224: Grief, Grit And The Start Line Ahead. Whats My Story?

Start lines can carry more than nerves—they can carry whole lives. We kick off Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend with equal parts heart and how-to, celebrating Jack's wedding, sharing practical travel and cheering plans, and diving into two stories that remind us why miles matter.

Wendy opens her journey with honesty about grief’s physical weight after losing her husband; a man who once signed up for a 5K just to support her Dopey dream. She talks about the moment a Thursday Zoom call pulled her back to community, how coaching helped her rebuild a routine from dog walks to long runs, and why she’ll run in hot pinks and hearts to keep love visible on the course. Her insight is clear and kind: grief doesn’t follow rules, so neither should your healing.

We then turn the volume up on community with our annual Rise and Run roll call—Dopey, Goofy, marathon, half, 10K, and 5K—giving first timers and veterans their well-earned spotlight. 

Jon’s story brings purpose into sharp focus. A single dad chasing his first marathon to model dedication for his kids, he speaks candidly about battling old habits, choosing to prioritize time rather than “find” it, and refusing to let imperfect weeks derail the goal. His mantra is simple: hard work works. He’s aiming to finish strong, not chase a hero split, and to show his kids that promises kept to yourself change who you become.

Whether you run to heal, to grow, or to prove you can, there’s room for your reason here. Tap play, feel seen, get the logistics you need, and take your next step toward the start line with us. If this episode lifts you, share it with a friend, hit follow, and leave a review so more runners can find their story in our community.

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Chapters

• 0:45 Holiday Chaos And A Wedding At Sea
• 2:55 Marathon Weekend Theme And Community Stories
• 4:14 Sponsors, Socials, And How To Reach Us
• 4:59 Travel Tips And Booking Future Race Weekends
• 5:26 Training Weeks For MW, Disneyland, Princess, Springtime
• 7:10 Where To Find The Hosts On Race Mornings
• 9:55 Cheering Plans And Discord Coordination
• 11:18 Wendy’s Story: Love, Loss, And Returning To Running
• 16:58 Grief’s Weight, Community Support, And Routine
• 20:14 Symbols, Memory, And Running With Purpose
• 23:30 Advice For Others Moving Through Grief
• 26:16 Roll Call Setup And Rules
• 27:31 Dopey Roll Call Highlights
• 35:56 Goofy, Marathon, Half, 10K, And 5K Roll Calls
• 51:46 John’s Story: Single Dad, Confidence, And Dedication
• 56:14 Why Disney, Balancing Training, And Not Quitting
• 1:01:00 Goals, Tattoos, And Mental Fortitude
• 1:05:40 Put Yourself First And Keep Moving Forward
• 1:07:21 Meetup Details And Race Report Preview
• 1:09:34 New Year Race Shoutouts And Wrap

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:45

Well, hello, my friends, and welcome to episode 224 of the Rise and Run podcast. Yeah, you were probably expecting a recorded intro. Well, here's the thing.

SPEAKER_08: 0:56

Wait, is something going on with one of the races, Bob? I couldn't get Pelkie to record one. Oh, okay. You can get Pelkie to record one.

SPEAKER_01: 1:04

It's that busy time of year. It's a holiday time of year. And every time this year, we get a little uh caught up, busy. We're trying to figure out how we're going to make the podcast. So the bottom line is we're way out of order here. We're recording this one actually about three weeks early. So, in lieu of a recorded listener intro, I'm Bob, and I'm here with Lexi.

SPEAKER_03: 1:35

Hello.

SPEAKER_01: 1:36

With Alicia.

SPEAKER_03: 1:37

Hello.

SPEAKER_01: 1:38

With John. Hey, how are you doing? With Greg. Hey, hey, hey. And with Mrs. Jacqueline Molina.

SPEAKER_04: 1:46

Hiya.

unknown: 1:48

Yay!

SPEAKER_01: 1:49

You go ahead and explain that, Jack.

SPEAKER_04: 1:52

So, yes, if you are listening to this at 12:30 p.m., that is when Greg is marrying David and I on the Disney Dream.

SPEAKER_13: 2:02

Yay!

SPEAKER_04: 2:04

So very, very excited and honored to have him marrying us. Um, and yeah, can't wait to see you guys after because I'm gonna be a missus.

SPEAKER_08: 2:15

And the other thing you'll know is if I did a good job, you'll see me at Marathon Weekend. And if I didn't do a good job, Jack will have thrown me overboard.

SPEAKER_01: 2:23

Man overboard.

SPEAKER_04: 2:24

Well, we're getting married at port, so you you guys had the odds are in his favor to be. Yeah, you can swim to shore.

SPEAKER_01: 2:30

That's the good news. You survive the fall, you can swim to shore. There's there you go. Jack, congratulations, congratulations, Jack. We're proud of you, we're happy for you. And friends, if you see Jack on race weekend, throw rice at her. It is race weekend. Or blow bubbles or glitter. Tell her congratulations. Glitter. Pixie Dust. There you go. Hey, this week, in in honor of the theme of Marathon Weekend, we always hear when we talk to our friends, the race announcers, especially when we talk to Riley, who does a lot of those interviews, that there's so many stories in the Run Disney community, and there are. There are quite a few, and there are a lot of great stories. I don't know if great's the right word, but there are a lot of personal and important stories to the runners in the Rise and Run community also. And we would like to feature two of those this week, and we'll get to them later in the episode.

SPEAKER_02: 3:34

If you enjoy the Rise and Round Podcasts, please share us with your friends and introduce them to the Rise and Run family. We want to share in their Run Disney journey. Please remember to follow us on Facebook at Rise Around Podcasts, 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_05: 4:00

We also want to thank our Patreons whose support helps us keep the Rise and Run Podcast rising and running. If you'd like to join the Patreon team, please check us out at patreon.com slash rise and run podcast.

SPEAKER_08: 4:12

The Rise and Run Podcast is sponsored by our wonderful friends over at Magic Bound Travel. And now that it is race weekend, you might actually see Brad or Maggie, the cone owners of Magic Bound Travel, or several of their agents either out on the course at the Rise and Run meetup or all throughout Walt Disney World. And here's the best advice I can give you folks is that yes, this episode releases on Expo Day. If you're having a blast at the expo, if you're having just a jolly old good time during this race weekend, maybe it's your first race weekend, and you're like, I want to keep coming back and doing this over and over. The best recommendation that any of us here on the podcast can give you is get a room booked ahead of time for a future race weekend, even though that registration might not have happened yet. It's a you know$200 deposit. It's you know cancelable up to 30 days. Be sure to contact Magic Bound Travel to get that room, get that vacation package at least on the books right now. So you if you you know I just had an again an absolute blast and you want that magic to be repeated over and over and over. Again, MagicBoundtravel.com to get your free no obligation quote.

SPEAKER_01: 5:26

Thanks, Greg. All right, we're going to take a look at the training schedule. So if you're doing marathon weekend, get going. This is Marathon Weekend.

SPEAKER_05: 5:38

Can I start training for Marathon Weekend yet, it's too late to start, John.

SPEAKER_01: 5:42

Okay. It is officially, we get the question every year, it is officially too late to start training for marathon weekend. It's training week 28. It always interests me that there is a training week 29. Jeff puts a a training week for after every race. Yeah, I've never done one, but well, the thing with many of us is that we start training for the next race. So we start training for in my case, the Disneyland half marathon, we don't start training for it, we continue training for it. The Disneyland half marathon, because we're in training week 15 for that one, and we have four miles with a magic mile. Princess comes up not long after. We're in training week 11 for that, and by the way, it has four miles with a magic mile. I'm detecting a trend, okay? And then springtime surprise, we're in training week four. That has four miles, but no magic mile. So that's the deal. So that's what's coming up for training. Now, normally at this point in the episode, we would talk about what we're doing, how our training is going. But you'll be able to see for yourself, okay, because we're going to be out there on the course with you, and uh maybe you'll get an idea of how well or how poorly our training went.

SPEAKER_08: 7:06

That's right, Bob. You'll be able to tell, you know, how well we trained over the course of the weekend. And you know, one thing that we wanted to impart to the listening body out there is the only time that collectively the six of us are going to be together is at the meetup uh Saturday after the half marathon, 3 p.m. food truck area. But what we wanted to do is we just wanted to provide a just a very, very quick breakdown of terms of hosts who will be there each morning to be able to meet and greet you prior to you know going into the crowds and heading off into the races. Uh so for Thursday morning for the 5k, you will see the lovely faces of John and Bob. Unfortunately, on Friday during the 10K, none of us are running that race. So, but I know there are going to be plenty of rise and run friends that will be standing to the left-hand side of the bleachers, especially you know, all of our pals doing dopey. So, exofacto, that's who you'll be looking for, is just the the typical rise and run collective that will be there. Then on Saturday, I am the sole representation um for the half marathon. And then on Sunday, there'll be Alicia, there'll be John, there'll be Jack, and there'll be Bob. That will be your biggest uh representation the morning of the marathon. But overall, it regardless of whatever race that we're running or whatever race we're gonna be cheering at, we are just so darn excited to be able to see so many old friends and make even more new friends over the course of this race weekend. It's going to be awesome. We just know it.

SPEAKER_05: 8:58

I plan on hopefully cheering the half marathon somewhere. I'm thinking about either TTC or Main Street. I'm gonna try to get on Main Street, and I and I will probably be at the uh meetup in the morning because I have to get the monorail to the TTC. Oh, well, there we go. Uh, and I'm hoping to see some of our other hosts out there cheering uh for the marathon. Greg, mile 10. Are you gonna be out there for me?

SPEAKER_08: 9:22

Uh I might be close. I might not be at 10 exactly, but I'll maybe be close. Okay.

SPEAKER_04: 9:27

I might be in my usual spot after them after I finish, which will probably be by the bus stop. Wait, no, because it doesn't go by the bus stop, does it?

SPEAKER_01: 9:35

No, I don't think so. I don't think it does, Jack. No.

SPEAKER_04: 9:38

I'll figure it out, but I'll probably be near the finish line.

SPEAKER_03: 9:41

Yeah, for the half marathon, I'll probably be where Jack is, honestly. Um but if maybe the finish line is probably where I'll end up for the half. And then for the marathon, if you have not popped into the Discord chat and seen um us talking about where we're gonna cheer and where we're gonna meet up, we are gonna be at Coronado Springs on Marathon Day, probably meeting around 9 or 9.30. Um, and then we're gonna cheer at mile 20 to 21, depending on where they led us. Um, but if you're on the the Discord channel, I'll make sure to put our exact location in there.

SPEAKER_08: 10:26

Just don't cause any McDonald's accidents with the with the police in that area. Remember that story from a couple of years ago?

SPEAKER_03: 10:33

Well, it's so hard. Like Coronado, I feel like is the best place to cheer, but to keep changing the course so we can't.

SPEAKER_04: 10:40

Yeah, they may they've made it harder to cheer over there over the years.

SPEAKER_03: 10:44

Yeah, and I get it, it's the safety thing. They want date, they don't want people consistently like crossing the street and everything.

SPEAKER_08: 10:51

But if there's one person who will find a way, it's Lexi.

SPEAKER_03: 10:55

Then we're gonna follow all the rules and do everything the policemen tell us.

SPEAKER_08: 10:59

Just make sure if you do something illegal, not to have rise and run shirts or the banner unfurled.

unknown: 11:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_05: 11:08

You could unfurl the right we'll run for banner if you want. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07: 11:13

Caution runners, change of topic ahead.

SPEAKER_05: 11:18

Every mile has a meaning, every runner has a reason, and marathon weekend is about our stories. Today's my story is about purpose, perspective, and the courage to keep showing up when life asks for more of us than we expected. Our guests, Wendy and John, come from two different places but are connected by a shared truth. Wendy was part of the Rise and Run community long before we ever knew her. Months after losing her husband, the man who signed up for his first 5K just to support her dopey dream, running felt impossible. But one brave step in a community that showed up for her helped her find her way forward. Wendy, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_00: 11:55

Thank you for having me, John.

SPEAKER_05: 11:57

You're welcome. We're glad you're here. Elaborate a little bit on your story.

SPEAKER_00: 12:01

Just what you said. So when um I've always wanted to do dopey, and I signed up. And I think seven days later we got a cancer diagnosis from my husband, John.

SPEAKER_11: 12:12

Oh my.

SPEAKER_00: 12:13

And um, and he was bound and determined to do it.

SPEAKER_05: 12:18

Um, but that's running became a way to move forward when standing still felt impossible.

SPEAKER_00: 12:25

You know, it was tough going for a while.

SPEAKER_05: 12:30

Before all this, before everything changed, what did your running look like? Were you actively running?

SPEAKER_00: 12:36

Yeah, yeah. I've been running since 2013, I think. We did the half uh Monterey Bay half marathon with a friend, my daughter. It's beautiful if you ever get a chance to do it. And I work a stressful job and running just became a safe place for me, a place where I could breathe and reset, and um, you know, it became just space.

SPEAKER_02: 13:03

So, Wendy, you mentioned that you signed up for Dopey before you he got the cancer diagnosis. What did that dream of doing Dopey mean to you?

SPEAKER_00: 13:14

Gosh, well, I I found out about Rendo Disney and um this crazy thing called the Dopey Challenge from my friend's husband. And I just she thought he was nuts for wanting to do it. And I just knew from that moment that I heard about it that that was something I really wanted to do. It just felt like this big magical goal, right? And then I didn't fly, I lived in California, I didn't even know how to sign up for a Disney race. And then so it just kind of felt like this far-off dream out there. It was back burner. And then we moved to Florida and I was sitting on the couch, and I happened to look up uh the Run Disney races, and the marathon was still open in October for 2022. And I was like, oh, I can train for that. I have time. So I signed up, and that's when I started listening to podcasts and things and figured out how to sign up for races and that I could actually do the Dopey Challenge. And this year I turned 55, so I thought it would be a good year kind of to do it.

SPEAKER_04: 14:27

So your husband wasn't really a runner, but he signed up for a 5k. What did that say about who he was?

SPEAKER_00: 14:36

I think it says everything about him. So he um he really couldn't run. He had a kneecap put together with wires. And um, but he had always supported me in the runs. Um, he used to say it was the one thing I stuck to because I have lots of interest. Um and he'd, you know, go to the races. I just found a video of him cheering me on at the um marathon.

SPEAKER_01: 15:01

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 15:03

Yeah, on his phone. And so he was just always there. And I think him running that 5k was he just wanted to be a part of my world more. All he he used to say, all I wanted to do is to make you happy. And he knew that would make me happy.

SPEAKER_01: 15:20

So wow. That's that's amazing.

SPEAKER_02: 15:23

So, Wendy, anybody who knows grief knows that it's not linear, and to speak on it is not always easy. So we we thank you for um coming on and sharing your experience. Would you mind telling us your husband's name and a little bit more about the the man that he was um and something that you loved about him?

SPEAKER_00: 15:45

Sure. His name's John J-O-N, no H. And um gosh, he just yo, he just was always there. He he was a chef. Um, he would make me anything I wanted ever. Um go through all my crazy, I'm gonna eat vegan or raw or whatever I was doing. Um, make me breakfast, uh, made sure I ate dinner, all the things. Um and I think, you know, like I said, he just wanted me to be happy. He was always there just for me. It's like 22 years we were together. So um amazing. Yeah, he was uh he was he was funny. There was some funny things about him.

SPEAKER_01: 16:41

Wonderful. Again, it's a very personal thing, and we appreciate you sharing this story with us, but did anything about the way grief affected you, did anything surprise you?

SPEAKER_00: 16:58

Yeah, I think what caught me off guard most was just how physical grief is. Um, you know, um I I lost my first husband too. I was 28, but this one's different. I you know, I'm 55 now and just I've hit differently, right? And there's this kind of a hollow ache in your heart in your heart, right? Like a part of your body it's just missing and you know that weight, it's everyone just thinks you're sad, right? It's emotions, right? And it's just it's in your bones. And I think some days it just feels impossible to rebuild that. And that's what caught just what caught me in.

SPEAKER_01: 17:52

It's very real. Very real, very, very real, very um well, as you said, very physical.

SPEAKER_00: 18:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 18:02

Yeah, I don't think I think you're right. I think uh people who haven't experienced it's easy to say I understand, but I'm not sure you really can.

SPEAKER_00: 18:14

Yeah, yeah. And you know, that's the other thing, right? I don't think that I can understand somebody else's grief either. Once you go through it, that's the one of those lessons.

SPEAKER_03: 18:25

Um, at what point um or did you have a moment when you decided to show up again and get into back into running even when you weren't sure if you could?

SPEAKER_00: 18:38

Yeah, I was sitting with the dogs on the couch, probably with a little too much wine in me. And I just realized that I didn't like how I was feeling anymore. And I was just scared of just scared of that kind of spiral, uh not knowing how to get myself up. Um and granted, it's still been, it hasn't been that long, but it was still scary. Um and I knew that my I knew in my heart John wouldn't want that for me. He'd want me to keep on living and to be happy. And so I was just like, what can I, how can I get out of the swamp? And it happened to be a Thursday Zoom um night with rise and run. And I have never really made those before because like I am asleep by 8 30. But I was up, so I was like, you know, I'm just I'm gonna jump on and something different, right? And hearing everyone talk about the running and their training and just and really life and just being a community together, it made me realize I wanted to be a part of it again. I wanted to You know, it gave me motivation, and I think I wanted to show up. Um, so I just you guys made me feel like I wanted to be a runner again.

SPEAKER_01: 20:12

Wendy, I would love nothing more to say.

SPEAKER_02: 20:13

Yeah, I remember that night, and you should actually was I there that night? I don't come very often.

SPEAKER_00: 20:21

I don't remember that night either. I feel like I have come at least in the background. Not like at me.

SPEAKER_01: 20:30

Uh John and I are there all the time, almost all the time, almost. And um at some point I usually ask if anybody's new, which is kind of embarrassing because I I'd like to remember people, but I can't remember everybody. And uh I'll turn to somebody and say, Lexi, is this your first time here? And she'll go, No, Bob, I've been here 17 times. It's never been that bad. But anyway, but um did did I did we ask you if you were new?

SPEAKER_00: 21:01

You asked if there was anyone new, and there were a couple new people, and I just let them talk.

SPEAKER_01: 21:08

Okay. Okay. Well, I hope you had a good time. You know, getting back to support, did did you did you seek any professional assistance or support with grief counseling?

SPEAKER_00: 21:20

I did not. Um I my aunt gave me a this great book that also helped, um, called Widow to Widow. And um, you know, one of the things that they said in there is that grieving's normal, and unless you're unless you're stuck or you feel you need to, like this is just how you're feeling's normal. And and so it might be normal.

SPEAKER_01: 21:49

That doesn't make it easier though, does it?

SPEAKER_00: 21:51

It doesn't. No, it's not it's certainly not easy, but I was you know, I like to read, so I've read a few books and what I've I've been able to, you know, take a few things from from those books that have really helped me. And uh and you know, I work with kids, so I get to I'm a principal out of school, so that helps me more than seeing those little bright faces.

SPEAKER_01: 22:22

I'll bet, yeah. Another another family type, another community type relation to get involved in. You know, you also mentioned that uh Tom and Chris were helpful to you.

SPEAKER_00: 22:33

They were. Um, yeah, about the time of John's diagnosis, like gosh, who I don't even know what I wrote to poor Tom, but he had that anniversary giveaway and he invited people to to say what you needed. And I basically, I think, wrote in and just explaining what was going on and that I wanted to stay healthy and strong to deal with what we had going on in front of us, and he offered to coach me, and you know, he did it that generosity, and um it just it helped me, it helped me through the hard times and it helped me do the things I needed to do for John too, you know, like coach twigs. I'm sure he would just think it's coaching. Um but what he gave me, so after that podcast, maybe even before, maybe the minute before, when I was trying to figure out how to get out of my funk, I was like, okay, I really want to do Dopey. I haven't really run, it's been really hard. And um can I still do it? And he gave me that confidence, and and you know, he told me to approach the 20 miler with um walking on both ends, and what that really did was I was like, oh, I can take the dogs for the beginning of my walk. And my old dog 12 and 11 now, they've just started walking like three and a half miles with me in the mor before my runs. I call it the P Run section of or run P Run. It's probably more like P Run.

SPEAKER_01: 24:16

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 24:18

Um, and what that did, what and he wouldn't even know, but that just it brought joy to the run, but even more importantly, like a new routine. So there was something new that felt different.

SPEAKER_03: 24:36

How does it feel to run now, knowing that he's still part of your running journey with you?

SPEAKER_00: 24:44

Um, it gets deeper all the time. Like I finally I figured out like the half marathon. Sorry for all the likes. The half marathon is um about romance and hot pinks and hearts and that. John loved hearts and pink, so I'm gonna run in those in his memory and those colors and try and find some hearts. And uh, so that's one thing that I get to I take him with me all the time. And I noticed the beauty around me. John loved living in Florida. He loved the sky and the ocean and the clouds. He felt like he was living in par paradise, right? And now I feel that at first when I'd go out, that made me sad that he wasn't there, but now when I I feel him in all of it, so it makes me makes me feel better, actually.

SPEAKER_01: 25:40

That's beautiful, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 25:42

Yeah, here's a kind of a funny story. One of the first ones that I got when I got back into it. So right before he passed away, he had wanted fried chicken, and then he talked himself out of it. He's like, I shouldn't eat that, and so I'm running along, and a piece of freaking fried chicken fell in front of me. Oh my gosh. And I look up, I'm like, where's the bird? There was no bird, there was nothing. I'm like, okay. Hope you enjoyed that.

SPEAKER_01: 26:14

Thanks for watching. That's wild.

SPEAKER_00: 26:17

It was so wild.

SPEAKER_01: 26:19

Yeah, I can only imagine.

SPEAKER_04: 26:23

So if someone listening is in the middle of grief right now, what would you want them to hear?

SPEAKER_00: 26:30

I think the first thing is that there is no like book on how to grieve. You get to do it the way you, you know, you want to do it. No one can tell you that it's you've been crying too long or you're not crying enough, or you know, cry in the grocery store. You just need to do you. That's the first thing. Um, and I think also for me, like grief, then and this is for me after just saying that, but grief is like a shadow of the love that we carry, and and it just doesn't it doesn't go away because that love doesn't go away. And it's like inside out, right? Inside out on accident.

SPEAKER_01: 27:16

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00: 27:17

And then, you know, it just it changes, right? Because love changes, and like I said before, it felt like you know, there's a part of me that that um will never be the same without him, and you just have to move through that and grow into that someone new, but I can do that with his love and still there.

SPEAKER_02: 27:42

So, Wendy, I know you had mentioned that you're gonna wear the happanks and stuff um to commemorate um John. And um, you had mentioned before we started recording that you did a long run today. Um, how are you feeling about going into Dopey and um having this experience of of training and everything kind of come to a close of a chapter?

SPEAKER_00: 28:06

Yeah. Um I feel pretty I I feel better than I thought I would maybe a month ago. Yeah. Do it. Um barring anything, you know, things happen.

SPEAKER_13: 28:21

We know that, but oh, absolutely true.

SPEAKER_00: 28:24

I feel I can I can do it. Um it's a little bittersweet. I'm really glad uh Run Dizzy was amazing and they um they refunded John's 5K and opened it up for my daughter. So I feel my girl will be there with me. And um, and I'm pretty glad to be done with the train that long.

SPEAKER_02: 28:51

The training is long.

SPEAKER_01: 28:54

That's universal.

SPEAKER_05: 28:56

Is there anything else you'd want to share about your story that we haven't touched on yet?

SPEAKER_00: 29:01

I'm just so thankful for you all. Um, I'm excited to meet you finally to make it to a meetup. Um, and that, you know, I don't it it almost sounds a little silly, right? That these people that I don't know on a podcast or on a Zoom meeting really was able to kind of help give me a path forward, right? Um thank you.

SPEAKER_01: 29:35

Money, that's very touching. It really, it really is. And um all I can say, I can say a couple things. Number one, I'm glad. I'm glad that it was helpful, and I'm I'm moved by the fact that you think that much of this running community that it was able to help you out. That's wonderful. Yeah, we look forward to seeing you too.

SPEAKER_00: 30:03

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01: 30:04

Don't miss it. Um well I'm the easiest to find. Alicia finds me all the time.

SPEAKER_02: 30:14

Right. I was gonna say, and I'm probably the hardest to find, but maybe not. If you just look for the shortest and the tallest person, you're probably fine.

SPEAKER_05: 30:22

And we have one closing question. If every mile has a meaning, what does one mile mean to you today?

SPEAKER_00: 30:30

It means I'm not alone.

SPEAKER_01: 30:33

Beautiful.

SPEAKER_04: 30:36

Yeah, beautiful.

SPEAKER_01: 30:38

That was brave, Wendy. We appreciate it. Thank you so much for sharing that. I I the Rise and Run community is large, and I know there's someone out there who, if they don't share your story exactly, they've gone through something like it. And you're helping them also. So I hope so.

SPEAKER_00: 30:58

I hope so. I mean, I feel like that's what you guys did just by doing your thing, right? And you probably do that more often than you know.

SPEAKER_01: 31:08

Well, again, thank you very, very much. Thank you for your time at this busy time of the year. You snuck this in with us, and we're so grateful. And yeah, we look forward to seeing you not only real soon, but I think by the time this releases, you might be able to look around and find one of us.

SPEAKER_00: 31:27

All right.

SPEAKER_07: 31:28

Caution runners, the topic is about to change right now.

SPEAKER_01: 31:33

Oh, friends, we've got another Run Disney story later in the episode, but right now, we want to do something that has become a rise and run tradition, and that is the Rise and Run roll call for race weekend. And friends, it's a biggie. It's a biggie. Our buddy Robin snacks go to the bathroom. Yeah. Our buddy Rob sent me notes. Uh, it's approximately the same size as last year, and last year was a record setter, so this is a record tire or very close. Uh, but I always look at that and say how well it reflects on our running community that you care enough that you want to be listed in this roll call. Now, the rules are simple. We're calling out names, first names only. Sometimes we have to toss in an initial for the last name, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. So here are the rules. We call your name out, you stand up, remain standing, remain standing until we finish the list for the race. Now, the exception was if you're on short final and the seatbelt sign is on, you don't need to stand up. Um, we may give you a break on dopey. We may try to cut that one halfway through and and let you sit down since I see that there are oh my goodness, there are uh a couple hundred entries in the dopey. So yeah. By golly, almost almost 200. That's a good idea, Bob. They'll be on their feet enough. It's good practice. But uh but here we go. Enjoy John kick us off.

SPEAKER_05: 33:18

Okay, doing dopey. We have Abby doing their first dopey, Abigail, Adrian, second dopey, and is pacing the half. Allie without an E, first dopey. Allie and Matt, first marathon for Allie, first dopey for both. Amanda, Amy with an I, third dopey. Two Amy's doing their first dopey. Amy H, first dopey on her birthday weekend.

SPEAKER_03: 33:45

We have Andrea, who's her first dopey and first marathon, Andrew's first dopey, Andy's second dopey, Angela Marie's first dopey, and her sister's dopey number two, Anita's second dopey, Anna's first dopey, Ashley's first dopey and first marathon, Becca's first dopey, Beth's fifth dopey, and Bethany.

SPEAKER_04: 34:09

We have Bob, uh not our Bob, but Bob, who is doing their third dopey. We have Brad from Magic Bound Travels, um, we have Brandy with an I, Brandy with a Y. Brantley, first dopey, Bridget, second dopey, Caleb, perfect, uh Carissa, Carly, third dopey, and Carolyn.

SPEAKER_02: 34:35

We have Carrie doing their fourth dopey, Catherine's first marathon and first dopey, Charlie's tenth dopey, Charlotte's first dopey and first marathon, Chase's first dopey, Chris's second dopey, Christiana's first dopey and fourteenth Disney Marathon, Christina's first dopey, Courtney's first dopey, and Dale's third dope dopey.

SPEAKER_08: 35:00

Continuing on, Danielle is doing her first dopey, Danny his third, David his second, Deb is doing her first dopey, Debbie and Meredith both doing their second dopeies. Debbie H is doing her first dopey, and Debbie W is doing her 11th. Devin is doing her first dopey. Then we also have Dina, second dopey for Doug. Elise and Jeremy are both doing their first dopeies, and also doing their first is Emily J.

SPEAKER_01: 35:31

And Emily S is doing her second. Emily V doing her first and first full. Emily W doing her second. I think the Emilies are the winners in the Dopey challenge. Uh we got a couple of Erens. One Aaron is doing first dopey, the other doing the fourth. Estephon, first dopey. Grace will be there. Haley's doing her first. Heather's doing her first dopey, second marathon, and we've got another Heather who's doing her fifth dopey. We have Heather W.

SPEAKER_05: 36:02

We have Heidi doing their first dopey, Holly doing second dopey, Holly M first Dopey, Holly N first Dopey, a Dallas, Dopey number seven for Kelsey's Hope. Isabella first dopey, Jacqueline, not our Jack, first dopey, Jackie and Fred second dopey, Jackie S and second dopey.

SPEAKER_03: 36:22

We have Jake's first dopey, Jamie's first run Disney event and first marathon, Jared's fifth dopey, Jason's second dopey, Jason H, Javon, Jen's third dopey, Jen R, Jenna's first marathon, and first dopey, and Jennifer's first dopey.

SPEAKER_04: 36:44

This is Jennifer's second dopey. Jennifer, a different Jennifer, third dopey, first dopey to dumbo. Ooh. We have Jeremy, second dopey, Jessica, second dopey, and and a different Jessica, fourth dopey, but third dopey to dumbo. We have Jill, third dopey, Jim, second dopey, JJ, third dopey, Joelyn, first dopey, and Justin first dope.

SPEAKER_02: 37:14

Continue on. We have Kate doing second dopey, Katherine M doing second dopey, Catherine T doing second dopey, Katie M doing second dopey, Katrina, first Dopy, Kat, second Dope, Kaylee running her first Frend Disney event and first Dopey. Kelly, third Dopy, Kendra, first marathon and first Dopey, and Kevin's first Dopey.

SPEAKER_08: 37:39

We have another Kevin with Janelle both doing their second dopey. Kim, first dopey. Another Kim, second dopey. Kazai is doing her third. Kristen doing their second dopey. Christina is doing her second dopey with her daughter, who's also doing her second, and uh her son, and this is her son's first dopey. Christine, Lance, and Amy are doing their first. Laura first dopey celebrating two years thyroid cancer free. Congratulations, Lara. Lara and Brian, first dopey and first marathon. Lauren's doing her third, and Lori is also doing her third.

SPEAKER_01: 38:18

Now that Lori who's doing her third, had no E because we got an Lori with an E. Follows it up. Lee's doing his fourth. Lessa, first, Lindsay, dopey number two, Lisa Dopey number seven. Lisa S will be there. Lisa W, first dopey. Liz, first dopey. Lizzie, fourth dopey, Lori, first dopey, first marathon.

SPEAKER_05: 38:45

Linnelle, first dopey, Margaret, fifth dopey, Mary Ann, first dopey, Mark, first dopey, and another Mark doing his fourth dopey. Mariah, second dopey, Marty third dopey, Mary, Mary Joe, second dopey, and Matt's eighth dopey.

SPEAKER_03: 39:02

And we have Matthew, Megan's second dopey attempt, first marathon, Megan's seventh dopey, Megan H first Dopey, Megan L first Dopey, Melissa, third dopey, Melissa Lee Ann, second dopey, Melody, Mia, first dopey, and Michelle.

SPEAKER_01: 39:23

All right, now it's about halfway through, so you may be seated. We're going to continue with the roll call.

SPEAKER_04: 39:31

We have Mike, Dopey5. We have Morgan, morning star, first dopey, Natalie, Nick, third dopey, Nicole, second dopey, Nikki, Noelle with husband, Ben, Pamela, and Patrick.

SPEAKER_02: 39:47

We also have Rachel, Rachel H first Dopey, Rachel R, first dopey, Regina, Rob. We have another Rob doing his ninth Dopey. Robert doing second Dopey, Ron. Third, Rory's first dopey, and Ryan's third dopey, he's also pacing the half.

SPEAKER_08: 40:05

Sam is running their first dopey and first full marathon. Another Sam, first dopey, second marathon. Sandy, second dopey, and second marathon. Sarah with an A, first dopey, Sarah with an A H. First Dopey, first marathon. Another Sarah, second dopey. Sean, Sherry doing their first dopey. Shauna also doing their first. Another Shauna, who's doing their second. Shelby Allison or SA doing their second. And Sophia doing their first dopey and first full.

SPEAKER_01: 40:38

Sonia will be running her second dopey. Stephanie and Victor, first marathon and first dopey. First dopey for Steven, second for Tanya. Tara and Brian are running together. Brian's first dopey. Tosha's doing her first dopey and first marathon. Taylor will be out there. Teresa's doing the third dopey. We've got a Tiffany who's on the list, and another Tiffany who's on the list doing their fourth dopey. You have Tim doing their third dopey.

SPEAKER_05: 41:09

Todd, Tony, Tracy, Dopey number two, Tracy H, fourth dopey, Tracy M's fourth dopey. Tracy N, Trevor's first dopey, Trish and Trisha are also doing Dopey.

SPEAKER_03: 41:22

And we have another Trisha with her second dopey. Troy, Dopey 5.0, Tyler's first dopey, Vanessa, Wade's third dopey, Wendy's first dopey, and that's the Wendy that we just talked to. Um and then we have William's first dopey.

SPEAKER_01: 41:41

There we have it, friends. The Rise and Run Dopey Runners. Round of applause. Round of applause for our Dopey runners. I don't have my uh standing probation button up here anymore. I could play, I could play this. No, that wouldn't work. No. Sorry, says great job, everybody.

SPEAKER_04: 42:01

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 42:01

All right, dopey running. Good answer.

SPEAKER_04: 42:03

Good answer.

SPEAKER_01: 42:04

Have a seat. You need your rest. You know, it's funny, guys. I I we play around with it, of course. And do we really think people are standing up? No. But I do every now and then we'll be at the uh meetup and somebody will say, I stood up. I followed the rules, and I stood up. So I wanted to make sure you knew you could sit down. That's cool. All right, let's go through the list of goofy runners.

SPEAKER_04: 42:28

All right, for goofy, we have Alyssa doing her first goofy and first marathon. Alisa, third goofy, Amy, first goofy, Andrew, third goofy, Angie, Ashley, Austin, first goofy and first marathon, Beth, Christina, and Clara.

SPEAKER_02: 42:47

We also have Dan, David, Divia doing her first goofy and her tenth year Run Disney anniversary. We have Heather, first goofy, Hira, first goofy, and second full marathon, Ileana and her dad Nelson, first challenge slash goofy, Jacqueline, Julie and Emmy, Laura, aka Sam's mom, and Laura, a friend from the Netherlands.

SPEAKER_08: 43:13

And wrapping out a much shorter list are the remaining goofy runners that we have. Laura Ann's doing her first goofy and marathon, Melissa first goofy, Peter Robert doing their first goofy, and our buddy Shawnee.

SPEAKER_01: 43:30

All right, goofy runners. All right, you can go ahead and have a seat. I was listening to an old episode of uh the roll call from years back, and we've got to tell everybody to have a seat after dopey, so they may still be standing. I don't know.

unknown: 43:44

Right.

SPEAKER_05: 43:45

So if I did if I did goofy next year, would it be my first goofy? Or is it considered since I did dopey already?

SPEAKER_02: 43:53

It was in your first goofy challenge, because I did dopey before I did goofy, and I considered that one my first challenge. It's up to you.

SPEAKER_01: 44:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_08: 44:02

But you do get the medal though.

SPEAKER_01: 44:04

So technically goofy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05: 44:06

I've done goofy four times, technically, right?

SPEAKER_01: 44:08

If you did dopey, you've done goofy, yeah. But yeah, if you decide it wants to be your first, it's up to you. Who cares, you know? Um hey, let's look at the marathon. We've got an Adam who's running his first marathon, and our buddy Adam in a cape who's pacing the marathon. Alan and Grace. Alan for his 34th Disney Marathon. Alan's a perfect uh marathoner at WDWDW. He is also the only person who's perfect because he ran the marathon at Disneyland. So he's the only one to do all of those. And Grace didn't miss many. Grace is coming up on her 29th. Alex is doing his first Run Disney event and first marathon. Alicia is doing she's done this before. Yep. Alexis will be there. Ashley doing her first marathon. Avery, I'm gonna be taking on this will be marathon number seven at Run Disney for me. Bryce will be there, as will Brittany.

SPEAKER_05: 45:14

We have Brianna, Caroline, Chelsea's first marathon, Chrissy's first marathon, our friend Chris Twiggs, another perfect uh marathoner, Christine, Christopher, CJ, Cullen's first marathon, Doug's first marathon, and Elizabeth's first marathon.

SPEAKER_03: 45:35

We have Hannah's first marathon, Hannah 8, Heidi, Jacqueline Molina, um Jeanette, Jennifer, Jessica, Jessica, and Jessica. Um, two of the Jessica's first marathons, Joanne's first marathon, and our very own John.

SPEAKER_04: 46:00

We have Kalina, fifth marathon, Kat, Caitlin, first marathon, Catherine, Kay, Kevin, first marathon, Kevin E, first marathon, Kevin O, Christy, first marathon, Lauren, and Leslie.

SPEAKER_02: 46:17

We have Lori, first marathon, Lucy, Melissa, Michelle, Nancy, Nona's first marathon, Paul, Rachel B, first marathon, Rachel F, and Rachel G's first marathon.

SPEAKER_08: 46:30

And bringing home on the Walt Disney World Marathon, Rebecca doing her first marathon. Renee, Sarah, sixth marathon, second at Walt Disney World, Sarah C, Sarah D, Sarah M, first marathon, Skyler, first marathon, Tara, Carlos, Nina, and Cecily, Trina and Whitney is doing her first full.

SPEAKER_01: 46:56

Marathon runners, take a seat. Alrighty. Half marathon. Let's kick it off with Amber, Amy K, Amy L, Amy S, Brian, Christina, Cody, another Christina, different spelling, Denise and Dorothy.

SPEAKER_05: 47:22

And we have Pastor Greg, Janice, Jason and wife Laura, Jeff A, Jeff T, Jennifer, Jenny, Jenny and her fiance Cameron, John and Judy.

SPEAKER_08: 47:39

I I want the world to know from now on, thank you, John. I want to be referred to as Pastor Greg from here on.

SPEAKER_05: 47:45

It was that or Reverend Greg. I don't know which one would be better.

SPEAKER_03: 47:48

Julie, Karen, and her sister Laurel first done run Disney race. Kim, Lauren, Laurie, Maggie, Mara, Martine, Michelle, and Nicole.

SPEAKER_04: 48:04

We have Patrick, Ravi, Rich, Sherilyn, Sonia, Steve, Tara, and Trisha.

SPEAKER_01: 48:12

Okay. Right. 10K time.

SPEAKER_02: 48:19

All right. For the 10K, we have Abby, Adam with son Connor, Allison, Amber. We have two Amy S's that will be at the 10K. Carol, Caroline, Carrie, and Chelsea.

SPEAKER_08: 48:33

Christina, Donna, Dorothy, Drake, Glenda, Jasmine, and Jennifer both doing their first 10Ks. Jim is pushing his daughter, Kayana. That must be such a special moment. Please post pictures. We want to be able to see that. Keaton is also doing the 10K. Kim, Lori, Lori, and Lucas and Olivia both doing first 10K and their first Run Disney race weekend.

SPEAKER_01: 49:01

Martin, Nicole, Roxanne, Shawnee, Steph, Sonny, Tammy, Trisha, and Valeria. Round out the 10K runners. Alright, bring it home with the 5K.

SPEAKER_05: 49:16

The 5K, the alien 5K, right, Bob? Right. We'll be chasing the aliens, man. Okay. So we have Abby, Alan and Grace, Allison, Amber, our buddy Bob here, Brian, Bryce, first 5K in Run Disney, Carol and Elizabeth, Carrie and Christina.

SPEAKER_03: 49:38

And we have Donna, another friend Donna, first Run Disney race. Drake, Amy, first 5K turning five after her birthday on January 13th.

SPEAKER_08: 49:50

That's cool. This is one excited little girl who's very stoked for this race. Go get it, Edmund.

SPEAKER_03: 49:56

Oh my goodness. And then we have Jessica with her mom and sister, Joanne, our very own John, Judy, Caden, who is nine years old and running his first ever 5K with his mom Tasha, who's doing Dopey, and Kim Is.

SPEAKER_04: 50:18

We have Kirby, which is Debbie's son and Meredith's triplet brother, first Run Disney race. We have Lori, Lucas and Olivia, first Run Disney weekend. Maggie from Magic Pound Travel, Martine, Nancy, Rachel, with three first ever racers: Monica, who's her sister, Evie, which is her daughter, and Hannah, daughter's friend. We have Sarah, and another Sarah, and Shawnee.

SPEAKER_02: 50:50

And finishing out the 5K. We have Sonny, Trina, Trisha, and Valeria.

SPEAKER_01: 50:56

All right. And that brings the roll call for the 2026 Walt Disney World Marathon weekend to a close. A couple things struck me. This last one, the 5K. I love seeing the kids do the 5K. I get a big kick out of the youngsters who are doing their first cut 5K. The other thing that caught my eye is the number of people who are doing first-time Disney events. That is just so cool. We all remember our first-time Run Disney event. You're going to have a wonderful, wonderful experience. And we really look forward to seeing you there. So hope you enjoyed it, kids. There it is. The 2026 Roll Call. I always have fun with the uh with the roll call friends, but let's get back. We were telling Run Disney and family stories. So let's visit with John, and John's going to share his story with us this episode.

SPEAKER_07: 51:56

Caution Runners, change of topic ahead.

SPEAKER_05: 52:01

John's journey is rooted a little different than Wendy's, but an equally powerful lie. A single dad, his motivation comes from his kids who watch him every day and from a lifelong desire to believe in himself. Between work, deadlines, and the constant pressure of life, John realized he didn't just want to get through the days, he wanted to prove he was capable of something hard. So he made a bold choice to train for a marathon. Not for a medal or for time goal, but to set an example for his kids and finally allow himself a chance to feel proud. John, welcome to the podcast. When people ask why you're running, what's the real answer?

SPEAKER_06: 52:37

So my answer is kind of twofold here. Like you mentioned, one of them is uh being a single dad, it's for my kids. Um, you know, as a parent, I want to show my kids that hard work works. Um, there's no shortcuts in life, there's no easy way, there's none of these things that people try to preach. You know, um doing hard things and putting in hard work can yield results that uh, you know, some some people can only dream of. And I try to live that every day and show that to them. Um kind of be the whole anti-lazy thing. And then the other half of it is um I've struggled with self-confidence for my whole life. Um, I was bullied a bit when I was younger, um, for my weight, my size, things like that. And um kind of as you mentioned, just uh never really feeling proud of myself for things I've done, just kind of going through the motions of life, you know, the everyday things. And um it's kind of the whole go to school, get a job, grow up, do these things, uh, deadlines, pressures. Um, and I really just I was tired of ticking the boxes every day. Um, so I started running. Um I found running a few years ago, I lost it, now I'm back, and uh, so I chose to do one of the hardest things we can do in running, and that's a marathon.

SPEAKER_08: 54:00

Let's continue to expound upon that idea of of the the self-confidence you know in your journey. And you just said it that to help you in that confidence journey and to be a role model for your kids, you're running the Walt Disney World Marathon. Why a marathon and why this particular challenge?

SPEAKER_06: 54:22

It's gonna sound a little cliche. Um, we all spend a lot of time on YouTube, you know, researching things. We have people that we follow that we like and things like that. Um, the marathon has always been in the back of my mind as something I liked, and then I see a lot of people posting about it and how hard the training is and how big of a commitment that it is. Um, so I decided that this was going to be my way to prove to myself and my kids that sticking to something long-term and grueling and hard can yield big results. I have a lot of tattoos, and one of the very first tattoos I ever got was I got the word dedication on my right arm. I don't think there's a better word to use when describing the marathon. It's a huge dedication time-wise, mentally, physically, every aspect of life. So I I think that's why I chose, you know, the marathon to go into those into those deeper parts of I guess the mentality behind it, and just to achieve that goal.

SPEAKER_01: 55:26

Agree completely. We talk about a couple of words when we talk about marathon training, motivation and dedication. Dedication is the key, buddy. I think you're a hundred percent right. Motivation comes and goes, it'll it'll ebb and flow. But to complete this marathon, you've got to be dedicated all the way through to the end.

SPEAKER_08: 55:46

Speaking of, you know, this dedication and wanting to run a marathon, is there a particular reason why you're choosing Walt Disney World?

SPEAKER_06: 55:54

I went to Disney World as a child, and like most children, your first time there, chances are you're young enough you don't really remember it, right? So I went to Disney World, specifically Magic Kingdom, for the first time this past October. And I kind of got to relive my childhood and instantly became a Disney adult. And at that time I had been contemplating the idea of a marathon, not knowing that Run Disney even existed. So as soon as I found that out, when I learned that the marathon was coming, um, and it the registration, I believe, was in March of this year, I uh I began planning right away. And I wanted my first marathon to not just be quote unquote running through a city, you know, even though that's cool, you know, and and I want to travel and do all those things. I wanted my first one to be really special. And I figured I'm not going for a specific time. Um like you mentioned earlier, I'm not doing it for a medal, I'm doing it for the marathon, for the experience. And I figured there's no better experience than the Disney World Marathon.

SPEAKER_02: 56:57

I think that's a super valid point. Um, anybody who knows Disney knows how magical it can be. Um, and watching those YouTube videos, we see um, if you haven't done it before, how amazing the races are, but then getting to do it is gonna be so great. Um, but like you said, it takes a lot of dedication to do this training. What has been the hardest part about balancing the training with your work life and um helping your kids along the way?

SPEAKER_06: 57:23

Uh the hardest part is definitely committing to the time. Um, I feel like a lot of people would say finding the time, and I think that's not a good way to look at it. Uh, we all have the time, it's it's you know, prioritizing that time. Um I typically do enjoy running early in the morning, but as it gets colder, the days are shorter. I know we all run into those issues where you just think, oh, I don't really want to do this today, or oh, I'll do it later when it's nicer out. Um and then later sometimes doesn't happen until the next day, or you've missed a couple days and things like that. Um, so it's definitely the hardest part for me is staying consistent on the timing of my runs to make sure I don't miss any. I have missed a few. I feel like there's no perfect training program, but that's that's definitely been my biggest challenge is sticking to my runs.

SPEAKER_08: 58:21

So, John, we always like to say on the podcast, whether it's a fitness journey or a training journey, is that things are not linear, things are going to ebb and flow, you're gonna have your highs, you're gonna have your lows. In terms of your story and your training and your motivation, have there ever been days where quitting felt like the easier option to you?

SPEAKER_06: 58:44

So there's definitely been days where I feel like there's been easier options. Um, an easy way out is just to quit. Um, but for me, the idea of quitting uh never really crossed my mind. Um as I started training, I started seeing progress really quick. Um mileage was increasing, you know, I was starting to build my fitness up. As time went on, the old habits started to creep in a little bit. I'm notorious for when things take too long or they get too hard, uh, I I do tend to quit. And I made sure that this time I'm not gonna do that. And it's a lot of things like the excuses, you know, tired, bad sleep, uh, it's too hot out, it's too cold. A lot of those things start to start to get in the way. I would miss runs, things like that, and then I would have to reel myself back in. And remember, I made myself a promise, and quitting's not an option this time. Do I look back at the last roughly 30 weeks of my training and have any regrets? Maybe a couple runs, but they're not regrets per se. But at the end of the day, quitting for me is just is not an option. You know, no training's perfect. And uh, I actually just had a conversation. With my coach last week as we're getting ready to taper. My last long run is this week, and then we're gonna taper for the marathon. And I told him through injuries and everything that I've had this year, um, I'm gonna cross that finish line. It's whether I'm running, walking, crawling, being pushed in a chair. I'm gonna finish that marathon. So to answer your question, no, quitting has never crossed my mind. Through this journey, what do you hope your kids learn by watching you chase this goal? Ultimately, I'm just really hoping that they learn the power of hard work. Um, the power of dedication. You know, they ask about the tattoos I have and I explain them to them. So they understand, they're old enough to understand what dedication means, and you know, they see hard work and they see things happening around them. So really, I just want to show them that they can set a goal and they can work on it and get it done, and they'll get the results, you know, maybe not what they want, but maybe it's the results they need. And I feel like that's really just what I want them to learn is just the power of hard work and dedication.

SPEAKER_08: 1:01:05

All right, John. Two follow-up questions to what you just said. The first is are your children going to be able to be there to cheer you on at this race?

SPEAKER_06: 1:01:12

Uh no, that sadly they won't be at this point.

SPEAKER_08: 1:01:15

Okay. All right. Well, hopefully, you know, someone in the community or you know, if you have any support down there, hopefully they can, you know, just get an awesome finish line video of you or something like that, so that way you can be able to cement that and you know, so that can be played on repeat for them that you know to continue to be an inspiration. But you brought up tattoos and the the meaning behind tattoos. Um, what do you have inked on you and what is the the symbol uh symbolism behind that?

SPEAKER_06: 1:01:38

So I have quite a few. Both of my arms are done. I have uh a couple on my chest, my back, my legs. Um, not fully covered yet, but maybe someday. Um so uh on my chest, uh I have music is life, uh kind of written right underneath my collarbone, goes from side to side. Uh been a musician my whole life. I taught myself how to play guitar, how to play drums. Um I've played on many stages around New Jersey, New York, Philly. Um, I have a couple on either side of my chest for both of my kids. And uh I have some quotes and some other things like that. And if we're gonna go into it, my favorite tattoo happens to be on my left forearm, and it's the definition of karma, and it's all you do in life comes back to you. And uh that's that's by far my favorite one.

SPEAKER_02: 1:02:30

You had mentioned earlier that uh you had some struggles when you were growing up and um kind of some self-reflection in this journey. What would you say is a change that you've seen in yourself since starting this journey?

SPEAKER_06: 1:02:46

I think one of the biggest things I've seen change is um probably my mental fortitude. Um, we all know going out on runs, especially by yourself, is uh mentally draining, but also mentally humbling and mentally strengthening. So I think uh looking back at it all these runs and just knowing that I can now mentally push through and get to where I need to be and stay focused. Um I've even seen that go into my daily life. Um, I've seen it my focus at work is a little bit stronger than it used to be. I never really had problems at work, but the strength just seems easier. A lot of things that may or may not have kind of annoyed me in the past don't even register anymore. Um so I feel like that's probably the biggest thing for me is just the the mental fortitude behind it.

SPEAKER_08: 1:03:42

And John, bringing Run Disney back into all of this, obviously, one major goal, and I'm sure the goal that you're most focused on for you and to show support for your your kids is finishing this race. But do you have any other goals that uh you have on deck for you in terms of either this you know version of the uh the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend or races in the future?

SPEAKER_06: 1:04:06

I mean, for this one, ideally I would love to finish around the five-hour mark, maybe five hour fifteen mark. You know, anything faster than that would be great. But again, for this race, it's it's get to the finish line, you know, get it done. After this one, I have already decided that I am going to do uh dopey. And with that, I plan to actually race the five and 10k. Um, I've always been more of a short distance faster runner. So these longer distances are new in my legs, and I've I think that's why I've battled some injuries that I've never had before. So yeah, definitely gonna be actually racing in the next year uh after I complete this one.

SPEAKER_05: 1:04:49

For other parents out there, anyone out there who's struggling to put themselves first, what would you want them to hear?

SPEAKER_06: 1:04:55

Ultimately, um if anyone out there is struggling, uh please just do it. Put yourself first. Don't think about the what-ifs, don't worry about what other people may think of you or say or any of that. You're not selfish in this. At the end of the day, my dad always told me and my mom, who's number one? It's you. But you can't be there for anyone else if you're not there for yourself. So putting yourself first will help bring out the best in you so you can help bring out and be the best for others. So at the end of the day, you know, once you can admit that, it's not only empowering, but it gets to be a little emotional in a good way. Um so tet things tend to mean a little bit more, things are a little more special. Um, you can do more. Uh-huh. Uh, you'll find a new sense of excitement, energy, just feeling revitalized. Uh there's a a saying a lot of people uh in communities are saying, and that's bet on yourself. So ultimately, just do it. Just put yourself first and and just go for it, and you'll see what can really happen, and it it'll be good.

SPEAKER_05: 1:06:06

Just one last question, John, before we let you go. If every mile has a meaning, what does one mile mean to you today?

SPEAKER_06: 1:06:14

One mile means progress forward. Not not looking back, just keep pushing forward.

SPEAKER_05: 1:06:22

John, thank you for joining us. Uh, this is a very inspiring story. I know we all had some confidence issues going into our first marathon. Can we do it? Can we get it done? And you know, you're you're not alone with that. Once you get it done, I think you're gonna have a really good feeling. I know we all did.

SPEAKER_06: 1:06:38

Thank you guys so much for having me. This was uh this was a really great time, and I really enjoyed talking with you guys and uh definitely hope to do it again, and I hope to see you guys at Marathon Weekend.

SPEAKER_05: 1:06:48

Wendy and John remind us there's no single reason we lace up our shoes. Only reason that matters to us. Sometimes you'd run to heal, sometimes you'd run to grow, and sometimes you run simply to prove that we keep going. Whatever you are in your journey, remember this. Every mile is a meaning, and your reason is enough. Get out there and write your own story.

SPEAKER_07: 1:07:08

Caution runners, the topic is about to change right now.

SPEAKER_01: 1:07:14

A reminder, friends, I know Greg told you about it at the very beginning of the episode, but we don't want you to forget. We'd love to see you at the meetup, the Rise and Run Race Weekend meetup. It is at 3 p.m. in Disney Springs. Look for the hot air balloon. If you're looking at the hot air balloon and you're not treading water, the meetup is to your left. If you're treading water, it's to your right. But if you're if you're on dry land to the left of the hot air balloon is the Starbucks. Keep going. The food truck area is back there. And now, please stand clear of the door. It's time for a race report. The race report is sponsored by our friend Thomas Stokes of Stokes Metabolic Training. Stokes.fit slash rise and run coaching is the website. Information is pinned to the top of our Facebook group. All right, we are obviously, as we mentioned at the top of the episode, recording early and several weeks before these races. But we want to acknowledge who is running or who ran over the New Year's holiday. We'll catch up on their race reports later on. Let's take a look. Uh, our friend Rob is going to be in Glen Rock, New Jersey for the Glen Rock New Year's Eve Midnight Run. This is an unofficial neighborhood run starting at the rock, meets up at 11:45 p.m. and runs into the new year. We've got one on New Year's Day in Copley or Copley? Copley. Copley, huh? Okay. Copley.

SPEAKER_08: 1:09:07

The home. You'll enjoy this one, Bob. The home of our Philadelphia Eagles running back, Mr. Saquon Barkley.

SPEAKER_01: 1:09:15

Oh, my goodness, I should have known that, Greg. Shame on me. I'm sure John knew that. I knew I I he used to live in Jersey. Come on. Okay. Anyway, Michael and Terry will be there for the Lehigh Valley New Year's Chaser 10K. And on Saturday, January 3rd, Joanne's going to be at Atlanta, I presume, for the Peachtree Polar Opposite 10K. That's it, folks. That's not much on there, and I'm sure that by the time we get to that week in the calendar, we'll have more reports on Facebook. We'll we'll get to those as soon as we can. Alright, let's wrap it up. This is we're excited. Uh the big race weekend has arrived. All that training. Remember all those days in July when it was 143 degrees with 720% humidity? You remember those? What was the dew point, Bob? I was just curious. 1200 degrees. Holy cow. But luckily in July you had those shorter race those shorter training runs. A little bit. Yeah, July was still short, but uh August and other parts of the country, even into September. You did it, friends. You did it. You did you worked through all those hot, humid days, and now you are here at Disney World celebrating and enjoying this tremendous running activity and this great Run Disney family. Friends, and if you run, you know you are our friend. We could not be more excited for you. We're excited for ourselves too, but I know, especially all of you first timers. Gosh, it's gonna be great. Alright, that's it, guys. That's it. Hope you enjoyed it. Hope you got a few messages out of our stories in this episode. But until we meet again, which should be very, very soon, should be three o'clock on Saturday. Happy running.

SPEAKER_08: 1:11:34

The Rising Run podcast discusses general information about Run Disney and is in no way affiliated with Run Disney with Little Disney Company.

SPEAKER_11: 1:11:48

It is always a good one.