Rise and Run
Rise and Run
220: The Dopey Roundtable: First-Timer and Finishers
The alarm hits at 2 a.m., the corrals open in the dark, and somehow the magic feels brighter than ever. We bring together Dopey veterans and a first‑timer to unpack the real playbook for Marathon Weekend: how to shop the expo without losing your day, when to join the virtual queue, and which transport options get you to EPCOT stress‑free. From the 5K’s calm walk to the marathon’s 4:30 a.m. start, we map water stops, fuel options, spectating windows, and the course quirks shaped by current construction.
The strategy talk gets honest. Walk the 5K to bank energy. Use shorter run intervals on Saturday if you’re in later corrals. Save character photos for later in the race when lines shrink. Bring two or three pairs of shoes, recovery sandals, and a spare pair of socks for a mid‑marathon reset. Pack Epsom salt, roll your feet, and stash sunscreen and anti‑chafe plans. We compare caffeinated gum to coffee, warn against accidental over‑caffeination, and share the flat‑lay routine that turns chaos into calm. Above all, we keep mindset at the center: pick joy at the bleachers, pace your day, and let Main Street carry you without sprinting the tracks.
You’ll also hear a lively race report from the inaugural San Antonio Marathon—beautiful course, big hills, warm temps, and standout community support—plus quick hits from races nationwide. Whether you’re chasing Dopey, Goofy, or a single distance, this episode gives you the concise, experience‑tested guide to stay ahead of the balloon ladies and finish with a smile. If this helped, follow the show, share it with a running friend, and leave a quick review so more runners can find the Rise and Run family.
Rise and Run Links
Rise and Run Podcast Facebook Page
Rise and Run Podcast Instagram
Rise and Run Podcast Website and Shop
Rise and Run Patreon
Runningwithalysha Alysha’s Run Coaching (Mention Rise And Run and get $10 off)
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.
Sponsor Links
Magic Bound Travel
Stoked Metabolic Coaching
Rise and Run Podcast Cruise Interest Form with Magic Bound Travel
Affiliate Links
The Start Line Co.
Fluffy Fizzies
Mona Moon Naturals
Rise and Run Amazon Affiliate Web Page
Kawaiian Pizza Apparel
GoGuarded
Hey, it's Rob with Beckham and Ash, and we're here in Fort Myers getting a few miles on our feet, or pause as it may be, and you're listening to the Rise and Run Podcast. I hope you have a great day.
SPEAKER_12:Thank you, Rob. I I would thank Beckham and Ash also. I don't recall hearing them in that intro, but I know they were there. Hey, thank you, Rob. We appreciate you sending us that intro. And we appreciate you, friends, for joining us for episode 220 of the Rise and Run podcast. Gosh, we're so glad that you're here. I'm Bob, and I'm here this week with Jack.
SPEAKER_08:Hiya.
SPEAKER_12:With Greg. Hey, hey, hey. With Alicia.
SPEAKER_08:Hello.
SPEAKER_12:And with John. I'm on mute. Sorry.
SPEAKER_01:Hey, how are you doing?
SPEAKER_12:I'm doing good. Now that I can hear you, John. Now you took your microphone off mute. I'm doing good. I appreciate you asking. Hey, friends. Uh friends, that's what this episode's all about. Our rise and run friends. We kind of have a rise and run family episode for you. This week, we invited some friends to come talk with us about the Dopy Challenge. Now, you know you've heard from us quite a bit. We thought it would be a good idea, and in fact, it was a Patreon who originally suggested this to hear from some other Rise and Run family members who've done the race before, or maybe some who are doing it for the first time. So we'll feature that. More friends join us to tell us about the San Antonio Marathon, which went off this last week.
SPEAKER_06:If you enjoy the Rise Around Podcast, please share us with your friends and introduce them to the Rise and Run family. We want to share in the Run Disney journey. Please remember to follow us on Facebook at Rise Around Podcast, Instagram at Rise and Run Pod, check out our YouTube channel, and visit our webpage at RiseAround Podcast.com. 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_22:We would also like to thank our Patreons whose support helps keep the Rise and Run Podcast rising and running. If you would like to join the Patreon team, please be sure to check out Patreon.com slash rise and run podcast. And for all the Patreons out there in the uh, I believe it's the$5 or higher level, uh, you should have received an email notification about this, but if not, uh log into your account. I know I joked about it on last week's episode, but uh I I I made it made a dream become a reality, and I recorded a little Patreon episode about my top five favorite episodes of Bluey since I was ecstatic on last week's episode about Bluey coming to the Disney parks and Disney cruise lines. So it's about a little under 20 minutes. So if you just need something to uh take your mind off of things or you want to add that into your running playlist, be sure to go again to Patreon.com slash rise and run podcast.
SPEAKER_12:Golly, I need to sign up for the Patreon now so I can learn more about Bluey.
SPEAKER_08:Bluey's amazing.
SPEAKER_12:Oh yeah?
SPEAKER_08:Yeah.
SPEAKER_12:All right. All right, cool. We did that last week. I think it's neat, Greg. Glad you did it. The Rise and Run Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Magic Bound Travel. Magic Bound Travel is the place to go for all of your Run Disney vacation needs, your universal vacation, cruise line vacations. Speaking of cruise lines, we are now just 130 days from the inaugural sailing of the Rise and Run cruise after springtime surprise. Still space is available on that. If you're interested, please contact our friends at magicboundtravel.com. Fill out a no cost, no obligation, and you'll get a quote and they'll help you with all of your transportation needs. Magicboundtravel.com is the website. Check them out. Hey, Jack, is there something new on YouTube you'd like to talk about?
SPEAKER_08:Why, yes, Bob. I am doing my first ever product review. Oh, yeah. I've never done one before. Yeah, I'm excited. Um if anybody is having any kind of hip issues or just kind of looking for a new kind of recovery product, um, I am going to be doing a 60-day review of the and I still don't even know how to pronounce it. I should probably Google it again.
SPEAKER_22:That's great for product reviews.
SPEAKER_08:It's either Aletha or Aletha. I don't know.
SPEAKER_12:Hey, sometimes I don't know where to put these little facts that pop up. This is neither really, it's not an apology or an alibi, but I'm gonna throw it in anyway because I found out this week, only because she found out this week, that our friend Heather, who rolled at the Chicago Marathon, won her age group at the Chicago Marathon. That's awesome. Well, that's a big deal. That's a big deal. Won her age group in Wheels at the Chicago Marathon. Congratulations, Heather. We're proud of you. Let's take a look at the training schedule, friends. Marathon weekend is four weeks away. Oh my goodness. We are, as of release of the podcast, we're 27 days to the expo. We're in training week 24. It's a down week going into your last and biggest training simulation weekend. So if you're doing the marathon, you've got six miles, including a magic mile. For goofy or dopey, you've got four to six miles this week. For Disneyland, for Disneyland half marathon weekend, we're seven weeks away. We're in training week 11, and the distance is four miles with a magic mile. And for Princess Weekend, we're now just eleven weeks away. We're in training week seven. It's three miles with a magic mile. And check it out, my friends. We haven't uh we've only done one race on the 25-26. Well, actually, we've done two. We've there was one in Disneyland. So we've done two races on the 25-26 Run Disney calendar, but we're starting to talk about the last one springtime surprise. Training starts this week. This next week. Next week. Starts on the 16th. So next week when we're back, we'll be talking about the mileage for training for springtime surprise. Hey friends, I got a note from our friend Mark Lane Hobert. You remember, you may remember Mark's been with us a couple times. He has the Running Anthropologist Podcast. He's also a Galloway uh area director here in the Tampa Bay area. He also works with Achilles International, and he texted me to say that Achilles may be looking for guides for Walt Disney World Marathon weekend. So if you would like more information, you can visit Achilles International, all one word, Achilles International.org to learn more. Or I know there is a young woman who's looking for a guide for uh mostly for marathon, for the for the marathon race. If you'd like more information on that, send me a note, Bob at Rise and RunPodcast.com, and I'll get you in touch with Mark. Maybe we can help this young lady out.
SPEAKER_21:Caution runners, change of topic ahead.
SPEAKER_12:Listen, we got a lot to get into today, but I don't want to pass up the opportunity to ask this question. What would Alicia do?
SPEAKER_06:Well, Bob, I've been thinking a lot about how it's really this holiday season and it's the hustle and bustle, and we're all busy with all sorts of things. Maybe you're like me and you have a new job, or you have a lot of things happening with holiday parties. Um, and then you throw in trying to train for races. I just want to say to our friends that are listening that we see you, we see your posts, and that I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you for doing these miles and getting out there and continuing to train, whatever that means for you, whatever races that you're doing, um, and to keep up the great work because if nobody told you today, we're a family and we're proud of you.
SPEAKER_12:We are. And and we've said this before, at least we've said there is a couple of great moments in Dopey Weekend. The the moment you register, the moment you start training, the moment you finish across the finish line. But I want to stick in there also the moment you do that last long training run. Yeah. And that's coming up. So we've talked about it. We've talked about how the really tough part of the training where it's hot and the miles are getting long, 17, 18, 20 miles, and you don't have the end in sight. Now things are changing just a little bit. And now the end is almost in sight. All the effort, all the work you put into this is about to come to fruition, and you can almost see it. It's it's a I think it's a dramatic thing when you get that last training run done. So keep it up. I agree, Alicia. Keep it up. We're proud of you. You're doing great.
SPEAKER_21:Caution runners, the topic is about to change right now.
SPEAKER_12:We got some news, guys. Disney Run Disney dropped the event guide for us this week. So let's take a little time to go over that. Let me kick it off and talk about the Run Disney Race Expo. That's the one that's held out at ESPN Wide World of Sports. If you haven't been out there before for an event, I think I think it's a lot of fun. It's a great place to meet your friends. It's a little homecoming there out at ESPN World. So let's take a look. It's Marathon weekend, so the expo goes four days as opposed to the typical three. The expo will open on Wednesday at 10 a.m. and remain open till 8 p.m. on that day. So all of you dopey challenge runners or your 5K runners, you'll be there for sure on Wednesday. Some of the rest of us may also be there. I learned a little trick this last time with my friend Stephanie. Uh, typically I would go to the expo and start, as most of us do, where you pick up your bibs and then head over to what I've always call the vendor expo. But this time I went at 10 a.m. and went straight to the expo, and it was pretty well empty. So I don't know, might give it a try. Let's look at the rest of the week on Thursday and Friday. The expo opens at noon, closes at 7. The last day it's open is Saturday, and it's just open from 11 till 3.
SPEAKER_06:I just want to say keep in mind if you're going to the vendor expo first, um, and you do plan to get your shirts, you will have to go get your bib and then go back into there to get your shirt. Yeah. So that's true.
SPEAKER_12:Um couple extra steps, but I enjoyed the fact that I had well, you know, I like to go see Jeff and I like to go see Chris at the equipment.
SPEAKER_06:Absolutely.
SPEAKER_12:Nobody there. It was great. It was it was fun.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, marathon weekend though, definitely we'll have more people.
SPEAKER_22:That first day of the expo is gonna be very, very people-y. So pack your patient pants.
SPEAKER_12:Now, in in previous years, and we'll see. I've waited till after lunch to go and let that initial crush get out of the way. Um there's bus transportation to the expo each day, starts from your resort 30 minutes before it opens. Uh, you club run Disney folks, you get early shopping access, but you gotta find your own way to ESPN. You know where it is, so you should be alright. Uh if you're not sure what's going on with the buses, and this goes for the expo and for the races, just go to your resort lobby. There will be a sign there, I promise you, telling when the buses run. Or find a cast member. They'll be happy to help you out. Now, there are three main buildings at the expo, and we've talked about two of them already. One is the place, it's the arena where you pick up your bib. One is, I think it's the field house where you uh get your shirts, and then you can visit the vendors that are there, the non-run Disney vendors. And then the other one is another gym where the Run Disney Expo merchandise, where the Run Disney merchandise is a very popular place. That for that, there is a virtual queue for the first day only. Okay, so for Wednesday, there'll be a virtual queue for that. I think the virtual queues open there they go. The virtual queues open at 8:30 and then again at 1. You'll use your My Disney Experience app and just get into a virtual queue. This will get you access to the Advent Arena, and that's where you find not only the Run Disney merch, but the Brooks shoes that they'll have for the weekend. Any word on new Brooks shoes for Marathon Weekend? Are we expecting them or not?
SPEAKER_22:Say they're coming, but I mean, based on the last couple of race weekends, they've been holding those designs until like right before the expo. So I I would not be shocked if we don't get them until maybe after New Year's.
SPEAKER_12:Oh, yeah. I mean, when you say right before, I think they've been like the week of the expo that they've been released for a couple of them. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:The stitch ones they did a little earlier, but everything else was Yeah, so we're not sure.
SPEAKER_12:But anyway, that's where you would go. I mean, you get in there, you can try on, you can try on the generic shoes if you need sizes, if you know your brook sizes, then you can just fill out your form and head uh to the place and buy them.
SPEAKER_06:Do you guys remember what the distance is from like the Disney area or whatever for the um virtual queue? Somebody was asking me and I couldn't find it in.
SPEAKER_12:Oh, yeah, I think it was 40 miles. And I I don't I don't know how act well. If you're it if you're wondering what Alicia's talking about, you don't have to be on property to enter the virtual queue, but Disney posts that you have to be within a 40 mile radius. I have no idea how accurate that is. I really don't. I've never tried it.
SPEAKER_22:I mean, and and to give some wayfinding experience as well, too. I I know a lot of friends will either fly in before the expo or expo morning, and I've done this in the past. By the time I you know land expo morning and you know turn my phone off of airplane mode, you can grab a virtual queue from MCO. So that I think that's definitely well within range as well.
SPEAKER_06:That's what they were asking me about. So that's perfect.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, I I to be honest, I think that's what it was set up for. I mean, like if you're coming on an interstate four, there's no sign that says you're within 40 miles, you can enter the virtual queue now. There should be, but there isn't.
SPEAKER_01:The only thing I would recommend also is if you are using a VPN, please turn that off because the VP VPN might be going to a location. Yeah, you might be standing right at the expo trying to get that virtual queue, but your VPN's going through New York, so it's thinking you're in New York.
SPEAKER_22:Or it's or speaking of airplane mode, but don't pull a jack and leave your phone in airplane mode while trying to pull up your check-in pass and a waiver.
SPEAKER_08:I mean, that's fair to say. I mean, if you're flying in that morning, just double check once you get off the plane.
SPEAKER_01:You put it on airplane mode? Oh, sorry.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, no.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah. Yeah, and I think if you're not sure what John's talking about with the VPNs, if you use a VPN, you know what he's talking about. So you're you're all right. Let's see what we got here. Uh other notes, friends, especially if you're not familiar, please be sure you have signed, virtually signed, your event waivers. Go into your My Run Disney account, all right, and get that out of the way. If you forget it, it's not a catastrophe. There will be opportunities to sign a paper copy at the expo. Disney emails expo check-in passes. The scheduled date for this is Monday, January 5th. And to my knowledge, they've always hit that date, sometime mid-morning, maybe closer to lunchtime. They'll be available to you and they will show you your bib number. So when you go to pick up your race bib, it's all sorted by numbers. Use your bib number and go to the appropriate place. Uh, you might want to you might want to bring a printed copy of that, but I just keep mine on your phone. You're going to need an ID also to pick up your bib. Uh, if you're running the 5k or dopey, you've got to pick up your bib first day. And then uh clearly, you know, you've got to get the 10k by uh Thursday, half and goofy by Friday, and if you're doing marathon, you've got to get that picked up by Saturday.
SPEAKER_08:So now we are heading into the first day of races, you guys. Happy start of marathon weekend for races. So um, just a heads up if you're staying at a Disney resort, the buses will begin at 3 a.m. So my little advice to you, I would actually show up maybe like five minutes before or 10 minutes before if you really want to, because the buses may already be waiting there and just loading and then might leave at 3 a.m. So maybe just a thought um if you're trying to be one of the first ones there. Um, also, it is also encouraged for all participants to arrive at Epcot by 4 a.m. If you are trying to be one of the first ones into the corrals, the corrals all A through G will be opening at 3 45 a.m. Um, but also be aware of your corral closing time because if you miss it, you're you're gonna have to move back to the next corral. Um now Like 5K always does, it will start at 5 a.m. And really, all the runners should be on the course by 6 08 a.m. Um yeah, there will be one water stop, which will be in the American Adventure area. America. America. I'm sorry. America. America Adventure. Um if you are wanting to spectate, um so spectating, unfortunately, is only at the start and finish lines. So just a heads up on that. I mean, you can probably spectate a little bit in the parking lot areas, but beyond that, it's mostly just start and finish. Um now, on to the course. All right, you guys. So if you ran the 2025 5K and you are again doing the 2026 5K, it is the exact same course. Um, so basically, you're gonna start at the back of the parking lot, work your way over to Test Track, which is just after mile one. Then you're gonna be going down and around the countries where you find America. And um Merica's gonna be where you're gonna want your water.
SPEAKER_12:Um and if you and if you want to win Family Feud, you're gonna use the restroom there.
SPEAKER_08:Yes, yes, very, very famous spot for restrooms um to use. Very, I think it's a big restroom, isn't it?
SPEAKER_12:Yes, yeah, it's a good size, yeah.
SPEAKER_08:I mean, there's always Money Answer Germany, but apparently it wasn't on the list. I still think it was a good answer to them.
SPEAKER_22:Good answer, Jack. Good answer.
SPEAKER_08:Thank you. Um, so you're gonna go finish around World Showcase. You're gonna go um out and around where um near where Figment is, and um is it the you guys are gonna judge me, the land pavilion, right? Yes, that's right. And then you're gonna go around the ball with the beautiful lights. Um, it's gonna look gorgeous at night.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:Oh, I'm failing in life. Okay, anyways, we get to the three three miler, and then woof, you're here in the parking lot and finished. Congrats, you did a five camp academy, you guys.
SPEAKER_12:All right, high fives all around. Yeah, we and then we go to the 10K.
SPEAKER_06:Now that you've had your alien adventure.
SPEAKER_12:Yes, ma'am, that's right. That's right. We'll have to.
SPEAKER_06:You've been chosen. We're on to the second day of marathon weekend for the 10K. It will also have the buses beginning at 3 a.m. at the Disney Resorts. Um, again, you can check um with your resort where they're going to pick up. Um it is encouraged for all our participants to arrive to Epicap by 4 a.m. for this race. There will be A through G Correls, which will begin opening at 3:45 a.m. The race for this one begins at 5 a.m. And all runners should be on the course by 6.06 a.m. There's gonna be three water stops on this course, one just past mile one, one also in America.
SPEAKER_12:Well, close enough. That's good. Close enough.
SPEAKER_06:And then before re-entering Epcot um at mile 4.5.
SPEAKER_22:You know, I like how they got smart in this event guide and marked down that it's only gonna be water because I wonder if they're sick and tired of me being on this podcast talking about not having a lunch and line started to 10 can. So maybe that's why they put that in there.
SPEAKER_12:I know I know we are. No, I'm only kidding you.
unknown:Come on.
SPEAKER_06:Um and then reminder if you are having people that are going to be sec spectating, or if you're going to be spectating that you can officially do that at the start and finish lines, but technically you could cheer at the boardwalk, Swan and Dolphin, Yacht and Beach area. But remember it is a quiet zone. Um and then this course is the same 10K course that we did for Wine and Dine this year, right? Yes.
SPEAKER_14:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Um but it is different than the 10K that we did last year for Marathon Weekend, as they've changed kind of the start area of how we've gone about it. But if you've done any of the races this past year for Ren Disney, it will be similar and it's the same start um as the 5K.
SPEAKER_12:That was a good course at Wine and Dine 10K. So this this is good. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, on to the half marathon. So it's Saturday. Uh same thing. Buses will begin about 2 30 a.m. If you're staying at the contemporary Polynesian or Grand Floridian, monorail transportation will begin at 2.30. Everybody should be beat by Apcot by 4 a.m. All corrals A through G will be opening at 3.15. Race begins at 5, and all runners should be on the course by 6 o'clock a.m. Nine hydration stops and one food stop, which is gonna be hugging these stinger choosers around mile 8.5. Uh some of the spectator information you can spectate at the Grand Floridian. The start line, the Grand Floridian, which is mile four and a half, mile 5.4 Main Street USA, 520 a.m. to 730. You'll take the monorail from APCOT to the TTC and then transfer to the Magic Kingdom. No parking ticket needed before 7:30 at the contemporary and back at the Ticket and Transportation Center, mile 7.5, and then of course at the finish line. This course is basically the same as last year's course. Uh one little note I would like to make on this miles about three and a half to about four and a half down Floridian Way. There's been a lot of construction ongoing on that road in the last year. So it might get a little tight there uh with the construction. I know Marathon Weekend, there was a lot of construction. Not Marathon Weekend, Wine and Dine Weekend, there's a lot of construction going on there, and it did not look like it was anywhere near finished.
SPEAKER_12:So no, it's not finished.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, but just be careful, especially because it's gonna be dark and it will be in a construction site. Just watch your footings. And that's basically the uh half marathon course.
SPEAKER_08:So, Bob, I know you're not running the half marathon. Now, in the past, you have been an unofficial character stop. Are you planning on on uh cheering for the race for the half marathon, or are you gonna get some sleep before on the street?
SPEAKER_12:No, I'll be out there. I I enjoyed the heck out of that. I'll definitely be out there. I'm just not sure where I'll be, Jack. Um I'll probably be somewhere early on the I don't know if I'll get to Main Street or not. I may try that. And certainly I'll be at Epcot. Uh probably around where the buses are, where I know you like to hang sometimes.
SPEAKER_08:Oh yeah. I like to um once I finish, I usually go straight there and I cheer until the last Christmas.
SPEAKER_12:And then at the end. So yeah, I'll be cheering at at Half Marathon. It's fun and I enjoyed it.
SPEAKER_22:When it comes to this uh particular Half Marathon course, the the one little tip I lot like to give people is that you know, even though this race does start at 5 a.m., with the way that it's set up from mile, most likely seven on if you're middle to back of the pack, that sun's gonna be right in your face going south on World Drive as you're heading back to Epcot. So it might seem silly, but I definitely recommend bringing sunglasses with you uh for that race so that way at least you know it helps keep the sun off your face just a little bit.
SPEAKER_12:Oh, 100%, 100%. It it happens every year. Good point. And if you haven't run with sunglasses in training, do it. Or practice and then figure out where you're going to keep them before you need them. I keep them on a I wear a hat, so I they fit onto my hat nicely and they stay there well. But yeah, uh that's something worth training and practicing before you get to the race. I want to jump in. It's not in the event guide, but I want to mention that Saturday afternoon is our time for the Rise and Run Meetup. Let's mention it here. Rise and Run Meetup will be at 3 p.m. in the food truck area of Disney Springs. We get there around 3. A lot of us get there a little bit before 3. Uh, we try to take a group photo at 3.30. So I I always mention that I know it's a big weekend. You may not be able to make it, but I sure hope you can because everyone that comes has a wonderful time. I would I would make the blanket statement to say that everybody that comes to the meetup comes back to the next meetup because they have such a good time. And even though she's one-handed, I think Becky's going to make cookies. I don't think I know she is. So we're going to have one armed cookies this year at the meetup, but we hope to see you there. And it lasts as long as we want it to last. Typically, what happens is around 4 30 or 5 o'clock, things start to break up because people have dinner reservations. But three o'clock is what we call our official start. We may be there a little earlier, be there at 3 30 for the photo.
SPEAKER_06:I know most of our friends have been to our meetups before or know the Disney Springs area, but if you're somebody who doesn't, um, there are maps around, but an easy way to find the food truck area is to look for the giant balloon, um, air balloon that will be in the air. Um go to that. There is a Starbucks location that is directly to the left of that. Behind the Starbucks is where the food truck area is, immediately to the left. Um, you can also ask people where the balloon is, and then it's pretty easy to find it from there.
SPEAKER_22:But yeah, a few other wayfinding points. Uh if you come across the Salt and Straw ice cream store or the AMC movie theater, that area, it's right across the walkway. And then what's the restaurant? Uh Summer House in the Lake. Uh, it is to if you're looking at the restaurant, uh, the area is just to the right of that as well.
SPEAKER_12:So yeah, or you could find a Disney cast member and say, Hey, have you seen Greg? And they'll tell you right where he is, and he'll be good to go. That's not creepy at all.
SPEAKER_22:All right, let's move to the granddaddy of them all for the weekend, the marathon. A few logistical changes uh this year. Uh so compared to last year, uh, the first is now this is the same as last year, and that is if you're staying at a Disney resort, the buses will begin at 2 a.m. Well, the race starts a little bit earlier than all the rest. Now, this is this is probably the the big change is if you are staying at the contemporary, the Polynesian, or the Grand Floridian, monorail transportation will begin, same as the half at 2 30 a.m. But bus transportation this year will also be available from those resorts, but only from 2 until 2 30. And then if you're going after 2 30, you gotta get on the monorail.
SPEAKER_08:So interesting.
SPEAKER_22:Yeah, so a very slight change to that. It is encouraged that all participants for this race be in Epcot by 3:30 a.m. As it has been throughout the course of the entire week, and corrals are A through G. And now these corrals, though, will be opening at 2:45 a.m. The race begins at 4:30, not 5 o'clock, 4:30 a.m., and all runners will be on the course by 528.
SPEAKER_08:Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_22:So they are gonna be hustling everybody out there.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah.
SPEAKER_22:In total, there will be 19 hydration stops and five food stops. Just wanted to highlight the food here real quick. Mile uh looks like roughly six and a half will be honey stinger chews. Then at mile 13 and three-quarters and mile 18, you will be getting bananas. At mile 21 and a half, you'll be getting your second set of honey stinger chews. And then at mile 23 and a half, which is roughly right around the Hollywood Studios area, that's where you're gonna be getting those cocoa biscuits from that new sponsor that Run Disney has. I I know there's a point of contention about it being a little dry, but if you like chocolate, that is the opportunity to get your chocolate fix. Now, what's great about the marathon is there are a lot more opportunities for spectating. Obviously, you can go to the start line. Uh, similar to the half marathon, you can cheer at the Grand Floridian at mile eight, Main Street USA at mile nine, and the I believe the time is about the same 5.20 until 7.30 a.m. And if your spectator is interested, you will have to take the monorail from Epcot to the Ticket and Transportation Center, then transfer to the Magic Kingdom. And again, no park ticket is needed before 7.30 a.m. Uh you can also cheer at the Contemporary at mile 10.6, the Ticket and Transportation Center at mile 11 and a half. Then moving down to Animal Kingdom, you will be able to cheer inside the park from 8 a.m. until 10.10, and you'll be able to line up anywhere from mile 17 to 17 and a half. Difference here, a park ticket is required. Then mile 23.4 to 23.8, you can cheer inside of Hollywood Studios from 9 a.m. until 11.50 a.m. And again, park ticket is required. Now, this is the one caveat here because of how uh the course runs is if you're gonna cheer at Hollywood Studios, you need to get to the park via the bus or the friendship boat. Because I think we do cross in front of the Skyliner station. So they did not make note about Skyliner for Hollywood Studios. So they said the bus or the friendship boat. So do be aware of that. You'll also be able to cheer at mile 24.4 on the boardwalk if you're there early. I guess it's still technically considered a quiet zone, but I guess once the sun's up, go nuts. Uh, and then uh mile 25 to 25.3, you can cheer inside of Epcot, and that will occur from 10 a.m. until 12.15 p.m. And again, because it is Marathon Day, Epcot does have a delayed opening that morning, so that's why it doesn't start until 10 a.m. And a park ticket will be required. And obviously, I think where a lot of people are to bring you in is at the finish line. Uh, the course is very, very similar to last year with a few notable exceptions. Um, the first is because of the construction at Big Thunder Mountain, uh, we will not be running in front of Tiana's Bayou Adventure this year. It looks like once you get through Adventureland, you're hooking a quick right and you're heading right back to like the country bear jamboree and uh in that direction. Uh, it's really hard to describe, but there is a slight change in the parking lot route that um will be in a ticket and transportation center, I think, to make up a little bit of the mileage. Now, the nice thing that I think everyone is really, really excited about is even with all of the construction that is going on for the future Tropical Americas area, uh, you still will be running by Everest for the Marathon in Animal Kingdom. Again, that's usually around mile 17. So depending on your pace and the time of day, you might have the ability to ride Everest, but usually they're great about having cast members out front saying rides open to runners or it's not, or if you get in line, you run the risk of being swept. So they're usually very, very good about communicating that. And then the last notable change is again, because of that construction, we will not be exiting the typical way in Dino Land USA, but this time we will be exiting near the Finding Nemo Theater. But outside of that, that is your marathon course and the official recap of Ryzen Run going through the 2026 Marathon Weekend event guide.
SPEAKER_21:Caution runners, change of topic ahead.
SPEAKER_12:Friends, way back when, maybe in the summer, we asked our Patreons to give us some ideas for upcoming episodes. And one of those great ideas was hey, why don't you invite a panel with some experienced dopey runners and some first-time dopey runners? And that way we can chat about dopey. And we think the time is now to do that, as we are a mere four weeks away. So we have some guests with us tonight. We have we only have one who's not done it before, but that's okay. He can stand up and represent all of you first timers. No pressure, Brian. Okay, all right, just relax. All right. Uh, and uh some other friends, and I'm gonna ask them to introduce themselves and tell us uh what they've been doing at Run Disney and how many dopeies they have. And Brian, since I'm already picking on you, let me start with you, please.
SPEAKER_04:Um Brian, uh from Maryland. And um I did a uh Princess Half Marathon with my wife in 2013, and then again I did the 10K in 2024 wine and dine. Um, and my wife had access to getting me into dopey, and she said, Hey, you want to do it? And I said, Sure, even though I kind of knew what it was, it uh seemed like a good idea at the time. Oh no.
SPEAKER_12:Did you have it? Did you yeah, I kind I kind of do. Did did you have much choice or it was kind of decided already?
SPEAKER_04:I did have choice. It it was kind of decided already. I could have said no, but that probably would have looked bad.
SPEAKER_12:No, I wouldn't, yeah, I hear you. Uh let's see, Vanessa, how about you?
SPEAKER_19:Hey, yeah, I'm Vanessa from Seattle, and this will be my second dopey. And I just think I don't know, I have to say I princess was my first and um first Disney race, which I loved, but I have to say Marathon weekend is the most magical weekend, and that marathon is just it literally is every mile is magic. So amazing.
SPEAKER_12:Okay, thanks, Vanessa, and we have others with us too.
SPEAKER_18:Hi, it's David. I'm Cape Coral, just south of uh where Bob is in Florida. This would be my third Dopey. Um and I started Run Disney uh with a 10 mile, because that was the only one that was open, because that's the only one that ever stays open for any length of time. Um I think it was 2022 or 2023, where the medal was um Buzz Lightyear, so whichever year that was and then the habit just grew, the money got spent, and
SPEAKER_16:Right.
SPEAKER_18:Absolutely. And that's basically the my story.
SPEAKER_09:Um, hi, I'm Kate. I live in Massachusetts. I have done two dopeies. My Run Disney experience dates all the way back to 2002.
SPEAKER_16:Ooh.
SPEAKER_09:I ran my very first marathon, which was the Disney marathon, and that was when the full and the half ran at the same time, and you have to watch the half marathoners finish and knowing that you still had another half marathon to run.
SPEAKER_12:Oh golly. But what did you know? Do you know when they changed that, Kate?
SPEAKER_09:I don't know. After that, I was like, I'm never doing a marathon here again. And that was back when they didn't have characters. Like it was very different than it is now. Um but yeah, I've I've done uh that was my first full. I did some um halves during marathon weekend after that. Um since then I've done two dopeys. I am not doing dopey this year. I am doing the 10K and the full.
SPEAKER_12:So the the Kate Challenge.
SPEAKER_09:The Kate Challenge, the sneezy challenge, as I like to call it.
SPEAKER_12:I like it. I like it.
SPEAKER_20:Hi, my name is Kim. I'm from Houston, Texas, and I've done one dopey. I started with Run Disney in 2023. Uh Wine and Dine 10K. It was kind of um a very short period of time after I had broken my leg and recovered and thought after not, yeah, I was down for 16 weeks, couldn't walk. And yeah, I realized um, you know what is really something that we don't value until you don't have it, and that would be your legs. So I decided once I once I can start walking, I'll start running. And one of my girlfriends has done Run Disney for a while, and she talked me into it. And I remember doing that 10K thinking this is the hardest thing I've ever done in my whole life. I hated all of it, all of it. And the next day we were we were standing in line waiting for the haunted mansion, and I said, Well, what other runs do they have here? And she said, I don't know, half marathon, a marathon. And I said, Oh, I think I'll sign up for half marathon. And her show hit the ground. She was like, You hated all of it. I'm not gonna question it, but you hated everything. But anyways, I love it. I'm obsessed and I love it. And I've participated in most of the weekends since then.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, how many times do we hear that? Um, not ever, yeah. What in the world? That's a pretty significant fracture if you were down for 16 weeks.
SPEAKER_20:I was. I broke uh my tibia and my fibia.
SPEAKER_12:Yes, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_20:Okay, yeah, yeah. Ouch.
SPEAKER_12:All right, yeah, ouch indeed. Well, I'm glad you're better now. That's great.
SPEAKER_15:Yeah.
SPEAKER_12:All right. All right. Uh I want to start. I want to chat, and I hope that you guys talk amongst yourselves. But I want to start out here, and I'm gonna start this one with Brian. And Brian, I'm gonna ask you, signing up for Dopey, why in the world did you ever think that was a good idea?
SPEAKER_04:You know, it was it was presented by my wife, and so she always she has amazing ideas. Yeah, I was attracted to the whole marathon weekend hearing hearing her stories about it, um, how much fun it was. Um, and I figured all I had to do was sacrifice my body.
SPEAKER_12:We'll get we'll get into that more of that a little bit.
SPEAKER_19:And your mind, yeah.
SPEAKER_12:Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_19:Get no sleep.
SPEAKER_12:And your sleep, yep. Oh, he's Brian's not aware of that yet too much. Maybe he is, I don't know. But yeah, and your sleep.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, yeah, I've got a few questions about that.
SPEAKER_12:Okay, well, we'll get to that, I promise. Now, for the rest of you, I'd like to know what brought you back. Is there some moment from previous uh dopeies that played in your decision, or was it something else entirely?
SPEAKER_09:The people. It's definitely the people. I mean, a lot of my friendships have developed through Run Disney. Um, I have a lot of close friends, and you know, marathon weekend especially, it's it's a great time to just be able to see everybody and hang out. It is and run a little bit, I guess.
SPEAKER_12:I guess. Yeah, you gotta you gotta keep that pace. But uh yeah, how many times do we hear that that Run Disney is such a special community, and it's the people that that bring us back. Was Vanessa, anything else, anything different maybe that played in your decision to come try it again?
SPEAKER_19:I think it's it's I love being able to go through all of the parks um that's good for the marathon, and I love that you get to run through the castle twice over the weekend, you know, once on um half marathon day and then for the marathon as well. And there's just a general overall feeling about marathon weekend that's really I think really beautiful. And I agree with Kate, of course, seeing all of your friends and making new friends in the corrals, I love that too. Um, it's just a really special weekend.
SPEAKER_12:It is. I I couldn't agree more, David. Both uh Vanessa and we all mention running friends for sure, and we know we're very fortunate with this wonderful community that we get to know one another. But if have you made friends just from running the Dopey Challenge?
SPEAKER_18:Uh not necessarily the Dopey Challenge, but certainly through Run Disney. Um it's it's amazing how in the in the few short years that I've been doing Run Disney, the people I've met and formed very close relationships with the relationships are closer than the people are actually in my circle locally or I work with because we have a common goal, a common interest. My wife thinks I'm nuts, completely nuts. But the people I run with understand it, and it's it's it's having that um, you know, it's just having that that camaraderie and that compassion that other runners have for other runners, and it brings you back almost like a drug in a way, and Disney especially, because there is just that much more that you have when you do run Disney as opposed to just uh any other run that you might be on. And that's what brings me back. I mean, it I know you know all sorts of other reasons for it, but it's it's special for me and it's it's emotional, it gets emotional sometimes. You know, I'm a Disney adult um who's in a fortunate enough position to only be two and a half hours from Disney and be able to do this. And I know a lot of people can't and don't have that ability, and and I you know, I get it, but for me, you know, I go out, I see the same people, we we stay in touch, we call each other, we're we're we're friends afterwards, very special friends. And that's that that's worth its weight to me personally. I find that's uh the social side of things to combine that with running is is just phenomenal for me.
SPEAKER_12:Brian, as a as a first timer, that's something that may surprise you. You may not be ready for the emotions involved in finishing that first dopey. And I don't think we're a bunch of emotionally challenged people, but it will get to you. It will, doesn't it, Kim?
SPEAKER_20:Absolutely, it does, and it's a joy.
SPEAKER_18:I think I might have said this before, actually. Sorry to interrupt. Um, when I did the first dopey, um, when I finished the marathon, um, as I came across that finishing line, I was in floods of tears. I'm an adult. Isn't that crazy? I was absolutely bawling, and I was on the phone to my wife here. I mean, she wasn't with me, but she was on it, and it was 30 minutes before I could actually form a sentence. I was so emotional about it because of the event, because of the distance, because of everything, and because of where it was. It just got me. And it's the only one that ever has had that effect. I got pretty close last time, but I I held it. I held it. But the first one was just upon my word, it was it was cool. It was and it was a great feeling, don't get me wrong.
SPEAKER_12:It's phenomenal. It's phenomenal.
SPEAKER_06:All right, so let's talk about training. I'm gonna start with you, Brian. What has surprised you the most about training for this challenge?
SPEAKER_04:I I think that the the amount of training is or the different types of training, because we're we're doing a lot of walk run, and it's just really consistent, and it's low mileage, um, and then it builds to high mileage and then drops back down, and then you add walks to it. It it it gets kind of complicated. Um and it the recovery part of that is a little bit challenging, uh, along with everything else you have to do during the day.
SPEAKER_06:But so from some of our veterans, what is something that having done more than one training cycle that has surprised you maybe when you did your first training cycle, or maybe now that you've done it more than once, um, that you could share with people out there that might be training as well?
SPEAKER_09:Probably surviving the mock uh weekends, you know, you you see it on your calendar, and that first one is always super daunting and stressful, and you're just like, I can't believe I have to. It's not really the running four days in a row, it's those back-to-back longer runs that's very daunting. And I remember after doing it the first time, I'm pretty sure that second, you know, the last run that you do, I was pretty emotional. Like I was shocked that I did it.
SPEAKER_16:Yep.
SPEAKER_19:So I think it's important not to get um too overwhelmed by it and think about it as one mile at a time, if that's if that's helpful to you in terms of, you know, um, and just really pacing yourself through it. Um for this training cycle, I've been dealing with some injuries, which is a new thing for me. And I've really been focusing on the importance of recovery and getting good sleep and nutrition, um, which I think is so important with those long runs and with with the not getting much sleep, you know, when you're at uh Disney World.
SPEAKER_18:For me, as far as the training is concerned, I'll be honest with you, I don't not not train. So the only difference in what I do every day or every week through the year is I just adjust the mileage depending on the runs that are coming up. So, for instance, I do follow the Galloway training program. I don't walk run, I run, but I run Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, or I'll adjust it accordingly. If he says 45 minutes, whatever 45 minutes is, I'll go out and do an hour Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I'll do the long run. If he says 18 miles, I'll do 18 miles as we're coming up to Dopey. Anything else, I'm just running, and I I tend to take the view uh for me that I like to have a structure to follow. So, for instance, if you go out into my garage, when I come in off a run, there's the Galloway calendar, and I just put an X through the days so I can see the um and I can see what's coming up, um, but I don't um change that during the year, except to reduce the mileage. So if I've got another big run coming up that's not Disney, then I'll adjust it according to that. So I'm not sort of suddenly getting to six months before Domingue saying, Oh, I've got to train, I've got to train. As far as I'm concerned, it's keeping that training throughout the year. So there's no peaks and troughs, just keeping at that level. For me, that works. And I I don't I've people have said, Why don't you get a coach? I know Alicia would probably you know roll her eyes at this, because my my view with having a coach is that the coach is probably gonna push me to the point where I'm gonna be uncomfortable, I'm probably gonna end up getting injured at my age in life or whatever. I I want to sort of do my own thing regularly, it's got me through, I know it works, and if it works, you know what's the saying? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Um, for dopey or any marathon I'm doing in the training uh block, I never go above 20 miles on my training block ever. Because I know I can do 26. 20 is a nice figure. I do so much more as well over and above during the week or the month or whatever, that I'm not too worried about the distance, just 20 is just the watershed for me. Then we go and do the marathon. So that that's just how I approach it. It's just a different way of approaching it. That's that's that's the way I do it anyway.
SPEAKER_19:David, I think you make a really good point that it's it's gotta be particular to you. What might work for other people isn't whether that's nutrition, the training schedule, hydration.
SPEAKER_18:I think it's so important to identify what works appropriately for you because we hear so much different advice out there, but it's so important to know what you have to kind of understand, you have to listen to the somebody said to me once, you listen to your body, and and that is incredibly important um because you can be out on a run and feeling fine, but you feel a little niggle. Like I was out on uh Saturday, I think it was, and I was on a run, and I got three and a half miles down the run, and I felt a niggle in the in the top of my leg area, and I just yeah, in the old days, three or four years ago, I just said, Oh, I'll run it off, it's just a flesh wound. No way, you you understand that reference. Um absolutely and and I just stopped and I walked in, and then the last two or three days I've been out every morning, but I've not been running, I've been walking just to keep that level up, not pushing it. And the reason I haven't been injured for months and months and months, and the reason I think this has happened is an overuse uh injury because I've been running every single day. Wrong, I shouldn't have done that, so to listen to myself, but it I think it's very important, and I think this Tuesday, Thursday, one of the weekend, possibly an extra one, is a great idea. You've got to give that self the give yourself the rest. It's so important. You're absolutely right for that. So you really are. Wrestling and recovery is so very important, which you don't realize when you start off, and you go out and you belt hell for leather and then wonder why you end up injured. And sometimes the only way to learn that is the hard way, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_22:All right, dopey vets. Let's move on to another aspect of this, and that is something vitally important, and that is next weekend. I'm not actually it's uh this weekend for some, especially our friends running Honolulu. But if you're following the Jeff Galloway schedule to a T, next weekend is the big one, the last full simulation. Vanessa, I'm gonna start with you here. How do you manage your energy throughout the four days of that training simulation?
SPEAKER_19:So I am running Honolulu this weekend.
SPEAKER_22:Oh, good for you.
SPEAKER_19:So I'm gonna be managing my energy very well in Hawaii.
SPEAKER_22:Well, my ties help with that.
SPEAKER_19:Oh, they do, absolutely. All the alcohol makes it better, right? No. Um no, in terms of um energy management, I for me personally, I it is so critical for me to go to bed early each night, even if I don't fall asleep. Um, getting enough sleep is so important. And then the other thing that really helps me is um watching my water and electrolytes um throughout that full weekend. And I also tend to, after every run, I do a protein shake, which really, really helps me kind of with sustained energy. And I actually have really loved um the caffeinated gum that Bob recommended. I use that throughout um these weekends as well.
SPEAKER_22:Excellent. Kate Kate, what can you add uh to the conversation here?
SPEAKER_09:Definitely sleep. Um, I think, you know, no matter how many sims you do, I'm not really sure anything prepares you for the lack of sleep that you get come race weekend. I mean, I don't think any of us are waking up at 2 a.m. to do these sim weekends and then, you know, having ciders in the parking lot afterwards with our families. I don't know, just throwing that up.
SPEAKER_12:Shouldn't we cake we should we should wake up and then go outside and stand there for an hour and a half and then start our training?
SPEAKER_09:Yes, yes, and then stand there longer, but make sure you're drinking alcohol and then walk like three miles back to your resort, you know, or or your room. Yeah. It's I mean, nothing really prepares you for that weekend in terms of the level of exhaustion, but whatever you can do, kind of like what Vanessa said, to um just make sure that you're not going into that weekend exhausted because that's always difficult. Um, having early morning flights, dealing with the expo. Oh, the expo. Um, there's just so many ways that you can get so run down and exhausted that, you know, those sim weekends when you're doing them and just really throughout all of training, just watching your sleep, watching your health, um, and your nutrition, I think is really important.
SPEAKER_22:Now, Kim, I'm not sure if you know this. Brian actually already ran a marathon this past weekend. So he's got the my he's got the miles under his legs, but any other advice that maybe you can give to Brian that he hasn't heard yet or our listening community out there who are preparing for their first dopey.
SPEAKER_20:Well, I would say congratulations, Brian, on that. That's a major accomplishment. And it's got to feel really good to know you've got that confidence in your belt, right? You've already achieved that. Um, I think mindset is probably the most important thing to me. Um the weekends of this, the simulation is not going to be the best time. And entering into that with the mindset of there's a goal that I have to accomplish, and it's going to set me up for success on a weekend in which I get to celebrate for four straight days with my friends. I think that's the most important thing. Um, the fuel, the sleep, all of the other things are super important. But the mindset of going into it, knowing what you're trying to get out of it, I think is the most important thing because it will not be the best time for four straight days. And it will be an amazing time when you do it in uh, you know, Disney and it'll be fantastic. So the mindset.
SPEAKER_06:I just want to add on to that, Kim, that that's a huge thing that I am a big proponent of is mindset. Um, but specifically when I did my last opium in 2023, I went in to each morning. And even if I felt tired or kind of like, I don't know if I want to do this, I decided before I got to the bleachers where we all meet that I was going to put a smile on my face and think positively about the races. And truly, it made a huge difference in how the race weekend went. Yes. So just adding on to what you had said.
SPEAKER_20:Absolutely. I completely agree.
SPEAKER_01:Some people say the 48.6 miles is not the hardest part of running dopey. Some people say the four Four-day early wake-up calls are the hardest part of uh the Dopey experience. So how do you handle those four-day early wake-ups for the event?
SPEAKER_09:Go to bed early. I I try to make sure that I am in bed at 7 p.m. In bed at 7 p.m. So if you're doing a flat lay, if you're doing any of the things that you need to do to prepare for the morning, you make sure that you're back in your room by you know six at the latest, get all that stuff done, and your feet are up. You are in bed, whether you're reading or whatever, because you can't quite fall asleep. Get your feet up and lay down by 7 p.m.
SPEAKER_19:Yes, early dinner reservation.
SPEAKER_09:4 p.m. Yep.
SPEAKER_04:What what's a flat lay?
SPEAKER_09:Oh so Instagram posts. You lay out, you lay out your clothes and like all of your gear, your shocks, your shoes, your costume, whatever, and you just like lean over it and take a picture, and it's basically you in flat form. So it's a flat lay, and then you post it on Instagram and everyone likes it and says good luck and just gives you a little boost before you either before you go to sleep, although you really shouldn't be looking at your phone that late, or when you wake up the next morning. It's really fun, even though you're really tired to be able to see all that stuff.
SPEAKER_01:And one other good point about that flat lay is everything you want is ready the night before you go to bed. So you're not there at two o'clock in the morning trying to find your socks.
SPEAKER_09:Yeah, it's a good prep. You're right, John.
SPEAKER_19:I think it's so helpful to have a roommate who, like I do, who has walking on sunshine as the alarm in the morning. That's super helpful. And I think music is helpful in the morning. I also find getting uh an Americano at the race start is helpful to me.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, I do. I have a cup of coffee, absolutely.
SPEAKER_09:Yeah, me too.
SPEAKER_12:Only one though. Be careful there.
SPEAKER_19:Yeah. Everybody's different with caffeine.
SPEAKER_12:Very true, very true. But the second one will probably quadruple my corral P stops. One, I'm okay. Two, watch out. Yeah. And the gum, the it's not the caffeine, it's the caffeine and the liquid because the gum doesn't have that effect. The gum just gives me a little boost on the course. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, but I I had a training experience that was pretty horrible. Um, I think it was the first real high mileage that I did was 17 miles, and I had a cup of coffee, and I had my you know, my my uh electrolytes in my in my bladder, in my uh race vest ready to go, and I had my gels, but all my gels turned out to have caffeine, and it turned out that all of the electrolytes that I put in had caffeine. So I had something like eight cups of coffee trying to sell to my caffeine. It was definitely a lesson learned.
SPEAKER_08:But you know what? That's what training runs are for is trying new things. Yep.
SPEAKER_04:I don't ever want to try that.
SPEAKER_01:No, don't try that. Do any of you travel with family members that aren't doing the races or there for a fun experience?
SPEAKER_09:No, no, I leave my husband and child at home.
SPEAKER_20:I I was saying my family came with me last year, but they stayed in a different room. Smart they stayed in a totally different room and it worked out really great.
SPEAKER_18:I tr I travel solo every time.
SPEAKER_19:Yeah, I've always gone. My husband and son do not understand my Run Disney obsession.
SPEAKER_09:They yeah, my family has come in the past. Um, they've they've been there for a full weekend. Um, I think they did it for Princess because it coincides with my daughter's winter break. And my husband was like, never again, never again. So they usually like for springtime surprise, my daughter's spring break is at the end. So they'll fly in Sunday afternoon. So I'll be exhausted, but at least the running part will be over at that point.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, I wanna I want to add to our friends who are you know trying to learn and listen here. You may travel to Disney by yourself, but you do not have to be alone if you don't want to. If you want to, that's up to you. But with this large family of of friends here, you can find someone who's running about your pace and someone to enjoy the races with, I promise, if that's what you want. Thinking about the races uh in particular, I'm again I'm going with folks who have done it before. Four races in four days. Do you have a strategy for attacking the four-day challenge?
SPEAKER_09:Go slow.
SPEAKER_12:That's fair.
SPEAKER_09:I you know, I mean, I think a lot of people end up um walking the 5k because it's not timed, right? Which is a pretty good strategy. I usually just take the first three days as slow as possible and probably even the first part of the marathon, um, and just ease into it because it's a lot of time on your feet.
SPEAKER_12:Let me share a specific element with our friends, especially first time through. Anything you read in Disney says that to get the challenge medal, you have to keep a 16-minute per mile pace for all four races. That's not the case. What you have to do is finish all four races. You have to finish in front of the balloon ladies. If you're fortunate to be in an early corral, there are times I think I've done 18 or 19 minute paces and still finish the events. But that's that's something that I know it concerned me big time for my first dopey. Oh my goodness, can I do 16 minutes for all four of these? Turns out you don't really have to. You you just have to finish them. What other strategies do we have for this? Here, here's one that gets me. Do you guys know what the halfway point of the dopey challenge is?
SPEAKER_18:It's about mile six of the marathon or something.
SPEAKER_16:Yeah, something like that.
SPEAKER_12:It's mile 2.1, I believe. Yeah. So you get up, you get up Sunday morning, you toe the line, and you go, I'm not halfway done yet. Now, I probably shouldn't bring that up, Brian. Relax. Okay, it's gonna be okay. But uh that's so again, I'll go back to though, what is your strategy for handling all four of these?
SPEAKER_20:I was gonna say, for me, I was gonna say, me personally, I did exactly what Jeff Galloway said to do whenever we did a similar call last year. And he said, walk the first three. And I felt like there's no way I will be able to just walk the first three. And um, I really listen, I questioned Jeff Galloway, and that was just the internal thumb. And I got out there and I did it, and I walked most of the first three, and I felt incredible for the marathon. And um it just was it it sounds so it sounds really kind of silly whenever you think about it. Like, why would you, why would you feel like you could accomplish that and you could walk the majority of the first three? But you know, then it's like, well, why couldn't I? And I did, and it was great and it was fantastic, and I felt so strong and so ready for marathon, which was the most important thing for me. So uh I think that guy knows something about what he's talking about. Yes, he does, indeed. It seems like he's on to something.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, I remember the invitation, Kim, and I and you were kind of hesitant on it yes. And so to hear how it went is nice for our listeners.
SPEAKER_20:Absolutely. Uh, he is not wrong. It was sage advice, it was very fantastic. Yes.
SPEAKER_19:I think it's important. I know I've said this before, but just to listen to your body throughout the whole weekend and really, you know, I think walking the 5k at minimum is the best. That's is a very good advice. That's what I did last year. And then I did run run walk um the other the other races, but I think um at minimum walking the 5K is a really good idea.
SPEAKER_22:A certain aspect to this question that I want to present to our panel here, because yes, Kim, you hit the nail right on the head in terms of walking as much of these races as possible is what's going to save you for marathon day. But let's put a situation out there for maybe friends who are in those later corrals. You know, earlier in this episode, we chat about you know the event guide for marathon weekend, and you know, maybe someone gets corral F or G. They might not have the affordability to be able to walk all of the half marathon. Does anybody have any advice for those people that might be concerned about pace who obviously want to be able to conserve energy on Saturday, but also not get swept on the course?
SPEAKER_20:Yeah. Can you consider switching your intervals? So do the 30-second run and the 90-second walk instead of, you know, vice versa. I would say that that would be the very first thing I would do. So still, still more walking than it than running, and uh, you're still keeping a very good pace.
SPEAKER_06:I have been in some of those later corrals for the marathon, specifically when I did Topi. And what I did was I ran walked um the first half of the half and then knew that I had enough time and then walked the rest so that I got some leeway on the balloon ladies. So if if you're in a position and you know that your pace is okay, then that's an option as well.
SPEAKER_09:I would also say try to um, you know, if you can, try to move up to the front of your corral. And also if character pictures are really important to you, don't stop for characters like the first, you know, the first half of like the half, like Alicia said. Um, because those lines are gonna be the longest. I will tell you that when it comes to marathon day, there's almost no line to a lot of the characters later in the race. So if you want some pictures, you're still gonna have a lot of opportunities to get those. Um, but just kind of don't make that, don't prioritize the character pictures if you're nervous about staying ahead of the balloon ladies.
SPEAKER_08:Honestly, the longest lines are always the first few characteristics, anyways. Exactly. Yeah.
SPEAKER_12:Hey, I got a variation on your theme, Alicia, and I knew I couldn't stay quiet for the whole episode. I'm trying to, I'm trying to let our friends keep walk a mile, run walk a mile. Alternate that way.
SPEAKER_06:I've done that as well. My first dopey, that's what I did. Um, so that's also an option.
SPEAKER_22:All right, Brian. Our panel has been delivering some awesome, awesome advice here, but we're gonna shift the conversation now back to you. Obviously, you're not brand new to Run Disney, and obviously you're not brand new to marathons, but in terms of the Dopey Challenge specifically, what concerns do you have about this particular weekend?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I think for me, my my concerns uh are specific to me. They're they're they're my feet. Um, my feet are not in the greatest shape. Um and getting that many miles on my feet in that short of a time, um, I think is probably going to be difficult for me. Uh, there have been a couple times in these past uh few races that I've done where I've I've been in uh some significant pain with my feet and I've been able to just kind of push it to the back and and ride through it. And uh, but I think that that many miles in that short a time. So I'm thinking about uh you know what is the best shoe to wear for this, and um how I'm gonna manage that when I'm when I'm not running, uh, to be prepared for the next run.
SPEAKER_12:Think shoes, Brian. Not not shoe. I mean and I I know you didn't mean one shoe, but think at least two pair.
SPEAKER_04:Okay, that probably would help. I've been just doing one so far, so yeah, rotate them.
SPEAKER_19:And and maybe consider you know, skipping the parks on um on race days, you know, waiting to go to the parks till after you finish the marathon.
SPEAKER_09:I would at minimum not do a park on after the half marathon. At minimum make that day a not park day.
SPEAKER_08:And if you have like a hot tub at your pool area at the hotel, go ahead and soak your feet into that, get it nice and relaxed. Um, that's gonna do wonders for you. And maybe like if you got a bathtub, go ahead and get some Epsom salt to soak your feet in that as well.
SPEAKER_09:Yeah, fluffy fizzies will be at the expo this time, right? They they usually have um Epsom salt or some variation, and you can just grab some there so you don't have to bring it in your luggage because it could be heavy. And uh yeah, I usually buy some there and double up and soak at least after the half, if not after all of them.
SPEAKER_04:How many pairs of shoes do people usually bring to this event?
SPEAKER_09:I bring three for Dopey. I bring two.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Bring full four.
SPEAKER_08:Two for the races, one for the parks.
SPEAKER_18:Yep.
SPEAKER_08:Oh yeah, that too.
SPEAKER_09:I have separate for the parks.
SPEAKER_19:And and you might want to consider recovery shoes as well. UFOs. I I find, yeah, I have some Lululemon recovery shoes, but UFOs are great too. That might be an idea to to look into, Brian.
SPEAKER_09:Yeah, and put them in your in your um bag check bag and just immediately throw off your running shoes and get those on your feet right away.
SPEAKER_19:It can also help to roll your feet with uh like a ball, like uh, you know, um a wooden ball can help with that.
SPEAKER_06:On the topic of shoes, too, I would say at least two pairs of shoes for Dopey. Um, but I would put one of them if you're flying, which I'm sure you are from Maryland, um, but to put one of them in your carry-on for the plane is absolutely checking a bag so that you know for sure you have at least a pair of shoes, because shoes are gonna be the hardest thing to get if something were to happen to luggage.
SPEAKER_09:Yeah, I usually wear a one pair to the airport and then put the other pair, at least one pair in my carry-on.
SPEAKER_04:Well, I think that's really helpful for me.
SPEAKER_12:All right, we've had fun talking about preparing for the race, the race. Let me ask this question to the folks who have done it before. Do you have a favorite or funniest memory from any of your previous dopey challenges?
SPEAKER_19:Well, the my first dopey last or this earlier this year, I just couldn't fathom that Florida would be cold at all.
SPEAKER_14:Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_19:And I was so cold during the marathon, I actually picked up gloves from the side of the road to put on. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_12:So who was silly enough to throw them away?
SPEAKER_19:I I know. So I looked ridiculous in my pictures.
SPEAKER_12:Oh, oh. I have in my pictures, the only gloves I had brought with me were from a costume. I was Prince John, I think, or something. So I've got, I'm running the marathon in in white gloves.
SPEAKER_20:I I was saying, I don't have I'm I I cannot remember a funny moment. I do remember going through um, what is it, the parking lot that everybody hates. The Blizzard, I think it's Blizzard Beach.
SPEAKER_12:Blizzard Beach, yeah.
SPEAKER_20:I was doing it and I was like, you know what? This isn't that bad. I'm right, it's not it was kind of nice because everybody had built up in my head this was gonna be like atrocious. And I was doing it, I was like, what I've I've done horse. So so that was uh that was actually a pleasure. Um really for me, having my family there be there to champion me, and they made signs, and that was the most magical thing. So I got to see the castle and you know, run through the castle, and one of the days they were there next, you know, at the castle. And so to see them there was just momentous, but um, just to be supported in that way, to allow my family the opportunity to show up for me like that, and for them to do that was the most spectacular part of my accomplishments.
SPEAKER_09:You you just made me think about like a favorite kind of general thing, which my absolute favorite part of the marathon and the half is running down Main Street and seeing all of those people and the emotions, and it's just don't don't race down that. First of all, there's there's tracks there, Brian. Watch out for those those trolley tracks, but also soak in Main Street. Main Street is absolutely incredible. There are so many people there, and it's just so it's it's magical, it's so cool.
SPEAKER_18:Going on about the uh the memory, the my greatest memory of of any of the dopies that I've done was last year. Um, I think we we dubbed it the Star Wars Mile or something around the back end of Animal Kingdom, and I was lucky enough to be there. I got there, it was still dark when I got there, and all you could see were these lights shooting up in the sky. We didn't know what it was. Um, and we got to it, and then you've got Darth Vader, and you've got the lightsabers and the noise and the smoke, and and it in the dark, it just looked fantastic. It was it was my big overriding memory from that weekend was that mile or half mile or whatever it was on the back end of Animal Kingdom. Absolutely magic. I hope they do it again this year.
SPEAKER_19:Yeah, that was amazing.
SPEAKER_08:So, Brian, this question will go to you. In general, with this being your first time, what are you most excited about? And on the other spectrum, what are you most nervous about? I know you talked a little bit about being nervous about your feet and everything for all like the four races, but what else do you think?
SPEAKER_04:So the thing I'm most excited about um is the is the main reason behind uh why I'm doing this is I I am going to get to spend these four days, these four races with my wife. So I'll be running alongside her. Um we're running together, and I uh we've done some races together, and uh that's just amazing to be able to do that. Um, and I'm really looking forward to that. Um what am I most nervous about? I I think I'm most nervous about maybe getting to the point where somehow I'm holding her back um from having you know her best races, or that I might fall a little short and uh hold her. Hold her up. And that's something I don't want to do.
SPEAKER_09:But maybe her best race is running all four of them with you. Don't forget that. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_20:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Well, that's uh yeah, that's that's gonna be those are gonna be those are gonna be my best races for me. So yeah, I guess that makes sense.
SPEAKER_12:I've done so many of these. You talk about holding Tara up. I was running in a group, Tara was in the group, I tripped, and as I'm going down, I reach out and Tara's right in front of me, and I start to grab her, and then I think, nope, you're just gonna pull her down too. So instead of holding Tara up, I was almost pulling Tara down, but it all worked out. Okay. Little road rash, no, no problem, everything's good.
SPEAKER_08:All right, so my question goes to all of you now. All right, so the big question is is that since um now we know we are still running past Everest, I know they're uh to me, I was a little bit worried because I'm like, well, if they're closing down the dinosaur area, that's usually how we exit. How also are we gonna go through Animal Kingdom? Um, with that being said, does anybody have any Everest goals this time around?
SPEAKER_09:I can't ride that thing. Oh no. Oh, I totally can't, I totally cannot ride that.
SPEAKER_18:I don't ride rides during the marathon. I'm not there to ride rides, I'm there to run the race. If I want to ride the ride, ride the rides, I'll go back afterwards. That's that's just makeup. I mean, plenty of people, you know, do what you want to do, obviously, but I don't want to be stuck in a line. Um, I mean Terra Terra sometimes open, I know. Everest, yeah. Sometimes they'll let single riders and they let you see your bib, they'll let you go straight through. Sometimes they don't. I don't want to get stuck. I'm not there to ride, I'll go back and ride. So that's just the way I look at it.
SPEAKER_12:I was gonna say that's legit, but are there any other thoughts?
SPEAKER_19:I think it's so cool to consider riding Everest. I um I love that ride, and so I'm on the fence. So maybe, maybe I'll do it if it if it makes sense at the time.
SPEAKER_09:I've considered tower because we run by Tower of Terror, and that is my ultimate favorite ride out of every park. So some people yeah, so I know, I know, but um, but like some people say they get sick on tower, but not on like Everest or Guardians. I'm the opposite. I I could ride tower all day. The problem is it's so late in the race that I don't know if I could actually stop, sit down, and then get back up and continue.
SPEAKER_08:So I will say this to you. Uh it depends on how you're feeling time-wise. So that attraction is actually four and a half minutes long, and that doesn't include um your time that you spend in the library, which is another few minutes. So realistically, when it's posting 13 minutes, realistically, you're probably gonna spend from point A to point B getting in and out of the entire thing. Right. It's it is about 15 to 20 minutes. Yeah. Um so just think about that. That's why I think because I know some people have done Tower of Terror before, and bless you guys, you guys know what's up. But and down. But um, I think I've always been intrigued about riding a ride at Disney. Now I've never done it because David, I'm kind of in the same mindset or have been in the same mindset as you. Like, well, I I just I just at this point, I just want to get done. And I know Everest is around them. Is with Everest being that way, I'm the same way. Like if I like this year, if there is a long line, I probably won't do it. But if it is like to the point where they're like, hey, go ahead through the fast pass, I might consider it just because I've never done it before and I like to. I know they say don't do anything new on race day. Well, that's not doing anything new physically, you know.
SPEAKER_12:That's a little different. Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:Um, it'd be kind of cool to do a first say. Like, I yeah, I wrote an attraction at um during my marathon. I think that's just really cool. I know people were doing that last year with the triceratops spin ride because it was the last day that uh dinosaur area was open. I thought that was really cool.
SPEAKER_12:It's been fun, almost time to bring it to a close. Friends, we have a couple rapid fire questions for you, and Jack is going to kick us off.
SPEAKER_08:So, earning the dopey medal or the marathon trip down Main Street, which one is the more emotional moment for you? Uh Kim.
SPEAKER_20:Um, Main Street, running down Main Street, uh a hundred times over any medal. That's that's the best. That's the win. Yeah.
SPEAKER_18:Doping I would say dopey medal because that's uh physical reminder of something you achieved. You can run down Main Street and walk down Main Street, but I can see my medal right here. So it's a it's a it's a an actual representation of what you've achieved, and it's a big achievement.
SPEAKER_06:What is your dream photo stop? Kate, how about you?
SPEAKER_09:Ooh, um, I would have to say Flynn Rider and Rapunzel, because that is my favorite movie, and I've definitely seen Rapunzel out on course, but wouldn't it be cool to get both of them together? And Rapunzel would have to be holding the frying pan. And ask for the smolder.
SPEAKER_08:Yes.
SPEAKER_22:All right, next rapid fire is gonna go to you, Vanessa. If your costume starts falling apart mid-race, do you fix it, ditch it, or pretend that that was your plan all along?
SPEAKER_19:Oh, pretend that was the plan all along.
SPEAKER_01:So, David, what is what is scarier? Unexpected rain or unexpected chafing?
SPEAKER_18:Rain. Definitely rain. I don't chafe, luckily. I mean, I don't have that. You're blessed. The unexpected rain, like we I think we had marathon last year. Two years ago, yeah. Yeah, um, that was out of the blue, it was freezing cold, in your eyes, and it was a real shocker. And then the rest of the race, you've got wet feet, horrible. So I'll take I'd take uh wouldn't take the rain.
SPEAKER_06:I have to disagree. I've had both of these. Although the rain was horrible, I've had chafing, and that was not fun at all.
SPEAKER_01:Usually you yeah, sometimes you get the chafing from the rain. That's true.
SPEAKER_06:Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_09:Don't forget that the medical stops have the uh Vaseline on a stick, too. Always, always grab some if you if you need it, yeah. And for you, Brian, especially. Like the second you feel any irritation, they just have it right on a popsicle stick right there. Grab it.
SPEAKER_18:Just don't mistake the a nutrition stock.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, we we know where you're going.
SPEAKER_04:I would have to say the rain, I don't like wet feet, can't do wet feet.
SPEAKER_08:What hurts more? Your legs after four days of running, or your wallet after the expo?
SPEAKER_18:My legs. And the reason is that when I first started this, I would be spending money like nobody's business at the expo. Now I go in the specific things I want to get, and I don't deviate from that. So I never buy those shirts, you know, the race specific shirts. I always get a marathon mug um and a magnet, uh, which I've got out on the fridge, and the pass holders, the the things from the from the pass holders, and and that's it. I try not to try if I can get it out for more than 200 bucks, I'm doing well. Because it used to be like I'm glad my wife doesn't listen to this podcast.
SPEAKER_09:My wallet definitely hurts more, especially if it's like dopey or goofy because there's more to buy. I'm actually looking forward to only I shouldn't say only. We don't say only. I'm looking forward to the 10K and the marathon because I won't purchase any goofy or dopey stuff, but I'm sure that depending on what these shoes look like for Brooks, I'm in trouble. And I usually get a marathon jacket and all the things, and then I go into the expo and spend even more money. So I have a problem, and all my friends know this about me. I'm also an enabler to my friends when it comes to sports.
SPEAKER_12:Oh, golly. Golly, I'm I am familiar with that. All right, Brian, for you, what do you expect will be the more emotional moment? Your marathon trip down Main Street or earning that first dopey medal?
SPEAKER_04:I think it's gonna be earning that first dopey medal, but that marathon trip down Main Street is probably gonna be pretty emotional as well.
SPEAKER_12:All right, it's been fun. We've shared a lot of information. As we're wrapping up here, I'm gonna go around, I'm gonna ask for final thoughts, tips, tricks, ideas, and I'm gonna start with our experienced uh dopey runners. Uh David, how about you going first?
SPEAKER_18:I've got three things, tips, tricks specifically for people who haven't done this before. I'll do it real quick. First one is if it's anything like last year, it's gonna be cold on marathon morning. We start at 4:30, not five o'clock, 4.30. And I'm not saying it's gonna be as cold as, but prepare for cold. It was perishing last time. You're sitting in the corrals maybe up to an hour and a half. So keep warm. Do throw away hoodies, get them from Goodwill, just throw them over the fence, they collect them and give them to the homeless shelters. It's brilliant. Use the mylar blankets, just keep warm, whatever you do, otherwise, it's miserable. Second thing is when you go out, race against yourself, not other people. Don't worry about what other people are doing. Keep within your own lane, keep with your own your own uh pace. Don't try and race other people. This is you're racing yourself. This is about your accomplishment, not what you're doing against other people. And the third thing is, and I think this is quite important, is regardless of whether you've got gels, whether you've got anything around you, eat and drink at every opportunity that's given to you by Run Disney. Take the bananas, take the sport beans, take the chocolate. They're really good. Um, take the gay trade, whatever it is, it take it. You will find that it will it will be beneficial towards the end. It really will be. I learned that the wrong the long way a lot, wrong way, a long time ago. If it's there, use it. If you've still got your stuff on you, fine, it doesn't matter, but you cannot really eat or consume enough carbohydrates and calories during the race. It's important. That's my view, anyway.
SPEAKER_12:Excellent, excellent suggestions, all very practical, very sound based on experience. Final thoughts, Vanessa?
SPEAKER_19:Enjoy the magic. I mean, and remember that you get to do this, you've chosen to do this, it is a beautiful experience, and just enjoy yourself.
SPEAKER_12:Outstanding. Kim, how about you?
SPEAKER_20:We talked about shoes, but again, part of part of my tip would be test your shoes in advance, bring more than one pair. If you are wearing, don't wear anything new. How about I phrase it like that? Nothing new. So don't wear anything new. Um have a full a fuel a fuel plan. So very much to what David was saying, know based on your training, what you need and when you need it. And I would say bring bring your own supplies. I know that the, you know, the expo does have a lot of the standard goos and gels for emergency backup, but you know what you've been training with. So bring it. Bring what you've been training with and bring your pregame drink and your pregame meal and everything so that you're prepared. And um, again, mindset. The mindset is that that's gonna get you through all of it, having a positive mindset. You're gonna be surrounded by all of your friends and all of your family and uh in the most magic place in the world, and you just manage your mindset and the feet will do the rest.
SPEAKER_12:Very good. Very good. How about you, Kate?
SPEAKER_09:One of the things that David said reminded me um, taking bananas on the course. If you've never taken a banana midway through a race, um, part of my long run course that I do, I stop at a grocery store and have a banana. So my stomach knows what it's like to have a banana and then run again. Um, so that's just something to think about. Another thing is corral snacks. I literally bring a grocery bag filled with sneaky snacks to eat in the corral because you're sitting there for a while and you don't want your last meal, you know, whatever you ate, like your corral meal to be like two or three hours ago. So any kind of corral snacks that will help you, um, you know, a honey stinger's waffle, maybe something with a little protein, whatever. Um, and also it's important to know they have sunblock at the aid stations for later in the race. Um, obviously, we're starting at 4:30 in the morning. So it's dark out, but it doesn't stay dark. And if you're out there for a while, that sun can really beat down on you. Check with the aid stations. They usually have sunblock and get your shoulders, especially, and your ears and your neck. Oh, yeah, and your head and David's uh wear a hat, David, Greg, and Brian and Bob.
SPEAKER_12:Wear a hat.
SPEAKER_09:Wear a hat.
SPEAKER_12:Brian, I'm gonna give you the last word on this. Anything that you've learned that surprised you, any questions that you have maybe remaining, or any last thoughts that you want to share?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I guess I just want to know if anybody's got the notes that I can borrow, maybe copy notes. I guess it's a podcast I can just listen to, but what about what about bringing does anybody wear uh bring an extra pair of socks and change during one of the races, like marathon, I'm thinking.
SPEAKER_12:Every race Ali did that. And so, yes, some people do it and they swear by it. I think it's great. Allie described it as it's like putting on new feet. New feet, correct. Yep. That sounds like it's right up my alley. Yeah, yeah. No pun intended. Yeah. Oh, yeah, right. But yeah. All right, let's let it go at that. Friends, thank you. Thank you for sharing all your time. I do hope that our friends who are listening, if their first time into this, maybe they've learned something, maybe you've answered some of their questions. And I know that folks who have done it before are were listening along, going, Yeah, that's right, that's a good idea. Or don't forget this. Oh, okay, good, you got it. So that was great. So once again, thank you for joining us, and we look forward to seeing you in January.
SPEAKER_21:Caution runners, the topic is about to change right now.
SPEAKER_12:Friends, thanks for joining us. We really appreciate your input. Hey, let's take a look ahead. Your Rise and Run friends are appearing on the One More Run podcast next week. That will release this episode releases on Thursday. The one more run that releases the following Wednesday, that would be December 17th, will feature the Rise and Run gang. Great podcast, One More Run. Give them a listen. AJ and Erica do a wonderful job on that. We're going to have to record the roll call episode a little bit early. So if you are running it all on Marathon Weekend, please make sure you've got your name in to the race report so that we can call you during the rise and run roll call for Marathon Weekend. If you're not sure how to do that, the race report is pinned to the featured section of the Facebook group page. If you're on a desktop or laptop, just go to the top of the group and scroll right. If you're on your phone, find the featured button. It is in there. The race report is. It's a word, no, it's a Google Doc file. You can either put your name into the report or put your name in the comments and we'll add it in there for you. But try and get it in pretty quickly so we can be sure to call your name out. If you're running the 5K and you want to participate as one of our alien runners for the aliens from Toy Story, those shirts are still available at Kawaiian Pizza Apparel, but time is running out. The last day to order is December 17th. So that's the Wednesday after this episode. That's the same day I just told you about that the One More Run podcast will drop. And as far as Zooms, no Zoom this week, we will be back on our Zoom call next week, December 18th. And now, please stand clear of the door.fit slash rise and run coaching is his site. Also, you can check out the featured section of our Facebook group page and see what's new with Tom. Our first race actually goes back to last Tuesday when Megan did the 'twas the night before 5k in Colombiana, Ohio. Let's go now to Saturday and kick it off in New York City for the New York Roadrunners Ted Corbett 15K. Brennan was there. She woke up to New York City's first snowfall of the season. John, did you get snow?
SPEAKER_01:Uh yes, it was actually Saturday morning. Saturday morning, there was some snow on the ground. Not much.
SPEAKER_12:Chilly 31 degrees, but first one of the year. The race takes you around Ted Corbett's iconic Central Park loop about one and a half times because of the looping format. She got to see the elite runners fly past around mile two. And if you've ever been in a race where truly elite runners come by, it looks like they're flying. It looks like their feet aren't touching the ground. Bennett says she got to cheer them on while pretending we were all in the same race pace-wise. Well, you are, but yeah, I get it. They're not quite running like we are. Now she's got just one race left, the Frosty 5K, so she'll complete her 2025 9 plus 1. Big deal for New York Roadrunners because that gives them entry into the New York City Marathon. Let's see, Jen was there, as was Courtney. Courtney talked about the loops in Central Park. It says the hills are no joke. A little nervous because of the snow. She didn't want to slip, but it really wasn't all that bad. Wants to say thanks to all the volunteers who are out because. It was cold and they really hyped up the runners. But this race for Courtney was a PR since it was her first 15K. You know, I think Courtney brings up a good point. Sometimes we forget that those volunteers, especially during the nasty weather, you're running and staying warm. They're just standing there and handing out water. So thank you, volunteers, for doing things like that. Uh pretty big event in Orlando, the OUC Orlando Half Marathon is one of their nicer events. We had some friends there. Nancy said she was on a PR pace for most of the race, but the wheels kind of fell off for her around mile eight. It was warm, the heat got to be too much, so she finished just a little short of 247. Kind of wishing she'd stayed with the 245 group, but she learned a lesson. She can't do more than about 30-30 intervals when the temp's above 75. So good job, Nancy. You learned something there. That's good, and you still finish with a good race. Uh Jared was there. Mary did the half on Saturday, then the 5K on Sunday. It was slow, but it was fun. Great to see some of the Rise and Run family. Cobblestones again. There are cobblestones on this course. We have some cobblestone streets. I was riding on one today in the St. Petersburg area. Anyway, so Mary's going to be working on her right hip again this week. But what she did was finish strong. Heather was rolling this one. Now I think the cobblestones are tough for runners. I think they're really tough for wheels, but she said a new PR on the half. Didn't PR the 5K on Sunday, but she had a hard-fought battle for first wheels with her hand cyclist friend Michael. Heather won, but it was close. Said during the 5K they had guest appearances from the Grinch, Santa, and our friends Carissa and DJ CJ. That's quite a group. The Grinch, Santa, and Carissa.
SPEAKER_22:Star-studded event.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, it was. Kayla did the half Saturday and 5K Sunday. Favorite stop was the beer stop at a girl. Course support was great. Got to see uh got to see, speaking of our friend who sponsors this segment, got to see Tom Stokes there. Uh Kayla didn't make her A goal, but she finished with her B goal, did the 5K to finish out the weekend and complete the challenge. Monica also ran the challenge. Monica mentions the cobblestones, didn't really enjoy them. But for the half marathon, she PR'd by three minutes. After doing that, she took a party pace on the 5K with her friends, stopped to see Santa and the Grinch. Big doings in Memphis, Tennessee, the St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon. Jen gave us the report. She was there along with 20 plus members of the Pelkie Running Club, including John himself and cheerleader-in-chief Jody. They had a wonderful time on a chilly day in Memphis. Some of the folks there, uh, Carrie was there, Stephanie, Dan, Susie, Adrian were all there. And congratulations, John Felke, on finishing your first half marathon. Here's a PR bell for you, my friend.
SPEAKER_22:Did you guys see that video of him getting interviewed at the end of the race? Missed it. It was kind of like race announcer inception. You know, like the race announcer wanted to like know why there was this huge group of people and why they were all wearing very similar shirts. And so John gets interviewed and he's like, Well, I'm a race announcer too. And they go into the whole thing and he got so emotional. I'm just Pelkie, we're so proud of you. Congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. And as I joked with uh with you on Instagram, we can't wait until we can add dope finisher uh to your running resume one of these days. Yeah.
SPEAKER_12:I uh I was at Disney World Friday and I went to the Italian section to see. I always get it wrong, it's La Bafama, I think. It's a role that uh John's wife plays. So I'm staring, I go, that's because remember my story last year. I didn't recognize her. I took photos with her and didn't recognize her. So this year I wasn't going to make that mistake, and I'm looking at them, yeah, it's not her. Makes sense. She was in Memphis. Congratulations. Let's get back to Norwich, Connecticut, where Rachel ran the Reliance Health Norwich Winterfest 5K. Uh beautiful hilly race through Mohegan Park marks the end of her 169 journey in Connecticut. Finished her last town with her family by her side. Now it's time to get ready for Dopey training for January. Big deal, Rachel. Congratulations for knocking out your 169th Connecticut Town. In Middleburg, Florida, Morningstar and Donald ran the Festivous 35-mile trail run. That's right. The festivist trail run and ultra for the rest of us, I guess. Uh she this was for Morningstar, it was a big weekend. Her first Ultra, her first time volunteering, and her first time pacing a race. For her first ultra, of course, that's a PR. And she volunteered on Sunday. There was a hundred miler, and one of the racers came through with one more seven-mile loop left. He said he was kind of lonely, the trail was getting tough, he didn't feel good out there. So Morningstar jumps in and volunteers to go with him. Pretty cool.
SPEAKER_07:That's amazing.
SPEAKER_12:I think it's great.
SPEAKER_07:That's a lot of firsts.
SPEAKER_12:It is, it's it's outstanding. So let's see. She said the runners, the volunteers on her race were incredible. Runners were kind, supportive, and just the best. And Jack, she thinks she's found a home in the Ultra community. Always hear good things about the Ultra community. Really do.
SPEAKER_15:Yeah.
SPEAKER_12:Let's see, out in Colorado, we had the Colder Boulder 5K, and Alexis was there. She didn't do much training for this one. She was able to finish just a little over her PR time, which she set at the race last year. Great to see her friend Andrea before she ran. Great race, hopes to do it again next year. Team Rachel with her husband Chris. We're at the Holiday Hustle Half Marathon Relay in Dexter, Michigan. Rachel did the first part of the relay. Chris did the second. Beer and pretzels at the finish. That's a pretty good relay for a half marathon. Next race for her, Gasparilla here in Florida in February. Sia was in Westminster, Colorado for the Falala 10K. It's a hilly course, some snowy spot, so she had to slow down so she didn't slip. Got a lot of compliments on the frozen outfit she was wearing. Also got a great breakfast burrito after the run, which was included. And the cutest hat that her son wore. Overall, this was a good 10K. Out in Las Vegas, Sarah with Chris, Molly, and of course the Beagles did the great Santa Run. And I love this part. Santa suits were included in the registration. No way. That's awesome. Yeah. Loads of other costumes on the course, too. Sarah says she usually pets all the dogs. They pretty much go anywhere, but there were so many on the course that Julie got to say a hi to most of them. She had to make an exception for Moon, the googly-eyed good old boy. And you need to see the picture of Moon, the googly-eyed doggy. Sarah thought the metal had a spinner, but it turns out it was actually a pin that you could take off. Yeah, spinner. Who needs spinners, right? Now pins. Pins on the other hand. Yeah, pins. Spinners, meh. They just sit on your wall and they never spin again. And uh all right, let's go to Texas.
SPEAKER_22:You know, I gotta say, I mean, I know we joke about it all the time, but if there is like like you're running like get off my lawn moment, it's always spinners on medals for you.
SPEAKER_12:That's spinners who needs them. I know. Apparently, yeah, my reputation precedes me on that one.
SPEAKER_01:They should give you two for spinners so you can display one of each side.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, two two medals, yeah. Okay, Sugarland Texas 5K featuring Goldilocks and her three bears, Olivia, Lucas, and Canada Baby Bear. They PR'd their 5k by five minutes and also PR'd with their fastest mile at 15 minutes per mile. Gotta get them ready for the Run Disney Marathon weekend and their first 5 and 10k at Disney World. We're talking about the children on that one, of course. Let's go to Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff, the capital of Wales, for the reindeer run. Andrew ran this one. We have a couple of Andrew friends from the UK. This is Andrew from Cardiff, not Andrew from Newcastle. Says Christmas has officially started in Cardiff. Andrew and his children took part in the reindeer run, a one-mile fun run around their local area. Now, I hope I'm gonna butcher Magwin. Magwin, age 10, took just under 11 minutes, which is the personal best. And Evan, who is 12, managed to come in ninth overall in the race. Not ninth age group, but ninth overall. So that's in Cardiff, Wales. Back to Palatka, Florida. Carrie Ann did the Cookies and Claws 5K. Third interage group, and they had character meet and greets. Kelly was in Wilmington, North Carolina for the Wilmington Historic Run. Really nice, well-marked course. Takes you over three bridges, past the USS North Carolina Battleship and along the Cape Fear River. In addition to really nice medals, there was barbecue and beer at the end for those who were hard enough to enjoy them at 9 a.m. And I think most runners are. This is Kelly's first 10K, and it went great. Well, first 10K. We know what that means. She was hoping to finish under 120, beat that goal by over five minutes. Good job, Kelly. Joe in Fort Smith ran the Project Compassion Hearts of Gold 5K with, of course, the three amigos. Let's check them out. Johnny got second, Joe got third. Gary took it easy. He had another race later in the day.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, Joe is worried. He goes, I'm not going to place because there's three other racers faster than me. I said, Joe, just go out there. Somebody might have a bad day. And he plays.
SPEAKER_12:Uh-huh. Uh-huh. There you go. I'm proud of Joe. He's doing a great job. But still out there and kicking it at age 80. Great job, Joe. Regina in New York for the Queens. Get the Miles 10K. Catered training run for her. Loop the Corona Flushing Meadows Park. Home of the Globe from the 1964 World's Fair, where the Carousel of Progress debuted. What else debuted at the 64 World's Fair? We talk about it all the time. Carousel of Progress. Small World. Small World, absolutely. And the alien ships from Men in Black. That's right. Well, she while she talks about the globes from the World's Fair. I think most younger people recognize that from Men in Black. Anyway, how'd she do? 108 for a 10K. That's pretty good. Kept the 11-minute pacer in sights, basically for the whole race. That's a 10K PR. And an age group 3, third place finish. Up in Ontario, Canada, Kingston specifically. Rachel ran the Santa Shuffle 5K. One of the course marshals started building a snowman as they set off. By the time they finished, the snowman was built to congratulate everybody at the finish line. Forget about bananas post race. This weather calls for chili and hot cider. Here's one you know well, Greg, the Rehoboth Beach Marathon and Half Marathon.
SPEAKER_22:Ah, yes. Nothing like getting poured on for 23 miles.
SPEAKER_12:Oh, golly, yeah. I remember that. Jim did the half. His son did the full, and his daughter-in-law did the half. This is Jim's first race report. Thanks for the report, Jim. Chilly morning, not too much wind. This course goes down the main avenue of Rehoboth Beach, some nice neighborhoods. Goes by the boardwalk and some of the state parks outside of Rehoboth. It's an out and back on the trail in the park, so before you finish in Rehoboth proper. Out and back isn't always great, but it's nice to cheer on friends and family as they go by. Now, Jim's daughter-in-law ran her first half marathon and wanted to beat two hours, which she did in 159-59. That's cool. I think that's really neat.
SPEAKER_22:That's awesome. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, it is. And of course it's PR. Jim's son was running his first marathon. First marathon finished in under 315. Oh, geez.
SPEAKER_22:That course in 315? Wow, that's impressive. Okay.
SPEAKER_12:314.47 to be specific, and of course, that's a PR. And Jim was able to get a new proof of time for future Run Disney events by a couple of minutes.
SPEAKER_22:Gosh, because I mean, thinking back on that, that course is road, boardwalk, gravel, and trail. So that's that's impressive. Way to go, everybody.
SPEAKER_12:Absolutely. All right, let's move to Sunday and start in San Antonio, Texas, where they held the inaugural San Antonio Marathon. We had a bunch of friends out there, and we are pleased that several of them are with us tonight for the Race Report Spotlight. Hiya gang. It's good to see you. How about uh introducing yourselves and telling us where you're from?
SPEAKER_17:Hi, we're Tara and Brian from Maryland.
SPEAKER_02:And I'm Josh from North Austin.
SPEAKER_17:I'm Rachel from Fort Worth, Texas.
SPEAKER_23:And I'm Lance from Houston, Texas.
SPEAKER_12:All right, good to see you all. Thanks for joining us. Uh we'll get into what you thought of the race and all that, but what made you decide to do this one? What made you decide to do the inaugural San Antonio marathon? Now, a couple of you are from the Texas area, but I didn't hear anybody say they were from San Antonio. At least I don't think. I would I never pay attention to what our guests say, so I I could be wrong. But uh what made what made you decide to do this one, Rachel?
SPEAKER_17:According to my fabulous coach, Alicia, I needed to get some miles in for dopey training. Um and San Antonio is where I kind of feel like I grew up and I went to high school. Um so I just felt what a great opportunity to go and see the city, and maybe some people might be peer pressured to going with me.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, you had nothing to do with that. And that and by the way, Rachel, I understand, I don't know, but I understand that Alicia is tough as a coach.
SPEAKER_17:Yeah. A real coach. In all the best ways.
SPEAKER_23:She kept complaining the entire run about her coach and how how rough she is. Oh man.
SPEAKER_17:And I only saw you for half a mile later.
SPEAKER_12:Oh I guess uh Terry and Brian, I guess you came the furthest.
SPEAKER_05:I of the of our group, yes.
SPEAKER_04:We didn't already down there. Yeah, this group, yes.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, Doug was there also, but um from New York. But uh yeah, we we blame Rachel for this one. Yeah, so um when when she had decided about it last year, we we signed up pretty early. Pretty early. Um it was I you know we we got the early bird pricing, so that was a good deal. I don't remember what I paid, but it I remember being a good deal when we did it. And um we're in the middle of dopey training too, so get some miles done.
SPEAKER_04:I think we had 23 last weekend.
SPEAKER_02:Rachel did it, talked me into it and told me it'd be a nice, easy marathon, and now I have trust issues.
SPEAKER_12:I read what you said about the course. I'll we'll ask you about it later. Member training.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_17:Doug was peer pressured because he was already in Austin, so this was just another top on his bestseller book tour. So he just decided to hop a little further down the road.
SPEAKER_23:So well, when we were at Bird in Hand at the buffet, somebody said, Oh, you're doing dopey, you need to come to San Antonio and do the marathon to train. So that's cool.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, that is that's cool.
SPEAKER_05:That might have been us. That's right.
SPEAKER_23:That was us. That was yeah. Tara and Brian told Amy and I that we had to come. So I I'm obedient. So there we went. I know it wasn't me.
SPEAKER_22:I would say that that's impressive because usually in any of these conversations, usually the peer pressure starts and ends with Rachel. So the fact that for you it came from Tara and Brian, that that that's quite impressive. But but Lance, since we're we're chatting about you, I know we're gonna get to the the crux of the marathon, but you know, this weekend had several events. It had a 5K, and which was, I believe, on Saturday, and then Sunday was the half marathon and the marathon. Obviously, I think a lot of people are you know are taking cues off of Flying Pig and Run Disney and Rock and Roll, you know, coming up with these challenges. And I see that there was a special challenge here and the Sony San Antonio Marathon weekend. And out of the group that's here tonight, I believe you were the only one that participated in it. So, Lance, tell us about the two-step challenge.
SPEAKER_23:We have to start out actually, they did it on Friday night. So for some reason, my IKK on Friday, and then we're able to go and get some dopey miles in on Saturday around town, um, including a long walk for a um empanada that we never found. I think we were looking for gluten-free empanadas in downtown San Antonio and managed to get in an extra, I think, five miles looking for that. Um, but the the 5k on Friday night was beautiful because it was at night and we ran around and there were the city was lit up. And I don't know if anyone's if you've been to San Antonio, there's a real pretty river walk area, and all the trees had lights on them. So we were running past all these uh beautiful lights, and then right before the ending, you come around the corner and you're running by the Alamo lit up at night, and that's nice. So it was just a beautiful scenery, and the city was out along the streets cheering. It was just San Antonio really did itself proud with um the course support here.
SPEAKER_12:Nice. Even for the 5k, that's cool.
SPEAKER_23:That was. And then by by doing the the two-step challenge, the additional metal was about as Texas as it can get because it doubles as a big belt buckle.
SPEAKER_22:I definitely have been noticing that trend because you know, speaking of Rachel and peer pressure, I I received a message from her a couple of weeks ago about uh doing the the Austin um half marathon uh in early 2026, and I noticed that that race medal is also a belt buckle. So yeah, so that that's I mean, you if you got a lot of pants and and a lot of belts at home in Texas, is your state to go running in. That that's for sure. I'm detecting a trend. Yeah, exactly. All right, so Joshua, why don't you move us into Sunday now? Tell us about the marathon and your particular experience.
SPEAKER_03:The marathon, I was told would be nice and easy and not very hilly. It that was a lie. That was the hilliest course I've ever seen. Um, but I will say it was also an absolute love letter to San Antonio. Like, whoever designed that course made sure you saw the best parts of San Antonio. Like they absolutely showed off their city in the best possible way from the downtown neighborhood we started in to up in the hills through these beautiful residential neighborhoods and back and ending right at the Alamo. You know, they basically took you on a tour of every nice part, and that was really nice. But it felt like we went uphill, got to the top, and found another hill. It just kept going and it was hot. It got to seven seventy-eight.
SPEAKER_12:Oh, yeah, that's pretty warm.
SPEAKER_03:And it got pretty, pretty rough.
SPEAKER_12:Sunshiny?
SPEAKER_03:Sunshine, yeah. And then not much shade once we got out of the hilly part.
SPEAKER_01:Tower and Brian, uh, you guys both did the uh marathon. How was your race?
SPEAKER_05:Well, we we ran with um with Josh. We started with almost the whole way. Almost the entire way.
SPEAKER_04:We ended with Josh.
SPEAKER_05:And we ended with Josh. Um we um started off, took it really easy, um, had a you know really good time. Um we sort of got silent by about like mile 10 because all we were doing was hills, and um got pretty hot. Um I started not feeling very good around mile 19. Um, and because it was just a training run for Dopey, I was like, I want to hit mile 20 and then I'm ready to to call this, you know, call this one in. Um so we tr tried to quit.
SPEAKER_04:Well, it was right up right about then that the van came by, all these black Chrysler vans. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05:So something something unique about this race is that they gave you bump up support. So um the van showed up and I said, Well, you know, you know, we're we're gonna you know call this one in. Um Josh was gonna go ahead. Brian was gonna stick with me, and we said, We want to call us in. And they said, Well, um, I can't do that, but I can bump you up a little bit, and then you can find a medical and if and then get um a shuttle. And um, so we're like, okay, so we get in the van and they bump us up for, you know, I don't know, a half a mile, something like that.
SPEAKER_04:In front of Josh.
SPEAKER_05:In front of Josh. Um, and then we get out again, and then Josh cuts it up again. And so then we're, you know, continuing to go on the course, and then we get to the next part, we go through this beautiful botanical garden, and there's this like um you you look down and you see people, it's gonna be an out and back. So we just ask the other people in the course, like, is there a medical down there? They're like, nope. And we're like, okay, well, we're gonna cut this course. So Brian and I cut the course. We go all the way through this inner area. We do another.
SPEAKER_04:This is Fort Sam Houston at this point.
SPEAKER_05:And then we're in Fort Sam Houston again, and it's really hot. Okay, and then the band, then the band comes up again, and we're like, hey, can we go with you? And they're like, sure, you can come in with us. I'm like, are you guys going to you know the end? And they're like, no, but we can drop you off right outside the fort. We're like, okay, so we see Josh again. Brian tells me, please feel like Josh. Enjoy that. So we get in the van again, and then we get outside the um fort, and then we're waiting for the shuttle, and then we see Josh again, and we wave to Josh, and then we were like, okay, well, there's that van again. So we get in the van again, and they again drop us, I guess it was like mile 24. Okay, so we've been in the van three times. Three times we get bumped up.
SPEAKER_16:Yeah, and then at that point, fine by that point.
SPEAKER_05:I'm no longer nauseous, I'm no longer dizzy, I'm feeling fine. And we're in a mile and a half from the end. And so I'm like, well, I don't see any kind of shuttle anyway. So we just decided to continue and finish. So go ahead.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I stopped and used a port potty, and I didn't realize the Tara was just gonna keep going because she didn't want to stop. And so I came out and I'm like, where are you? And she's like, I'm on fourth street, and I'm like, I'm on eighth, and so I just said, Oh, and I see Josh.
SPEAKER_05:So there's Josh again. So Brian comes up, Brian runs by, and then we're all three together again. So we finish the race finally with Josh. Um and we got our medals, and we have to roll that. After all that, I tried to quit. I really tried hard, but they would not allow us. They really wanted everybody to finish this race, they really did a great job providing support for everybody on the course and getting everybody through it. I think a lot of people were like us because I don't think we were the only ones that took the van more than once.
SPEAKER_04:We weren't, and there were people that were on the van with us that also finished, and they just I don't even think they have a DNF on their website. How about that?
SPEAKER_03:No, I tried to link them four times.
SPEAKER_12:I know, I know.
SPEAKER_01:I j I just think they wanted you to finish with Josh.
SPEAKER_12:That's what that the race directors had that in mind.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_05:We made sure Josh went through first, which we were very happy to finish with Josh.
SPEAKER_12:Alicia, how did Rachel do?
SPEAKER_06:She did great, but being the instigator that you are, Rachel, how tell us how your race went.
SPEAKER_17:Oh, I love that. I now have a title instigator.
SPEAKER_16:Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_17:Um, I mean, so in the morning, like our walk from the hotel was a minute and a half, which was the best race commute ever. Um, and we were at the start line, that was lovely, and I was in a corral with Doug, and then um everyone else was either in corral eight or corral nine, and there were 18 corrals. So wow, they weren't even in the very back. There was still a lot, there were 19,000 people that rang.
SPEAKER_12:Oh, that's a good size, yeah.
SPEAKER_17:And Meb was at the start to send us off, which was fantastic.
SPEAKER_12:Oh, nice.
SPEAKER_17:Um, and we started by San Fernando Cathedral, which is pretty important because that's the heart of San Antonio, and um, that's where the ashes of the Alamo Defenders are in a beautiful sarcophagus as well. Um, just a little history, not that anybody asked for it. Um but um yeah, like Josh said, the course was absolutely beautiful. It showcased the city, the support the whole time was amazing. Um, my race, I started off with Doug, and he he said, Oh, I'm just gonna take it easy. And I'm like, what's easy? He goes, you know, 11 minutes per mile. And I'm like, oh my God, I'm so stressed out. Like, okay, and then I started off and he was like, Okay, you need to slow down. Like you're running a 1043. Like, I need you to calm down. Um, and so I calmed down and we kept a really nice steady pace for the first 16 miles, and then going up one of the million hills, um, my Achilles all of a sudden just started burning, and I haven't had that before. So the rest of the race I walked and I was still doing my intervals of like walking slow, then walking fast. Um, and I finished. It wasn't the time I wanted, but I'm very satisfied with my finish because of what was happening, and then that was like if bird in hand and marine corps and New York City failed, that's what the hills were like. I mean, even Doug, like this is awful compared to New York, and we were like compared to bird in hand and marine corps, like this was awful. Um, but running into Lance and Amy at mile 19 was fabulous. Um, and then just once I got to mile 24, I was pretty much a blubbering mess. Um, and then I saw Moni and Caleb right before the finish by the Alamo. And it was just, I mean, you know this, Bob. I cried all over you at the first marathon.
SPEAKER_22:No, you Rachel cry no.
SPEAKER_17:Like, that's the running joke, right? Give me a good card, I'll cry.
SPEAKER_16:You're not alone.
SPEAKER_17:Yeah, so it was it was fantastic. I was so happy with my finish, but I I just don't know if I'm ready for that kind of race again.
SPEAKER_12:Okay, that's fair. I think that's perfectly fair. Congratulations, you did it. Good for you, Lance. You you did you run it with Amy? I I see she ran it also. Did you run it together?
SPEAKER_23:I did. She's actually in sitting here with me. She just doesn't like to talk. Oh well.
SPEAKER_12:Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_23:But she she's here as well. But you know, the what we were talking about over the tiki drinks later is that the you know, the the course gave us every indication about, you know, there's an elevation map by the course map. It gave the elevation gain, and yet we were all surprised by it, even though we it on the map it says we're running through Alamo Heights. They gave us everything. It was it was almost like that should be a clue, right? Yeah, yeah. Then we went through Fort Sam Houston, you know, it's an 1870s fort. Of course, it's at the height.
SPEAKER_16:It is, yeah.
SPEAKER_23:Yeah, so we were all so surprised, and yet all the clues were there, like on the course map. But I've you pulled a jack. That's that's exactly what I called it. I didn't want to call her out, but luckily you did, Alicia. So we do it all the time. Yeah, I've realized now that I'm I can do hills or I can do heat, but I can't do hills and heat at the same time.
SPEAKER_12:Oh, it's tough combo. Very tough combo, sure is. Any other highlights? Uh Lance, your honoral. Any other highlights, any other remarkable signs or anything on the course that you remember?
SPEAKER_23:I've got there was a good sign, and it had Hank Hill, who is a Texas resident, and it had no propane, no gain.
SPEAKER_12:I'll tell you what.
SPEAKER_23:I'll tell you what. And and I have one more. There was one lady who was walking, and she said, if I'd realized it was gonna be this hot, I would have shaved my armpits.
SPEAKER_12:So I think I think we can let that go.
SPEAKER_23:I think she didn't realize she was gonna have to take her sweatshirt off.
SPEAKER_12:Oh my goodness. That's those are two signs. You know, you see signs over and over again on races. But I never seen those two. That's pretty good. Yeah, anybody else see anything noticeable or remarkable?
SPEAKER_03:The the shot to fireball at mile four, I think maybe some people really regret their day. Because I can't even imagine having done that and then do nine miles, let alone another 28.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, a little early. Although that that's becoming the uh the the drink of choice at uh racing events. The the Jack no it's Jim Beam Fireball.
SPEAKER_05:I guess a number of people make fireball, but I I was pretty impressed with the course support, you know, inaugural race, inaugural course. I especially the first half um of the of the race. I I think the I think there were probably more half marathoners than marathoners, but I thought that there was a lot of people out there cheering and a lot of people showed up for this race. So not only did they um showcase the city really well, but the the people showed up and really supported it as well. It was nice.
SPEAKER_12:And those are big numbers for an inaugural event.
SPEAKER_04:And and we were slow, we were towards the the back of the pack, towards the finish. I know we were because the vans kept creeping up on us. Um, but uh there were still people out on the marathon course cheering us on. Um, and that was just it was amazing.
SPEAKER_23:One more thing I wanted to add about just what was out on the course is how amazing that was just as far as the culture. They also had a stretch along by a dam that had mariachis playing, and there were like two or three mariachi bands, and also they had the ladies out in the traditional dancing dresses, and that was also what was on the metal was the the lady with the you know, swirling the skirt, and the multiple panels on the skirt, and in each one of those panels was a different landmark from the city of San Antonio. So I thought in addition to just great crowd support, we also had really good just cultural support from the community to showcase more of what San Antonio has to offer.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, Rachel held the medal up to the camera, but she forgot it's an audio only podcast. You have to hold it up to the mic, you have to hold it up to the microphone, Rachel. That makes it work better.
SPEAKER_16:There we go.
SPEAKER_01:Quick question. So uh there was a half there was a half marathon at this event.
SPEAKER_16:Yes.
SPEAKER_01:And did that start at the same time or same course, or was it halfway down the course?
SPEAKER_03:So actually, corrals 10 through 18 were all half marathon. Um, and then we split about mile 11, was it? Somewhere 10 or 11, and then the half marathoners went and finished and we kept going.
SPEAKER_17:Yeah, it was mile nine, and it was at the top of a hill.
SPEAKER_23:And there was also a real I saw something really sad at mile 14 because they had different colored bibs for the half and the full, and there was a lady at mile 14 looking very upset on the phone at a bus stop calling somebody because she had missed the split. Yeah, was probably six or seven miles from downtown at that point, thinking she'd be done.
SPEAKER_22:All right, well, friends, this sounds like it was a wonderful event filled with lots of camaraderie, tacos, pickup vans. Yo, usually we encourage people not to get in vans with strangers, but at least in this case, Tara and Brian, it it worked out well for you guys. But um, granted, I know what we're all gonna be seeing you very, very soon, but in in typical race report spotlight fashion, we'll go around the room real quick and ask when will we see you again at Disney? So, Tara and Brian, when will that be?
SPEAKER_05:We're coming for Marathon weekend. Marathon weekend. My second dopey, Brian's first dopey.
SPEAKER_22:Joshua, I believe the same for you.
SPEAKER_03:It'll be Dopey number four. Yep.
SPEAKER_22:Excellent number four. Rachel.
SPEAKER_17:Dopey number three.
SPEAKER_22:You all are nuts. And Lance.
SPEAKER_23:This will be our first dopey, and I'll be turning 55 at the 5k. Excellent.
SPEAKER_12:Beautiful, beautiful. Hey, I did my first dopey at 65. You can do this.
SPEAKER_23:You've been an inspiration, Bob. We we've all got a lot of.
SPEAKER_12:That's not why I said that, but I just thought I'd put the context. Yeah. You can do it, man. You can definitely do it. We you're you're still young. That's great. All right, my friends. Thank you so much for joining us. And we look forward to seeing you in just uh God was like four weeks now. Yeah. All right. Have fun.
SPEAKER_17:Bye, y'all.
SPEAKER_23:Bye, everybody.
SPEAKER_12:A couple of other runners in San Antonio. Joseph did his second race of the weekend, earned the two-step challenge and half marathon medal. Uh, chip time of 208, foggy and peaceful, ended up giving way to some sun and heat for the last three miles. He finished strong. Love this inaugural race weekend. And I throw this in. Many of you, many friends, many of you comment on this. I throw it in once in a while when I see it. Thanks for all the hypes, for all the holler hypes. We get that a lot. It's pretty cool. Uh, on the 5k, uh Joseph finished in the top 15% with a field of almost 3,000 runners and a time of 27 minutes. Good time. Let's see. And Doug was there. We talked about Doug. He said this was a hilly and hot catered training run for Dopey for Doug. Hilliest marathon I have ever done, says Doug. But you feel how special the place is. He loved the finish, which just passed the Alamo that we talked about. He comments, and this is true, and I and I love I love the this part of the race report. Uh, how lucky are we in this community? We can meet up at random places all over the country, and in some cases all over the world, and hang out and have fun. Couldn't agree more. Our friend Jennifer was out in California, Sacramento specifically for the California International Marathon. Uh in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Cambridge Winter Classic 5K. This finishes off the Cambridge Classic Four Seasons 5K series. Jake and his son Teddy were there. Teddy turned nine on Wednesday. Now, the last time that Jake and Teddy Teddy did the race in the fall, Teddy ran the whole thing.
SPEAKER_22:Oh, I remember this, yes.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, improved his time to 28-24. That was a two-minute PR for him. Now, let me do that again. Nine years old, he ran a 28-24. I'm impressed. I'm impressed. That's a PR. We probably already hit the PR bill, but good job, Teddy. Finished strong, big smile on his face. Very proud dad, just a few steps behind. Uh, Rob was there. Rob said the weather was perfect. Rob finished in 2503. That's outstanding, Rob. Great race. The race series never disappoints, especially with a post-race party that's second to none. He earned a medal for completing the full season series Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. At a family affair out there, Audrey with her sisters Sophie and Muriel, and with Audrey's husband James. Sophie had a great race, not a PR, but not far off. James completed his first 5K. There's a PR. He's ready to sign up for the series next year and then maybe run Disney. Now Muriel hang hung back with Audrey for a good run and a good time. There was a race in Montclair, New Jersey, the Montclair Donut Run 5K. John, why don't you tell us about it?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, this was uh a race that I've done probably since 2019. Uh it's a fun race uh up in Montclair. It's from the it starts by the it's it was kind of like goes with the Montclair bread company, which makes donuts and nice little sweets and sandwiches. Uh this race was a very interesting race this year. They changed the course a couple of times. This is a the newer course. It was real fun. It's it gave us it gives me like a Disney vibe in a way because you start by Where the bread company is to walk to the corrals, but you gotta do a nice walk up a hill around and go around like that, like the old walking the mile out to uh the start line for the half and full. Which I I enjoyed that because that was like a switch. Yeah, that was like a switch. I'm ready to get ready to go. Things start to get serious. Ran the race was really cool, runs through like uh rural uh parts of uh Montclair, down by uh train station, uh skating rink, and all that fun stuff. Uh one thing that was very different this year, which actually good thing was I did better than last year, which I was happy about, which was a big plus. Considering at the finish line, there was a log jam. You could like when I came around the last turn coming down to the finish line, I'm like, what's going on down here? There is 20 people deep trying to get through the finish line. Unfortunately, I guess with last year's race, I looked it up. There was 1907 people.
SPEAKER_16:Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_01:This year there was 2,817. Ooh, big jump. Big jump. So when you you got out of the race, look to the finish line, you made the corner to get your medal. Everybody was backed up trying to get their medal. So it was it was a very interesting, but it's a really fun race. And uh I mean, if you're in that area in December, stop by and do it. I mean, after the race, you get donuts.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, I was gonna say, John, I mean, that's all very nice, but we want to hear about the donuts.
SPEAKER_01:They were good. The little munchkins this year. They're they're they're fun. I mean, munchkins in a little jar, which was really good. Uh the and then they kind of have their expo, I guess, after the race.
SPEAKER_12:Oh, that's interesting.
SPEAKER_01:So they have the massage massagists out there. Oh, yeah. Some yeah, the uh some vendors, you know, uh they had food trucks. It was a very nice little uh ex after expo, I guess, because there's really no expo for a local town race like this. It's only a 5K.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah. Just uh a little post-run celebration. Well, nice. Well, John, in addition to you, Michelle, Phil, Ben, Kim, and Jane were all at that event. Let's go to let's go from New Jersey to Japan, Okinawa specifically, the Naha Marathon. Katie did her first marathon and her last running event on Okinawa before they come back to the States in two weeks.
SPEAKER_16:Wow.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah. So first marathon, there's a PR. Great event, wonderful crowd support, streets, the entire route were loaded with families, traditional drummers, dancers, high school marching bands, and rock bands. There was a 75-year-old plus grandma and grandpa rock band, sports teams, shops, the entire region out in full force. Now, Katie ran the distance, but unfortunately didn't get a medal because she was 20 seconds too slow for the time cutoff. That's right.
SPEAKER_16:20 seconds too slow. Oh no.
SPEAKER_12:Yeah, they literally slammed the gate doors in their face at the exact cutoff time. Now, the bottom line is she finished her first marathon, and of course, we've already said it to PR. But I'm kind of picturing the race, and I don't know how these gates close, but I'm picturing them closing from one side, people pushing them closed. And I I'm looking, I'm kind of thinking the end of uh the opening scene of Indiana Jones where people are diving to get through the gates as they're closing. Katie came up.
SPEAKER_01:Isn't that isn't like from from from my karate kid uh knowledge, isn't like Okinawa like a military base over there?
SPEAKER_12:I think there's a yeah, there's a big military base on Okinawa, absolutely. Yeah, maybe that's the base. That's where Katie was. Yeah, so close the gates to the base. Uh could be, I'm not sure about that.
SPEAKER_22:But I mean, I I'm not surprised by that. I mean, I remember seeing videos of the Tokyo Marathon because they have very strict, almost kind of like Marine Corps, like gauntlets. Right. And it and it's the cutest videos because like as soon as like that time hits, you just see all these Japanese people scurry across the road to essentially like make a human barrier to like signify the cutoffs. So the they're very, very strict about that.
SPEAKER_01:Got a linebacker there, forget about it, you'd be going right through it.
SPEAKER_12:Well, I've heard that too. Katie confirms it. Uh Katie safe travels back to the States. Laurie was in Grand Cayman, Georgetown Grand Cayman for the Cayman Island half marathon. 5 a.m. start was in the 80s, temperature-wise. Yeah, that's that's like summertime here. First eight miles in the dark, then the sun came up. It was too beautiful not to take pictures and enjoy for at least a minute. Uh it's well run, it's fun. Getting away from the snow. Yeah, you get away from the snow if it's in the eighties. So that's worth it for a few days. Uh, fun part of the morning was riding her high-tech coaster brake bike to and from the race. I had to think about that for a second. She's a high-tech coaster brake. I haven't ridden a coaster brake bike since I was probably 12 years old. You know what we're talking about, right? I know what you're talking about. Yeah. No, a coaster brake bike is one where the brakes to stop the coaster brake bike, you just pedal backwards.
SPEAKER_15:Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_12:And I'm telling you, well, if you okay, you're all you're all familiar now. It'll stop on a dime. Leave skid marks in the street.
SPEAKER_06:So I thought this was a really cool race. Like, I I've looked at different states and but I've never really thought to look in another country. Yeah. Um, I mean, like, we know about Japan and those type of things, but like the Caribbean countries, when I travel, I haven't really thought about doing a race there. And I'm I would just think about how cool it is to like see the culture and see the whole area um to do a race.
SPEAKER_12:So all right, from Graham Cayman, let's go to Haverhill, Massachusetts. I think that's right. It's Haverill or Haverill. I I know it's not Haver Hill, but anyway, the Jingle Bell half was run there. Courtney ran the half, her husband did the 5K hilly course, but Courtney's fastest half since 2017. Great support, fun swag, festive atmosphere, lots of people dressed up, and the donuts and hot cocoa at the end were a great treat. Scott was there, fun race, lots of Christmas outfits, nice metal. Again, the donut and hot chocolate. Scott ran it with her daughter, and they both picked up PRs. The inaugural Snowman Shuffle 5K took place somewhere, I don't know where. Martine was there. Uh nice 9:30 start time with the kids' race first. Pretty dang cold, about 30 degrees. Little hilly, but she was able to stick with her 30-30 intervals for the most part. Finished this in just a little over 40 minutes. Her ankle, which she had injured on Wednesday, held up for her in this 5K. There was a girls on the run 5K in Tampa. Christina was there. Girls had a blast, and Christina always brings the Run Disney fun, tries to plan her outfits to the theme this year. The theme was Color Our World. So each of the girls dressed up as a crayon. Pretty clever. Seeing each of the kids cross the finish line was so special for Christine. Uh wrapping up here, not a race. I wanted to report that Laura, you may remember Laura filing a race report, DNF, and I think it was last week, where she had slipped in the snow and broken her wrist. Well, she's recovering well from that, so we're glad to hear that, Laura. And that's it for the episode 220 race report. Alright, my friends, and if you run, you know you are our friend. Holidays are upon us. Training continues. We look forward to seeing you soon. Until then, happy running.
SPEAKER_22: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.
Podcasts we love
Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.
The Extra Mile Podcast GALLOWAY EDITION
thegallowayextramile@gmail.com
The Disney with the Ducks Podcast
Disney with the Ducks
Will Run For...
WRF Podcast
321 GO!
Carissa Galloway and John Pelkey, Bleav
Living the KG Life
Kristen Granara
Beyond The Mouse: A Weekly Disney Podcast
The Front Row Network