Rise and Run
Rise and Run
199: From Start to Finish Lines with Alan and Grace Young
In episode 199, we visit with runDisney royalty Alan and Grace Young, who share their remarkable 30+ year journey with Walt Disney World Marathon. Alan holds the incredible distinction of running every single Walt Disney World Marathon since its 1994 inception—a legacy he's maintained through strokes, surgeries, and countless challenges. "I never consider not finishing as an option," he explains, offering a masterclass in perseverance. Together, he and Grace chronicle the evolution of runDisney from its humble beginnings—when merchandise was sold at the airport instead of expos and costumes were nonexistent—to the celebration it's become today.
Perhaps most touching is the story behind their famous friendship bracelets. What began as therapy following Alan's stroke has blossomed into over 4,000 handcrafted tokens of community that have traveled to all seven continents. This beautiful gesture perfectly captures the spirit of the running community they've helped foster.
The episode wraps with our Race Report Spotlight featuring Michelle from Erie, Pennsylvania, who shares her North East Cherry Festival 5K experience and how seeing runners who looked like her at Disney inspired her to begin her own journey.
Ready to rediscover your running motivation or connect with fellow Disney runners? Subscribe now and join our Zoom meetup this Thursday—details in our Facebook group!
Rise and Run Podcast is supported by our audience. When you make a purchase through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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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 3:Greetings from St Augustine, Florida. This is Carrie gearing up for the Bridge of Lions 5K tomorrow morning in St Augustine. And guess what? You are listening to the one and only Rise and Run podcast.
Speaker 4:This is Chris Turner, team 99 Captain, and you're listening to the 199th episode of the Rise and Run podcast. That's right, not one, but two intros to kick off this episode. Two intros to kick off this episode. Carrie joins us from the start of her race that she finished this week and our good friend from the hashtag Run Dopey group, captain199, himself, chris, introduces episode 199 of the Rise and Run podcast. What are the odds that Captain199 would introduce episode 199 of the Rise and Run podcast? What are the odds that Captain 199 would introduce episode 199? They weren't that tough. Anyway, welcome, my friends.
Speaker 4:Welcome to the 199th episode of the Rise and Run podcast. We're delighted that you're here. I am Bob, and this week I'm here with Jack Hiya, with John hey how you doing? And with Alicia Hello, great to be with you. My friends, by golly 199. Wow, we're getting up there. This week we continue to visit with friends that we've made in the first 200 episodes. Alan and Grace Young are back with us. What lovely and wonderful additions to the Rise and Run family they have become, and we're glad they were able to spend some time with us. They have become, and we're glad they were able to spend some time with us in the Race Report Spotlight. Our good friend Michelle will explain to us. In addition to telling us about her race this weekend, she will explain to us why Northeast Pennsylvania is in Northwest Pennsylvania. Stay tuned.
Speaker 6: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, race report or want to introduce an upcoming episode, call us at 727-266-2344 and leave us a recorded message.
Speaker 2: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 us out at patreoncom slash riseandrunpodcast. At patreoncom slash rise and run podcast. Also, we want to welcome some new members Brianna at the plastic cheese level and Patrick at happy running. Thanks for joining us guys.
Speaker 7:The rise around podcast is sponsored by, of course, the magic bound travel. So if you guys are looking to book some spooky tickets coming up, this is your chance. Go ahead and try and check out Magic on Travel, because if you're looking to do the Oogie Boogie Bash Nights at Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim or Mickey's Not so Scary that's what I'm doing for my bachelorette, you guys.
Speaker 4:Sounds like fun.
Speaker 7:It's going to be fun. I can't wait to show you guys the pics of what our potential costume idea is. Or if you want to go to the other side, you know that universal place nearby yeah yeah, you want to go down i-4 and it's right there, uh.
Speaker 7:But if you want to do some spooky scariness over there, they, they do have Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando and Universal Hollywood and yeah, you can book those all through Magic Bound Travel. They can make it simple, easy way for you to get those tickets. Also, you guys, if you're thinking you know what, you guys, if you're thinking you know what, I definitely want to do some spookiness. But can I mix buying my tickets for some of the most jolly time of the year as well at the same time? Sure can, because you guys guess what? The mickey's very merry christmas party at disney's magic kingdom and disney's jollywood nights at disney's hollywood Studios special event night tickets are going to be on presale. So go ahead and check out Magic Bound Travel.
Speaker 4:Magicboundtravelcom is the website. Check them out. Thank you, jack. Let's take a look at the training friends Out in California coming up now.
Speaker 4:We're only seven weeks away from restarting the run Disney season, as the Disney Halloween race is in training week 11. And off of the challenge training schedule, this weekend you have four miles with a magic mile. Remember. If you're in someplace where it's warm or it's just too difficult to do the mile right now, you can use the magic half mile. It really does work out very well. Double your time at 18 seconds. Wine and Dine is now less than 100 days away. I love that. I'm getting excited. You know. Less than 100 days to be back together at Disney World, 14 weeks to be exact. We're in training week four and the long training run for the Wine and Dine Challenge races is five miles. And in marathon weekend now 25 weeks away training week three for all of the long races the goofy dopey and the marathon it's a three-mile long run this weekend. Hey, friends, before we talk about our training updates and I want to talk about that a little bit did you see the video that our friend Ilyana created and posted in Facebook?
Speaker 6:Oh, yes, yes, it was amazing.
Speaker 4:Fabulous. How cool was that. A lot of effort, a lot of thought, a lot of talent, a lot of energy went into that, ileana, we really appreciate it. Friends listening, if you haven't seen it, I have pinned it. It's the very first item in the featured group on the Facebook page. We'll leave it up there for a week or so. I told Ilyana it was like it was our equivalent of taking a magnet and posting it on the refrigerator so that everybody in the family could see it. But it's really neat and I just I'm tickled to death. I thought it was so creative.
Speaker 6:It's really cool that not only have we created this community, but they want to give back to us by creating something that has the Rise and Run name in it. It just it blows my mind, it does. We're so grateful.
Speaker 4:And that was really amazing and impressive. We may have some more surprises for our friends in Episode 200 next week. Stand by All right. Training update How's training going, friends?
Speaker 2:It's going pretty good. I mean, I've been walking a lot during the week and that's been some of my weekly trainings, and I've been following Tom's workout program for the challenge, which has been pretty good.
Speaker 7:This is going to be going on my seventh week of doing this, so I've been keeping this pretty quiet about training because I really wanted to challenge myself. To challenge myself, I had gotten to a point where I had taken like two and a half three months off of general training. You know what I mean. Like I kind of do a run if I felt like it or did a workout if I felt like it, but it wasn't like, let's do it. You know, this is training got to go exactly as it is every single day. I just needed a break. I think the 100 miler almost broke me.
Speaker 4:It was tough.
Speaker 7:Then doing dopey right after. It's just kind of like I had been training so hard that I was like you know what After princess, I'll just kind of do whatever I feel like because I was exhausted. Success I'll just kind of do whatever I feel like. Um, because I was exhausted and, um, I got to a point where I'm like you know, I really want to get back into it. More than just I need to train for a race, it became more of. I need to do this for myself. Um, because when, when I originally got my wedding dress, I was a certain size and since then I have gained weight, um, and it's not just, oh, jack, five pounds, no, it's like good, 15 extra pounds. Like, yeah, like I had gained some weight because I have been sitting down with this new job since February.
Speaker 4:I'm only. I'm not. I'm looking at you in a video here, jack. I don't see it, but I trust that you're right.
Speaker 7:Yeah, and it's just like well, I got the dress at the end of February. I'm like I don't know if I fit into the size that we ordered it might be a little snug now and so I kind of had like a wake-up call and I got in contact with Tom again. Oh, I'm going to cry. I'm not going to cry.
Speaker 4:Getting in contact with Tom. That makes me cry sometimes too.
Speaker 7:I think, well, and it's just not just for the wedding, but it's just kind of like I don't want to. This is just me personally. I don't want to go through life just waking up, going to work, coming back, sitting down, putting on the tv or just looking at my phone like that's not, that's not who I am. I never used to be like that and I feel like, for whatever reason, the past few months I got into the groove of that. I'm like I don't want to. I don't want to continue to be that person, because that's not how you should live life. You should go, go and enjoy it. And I have the hardest time waking up every morning, um, to go and do a workout. It's been a huge struggle and it's just like I want it, because after work I want to be able to spend that time with David, if he's off work or you know, or it's if it's my weekends and he has work, but he doesn't leave till like noon noon at least I have the mornings with him.
Speaker 7:And so I I kind of woke up one day and I was just like I think I need to start showing up for myself, um and so, um, ever since the first week of June, I have been waking up, um, around 5, 45, 6 am, so about two and a half hours before work or whatever, and I've been doing my workouts and I've been working out six days a week and it was going good. It's going good. I mean, I don't know why I said past tense and it's like I told myself that I wanted to give myself a challenge. You know the saying where you do 30 days to make a habit, 90 days to keep it. And I'm like halfway through about with it. And I had a little bit of a struggle this past weekend, which is why I really wanted to talk about it, because this past weekend I had a lovely weekend. My sister threw the most beautiful bridal shower.
Speaker 4:I could ever give yeah, we saw the pictures.
Speaker 7:And I'm going to share some more pictures on Instagram. But, like she did such a wonderful job, and I talked to Tom this morning, like you know, saying, hey, I didn't do my work at I'm sorry, there just wasn't enough time and travel was going on and I was with family and I really wanted to spend it. He's like you know what moments like those life moments like that, it's okay to miss a few days. And I got up this morning to go and do my workout one of Tom's workouts and I just I felt like I was dead inside because I had taken the past four days off and I didn't realize how much four days off would do to you, because I just felt like my body was doing the workout but my but when, like I was awake, but like I just felt like I was sleep working out, like you know how you like think, like you're asleep with your eyes open or something like that just felt like that working out and I was just like this is just feels so sluggish.
Speaker 7:this was a really hard workout and I feel like I've done this one a few times and it shouldn't be that way. But if you guys are having a hard time with workouts, as like every so often, it's totally fine. It's normal Anytime you have a sluggish moment. It's the summer, man, it's going to be hot and it's going to be miserable to wake up in the morning to go do those runs or workouts, but I mean, once you do do them, you feel so good though, and there's that push at the end where you're like I just did that. Now I get to go off to work, and it sets the mood for the day and it makes me the most happiest person and.
Speaker 7:I hope I can continue with past the 90 days once I get to that point. But moral of the story is I want to go, I want to show up for myself and I want to start living life a little bit more. Beyond a screen and beyond just sitting down and working, there's there's more to life, and so I'm very excited that I've been working out more good yeah sounds good, jack.
Speaker 4:I'm happy for you. I'm glad that's working for you. One of the things that works for me is almost the opposite. One of the things that works for me that when I don't want to get up and get going is, I think, of all of you.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 4:I'm not just talking about the folks I'm looking at, I'm talking about all the folks who are listening to us. I think of you and I think I can't sit here and say here's what you should be doing if I'm not doing it myself. So that helps me get out, get going thinking of everybody else, and we all have a hard time with it. I wanted to talk just a little bit. I finished my summer virtual series. That was easy because when we're doing the 45 minute runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'm running a 5k or better every one of those times. So I knocked those out, so I have those beautiful medals to add now to my collection. The topic of the time is the heat, and you know how I'm fond of saying if it's hot where you are, it's hot, and what that means is I don't like people who play the game. Somebody in the Midwest says oh, I got up and it was this temperature, that temperature.
Speaker 4:And someone in the southeast says oh yeah, that's nothing, baloney, it doesn't matter, we all acclimate to where we live. It doesn't matter, we all acclimate to where we live. And if you are out and you feel that it's hot, then by golly it is at. And I again not making an excuse, but at my age it gets a little tougher. So I go out for my long runs on saturdays and it's florida, it's going to be hot, and I finished them and I will get into what I'm going to call survival mode, and what I mean by that is I'm going to do what I need to do on the long runs. I'm going to do them as slowly or walk as much as I need to to finish them. I'm just going to survive them.
Speaker 4:I'll push harder, I'll push during the week in my shorter runs and I'll push harder when the temperature gets more reasonable, when the dew point gets more reasonable. It will eventually come. It'll take longer to come here than it will in some other parts of the country, but it'll get here, and so that by the time that we're all together back at Disney World, we should be well-trained and ready to go. Not easy, my friends, not always fun, but we do what we need to do and we keep moving forward. If you get into survival mode, you're in survival mode. Survive, finish, don't hurt yourself. Have fun. Let us see once again our friends that run disney have given us a topic to talk about wine and dine medals go half marathon could eat it up.
Speaker 6:I love me, some bastard and I love these lady in the tramp, so you sold me that's my favorite one. I'm curious because I can tell it's a spinner oh, you think it is other. Yeah, the middle is a spinner for sure, I can see that but I'm curious what the other side is gonna say yeah it says like me I think you're fine.
Speaker 6:No, I had to say that, oh, it is a spinner. Yeah, the the half marathon's a spinner. The challenge actually opens up because everybody was saying, well, it doesn't mention that it's an anniversary year and it does on the inside. Um, so it it does flip up. Um, honestly, when I first saw the cake, when I was like, well, that's kind of boring, but the inside does have colors you know, here's a funny thing, alicia and I.
Speaker 4:I joke about the medals. The medals are. No medal is ever going to make me run a race, no medal is ever going to make me say I'm not running that race. But I looked at these and I thought they were nice and I didn't notice any of the spinners or moving parts or light-ups. I didn't see any of that Because genuinely I think that's a waste.
Speaker 6:Yeah, they just get hung up.
Speaker 4:You do it once. I display all my medals but I don't spin them when they're there. So I thought I display all my medals but I don't spin them when they're there. So I I thought, and I kind of liked what it looked like to me, that Disney had concentrated on making really nice looking medals with a lot of color in them and I I was pleased with that. I'm still pleased with it, I guess, but I was. But, believe it or not, I was happier when I didn't notice that they were a spinner. It's okay, I'm still going to do the race.
Speaker 6:I do think. My favorite one, though, is the 5K, and I'm not getting that one, but I love Milan. But yeah, that one's super cute.
Speaker 7:I don't know why she can't be like the half marathon. Has there ever been a Mulan half marathon. I mean, I know there hasn't been a Pocahontas one, which I feel like is come on Disney there's been like a Mulan half um, is there?
Speaker 4:yeah.
Speaker 6:I missed it, princess, a couple years ago, because I did it virtually. Um, it was maybe 23, but yes, I agree that pocahontas should definitely have a half spotlight as well yeah I mean I love that 5k medal.
Speaker 7:Like honestly, like the half and the 5k are my favorite. Um, I don't really care for the 10K, I'm sorry.
Speaker 4:What was on the 10K Jay?
Speaker 7:Olaf in a lunch basket. Again, it was colorful.
Speaker 4:It was all right. John, are you going to a wine and dine?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll be at wine and dine. I'm doing all the races. I mean, like I said, Bob, they're okay, I mean they're just okay, I mean. I feel like Bob. It's weird.
Speaker 4:That's my line. I kind of blew by it on this one because I actually, when I saw them, I said, well, these look nice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I always kind of think like the 10K metal kind of never gets the love that the other metals get, I agree. I always feel like they're like an afterthought.
Speaker 7:Well, the 10 K metal does? It looks like the sun spins it does, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Spinners. What a waste. Oh, hey, you know what else I liked. The fact that the medals are out is just another message that says run Disney seasons on the way back. So we got to look at those, so I was happy to see them. All right, friends, hey, let's. Let's continue on here Episode 199 and visit with our guest for the week 199 and visit with our guest for the week.
Speaker 4:In episode 199, we continue what we've done for the last couple episodes return to visit old friends, people who have become friends of the podcast, been with us for a while. This week we are thrilled to be joined by Alan and Grace Youngs names many of you already know and admire. Alan's run every single Walt Disney World Marathon since it began I'll let him elaborate on that in a minute and Grace has been right there with him for most of them. Together they've really become beloved figures at Run Disney and in the past couple years, especially in the Rise and Run family. Alan Grace, thanks for taking the time to visit with us on this 199th episode. It's great to see you.
Speaker 8:Great to see you.
Speaker 5:Thank you.
Speaker 4:Look, you've been with us before, john. You've been with us before, john. You had it a minute ago, it was. What episode were we on?
Speaker 2:118, I think it was, I don't know.
Speaker 4:Yeah, about 118,. Yeah, it was December 28th 2023. Okay, so a little less than two years ago after our first 100th episode. So I know we've talked about this before, guys first hundreds episode. So I know we've talked about this before, guys. But let's, let's start. And let's, let's start out with your history of running it. Run Disney, alan. In the intro I mentioned that you've run them all, but there's kind of more to that story, isn't there?
Speaker 8:That's true. I've run all the Disney world marathons. I ran the one Disneyland marathon in 1995 with a five hourhour time limit, and three weeks before that if you were an Orange County or Los Angeles County resident you had to run the Los Angeles marathon. So to date it's the only race or run Disney race that has two shirts, two official running shirts, and it was the first metal that actually had a ribbon with a fabric design on it, which was Mickey Mouse's shoes. Wow, additionally, I've run all the Disneyland half marathons, so I have a legacy status there. How?
Speaker 4:many is that, I think it's 14. Disneyland half Okay, and we got one more coming up in January, and then we don't know after that. Correct, grace, I've asked you this before too. How many of those have you done? I've run.
Speaker 5:Walt Disney World 94 was my first full and I've run 28 of the races. I had some injuries and a surgery that took me out for a few years. So there were four years of the 32 at Disney World that I did not run. So in the halves, on the halves, I did lose my legacy in 2016 when I had my ankle surgery.
Speaker 4:Oh, that's the thing about, yeah, in 2016, when I had my ankle surgery. That's the thing about the legacy runners, about the perfects. You've got to work hard for them, but you've got to be a little bit lucky too, true? Do you ever have any close calls, alan, any years where you weren't sure you were going to make it over to Disney World?
Speaker 8:Yeah, 2013,. The 20th running of Disney World. I tore my hamstring right before Thanksgiving. So I went to physical therapists and they told me not to run but just to sort of stretch and move on it a little bit. So I didn't actually start running until the day of the marathon. Didn't actually start running until the day of the marathon. So I was very happy to get into England and about three years ago, as most of you know, I had a stroke and then I had a blocked carotid. Additionally, I've had a macular pucker, a torn retina and, most recently, a gallbladder surgery to remove. So it's been a trying kind of last three years for recovery.
Speaker 4:It doesn't get easier. Does it as we get older? It doesn't get easier. But you're lined up for 26, right? Yes?
Speaker 7:With being a legacy mean that you've done every marathon at Disney. Do you get to run for free now, Like hey, here's your free registration, or do they do anything special for you?
Speaker 8:we've gotten things. The short answer your question is yes but in five years we got up, we got a little plaque.
Speaker 8:At 10 years we got a mousker trophy, which was which was unique in trying to get it back on the plane. 15 years they were. They gave us a plaque at the end of the race and we didn't really know what it was. And then Betsy Hughes came up and said we just retired your number. Oh, that's cool. For 20 years they asked us and we had a party and then they announced that we were all getting rings, so they handed each of us a perfect ring. So there's 120 of those floating around there. At 25 they basically gave us registration for life. At 30 they dedicated the 30k mile marker to us and we got flags on it and then we got a lot of things. So we've gotten a lot of stuff on that's amazing the last one, sandy?
Speaker 8:no, because they really don't count. Disneyland yeah, but there's there's 41 of us left that that have the perfect status at disney world with a free registration. So we not only get the invite, but we get a special one. And this year it was funny because I called up and I said I got the link but it asked me to pay. And so I called him up and the lady on the phone goes what do you expect this for free?
Speaker 8:And I said yes, she got off the phone for five minutes and she goes okay, okay, okay, we're sending you another link, but we've gotten it for free for the last seven years.
Speaker 4:As it should be.
Speaker 6:So, besides the legacy status, because obviously that's going to help bring you back, but what is it that keeps bringing you back to Disney? Is it the camaraderie of people? Just your love for Disney?
Speaker 8:Well, we like Disney, but I have to tell you, it's the camaraderie with people. The Rise and Run group has been terrific and just the request for the bracelets has been amazing. It's been amazing it has. I'm sitting right over there. It has been amazing.
Speaker 4:It's been amazing it has.
Speaker 6:I'm sitting right over there.
Speaker 4:It has been amazing. I'm not laughing, I'm just. That's kind of a chuckle of how happy it makes me.
Speaker 2:Let's go back at least 30 something years. What inspired you to run your very first Disney race?
Speaker 5:We saw an ad a New England runner which we had a paper subscription for the magazine and it was for a Walt Disney World marathon, and we thought that would be that's a good idea.
Speaker 5:We should do that because we'd be running through the parks and on the property, and so I had been running for about 10 years. I had only run races up to the half marathon distance, but that was a good excuse to go to Walt Disney World and to run through the parks, and so that was the reason why I signed up for that as my inaugural race. That was a fun way to start and I like having something different to look at on the course, so I thought that would make it a little bit easier. On that initial course, animal Kingdom wasn't built yet, so we just ran out to, like, the trash recycling area. That was a very long out and back, and so it wasn't quite what this celebration is today when we go to the races. It's developed and it's a little bit different now than it was in the early years, but it was still fun.
Speaker 4:I'll go let Alan answer in a second. But, grace, I think that young women, especially who are listening to the episode, may not realize that even as early as 30, 35 years ago, not many women were running marathons.
Speaker 5:True, and it was mostly men out there, and if you look back at any of the pictures of the inaugural race, they had on short shorts and singlets. You know, there there were like nylon singlets. There there wasn't any technical shirts that we have now.
Speaker 5:The socks were tube socks, you know, everything was a little bit different. It wasn't as high tech. Back in that day a girl would wear a regular bra because they hadn't come out with jog bras yet, which was the first, you know, running bra that I, you know, found at a race out here in California.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know, I've seen that video that they I guess they put out the second year for the first year's recap of the start line. The second year for the first year's recap of the start line mass start, no corrals and no totally different race than it was, than it is now so, with 30 to 35 years of running disney, has the experience really changed over the years?
Speaker 7:what was the biggest change you've seen?
Speaker 8:Well, first, as soon as we walked off the plane in 1994, the merchandise was there at the airport and it was at the hotels. There was no expo.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 8:There was no expo. So the expo is definitely gone. The number of people getting into the races has gone way above what they ever expected. Registration has gone from snail mail to basically the internet to now registration day. Woes, woes of gps, the everything from cell phones to uh disney used to have actually, they used to sell a camera with film because there wasn't. There wasn't uh digital cameras. At that point, there wasn't smartphones. I mean, everything has really changed and I really believe that even in 25 or 50 years they're going to look back and Disney was one of the driving forces to have these multi-day events or challenges.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think that's true. When did folks start wearing costumes Not?
Speaker 8:for the first like two or three years. It came on very slowly. There were also not a lot of it came on very slowly. There were also not a lot of characters and in the first race we were done with the parks at mile 13. We were out and nobody got to ride a ride.
Speaker 4:I know when are Alan and Grace going to start wearing costumes?
Speaker 5:January 2026.
Speaker 4:I knew the answer First time, just for the 5K. Yeah, breaking a 33-year tradition by wearing a costume. I've seen Alan's headpiece for the Aliens. It looks great. You haven't registered for the 5k yet. It's worth it Just to see that headpiece.
Speaker 7:I tell you what though you wear one costume, Many more come right after.
Speaker 8:I don't know, one of the things we've never done is we never slept through a race.
Speaker 4:Okay.
Speaker 8:So in January we're the 5k.
Speaker 4:Oh no no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. We will assign somebody to come get you. Okay, we're not having that happen. All these race weekends, do you have a favorite, or do you have one that kind of stands out, maybe best, maybe worst In terms of race weekends.
Speaker 8:I still like january race weekend the best because it was the original and it really has grown. But, um, the disneyland races have been great because we walked from home to the start. In the last disneyland half we ran by a house twice. Yeah right, yeah right.
Speaker 4:That's cool.
Speaker 5:I have to say that my favorite was 2005. And there's a lot of races and a lot of years, a lot of different weather we've experienced over the years, but in 2005, I don't know that my training was significantly different, but I just happened to have a good day.
Speaker 5:The weather was conducive, it wasn't too hot, it wasn't too cold, but I believe it was cool at the start and I had heard about the early suggestion of Jeff Galloway for the run walk and when the first time I heard him talk on that he was really talking about running a mile and walking one minute. They hadn't done as much experimenting today, um, or as they have now, with different intervals and different pacing and magic miles and all that other different jargon that goes on in training today, but he had suggested that and so I tried.
Speaker 5:It was either my first or second time doing that in 2005. And I love to go out hot and fast and I usually get tired and I'd walk through some of the water stops towards the end and my pace would slow down significantly. But in 2005, I just happened to have a good day. I was feeling very strong, I kept my pace consistent for the entire run and I had a really great day out there. So that would be. I couldn't tell you a lot that was different about the music or the entertainment in 2005, but it was really nice to feel good. I didn't have blisters.
Speaker 5:I didn't have any major problems and I just felt strong at the end and I was thrilled with having a good run.
Speaker 8:Now on my part. I've run. This is going to be the 33rd year. This is my 34th Disney marathon and I'm waiting to have a good day.
Speaker 4:This will be it. This will be it, my friend.
Speaker 6:Was there ever a race where you weren't sure you'd make it to the finish line? What and what got you through it, if there was?
Speaker 5:you through it? Um, if there was, the answer for me would be no, and um, I would say that you sign up so many months in advance for a race and you know in the back, in the back burner, that you're going to do this race and what the date is. And I just think when I'm out there my mind kind of takes over and even if I'm in a lot of discomfort or pain, no matter what's happening, I never consider that I'm going to quit or that I would not finish. I may have to walk, but my mind is doesn't consider that that's not really an option. So I haven't really felt that I wasn't going to finish. I just keep moving. And I guess for me, when I get out there and it's really tough, particularly going through Epcot at the end, you know when I'm either hurting. At that point, for me it's kind of like if it feels the same to walk as it does to run slowly, I'll run so I can get in sooner and get off.
Speaker 4:Sit down and get off my feet Usually my feet are killing me.
Speaker 5:Good thinking.
Speaker 8:Like a lot of people that don't wear the race shirt until after the race because you want to like, earn it Some people do so. On the 20th one, I tore my hamstring and they gave us the ring. But they gave us the ring the night before the marathon. So I'm out there and I'm in pain and I'm basically going. If I don't finish this, I can never wear the ring. So that's what kept doing and that Rudy speech kept going through my mind. Except one time Sean Astin was at the Disneyland and he's in the next booth and then I found out that I'm shorter than Sean Astin and that was terrible, and no. And then this year it was tough and basically running into Bob and running with, like Julie Hartman, that was great and that's what got me through it Because they had changed my medication. I had this dry hacking cough the entire way and I was hurting. I tested negative for COVID but I just I had this, this cough, and I couldn't shake it.
Speaker 6:I do have to tell you, alan, when I saw you across the way during the marathon, it gave me the motivation to keep going. I don't know if I helped you go, but you helped me keep going. So, yeah, it took my motivation.
Speaker 4:Yeah, last year was a tough one, alan. It was Anyway, but that's either here or there.
Speaker 2:Back in episode 115, we interviewed Jeff and Barbara Galloway and they had a story of how they met through a coupon. Ok, if you want to hear it. Go back and listen to that. So whenever you're you're introduced, you're introduced as Alan and Grace. So how did you two guys meet and become a couple? Okay, Well, first, that's.
Speaker 8:That episode is Grace's favorite episode. And we probably listened to that episode six times.
Speaker 2:That's fun.
Speaker 8:I and this is the funny thing is this is kind of dating us but a long time ago, when everything had to be on paper, I had stationery at the office and I went in to get my stationery redone and the stationery the place that did the stationery had closed up, taken all my heart work and left. And Grace, I knew, was a graphic designer, so she did my stationery. So we did this stationery for a long time and this is like stupid. And I knew her for a couple of years and I wanted to ask her out but I was afraid to ask her out. So I finally got the nerve to ask her out, but I was so certain that she was going to say no that I had no response when she said yes and I literally got up and ran out of the room oh my gosh oh wow, so it all involves paper, bob yeah, I caught
Speaker 4:that stationary I did catch up on that. How long you've been married now. We got married in 1994.
Speaker 8:You better know the answer to this, Alan. So it's easy, because it's the same year that Disney started the races and we were together 10 years before, because I borrowed money in like 81 to start the practice, and Bob will tell you, the prime was over 20%.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, man, Crazy, yeah, crazy times. Yeah, I didn't warn you that that was going to be one of the questions, but you better get that one right. So that's good. You passed More or less run together, although I know I know, grace, you're a little faster now. I know that that's cool, but what's been like running together all these years?
Speaker 5:it's been great. It has always given us time together, without tv or other noise or other things to interrupt, to have a conversation, burn off some stress, talk about plans of where we want to travel, what we want to do for eating. So it's been a great activity to do together and it's given us a lot of personal time. But we've really made a point of running together and I do my training with Alan and then if there's a race where I'm feeling strong, I'll go out and run my own pace. So there have been many occasions.
Speaker 5:I started out running my marathons with Alan and then, when he felt pressured because he felt like I was pushing him on pace, then I started running my own pace separately. But it's been enjoyable the last few years. Since he's had some medical issues I thought he could use some extra support, but it's been really fun running together again. It's been a while and we've enjoyed that. And also having people from Rise and Run and other groups that have recognized us on the course and always sometimes you know they'll say hi. Sometimes people run with us for a little bit and that's been great fun. So that's really added to our race experience. And also just making friends from Disney World that are, you know, new friends, people from out of state, people that we haven't run with before, people from outside of the country, and that's really been a rich experience of being involved with this whole celebration every year at Disney Because we've been going so far.
Speaker 8:I mean, bruce from the United Club knows us and knows if we're going there at that time when we're going to the race. Grace has talked to a couple of flight attendants, one of which ended up doing a first half marathon. And she's talked to a couple of cast members, one of which was our server at the end, and then she ended up running.
Speaker 4:So we've met a lot of people along the way over that many years. It's it's, it's pretty awesome. I'm going to dig more into that in just a little bit here. Uh, any any race day rituals that you two have yes, but this is this is a sore subject.
Speaker 8:The night before I used to eat three mcdonald's cheeseburgers which, which? Did yeah and then um and training meals as uh race has usually a coffee and a light breakfast, but I don't usually eat before we run just because I'm too nervous. Um, for the last couple years, I've been really nauseous during the runs and then, as it it turns out, it was my gallbladder.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, right, Three cheeseburgers. That's a first, alan. I hadn't heard that before. As a training meal, jack, you ought to try that.
Speaker 7:You know, I don't think my body could take that in the morning, not with my IBS.
Speaker 5:It doesn't always agree with me. That well either, it's not a high point.
Speaker 8:Wait, these are the McDonald's cheeseburgers, the little ones.
Speaker 7:The little, aren't they the same size?
Speaker 4:McDonald's cheeseburgers. The McDonald's cheeseburgers are not big, the Big Mac's bigger. I did after White Castle opened up.
Speaker 7:I've only done that once. That was horrible.
Speaker 4:I did White Castle before a half one time. I finished a half anyways.
Speaker 7:I'm proud of you.
Speaker 8:I know this isn't on video, but Jack's eyes got so big I thought he was an alien on video.
Speaker 2:but Jack's eyes got so big.
Speaker 8:I thought he was an alien.
Speaker 4:He's getting ready for that 5K. He's got the green shirt on.
Speaker 7:It's a Disney World shirt.
Speaker 4:Yeah, very nice.
Speaker 7:So, with you guys running together for so many years, what are some of your favorite memories you've made together on the course?
Speaker 8:Definitely the finish line. Of course. I mean being brought in for like 30 years by Cree, kelly or Carissa it's been one or the other one. It's been funny. We met, we ended up getting on the vip bus for a number of years and cree's uh fiance now his wife was sitting there and then after like five or six years, she came up and she said I see you, but who are you and and that's how, that's how we met. And then cree goes.
Speaker 8:Yeah, cree didn't do the first Disney World Marathon as the announcer, but he did the first Disneyland and then they did every one up until last year, 2025. He retired in 2024. But well, grace used to finish anywhere from an hour and a half to two and a half hours before me, so she would literally put away her stuff and then walk out to England and then so I would turn around England and make that right to go into France, and then she'd be there or she would be at the end by the announcer's booth, and that was always. That was always like a special time, and a lot of times that was before there were cell phones, so we didn't know where anybody was.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 5:It was fun to run him in but I stopped doing it when they started the, when they moved or they had the Tinkerbell race in California because that half marathon was the week after the full. And when they put that race the week after the full I told him. I said I can't run out and get you because that's a little bit harder, because I'd save some energy from my race to go back out and run in with him.
Speaker 8:That was always good, because during the Tinkerbell race I would be on the corner on ball, which was the first time they made a right. I'd be jumping up and down going. I don't have to run this week.
Speaker 4:In the last few years and you've only joined us about a year and a half ago you have really both of you have really become cherished members of this Rise and Run family. Can you remember how you found us and how long it took you to get involved? This Rise and Run family. Can you remember how you found us and how long it took you to get involved in Rise and Run?
Speaker 8:Yes, I was screening, basically the podcast to go through the podcast to see what we could listen to about Run Disney, and that's how I found Rise and Run, and then your logo was cute and then that turned me on to the Facebook group, and then the Facebook group turned me on to the Zoom and that was it. It was great actually just not hearing people but actually seeing faces and seeing other people that ran, and a lot of them had the same problems we did, except for Jack that took a header at Disneyland.
Speaker 7:Got a scar to prove it.
Speaker 4:We're proud of Jack. We really are.
Speaker 7:I made all 13 miles. It was the last .1 that got me.
Speaker 2:That's all it takes. Okay, that's all it takes. Okay, so, besides the Jeff and Barbara Galloway episode that you've probably watched, listened to how many times how many episodes do you think you've listened to besides that one?
Speaker 8:At least 90 to probably 100 plus.
Speaker 6:Is there a particular episode, segment or host moment that is especially memorable or meaningful to you that you've listened to?
Speaker 4:Well, we like Family Fe, we like jack's we like jack's recap of the hundred and we're sitting there going. We're never gonna do that. We were all doing that too.
Speaker 8:Grace likes, grace likes the uh barb and jeff galloway how they they met and whether their relationship was hung on by a coupon.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 8:And probably one of my favorite ones is I like the bib theft.
Speaker 2:Oh yes, that's back early on in our history.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that goes back. Yeah, that was a good one.
Speaker 7:We don't talk about Brutus.
Speaker 4:That's just the one, yeah that's a good episode.
Speaker 6:If you haven't heard it, go listen to it After you listen to this one.
Speaker 8:We knew the run Disney people and one of the people usually we would say hi to him at the end, and then we finished the race one time and he kind of like, like he didn't say anything, he wasn't rude to us but he didn't say anything, but he was all business and he walked up and that was. We were literally in the video where basically they arrested, uh, the rest of the bib thief at disney that was our that's our friend who came up, tagged her and then the police police.
Speaker 2:That was the disney, that was the disneyland. Yes, that's a patty pan episode, or?
Speaker 4:yes yeah I'm thinking about this you've you talked about it before about when you started. Nobody was had cell phones and none of this. None of this existed. None of what we're doing now podcasts, or Facebook or Zoom calls none of that existed. But that must have really changed the community. I don't know, I don't know how many people you knew when you were running back in the early days of the Disney marathons, but it must have. The whole environment must have really changed over the past couple years I think it's really blown up in the last five years.
Speaker 8:I mean, I think the the rise and run has been probably the thing that we've met more people from the disney races than any time else. And it's just, it's so funny, it's unbelievable. We were on the elevator in Cincinnati and we're talking and to this girl and she said, yeah, she had done, this was her third marathon. But she, she did her her first two marathons at Disney World. And we're talking to her and I said, do you want a bracelet? And her eyes lit up and she goes you're, alan, young, I'm going to go, yeah, and and uh, and I had to put down my pizza. And I had to put down my pizza and then I gave her and then we jumped off and we took pictures and everything. The funny thing was I I finished the flying pig marathon and you get a piece of pizza because they said a pizza oven at night, you and yeah, I got a piece of
Speaker 7:pizza because they said a pizza oven at the end, not you.
Speaker 1:I got a piece of pizza. They looked at me and they said you can have the whole pizza. And I said why?
Speaker 8:And he goes. There's nobody behind you.
Speaker 4:They're trying to get rid of pizzas. It was good pizza too.
Speaker 8:It was. It was. But I really think that the communityney has gone from basically having a race that had a lot of people that were serious runners to people that they motivated to become serious athletes and doing this. And I don't think anyone that says if you go out and do even a 5k or a 10k, you're not an athlete until you go like a half marathon. That's crazy. It's motivating anyone to get off the couch and do it, even if it's if it's disney or not. That's terrific. And look how many people you guys have motivated. Look how many are in the group.
Speaker 4:I know you want us, boy, so the standards aren't really you know sometimes I just kind of sit back and try and take it all in and just shake my head and I think how blessed we all are and how much I get soapy here when I do this, but how much love we show for one another through this event and through through this community and I just it's wonderful and you guys are a big part of that well, what?
Speaker 8:what happened at disneyland um the half this february? This last february, january is a testament I. None of the principles for Rise and Run were here and the meetup went without it. The only problem with the meetup is Kelly didn't bring enough cookies, but I mean, everyone just got together and it worked.
Speaker 4:Oh, I know I love that too, alan. I love it at the Disney World meetups, where I do my best to meet and greet whoever wants to say hi. But I love standing back and watching people who did not or would not otherwise know one another just having a wonderful time.
Speaker 8:Well, I'm glad you guys went there, because we did a lot of bad mouthing on you.
Speaker 1:We got reports, don't worry about it.
Speaker 4:Well, yeah, we had it coming. That's good, that's good. Hey, I don't know that we're sending anybody out to Halloween. I don't think we are.
Speaker 7:No. I think it's going to be you, Bob, in January.
Speaker 4:Yeah, Jack and I will be there in January, and after that we don't know when the next one is going to be.
Speaker 8:We still have had about 50 responses and Kelly's promised to bring in cookies, so we're in good shape.
Speaker 4:That's great. You know it's a nice. They have got a nice place for the meet up there and it was fun. Even though it was 105 degrees when I was there, we still had fun.
Speaker 7:It was good so you've already mentioned that you guys have made bracelets and everything, and they become so iconic. You guys made me a special one for my 101, uh. So what I was curious about is how did you guys get started with these and how many do you think you've made so far? If you had to guesstimate it, or have you counted?
Speaker 8:Okay. After the stroke I lost some sensation in my face and I lost some sensation on my left side and I was worried and I did some PT evaluations and my dexterity was okay. But they said you have to keep the pathways open, you have to keep exercising. So I started doing the exercising and the balls and things and after a few weeks that just got boring. So I asked for alternatives and was looking on YouTube and they said do like knitting or crocheting or paracord bracelets. So went out and bought like 20 feet of paracord and started doing a couple of bracelets. It turns out that 20 feet of paracord bracelets. So went out and bought like 20 feet of paracord and started doing a couple of bracelets. It turns out that 20 feet of paracord is like three bracelets.
Speaker 8:So I watched YouTube and then we were looking around and somebody had a bead. So I decided to just adapt a bead to an existing paracord bracelet design, which is there's probably 50 of them on the internet and I thought I was going to make a hundred of them and I did, and then I put it on the the Run Disney Friendship bracelets and it. It just kind of took off and then we just started making them, and then we made a couple hundred, and then those were gone, and then we made a couple hundred more, and then this year we took about about a thousand, and those were gone, and so we're well over four thousand right now oh my gosh four thousand that's amazing how many do you have jack?
Speaker 7:I think I have three. I only have two on right now, but I I think I got three.
Speaker 4:I've got a couple, but still 4,000. How many feet of paracord is 4,000 bracelets? Do you know?
Speaker 8:Oh well, we've bought and we've used over 10,000 feet.
Speaker 4:That's about two miles. Yeah, it's over two miles. Round numbers, that's a little over 5,000 feet per mile.
Speaker 7:So it's around two miles over 5 000 feet per mile, so it's around two miles. So for every, what is it?
Speaker 4:4 000 divided by three, that's 1 333 pretty soon they'll be coming up on a 5k worth of uh paracord. Yeah, that's, that's cool, but they have. They have become famous man. We get a lot of requests for it.
Speaker 8:I did check. They have gone to all the seven continents. They've traveled much more than we will ever do.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they made it to the Antarctic.
Speaker 7:Aren't they like glow-in-the-dark?
Speaker 4:Some of them do yeah.
Speaker 7:Okay, this one is glow-in-the-dark.
Speaker 4:I have a black one. I don't know if it's the only black one you made or not, but I've got a black one.
Speaker 8:Yeah, it takes too much to burn the black cord so we quit doing the black one.
Speaker 4:I better not lose it. I've got a collector's item. I'll put it on eBay. No, I won't for crying out loud.
Speaker 2:Well, you gave away the $10,000 sticker.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh, I know.
Speaker 4:That's another long story, old story. Good story though, by the way, john. I've since collected three more of those.
Speaker 7:No you didn't you didn't.
Speaker 4:Oh, yeah, yeah yeah, you've been that guy. Yeah, I know where to sit and I have the that guy. Look on my face when I sit down.
Speaker 7:Is there really a specific spot?
Speaker 4:There's a general area Front right generally is where they're looking. That's where the camera is that goes searching for that guy. Alan, what do you got there? Our friends can't see it.
Speaker 8:This is what they gave us in part for the 20th. This is Mickey Mouse with the 2013 logo with the 20th marathon medal on it oh cool.
Speaker 4:It's a vinylmation, right yeah, a vinylmation it can't be more than about two or three inches tall. A vinylmation, Alicia? I don't know what that is.
Speaker 6:They were a really big thing for about a year, maybe a year and a half. I have a bunch somewhere. They're little figurines and they had different patterns and colors and things.
Speaker 2:That's another way for Disney to get your money.
Speaker 6:Right, I don't know if they exist anymore.
Speaker 4:They gave those away and Alan just held up the Mickey statuette that they gave you at what? The 10th or the 20th?
Speaker 5:10 years 10 years, 10 years For the 10th year.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that was the one you had trouble getting on the airplane.
Speaker 2:That's one of the things I like about Alan in the group. He'll post like random artifacts I'm calling them artifacts of the run Disney history. Oh, first shirt, first pamphlet, first medal and it's like, wow, this is stuff that we don't see because we were not really involved back in 94, 95. Yeah, it's cool.
Speaker 8:I think that's a nice way of John calling Bob and I old we're artifacts.
Speaker 4:He didn't mention me, I did, I know. All right, it's fun. I mean, we're heading towards a conclusion here, but I would like you to think about and it doesn't have to be something that you did, but think about all the magical moments that you've experienced at run Disney events. Now, it could be a personal story or it could be a story about someone else, but can you narrow down? Can you think of maybe what is the most magical moment you remember from a run Disney race?
Speaker 8:We talked to Frank uh Dr Drucker, who is at university of Oregon Health Science Center in Portland, and he wrote a book on a drug called Gleevec which was for a type of leukemia which had a 95% success rate. It was the fastest drug that ever went from shelf to testing to be used. Ever went from shelf to testing to be used. It was seven years exactly until that drug was actually commercially available. That drug was sponsored by the first Disney marathon Wow.
Speaker 4:Wow, no, there's a. I would never have known that.
Speaker 8:Wow, and Disney, and we talked to them and they said Disney won't do it because they didn't want any ties with it. So it basically went through the team and training. But I mean, that's something that's. That's literally unbelievable.
Speaker 2:Wow it is. I think it's an awesome drug because my uncle's been on that, for I mean a long time and he's still with us. He's still with us.
Speaker 8:yep, Well, my hope was they could do one for hair growth, but that didn't work, you and me both.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, we got to wait on that. Maybe next year that Disney nevermind, nevermind, nevermind.
Speaker 2:Rogaine sponsoring the All right, Alan and Grace.
Speaker 6:as runners with so much experience, what advice would you give to our podcast listeners who have just started out on the run Disney journey?
Speaker 5:The one thing I would encourage them is to do the training and to get out there, but I'd also encourage new runners that there's nothing like your first endurance run and I remember finishing my first full marathon and feeling like I was walking about a foot off the ground. It's definitely worthwhile, and I think that signing up for a race, planning to do it again, having that in the back of your brain, doing your training, and when you get there you just put it on the line and your brain helps you go ahead and complete that, and so I just would encourage them to enjoy every moment, because there's nothing like that first sense of accomplishment on completing your first endurance race.
Speaker 8:I think you should start run your own race, see if you can join a group, including this one, or basically run with a running partner. Take your time and basically have it. Make it your journey.
Speaker 4:I think that's great advice. All of that, I think, is outstanding advice for new runners.
Speaker 7:If you could literally design your dream run Disney race, this could be anything from the theme, the characters, the chorus. What would it look like?
Speaker 8:Wally and Eve More like.
Speaker 4:That's good, that's good.
Speaker 2:That's a great reaction.
Speaker 8:Wally and Eve. I do a half marathon. I do the Disneyland course that we did in February, because it's the only course that we got to run by our house twice.
Speaker 4:By the house Yep.
Speaker 8:We got to walk to the start. It was great. It's usually a little bit better weathered in February than it is in September, and I think they're great characters. The only problem is I think that Wally is taller than I am.
Speaker 4:Well, yeah, that doesn't narrow the field, Alan.
Speaker 5:I would like to see a race theme on the droids, the good droids, oh cool. So like B2EMO is a favorite droid, cool K2SO BB-8. Bb-8 was here for one of the Disneyland races.
Speaker 6:Yeah, tank K, but that's another fun one.
Speaker 5:R2-D2 and IG-11.
Speaker 4:All right, there you go, john. What do you think of that? That's interesting.
Speaker 7:Yeah, you know, what would be really cool is that those medals. If it was like the droid ones, like BB-8, the whole bottom half of BB-8 would just spin round and round and round like it's traveling and it would have like a little antenna or something you'd have to do that.
Speaker 7:The medal actually did spin for the BB-8 because I have it yeah remember in like the 7th episode, like BB-8, his little arms comes out and he gives a thumbs up. That would be really cool if something popped out like that. Hey, you did it. Oh golly.
Speaker 4:Well, we need to wrap this one up, friends, it's. I've just enjoyed so much. We fell into this idea of revisiting with folks here for the last couple episodes. We're going to visit with Jeff next week, but it's been delightful, it's been wonderful having you here. It's wonderful Absolutely. I can't describe how much it means to us to have the two of you as part of this family. We thank you for being with us and we look forward to being with you for a long time to come. Thank you for having us.
Speaker 4:I've really enjoyed I've said this several times I've really enjoyed the visits as we get towards episode 200, but I enjoyed tonight's a lot. Alan and Grace have become good friends. I've seen them at other events and we're just. It's a wonderful family we have here. Guys, I'm talking to all of you, it's a wonderful family.
Speaker 4:At Rise and Run, if you're a listener who hasn't had the opportunity to drop by one of our meetups or to join one of our Zooms, please give it a try, cause you'll you'll see that we appear to be very close-knit and we are. But we weren't always that way. We didn't know one another and we learned and come to know and to love one another from these opportunities that we get. So great talking with those two wonderful friends, alan and Grace. Hey, I think Alan mentioned it when he was talking. Yeah, I know they did.
Speaker 4:They both mentioned it about dressing up as aliens for the 5K, breaking a 33-year tradition of no costumes. Well, the alien shirts are for sale. That's pinned in the featured section of the Facebook group. The alien shirts for Marathon Weekend 5K are available from our friend Alex at Hawaiian Pizza Apparel. Some folks already have theirs. They're commenting on how nice they look. So if you're interested, it'll be a lot of fun. Let's fill up the place with a bunch of little aliens running all over the scurrying all over the 5k at disney world this january. But speaking of shirts, john, you've got an announcement on rise and run shirts, yes, so our new uh, we're calling it the 2025-2026 happy running shirt.
Speaker 2:So on the back of the shirt we're going to have all the race weekends and ending up with our trip on the Utopia of the Seas. So check them out. We're probably going to go live with that. We're going live with that on Thursday.
Speaker 4:Day of this episode, right Day of this episode?
Speaker 2:yep, so you'll check that out. It's at riseandunpodcastcom com. Slash shop, slash pre -orders, or just go to the shop site and look for the pre-order there you go, there you go. It's going to be a little short. We're going to end it up July 31st so we can try to get the shirts out there for anyone that's wants to go to a Halloween weekend. So we're we're going to try to get you those shirts for Halloween weekend.
Speaker 4:John's rock and roll sides coming out. Man. Yep, it's got it. It's got the tour dates. Like you, get it. You're at a rock, at a concert.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 4:One of the celebrities A lot at a concert.
Speaker 2:Yes, one of the celebrities, a lot of our, a lot of our people do every date.
Speaker 4:So it's like yeah, plus you've redesigned the front just a little bit too.
Speaker 2:Yes, a little different logo on the front Looks good.
Speaker 4:Looks good. Hey friends, john talked about getting the shirts ready for the Halloween race at Disneyland. I want to remind you that our friends who are out there are having a meetup two o'clock on Saturday in the picnic area. As Yogi Bear would say, the picnic area is just in front of Disneyland. If you're looking at the front gate, it's to your left. It's a nice area. Sorry, none of us are going to be there, but I'm sure it's going to be a good time. Guys, did you see? You know Holler Hype's becoming real popular? Did you see Emily's post in the Facebook page about Holler Hype?
Speaker 6:I did, bob. If you don't know who Emily is, emily is one of the founders of Holler Hype. Emily is Emily is one of the founders of Holler Hype and she made a post today of the day of recording, asking for our input and feedback from our family at the Rise and Run podcast to get information on what we like, what we would like to see different in the Holler Hype app. So I think, bob, you're going to pin that post for our listeners to give their feedback.
Speaker 6:So if you've used HollerHype, please help give Emily that information. And if you haven't used HollerHype, I highly suggest you download the app and find our Rise and Run page or the Rise and Run link. Yeah, it's super fun to hear our give you a little hypes on your runs.
Speaker 4:I know, I know Emily approached us and when she described this to me I said oh, our friends are going to eat this up. 10,000 hypes, later 10,000 hypes, and now she's asking for our help. So if you get a chance to look at that and you've got suggestions you want to send to the folks who create the Holler Hypes, please do, Please do. I'll leave it up there for a week or two and see what kind of reaction we get. Hey, it's a Zoom Thursday, friends. I'll mention this again at the end of the episode. It's a Zoom Thursday Thursday, friends. I'll mention this again at the end of the episode. It's a Zoom Thursday. If you get a chance, please join us. The instructions on how to log in. Well, also, it's going to be a very crowded featured section of the Facebook group for a couple of days, but I'll thin that out later, but it's going to be up there also. All right, my friends, it's time for the Race Report. All right, my friends, it's time for the race report.
Speaker 4:The race report is sponsored by Tom Stokes of Stokes Metabolic Training. Stokesfit slash, rise and run coaching is the site we're into. Tom's eight week challenge started on July 7th. A couple of your friends here are doing it. I've been, I've been a little bit of a bum lately, but I'm getting back to it tomorrow. I think all of us I think Jack, John and Alicia are all doing something with Tom right now. So you know, check it out. Tom's a good guy, a good friend of the podcast, and he really knows his stuff when it comes to strength training and nutrition, so he's a very good resource. All right, let's take a look at the report. Interestingly easy for me to say. Interestingly and I haven't noticed this before I am seeing more and more weekday runs, For instance, in this race report. I'm going to start with a race that occurred last Tuesday, the Angry Chicken Race Series, and I don't know where this occurred. Sophie didn't tell us, but Sophie ran the Angry Chicken thing. It's a 2.62 mile race, it's a tenth of a marathon. There you go.
Speaker 6:I just picture chickens running after them.
Speaker 4:Yeah to chickens, it is a marathon 2.62.
Speaker 6:Right.
Speaker 4:Yeah, this one had an early start option for some folks. Sophie took advantage of it and she had a nice casual. She did 60, 30 run walk. She was a flamingo for the one on Tuesday Lots of nice outfits, she said. And there's another one coming up this Tuesday actually the day that we're recording so hopefully this time Sophie will tell us where it is. Now this race is sports themed, but her favorite sport is sumo wrestling, so she's probably not going to address accordingly. Sophie, you are the first American person I have run into whose favorite sport is sumo wrestling, so good for you.
Speaker 2:I found out about the Angry Chicken Race.
Speaker 4:Okay.
Speaker 2:So the Angry, it's actually the Angry Chicken Race series Series, right Series, eight races. So that's up in Lowell, lowell Mass. Oh, it's up in Lowell. Okay, yeah, so, yeah, so there's. It was Flamingo night, you said and uh, and sports night is tonight. It's sports fans night tonight. Yes, yeah. Then you got a pool party. That sounds interesting. Yeah, floaties, pool rings, bathing suits that could be a very interesting uh race weekend.
Speaker 2:We'll have to get Sophie on the spotlight to tell us about it. Yeah, at the end of the wall, I guess. Right, yeah, that'd be neat, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:All right, let's look at Wednesday the Ambulance Driver 5K at Bad Sons Brewery in Derby, connecticut. Nancy was there, nancy's on Town, 58 out of 169. Hilly and humid in Connecticut but it's still fun to run with friends. No PR, just fun and beer. Bad Sons the brewery is actually an acronym for seven cities in the area, I'm not going to read them off here. I looked to see if I could make up another word out of that, but nope, I couldn't. So bad sons it is.
Speaker 4:We had a race on Thursday in Columbus, ohio, the Run Wild 5K. Nikki and her nephew Isaac ran around the zoo parking lot, kind of like we run around the parking lot at Blizzard Beach, went through the back lot, through the zoo and ended at the wave pool in the water park. Nick even commented very disney-like no prs, but isaac, her young nephew, pr'd in front. Fun told her it was his favorite 5k that they had done together. So there, there you go. That's cool. On Friday, Andrew was running America's Mile in Pittsburgh. Let's move now to Saturday and start in Northeast Pennsylvania. Well, it's not really North. We'll get to that in a minute because our friend, our friend Michelle, has joined us for the Race Report Spotlight. Hiya, michelle, how are you?
Speaker 3:I'm doing wonderful guys. How are you all?
Speaker 4:Oh, good and good to see you and thanks for taking your time to visit the Northeast Cherry Festival 5K in the city of Northeast Pennsylvania. Now, Michelle, tell our friends where Northeast Pennsylvania is.
Speaker 3:So Northeast Pennsylvania if you look at Pennsylvania, it looks like a rectangle with a hat on top, and Northeast is in the western part of Pennsylvania, the northwestern most corner, but it is also the north, it is the farthest north in Pennsylvania and it's east, it's east.
Speaker 4:It's the eastern part of that little northern part that sticks out, yes, of the little hat.
Speaker 2:That's just like Alaska. Right, it's the most eastern state in the Union.
Speaker 4:Well, yes, you are correct, but that's a different reason for that. Yes, they're in an entirely different hemisphere. That part, yeah, I mean I grew up in pennsylvania. I, northeast pennsylvania, the northeast extension, I, I know where that is. I say, john, that's up near you.
Speaker 2:No, it isn't I'm thinking northeast, I'm thinking Scranton.
Speaker 3:We don't drink water Water.
Speaker 2:Water.
Speaker 4:Water.
Speaker 3:Water.
Speaker 4:You know the Phillies train down here in Clearwater. Okay, but they sell T-shirts for the fans who come from up north that say Clearwater W-O-R-D-E-R.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:So it's cool. But, michelle, you're one, and every now and then this happens. I haven't looked recently as to how many folks we've had on the race report spotlight. It's probably 130 or so, and I don't count folks who show up for the world majors, because that's just. They're always welcome, they're always welcome. But on individual races like this, maybe 130 people and I noticed your name and I go how in the world have we never had michelle on before?
Speaker 4:that's okay, I'm a happy you're such an active part of the community and I thought, well, surely we'd had it. But no, oh, first visit, so welcome welcome.
Speaker 3:Glad to be here. Glad to be here. Glad to be here.
Speaker 4:All right, Michelle, here you go. Standard race report. Spotlight question number one How'd you get started running?
Speaker 3:So I got started running by one of my friends who is a run Disney runner. Now she has run other places, philadelphia, london. She's a world traveler and has run all over, but I always knew runners as, like my neighbor who's ran Boston, he doesn't look like me so when, I went to Disney for the first time, um, in 2020, and the races had been canceled then.
Speaker 3:And then 2021, wine and dine and then I saw people who looked like me like all shapes, all sizes, all abilities and I thought, well, if other folks that look like me can do this, why can't I do this? Because running was punishment for me. So then I started with I want to do that, and so I started with one mile. And then one mile. I thought, well, can I run a local 5K? So then I started from there. I just started building on and building on, but it was a run Disney runner that got me hooked into running.
Speaker 4:Well, that's really cool. You said you used the phrase running was punishment for me. Were you a high school athlete?
Speaker 3:So I played softball in high school, but I was a power hitter and a bunter.
Speaker 4:Like OK.
Speaker 3:I didn't need to sprint. Okay, I got you running Um, and then I was in the junior ROTC program, so running was oh, you messed up run a lap. Run a lap.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I was looking cause. That's what we hear most often amongst folks who were into high school athletics. Yeah, Running was punishment Coach would make you make a lap and the other thing you nailed is you nailed the spirit of Run Disney. To me, that's the beauty of it. It attracts all of us. Yes, I think that's awesome, so great. So Run Disney got you, and that's pretty cool. Well, let's talk about the Cherry. I turned it off. It was the Cherry Cherry Festival, cherry Festival.
Speaker 7:Yes.
Speaker 4:Okay, Now why is Northeast, which is in the Northwest, why is that city holding a Cherry Festival this time of year?
Speaker 3:So, in addition to being world famous for our grapes, if you have ever purchased a Welch's product, you probably have grapes from Northeast in your Welch's product. But they're also famous for cherries. So Erie and Northeast and that region has an amazing cherry crop and cherry season and in addition to grapes they have cherries. So in that region we have a cherry festival that helps benefit the local fire department and it's cherry pie, cherry drinks, cherry everything, and at the very end at the last day of the festival they have a cherry festival 5k.
Speaker 4:I think that's pretty neat, boy John, I'm learning a lot of stuff tonight. Little uh 5k. I think that's pretty neat, boy john, I'm learning a lot of stuff tonight. For a guy who grew up in pennsylvania, I didn't know any of this we're on the other side oh I'm. I grew up about as far away from where you are I mean eerie top left, philadelphia bottom right. Yeah, I was a long way away, but it's a great lake it's a. That's a decent lake. No, it's a great lake. That's a decent lake.
Speaker 3:No, it's a great lake, it's a great lake.
Speaker 4:Yeah Well, tell us about the race, Michelle.
Speaker 3:All right. So the race was great. This was actually my first time running this race. I had a I'm doing a half marathon this coming up week and so I had a 5K on my list. So I thought, oh well, that looks fun and it's close by. Had a 5k on my list so I thought, oh well, that looks fun and it's close by. So I signed up for it. And it was hot and, as Bob likes to say, if it's hot where you live, it is hot. It was 94.
Speaker 3:Saturday was the actual hottest day of the year in Erie, so it was 94 degrees and it was hot. We started early. I started out slow. I knew that today was not a PR, I was just going for it, having a good time. I had a good steady pace. I walked when I needed to, but, boy, the crowd support in the neighborhood was great. All the neighbors are out because you're just running through the neighborhood. People have their sprinklers on their hoses on Four water stops in a three-mile race, so you cannot beat that. So it was just amazing. Lots of cheering. I got to pet two dogs, so I made sure I had both of those dogs and then when you finish the race, the best part is is a local creamery, so an ice cream shop that makes their own ice cream, homemade with the dairy that you get from the farms out here. They have ice cream sundaes available at the finish line, and there, of course, was cherry ice cream, but nothing hits on a 94 degree day like chocolate ice cream.
Speaker 3:Thanks, coach Tom, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was going to ask was there a cherry on top?
Speaker 3:There was cherry ice cream and the cherry ice cream has cherries inside and there were cherries that you could put on top of it. And I actually was really excited because in this race I placed third as a third in my age group and the only other time I've ever placed in a race is when I was the only female. So I have been chasing a placement of some kind for many years now. So unexpectedly, when I looked at the results and it said third for my age group, I was pretty excited because I was taking this one easy.
Speaker 4:I bet you were. Well, that's the smart thing to do. Yeah, you go into survival. We talked about it earlier in the podcast. You go into survival mode is what I call it. But that's awesome. You finished age group third. That's fantastic. Congratulations for that.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Where are we going to meet you next? Are you going to be at any of the upcoming run Disney races?
Speaker 3:I will be at Wine and Dine. I will be having friendship bracelets galore at Wine and Dine. I wear bright pink braids. You can't miss me and I'll have a backpack full of friendship bracelets. No need to trade. If you want one, just come and find me and I'll be at the meetup for Wine and Dine.
Speaker 2:You're doing all the races. What are your races? What races are you doing?
Speaker 3:I'm doing the challenge for Wine and Dine. I am hoping for a bib for Marathon Weekend because I would like to do one more marathon for my swan song.
Speaker 4:Oh no, you've got plenty more marathons in you. You're too young, but you know what you get to make. That decision I don't get to make it for you.
Speaker 2:Look at our guests, I know.
Speaker 3:Our guests were having on tonight. If Alan and Bob and Jeff can do it, then I can too, but yes, I will be at Wine and Dine and I look forward to seeing all of our friends. I love the meetup. I love the meetups. I had a blast at them. So far, I have my pin saved and ready.
Speaker 4:Oh, good, good good. I ordered more for this season, so but I'm glad you got it and I want the record to show that. Number one I'm flattered to be mentioned with those other two fellows, and number two I'm the youngest of the three. I always give Alan the business because he's eight nine months older than I am.
Speaker 4:I was going to say I knew it was just a couple of months, a couple months, yeah, yeah, when we, when I I hope to uh finish the marathon at uh this disney weekend with him. He'll be ahead of me.
Speaker 3:I have to catch up with him grace will be light years ahead of everyone grace.
Speaker 4:Yeah, grace is, but we'll both be 72 when we finished that one. So that's remarkable. That's cool. Well, Michelle, glad we finally got to talk with you.
Speaker 3:I'm so glad I finally got. I was ecstatic when I saw the message I went. I would love to be on the race report.
Speaker 4:Good, good, well, thank you for joining us, thanks for sharing your time and we will see you. We're less than 100 days now from Wine and Dine.
Speaker 3:Yep, I'm excited, I'm excited.
Speaker 4:We'll see you before you know it.
Speaker 3:Excellent, all right, thank you guys. Enjoy, and I will be listening in on Thursday All right, moving on the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon.
Speaker 4:Bryce Canyon City in Utah. Emily did it. Sarah made the post. Sarah's sister, Emily did it. This is her third time completing this PR in an age group, first place finish.
Speaker 7:Oh, wow.
Speaker 4:Bryce Canyon is a lot of fun. It looks beautiful.
Speaker 7:I love vacation races. Any races they do, I'm totally game for.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that one looks gorgeous. Salem, massachusetts. Rachel and Ken did the Miles Over the Moon. Four miler Brandy. In Houston, texas, the Popsicle Dash 10K.
Speaker 4:Brandy says that she was a little disappointed in this one. She took off in 88 degree temperatures with a 77 degree dew point. Remember when I was talking about survival mode earlier? Those are the kind of numbers that will put you in survival mode. You get a dew point above 75,. Friends, it becomes hard to breathe Not like I'm running in Bryce Canyon or high hour elevations hard to breathe, but it's a noticeable difference.
Speaker 4:Anyway, the way this race went, brandy's running buddies all stopped at the 5k so she did the last half by herself. She kept getting hotter and going slower and slower, finally just walking, and by golly, brandy, that's what you got to do. So what you did was the right thing, the smart thing slow down, finish, call it a win. You need to be kinder to yourself. In fact that was her last comment. I need to be kinder to myself. I agree, be kinder right now. All right, good job, brandy.
Speaker 4:The Soldier Field, chicago, illinois, the Big Ten Network, big 10K Dan and his family did it. Dan's run this one almost every year since it began. His wife, jennifer, had been walking the 5K in the past, but the whole family his wife, his son and his daughter ran it. This year Dan and his daughter ran it together, mostly having fun. I love this. Dan says he tried singing along with his daughter's playlist but she shut that down right away. No, dad, you're not going to embarrass me by singing along out loud. Neat finisher photo for the family. It's in front of the Michigan State backdrop. It looks to me like they had backdrops and T-shirts for all of the schools from the Big Ten, and the Big Ten has 18 schools, john Does that sound about right.
Speaker 2:The Big Ten's like to be like the Big 37 soon. I don't know.
Speaker 4:They don't count all that well, but yeah, I think it is 18 now. Yeah, I think you're right, I'd have to look that one up. Still, on Saturday in Augusta, georgia, the US road running 15K. Jessica did it. Jessica's first 15K race. We know what that means it. We know what that means. It's also her longest run since the marathon. The heat almost took her out Heat in Augusta. Of course Jessica's husband ran miles seven to nine with her to help keep her going. She did keep going, she struggled through, ended up being second place female Jessica. Way to go. And in Fort Smith, arkansas, the Brent Morrison Memorial Run. If it's Fort Smith, it's got to be Joe Tenth year for this run. Hard to believe. Joe says that he's done it all ten years. Second place for his running, amigo Gary. Third place in the age group for Joe. The heat got to him but he finished it.
Speaker 4:Let's move to Sunday and cross the ocean to London, the Saucony London 10K. A couple of friends there. Jonathan. Jonathan goes to London for a Billie Eilish concert. Figures what the heck Might as well run a 10K, you know? I mean mean wouldn't you a little disappointed? He said only one water stop on the 10k. That's uh kind of lean. The course was a haven for course cutters. Okay, said jonathan says he could have easily got his proof of time for disney but he would have had to cheat and I know he wouldn't do that and he didn't. I would suspect some people did. But so what, you still had a good time. Running through London, says Jonathan, will never get old. The race practically passes through all of the tourist must-visit points. Sounds beautiful. Jackie was also there with her daughter Kelly. Kelly lives in London. Jackie said a course and decades 10K. Pr Says she loves the course through some of the major sites of the city.
Speaker 4:Big event in Utica, new York the Utica Boilermaker 15K. I saw Boilermaker and we're talking Big Ten. Earlier I thought this would have been in Illinois but no, it's in Utica, new York. Let's see. Christopher and Lauren ran this one. Steve did it. We're going to hear a lot of this folks.
Speaker 4:Steve said heat was a big factor. He slowed down about two minutes per mile to an easier pace. Smart move Since he knew he's not going to be PR-ing, he decided to PR in high fives. There you go. There's something new. He counted 78. Throwing down the gauntlet gang 78 high fives. That's the new PR, pr. So if you're out racing, there's your challenge.
Speaker 4:Megan said it was an awesome race. It's a great race every year, amberlynn with her son. I may not be the fastest, but I finished good for you. That's all that we really care about. Nice job.
Speaker 4:Harrison said it was his third Boilermaker race. He PR'd by 18 minutes and ran with another Ryzen runner and had a great time. Now Harrison didn't name the Ryzen runner he was running with. Let's continue. Haley was there. It was hot. She felt it felt fitting for Haley when they ran by the funeral home at mile eight. Well, haley, we're glad you ran by it, you didn't have to stop. And then Christopher was there. Christopher said he ran with a fellow Ryzen runner for the race. He doesn't mention names either. I think Christopher and Harrison ran together. I think there's a good chance. Both of them had a course PR. So whoever it is, here's a couple of PR bells. Now, says Christopher, on to Wine and Dine in October In Claremont Florida, the Cool Summer Morning, Summer Series Race no 2.
Speaker 4:Every time I see this, I have to explain that Cool Summer the word summer is spelled S-O-M-M-E-R. There's nothing cool about the summer in Claremont Florida. Kayla and Tracy was there. Tracy towed the line not feeling too well but kept a good, steady pace and was actually slightly faster than the last time she ran it Ran it in less than 30 minutes. That's a good pace, tracy.
Speaker 4:Back in England, newcastle-upon-tyne to be specific, that's where our friend Andy lives. Andy did the Newcastle half marathon, glad to have finished it in one piece, enjoyed the challenge, said it was cool, finishing running into Kingston Park. Kingston Park is the home of the Newcastle Rugby Club In eastern Massachusetts, the Narragansett Summer Running Festival or, as I think it might be called, just a gansett. Anyway, I haven't been up there for a while. Avery was there, did the half marathon. Courtney and Laurie did a 10k on the campus of Stonehill College. Cloud cover kept the heat down a little bit. That helps Great post-race party and on-course support.
Speaker 4:There was a trail half marathon in Akron, ohio, and Lori was there to do it, continuing her recovery. Set out with a four-hour goal for this trail half, ran it in just a little over three Hills were tough. She dropped one of her gels along the way so only had one for the half marathon. Still stuck with it and finished. Way to persevere.
Speaker 4:Lori Yvette did the Philly Women's Sprint Triathlon. This triathlon consisted of a 1,250-meter swim, about a 10K bike ride. I think it was a little more. Actually I think it was a little like seven miles and about a 5K run. Second time that Yvette has done it. Her goal is always to finish. That's a great goal. Several motivating moments along the way. She says look, I'm not a great swimmer, I'm not a great runner, I'm not a great cyclist, but none of that matters, because she was able to suck it up, put it all together and finish this thing. And she did just that. Good job, yvette.
Speaker 4:Jacksonville, florida, had the Sombrero Sizzler 12-hour race. It's a 1.35-mile loop. You guys have heard about or perhaps even done some of these before. How many loops can you get within 12 hours? Our friend Heather was rolling for this one. Hot and humid in Jacksonville from the start, no shade, no breeze on the course, by 6 hours and 20 miles. She couldn't tolerate any fuel, couldn't keep anything down. Decided to call it We've used the word survival mode a couple times got into survival mode, smart decision. Still had a blast and she won the inflatable mile that fellow Rise and Runner Lisa held as a fundraiser for her dopey bib. Lisa was there. Lisa got 11.43 miles in and did this one-mile inflatable race to benefit Kelsey's Hope Foundation. To benefit Kelsey's Hope Foundation. So now Lisa met her fundraising goal and she's fully funded for Dopey. Let's finish the race report.
Speaker 4:In Harrison, maine, holly ran the Christmas in July. 5k started strong with intervals for the first two miles and her knees started giving her trouble. So she walked the last mile. That's perfectly fine, uh, silver lining. Despite all of this, finished second in her age group. Good job, holly. All right, my friends and if you run, you know you are our friend 199 down next week, 200, as mentioned. We may have some surprises. Don't be surprised if things sound just a little bit different. It's still us. We're still here. We're still here. We still love you. I mentioned at the top of the race report it's a Zoom week. Instructions on how to log in are on the Facebook group page. We really hope to see you there, but until then, happy running.
Speaker 1: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 health care provider or event organizer. You.
