and it fit in perfectly with her princess weekend training. She goes on to say that the hills were intense but thankfully there were plenty of character stops along the way. Now I'm sure that, compared to when disney character stops, you probably can't get close. You know to the, the tigers and the polar bears and you know the snakes and everything like that, but that sounds like a ton of fun. Next up, we had amanda running the chickamauga battlefield half marathon in georgia. Battlefield Half Marathon in Georgia. She liked taking a 13.1 mile run through history. She also managed to get her second best half marathon time ever. She said the monuments and the views were amazing, helping the miles go by. And she is working on 50 halves in 50 states. Way to go, amanda halves and 50 states way to go, amanda.
Speaker 2:Our buddy, jen, ran the us road running ninja run in royal palm beach, florida. I love the pictures that jen posted. This one, uh, she had a wonderful costume. Jen signed up for this one as a catered training run, thinking that it was not timed, but, surprise, it was. Uh. She finished, uh, the first half and won the costume contest. She said that there was only um four people who were signed up for the half, but that's okay. Uh, she pretty much hit her goal of, uh, three hours and said it was a bit of a struggle with humidity in the sun, but she was determined to finish. And I mean, yeah, I mean, I would imagine dressed up as a ninja. You know that that would be tough, but I mean the fact that nobody saw you running the race, you know, and being under the cloak of darkness and disguise. That was a great job, jen. So way to go and congratulations on winning that that costume contest.
Speaker 2:This past weekend was the Indianapolis Marathon and Tiffany ran this race. This was her first marathon, so we know what that means and you got to love run Disney runners. She made advanced dining reservations while she was waiting in the corral for this race to go. I hope you got everything you wanted, tiffany, because I know there are some reservations out there that are very, very sought after, but she finished this run on a beautiful day, despite the gnarly-looking gash on her knee caused by losing a battle with a concrete planter. Listen, you said you lost, but I'd love to see how the planter shook out after this one, because I'm sure the planter's in a lot worse shape than you are, but a way to battle through that. I'm sure the planter is in a lot worse shape than you are, but a way to battle through that.
Speaker 2:Also, participating during the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, sarah ran as well. This is the second time running and she still has a lot of love for it. The race is well organized. There's wonderful crowd support, nice and flat, and the last part of the course heads toward Monument Circle and it gets her every time. Part of the course heads toward Monument Circle and it gets her every time not her best race, but still darn proud of herself for completing it, and we're proud of you too.
Speaker 2:It's been a hard year for Sarah. That's been filled with grief she did lose her dad a little while ago and having to make adjustments because of a brain tumor diagnosis. But, sarah, we are with you every step of the way in this journey and congratulations and getting out there and you know, and continuing to fight on, not only personally but also fight on these races too. We're so, so proud of you. Also, cj ran this race and it was cj's first marathon, so we know what that means. Up next we had Ravi. He ran the Fort Lauderdale A1A10K. Ravi goes on to say that this was a 80s rock music themed race. It was super windy, with a headwind through much of the course, but you can't beat the location running up and down in Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Speaker 8:Our friend Stacy ran the Aravaipa Mountain Pass Trail Run and the Punisher Night Run in Mesa, Arizona. Both 5Ks were in Usury Mountain, one at 8 am and then the other one at 5.30 pm. She said that this was the best time of year to run in Arizona, as the desert is absolutely stunning at sunrise and sunset. Time of year to run in Arizona, as the desert is absolutely stunning at sunrise and sunset. She really enjoyed this one. She got to run with one of her best running friends and in the first one she was the eighth woman finisher in the AM race and then in the PM race she was the third overall female finisher. Congratulations, Stacey.
Speaker 6:And in Fort Smith, Arkansas, the Whitney's race for the Cure 5K.
Speaker 2:I wonder who this is.
Speaker 6:Our buddy, joe. Joe said it was an absolute gorgeous location for this race, overlooking the starting line of the Arkansas River. The three amigos were there. His friend Johnny came in first in the 10K, gary first in the 5K and second for Joe in the 5K. He's been very slow this year, he's been saying, and this is the fastest race he's been in a long time. He was very happy, like right after he got done with the race he sent me a screenshot how he did and Joe did.
Speaker 2:Really good Way to go, joe in Kennesaw, georgia, the Kennesaw state, turkey, trot our favorite rise and run baby. Baby George ran his first 5K, oh yeah, and I guess his dad, david, participated as well too. David and George go on to say that they went easy, spent the majority of the race at long run pace, but near the end the only other jogging stroller started to pass them and after a quick chat with them they decided to finish together. And then they really picked it up at the finish line. David way to go. But more importantly, ladies and gentlemen, let's give baby george his first ever pr bell.
Speaker 2:Next up, rob ran the harborside half marathon in newberry port, massachusetts. He was very happy. His time just under two hours and five minutes. The finish of the race was absolutely amazing, with the final quarter of a mile lined with spectators along a narrow path to the finish line. Again, what a great way to end a race. All right, so that wraps up Saturday. Moving to Sunday.
Speaker 2:In Cypress Hill, texas, we had the run Houston series 5k. Katrina Lucas and Olivia ran this. Lucas and Olivia PR their seventh 5k by five minutes. So let's get two PR bells please. K by five minutes. So let's get two PR bells please. Now I must say I don't watch the show, but uh, the the kids were dressed up as demon slayer characters. Uh, again, I wish I knew what that was, but you guys I'm sure looked fantastic. Great job getting this PR at this 5K. Also, this weekend we had the St Louis Half Marathon.
Speaker 2:Amanda ran this. It was hillier than expected but the weather was perfect. Her family surprised her around mile 10. That's always the best. This was her seventh half marathon, but the first one that her children have spectated that and again, nothing better than seeing loved ones on the course. She grabbed her medal and some water and kept going so that she could get her target of 15 miles for the weekend. If that's not determination, I don't know what is Way to go.
Speaker 2:Amanda, next up in Winter Garden, florida, we had the gift of swimming 5K and our friend Margaret from the Council of Costumes and her husband john ran this race. Now it might sound a little odd. You know a race that is called the gift of swimming, but um, as margaret notes in her post, unfortunately the state of florida uh, tops the list for the number of childhood drownings. So this is a a race that brings awareness to this issue and benefits swimming lessons for kids across the state. So very, very noble cause. But Margaret reported that she ran as Dory and John ran as Marlon and of course had to bring out their best Finding Nemo representation. They never did find Nemo, but they found lots of friends along the way and there was actually a fun petting zoo at the finish line. So that's pretty cool. This is Margaret's eighth running of this race and it is the longest consecutive time of doing any race for Margaret, so that's really great to see. And Margaret also reported that she finished first in her age group. Way to go. Margaret.
Speaker 2:Jeremy ran the Outer Banks Half Marathon in Montejo, north Carolina. In Annapolis, maryland, we had the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Run 10K. We had a bunch of rising runners there, first Jenny. She said it was a little crowded but they had great weather and all-around PRs for her entire group. I don't know how many people were in this group, so we're just going to do one. Pr bell here Provided beautiful views of the Chesapeake Bay, lots of fun. And she did put out a brief video on the Rise to Run Facebook page, so be sure to go check that out.
Speaker 2:Rob also ran this race. He had a really enjoyable time. He met up with one of his best college friends and her husband and off they went on the race. They just wanted to beat their time from last year. Rob says he may have encouraged them a little bit along the way and they both got three-minute PRs. This race itself is well run and they had a shuttle bus system to get everyone back to their cars and the logistics of this. Rob goes on to say Disney would have been very proud of their operation. Jennifer also ran the Bay Bridge 10K. She has a nice morning to run across the bay. Her sister and her run this each year and we love this tradition and, as others have noted, the race is well run and is always a good time. And also running the race we had katherine, carrie and andrew.
Speaker 2:Next up is the tessa marie memorial 5k in north haven, connecticut. Sue ran this. She said today felt like a struggle. Not every race is easy, for sure. She goes on to say that you know, some days you've got it and some days you don't. But the bottom line and this is so, so exciting. Sue is one of our Connecticut 169ers. This was race 168. She has one more to go. So, sue, congratulations on 168. We can't wait to hear when you finish off this challenge with a 169. Carolyn was also at this race as well and she wanted to note that this was race 160. So, ladies, we love the fact that you are so close to completing this challenge and we will definitely be following along and cheering you along the way as well.
Speaker 2:And then, finally, to end off the race report this week in henderson, nevada, we had the all humans welcome 5k. Sarah ran this race. She said this race is a little different. You don't get your medal as soon as you cross the finish line. To encourage inclusivity with all the paces of runners and walkers. Uh, you, you're turned around at the finish to go back out on the course until you meet up with the balloon lady so that everyone crosses the finish line together. That is a beautiful message and I think should be embraced in the racing community a lot more. And I'm so glad that we are ending the race report on that particular race itself. Way to go. All right, friends.
Speaker 2:That's going to conclude episode 164 of the Rising Run podcast. We so appreciate you listening and downloading, subscribing, subscribing and just supporting us each and every single week on this podcast from from the bottom of our hearts. It means so much. Also, thank you for sticking around this long in the episode um, especially with bob being uh absent for most of the episode this week as he is uh rocking out to the holiday hits of Mannheim Steamroller. But we're excited to have Bob back on the mic next week.
Speaker 2:We're getting closer and closer to marathon weekend. We're two months away. There are two really big simulation weekends coming up, as we've talked about before. Those simulation weeks are probably the hardest thing you will ever do and once you get down to Walt Disney World you are going to absolutely crush it. And here at the Razzle Run Podcast we are with you every step of the way to help you get across that training run finish line and also the actual finish line down in Walt Disney World or Disneyland. So, folks, if you run, you are our friend and again, we mean that from the bottom of our hearts. Keep up the amazing work. You're destined for great things. Remember to love yourself and, most importantly, happy running. The Rise and Run podcast discusses general information about Run Disney and is in no way affiliated with Run Disney or the Walt Disney Company. Any information or advice discussed on this podcast should not be considered medical advice and should always consult with your healthcare provider or event organizer.
