3:00am-Alarm goes off and it's time for the fun to begin. I had laid everything out last night so I pretty much hopped into my clothes and was ready to go. Our room was right near the buses so it was just a short walk over there. The bus was full of nervous and excited runners who were full of nervous chatter.
3:50am-Arrive at the staging area with two hours to kill. I bonded with a fellow mom and runner and we hung out for a while. We walked around, talked, made fun of the music act, and waited in line for the porta-potties. I ate my banana and two oatmeal bars.
4:45am-We started making our way to the start corrals. It was a 1/2 mile walk from the staging area to where the race began. It sucked, but at least it killed some time. I split from my mom friend as she was in Corral D and I was in C. I used the bathroom again and then went to sit on the cold concrete of Corral C. I chatted with some other runners and then decided I needed to pee...for a third time. By 5:40 I was back in spot in the Corral and ready to go. It was a cool morning, but certainly not cold.
5:50-We sang the national anthem and then counted down the wheelchair racers. We were far from the actual start, but I could see Mickey and pals up on the big screen. Then all of a sudden the fireworks exploded and the race started. The fireworks were AWESOME and went off both in front and behind of us. It took over four minutes to get to the actual start of the race, but then we crossed the line and were off and running.
Mile 1-Cool and dark. The moon was still pretty high in the sky and it was beautful. The streets were lined with fans cheering us on. I shed my t-shirt just after the one mile marker. I was so hot, but getting rid of the shirt really helped. We went in a back entrance at Epcot and entered the park at Great Britain. In France we spotted Sleeping Beauty followed shortly by Jasmine, Aladdin, and the genie. We saw Snow White and Dopey before exiting out the back of the park on an access road. We hit mile three back there as well.
Miles 4-8-Pretty boring overall. We were running on the main road heading to Magic Kingdom. There were some great high school bands who kept us pumped up and moving. I took powerade (yellow...YUCK!) at every stop and often water as well. I knew as soon as the sun came up hydration was going to be the name of the game.
Mile 9-We approached the Ticket and Transportation and could finally see the Magic Kingdom. Jamie was waiting for me at the mile 9 sign so after a quick kiss I was back on the road. We ran up past the Contemporary Resort and towards the park.
Mile 10-This was right outside the park. I took my first packet of Gu and took a walk break to get it down. We then burst onto Main Street which was a huge lift. There were big crowds , plus you were heading straight for the castle. We made a right into Tomorrow Land where we saw Chip & Dale. Alice and her buddies were waiting for us by the Tea Cups. Trumpets hearalded our arrival at Cinderella's castle. I spotted the Fairy Godmother right before we ran through. People were hooting and hollering at this point. The excitement in the air was electric. There was a photographer waiting for us at the bottom of the ramp and I paused long enough to have my picture taken. We ran through Frontierland where we saw Mickey for the first time on the course. Minnie and Pluto were with him as well. We exited the park at Splash Mountain. In a behind-the-scenes area we saw Jack Sparrow and his fellow pirates who were flinging insults our way.
Mile 11-13-Pretty ho-hum and a let down after the excitement of Magic Kingdom. I stopped for some Vaseline at the medical tent to fix a place on my left underarm that was rubbing. We hit the half-way point shortly after passing The Grand Floridian and seeing Mary Poppins. The half-way point is always boost. There were plenty of spectators and cowbells to add to that boost. The sun was now well above the horizon, but fortunately a breeze kept us cool.
Miles 14-16-These miles seemed to take a while. We were running on some randow back road leading us to Animal Kingdom. It was pretty, but stinky as we had to run downwind from the water treatment plant. Yuck! There were plenty of water stops and plenty of music. We entered Animal Kingdom between miles 15 and 16. The had snakes, llamas, goat, sheep, owls, etc. out for us as we came in a back entrance. Our run through the park was brief. There were some great bands there though.
Miles 17-18-We exited Animal Kingdom and ran along the main road leading away from the park. It was straight into the sun. My IT band flared up around 18 and I stopped to stretch for a minute. I also took my third pack of Gu.
Miles 19-22-These were the miles I had been warned about. The dreaded Osceola Parkway. It was warm and sunny with a few inclines, but overall okay. They had bands and DJs so we were never without music. Mile 22 put us right at the entrance to Hollywood Studios. They were handing out minature Hershey bars as we came into the park, but I passed. Not really what I was looking for. The park was already open and crowded. I got to see the guys from Monsters Inc. and a few Power Rangers. We exited through the main entrance and began our final trip to Epcot. I took my final Gu packet there as well.
Miles 23-25. We ran along the water near the Swan and Dolphin resorts. There was plenty to look at and lots of spectators. It was crowded though because the sidewalk was so small. It was hard not to step on people and to stay out of the way during walk breaks.
Mile 25-26.2-We hit mile 25 right at France. We ran on a familiar path for a bit, but then we continued on through the park passing China, Germany, and Mexico. Epcot was PACKED and people were scurrying between runners to get across the course. We came around the right side of the ball and exited the park. If one more person told me "You're almost there." I was going to shoot them. Finally someone said "Only 800 yards." Now that I could handle. I pushed pretty hard and sprinted for the end. There were HUGE grandstands full of people and a few Disney characters waiting at the line. I put my arms up for my picture and finished the race. 4:31:56
Jamie, the girls, Ryann, and Scott were all waiting for me after I got my medal and removed my timing chip. We looked in the merchandise tent and got our picture made with Donald before heading home. Overall it was a great experience. It went by so quickly though. You would think four and a half hours of running would take a while, but it went by in the blink of an eye. I was pleased to see that the race brought out the best in my fellow runners. There were shouts of encouragement along the way. One man was dressed as Peter Pan and his wife as Tinker Bell. One man carried a huge American flag the whole way while another man, completely blind, was running while tethered to a partner. It was amazing and inspiring to say the least. Disney, as always, did everything right and prepared for our every need. I will definitely come run here again. My right IT band is pretty sore and I am dreading walking anywhere tomorrow. But for now I am basking in the glow of my second marathon victory.
