Goofy the First Year

Fireworks at the Start 

Being the first year of the Goofy race my mom was of course there to support and cheer me on.  I brought along my boyfriend at the time (now my husband) who had never been to Disney.  We flew down on Thursday afternoon and went to pick up my packet.  After we went to the campfire sing-a-long and watched fireworks on the boat.  (one of many Disney traditions my mom and I have with each other)  Exhausted back at the hotel room my mom decides she's going to the lobby to get some milk to put on ice for me to have in the morning and some chocolate covered donuts for breakfast.  I take a shower and am half asleep while Luke is watching t.v.  My mom comes in the room followed by my Papa Bear!  They found a flight dirt cheap earlier in the week and my dad decided to surprise me and fly down to watch me run my first Goofy.  They went through a lot of trouble to keep it a secret from me, even making special arrangements with the Magical Express so that I would not have found out.  

I wasn't sure what to expect with the Goofy race.  I had finished both race distances before, but not in back to back days.  All I remember (and know now) is that I'm glad they have the half marathon the first day.  If it had been the marathon day one I may not have returned for day two.  Having been at 3 RunDisney events prior I felt comfortable with the starting and staging area.  

Captain Hook (1/2)

Magic Kingdom (1/2)

With the new half marathon course we entered Magic Kingdom around mile 4 instead of 10, meaning it was quite dark out.  Notice my lovely orange bib?  I was also issued an orange bracelet that I needed to wear until the completion of the half marathon.

The characters  in Magic Kingdom did not disappoint.  Although it was very early the flash on my disposable camera worked fine and I've got these wonderful pictures to prove it.  I am glad that Disney has done a better job in recent years with having photographers with the characters as well as more photo savvy cast members to take pictures.

Magic Kingdom (1/2)

 After winding through the castle and the rest of Magic Kingdom the course severely narrowed as it was almost an "out and back."  The later corals were going into Magic Kingdom while the earlier corals were headed back to EPCOT and the finish line.  I remember looking at the course map, but not paying that much attention to it.  At the finish I was half expecting to go around the lagoon but instead we made a u-turn around the Christmas tree and then finished the same as the marathon.

Magic Kingdom (1/2)

Day one of the Goofy Challenge completed.  I went to a tent marked Goofy Challenge and had my orange bracelet cut off only to be replaced by a blue bracelet (which coordinated with the blue bib for the marathon).    Of course my mom decided that it was a good time to start a new Disney tradition with this Goofy race.  Not a Mickey bar (which I did have) but also going to a character breakfast to stuff my face and get fueled up for the marathon the next day.  I could barely keep my eyes open for breakfast.  On top of that I had the genius idea to volunteer at the expo.  The experience volunteering was great, but not one I recommend if you have run and have more running to do the next day.  My mom and I helped give directions to spectators while my boyfriend (now my husband) helped with packet pick-up).  My dad went and took a nap/explored back at the hotel.  His last minute decision to come meant he wasn't signed up to volunteer. 

Mile Marker Signs (Full)

Day Two

Magic Kingdom (Full)

This was hard.  Getting out of bed was hard.  Why did I decide to do this again?  I was achy and tired.  As you can see it was chilly (the long sleeve never came off).  The first two or three miles hurt.  Bad.  I was sore and hobbling.  How was I going to make it?  Well, eventually I loosened up and warmed up enough to feel good again--at about 5 miles.  Around mile 10 I was about to enter Magic Kingdom.  My favorite!  I was feeling pretty good.

Briar Rabbit (Full)

At the 13.1 mile mark I was like, ha!  I'm 2/3 of the way done while everyone else is half-way.  I have to think that way to get myself motivated to keep going sometimes when it's really tough and I feel like I'm falling apart.  At least I had plenty of time if I needed to walk the rest.  

Next stop, Animal Kingdom!  At this point in the race I always feel like there are 10 miles left and this kind of stinks.  Can't it just be over now?  There is a smile on my face from the characters and is no indication of how I was actually physically feeling.  Part of the motivation to keep moving forward is to see what character or piece of excitement is just around that next corner.  It was ideal running weather (chilly but not excessively cold) so there were lots of characters to be seen.  I had to be a little choosy since I only had one disposable camera.  I'd used the camera the day before for many of the first 13 mile signs so I had more room for pictures on Day 2 with characters.  As you can see it was a beautiful day!

Safari Mouse Crew (Full)

Jammin' Parade Float (Full)

And the the hard part, Mile 20.  Thanks to my Papa Bear for hanging out for hours near mile 18 with a sore back so that I could have something to look forward to in the about 5 mile stretch of highway in the toughest mental part of the race for me.  I gathered my Pez candies from him and stopped to stretch a bit before limping off to finish the race.  If anyone ever comes with us to the race we politely request that they "ChEAR" for me at this location since it is where I seem to be most challenged each year.  

MGM Studios (Full)

When I arrived at MGM Studios I was like, here we go!  It was going to be a tough last 3 miles but I was going to do it.  This photo cracks me up every time.  I'm trying to smile but as you can see I am still somewhat afraid of the villain characters.  They are intimidating.  

Having run the half-marathon the day before I was  not sure what to expect for a finish time.  It was going to be very close to under 4 hours, I just had to keep moving and not stop to walk the last mile or so.  My mom spotted me from her place in the bleachers at the finish.  She decided to record the finish instead of snapping photos.  It's not the best video out there, but it's me breaking 4 hours in the marathon...just imagine if I hadn't run the day before how things may have turned out.  I was elated!  

FYI--this is the ONLY time my mom has ever recorded me finishing out of all the races she's gone to. 

Results:

Half Marathon Clock Time of 2:20:20

Half Marathon Chip Time of 1:59:27

Marathon Clock Time of 3:59:53

Marathon chip Time of 3:58:38 

Medals 

Shirts and Bracelets