Running 48.6 Miles at Disney: The Dopey Challenge

The Dopey Challenge made its debut at Walt Disney World in January of 2014, with thousands of runners paying for the opportunity to run 48.6 miles over four days at the happiest place on earth.

Pulling up to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on a warm Wednesday morning, the lines were already beginning to form. Disney has the expo experience down to a science, with dedicated buildings divided into stations for those doing individual races, those taking on the Goofy Challenge (where runners complete the half marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday) and another for those running Dopey (which is the Goofy Challenge plus a 5k on Thursday and a 10k on Friday, for a total of 48.6 miles). 

The Swag Bag for Dopey included one short sleeve cotton tee for the 5k, and five long sleeve tech shirts for the 10k, half and full marathons, as well as one for Goofy and another for Dopey. The shirts run small. Knowing this from previous years most runners size up - however there was a convenient shirt exchange station for anyone wanting to size up or down on the spot. 

Runners needed only two bibs, one for the 5 and 10K and another for the half and full marathon. These bibs all featured Dopey, whereas people running single races received bibs with the featured character for that race (Pluto for the 5k, Minnie for the 10k, Donald for the Half-Marathon, and Mickey for the full Marathon).

Wandering the isles of the vendor expo, the reality that this day was finally here set in. It had been so long since registration. Last year when my running partner and I had run the Goofy Challenge we said "never again" but were among the first to register for Dopey when it was announced. 

Pulling into the EPCOT parking lot at 4:00AM the swarms of sleepy runners, 10,000 in total, made their way to the start line. There is no shortage of support at these races, with port-a-pottys, food vendors, and volunteers around every corner.

Knowing what was ahead of us, we made the decision to walk the 5K. Going without music, feeling no pressure to hurry, and enjoying the sites and sounds of the World Showcase - the 3.1 mile winding path really was just a walk in the park! Many around us seemed to have adopted this same strategy.

I have a Florida Resident Seasonal Weekday Pass, so my running partner and I decided to visit Animal Kingdom for a few hours that afternoon, and finished the day with a visit to The Rainforest Cafe, located just outside the gates. With tired eyes and full stomachs we went back to the hotel for an early night, falling asleep around 8PM.

Day two was the 10k, which we panned to walk as well, but ended up running the second half of the race, which left EPCOT and wove through Disney's Boardwalk. It was a little cooler and our bodies were wanting to run. Spending a few hours at EPCOT after the race, we again headed back for another early night.

One of the benefits of staying at a Disney Property during the race is well-organized transportation to and from the race. Like most things at Disney World, signs are everywhere and help is around every corner. Walking to the front of the hotel at 3AM - rows of busses were in place ready to take us to the parks each morning, and back to the hotel immediately after the race with little wait-time.

Day three was the half-marathon, and the size of the crowd increased from 10,000 to close to 25,000 runners. Runners had their game face on for this race - although Disney continues to be one of the most relaxed races out there, where runners stop along the race for photos with characters, and even ride a few rides along the way. 

During the half I didn't stop for character photos, but I took pictures at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 mile markers.

Look who was greeting the runners as they finished the half marathon!

That afternoon - my friends went back to the park and I stayed at the hotel to relax. Recovery for me came in the form of a long nap on a poolside Hammock.  We were in bed by 6:30, with our alarms set for one last morning at 2AM.

I ran 27 half marathons in 2013, but the last full marathon was a year prior at Disney. I knew I was not trained for more than 13-15 miles, so I knew this day would be a challenge.

The full marathon runs through all four parks, the first of which is the Magic Kingdom. It was still dark when we entered and the castle was lit up in all its beautiful glory. 

In addition to the ample water stations there are two stops with Bananas, the first of which is just after mile 8, and two stations with a variety of gels provided by CLIF Bar.

Next came Animal Kingdom, where as the heat of the morning was starting to set in. I always feel like I can run faster in the parks.

Heading into ESPN's Wide World of sports many runners take the opportunity to use a real restroom and enjoy the cool towels handed out by volunteers outside the track. 

After mile 18, I walked the majority of the race, knowing I was safe to finish in under the 7:00 time limit. We entered MGM after mile 22 before making the fourth and final run through EPCOT toward the finish line.

It was a beautiful, sunny day - not nearly at hot as the 2013 race, and although I had not trained well, I took over 20 minutes off last years time. Unlike last year - I am already thinking about coming back in 2015 - which also happens to be the 15 year anniversary for The Goofy Challenge, which historically means fancy bling for that race. 

I was surprisingly not sore after the race, and know I could have pushed harder… but I have 55 races left in 2014 - including a return to Disney at the Glass Slipper Challenge at the Princess Half Marathon at the end of February. 

The Darlington Half Marathon: Race #3 of 52

The first victory of the day was getting out of Orlando by 5:30am and through Jacksonville before 8. Arriving in Darlington, SC just after lunch, I passed by my hotel in nearby Florence and went directly to the packet pickup site for the Darlington Marathon (warning, the site plays music!).

Packet pick-up was a no frills event, however to get to it, race participants walked through the stock car museum at the Darlington Raceway. Taking time to walk through and look at the cars and artifacts on display, I realized I had not been certain  what I would find here. The museum website says that they can: "Offer those who are interested in the history of stock car racing and in-depth look at the roots of the sport, and has a lot to pique the interest of newer fans as well."

The pictures above are just a few of the cars on display. Although this was included as part of the packet pick-up experience, NASCAR fan or not, anyone visiting the area could learn a lot about this iconic American sport for the $5 price of admission (free for children). . 

Stepping out of the hotel room in the dark cloak of early morning, the crisp fall air was a refreshing change from the heat and humidity of recent races. Sporting my new "Half Fanatics" singlet, the easy journey from Florence to Darlington found me at the track with plenty of time to spare.

Like most inaugural races - there were some hiccups here. The picture above shows the line for the porta-potties 35 minutes before race start. I got through just before the official start time of 7AM - however the race director did delay the race 10 minutes to let the line clear.  As we waited, he discussed with the mostly patient crowd that next year there would be more. 

The wait gave the gathering crowd time to look at the giant banner which, acting as a start line, celebrated Steve Hughes who was running his 300th Marathon at this event. 300 - the number rolled around in my mind. Would I ever be in those ranks? I smiled as I thought... probably, well, for half marathons at least - after all by the end of this running season I will be closing in on the 100 half marathons mark. 

The course was not overly exciting, wrapping through the streets surrounding Darlington. However, like most things in life, it was the finish that mattered. Entering the same tunnel where the cars enter the track - a second wind came upon the runners who finished the final mile on the iconic oval track. 

The finish line was filled with fan-fair and and in it waited a treat in the cool air of the morning: hot, fresh, chicken noodle soup - a brimming cup of salt, fat, carbs and protein.... everything needed to begin the recovery process. 

Runners sat in the bleachers usually packed with racing fans sipping their soup and water and trading stories of races run and those to come. As enjoyable as this was, as I peered over the empty stands to my right, I remembered that there was no time to waste... my afternoon would consist of the drive west to Pine Mountain, Georgia for tomorrows race. 

The custom medal, attached to the checkered satin ribbon would be a nice addition to my collection.  The same design but half the size of the full marathon medal, I knew then that if I do this race again next year - I will be coming back for the big one.

Chasing the sun

So, I have been working on this schedule for my "40 at 40" adventure... at the beginning running 40 half marathons between my 40th and 41st birthdays seemed daunting.  

I had considered counting all races, and then limited it to 10k and up, changed that to 10 miles and up... and finally committed to only the races 13.1 or longer counting in the official tally. 

Not to long ago I joined half-fanatics. On their website they ask a series of questions to determine if their group is a good fit for you...

Do your thoughts switch to the next scheduled race immediately after finishing a Half Marathon?  YES!!!

Are you signed up for more than one race right now? YES!!!

Do you know specifics about many of the Half Marathons? Dates, courses, years run, etc.? YES!!!

Are your closets and dressers filled with race t-shirts? YES!!!
Have you run races on back to back weekends? Or better yet back to back days? YES!!!

These are just a few of the questions, but my answers told me that this is where I belonged.  After filling out my application, I was informed that I would be entering at the "3 Moon" level of Saturn - my qualification was having run 4 Half Marathons in 4 different states in less than 51 days back in 2011. 

The next day I got the E-Mail:

Feeling more excited than I should possibly admit to being committed..... I updated my profile with the 40 half marathons I have run between 2006 and now. Then I added my upcoming races... at the time 32.  Races of greater that 13.1 miles count, up to but NOT including full marathons... (the marathon maniacsclub tracks those). 


That is when I saw it.  The highest level of achievement a Half Fanatic can reach:
                  The ten moon level - THE SUN
How do you reach the sun? There are three ways:

          1. 52 Half Marathons or more within 365 days.

          2. 30 Half Marathons in 30 US states, Countries, or Canadian               Provinces (any combination) within 365 days.

          3. 20 Countries within 365 days.

I knew immediately If I did it, I would have to do #1. The travel required for #2 and #3 would be next to impossible for me in a year.... but 52??? That's, crazy.

But... I am already doing 40... what is 12 more?  The decision was made before I said it out loud... I was going to chase the sun. 

Knowing that there would undoubtedly be weekends that I could not run, especially getting into the warm summer months, doubles would be necessary. 
There are some great tools online to help with this.  My personal favorite is on the Running in the USA website.  Here you can search for races on your own by state or by weekend... for for those looking to do doubles, either for #s or for state count (very popular in the 50 states half marathon or marathon clubs), they actually have a "50 staters gadget", where you can search for races close together on the same weekend.

The most useful resource however, in my opinion, are good running friends. Those that understand and support this passion, those that have run a lot of races, and/or talk to others that do. Those people are all around, and I have met many of them in Facebook groups like Bling Hos and Running the World.  

My friend Jeff is one of these supporters and has been so helpful in helping me plot this journey. Sometimes he is the source of information, and sometimes the voice of reason: like telling me I would be disappointed doing the half in little rock when I saw the marathon for the full - so Instead we looked and found a good double this weekend. Good advice... but I will run Little Rock in 2015.... after my feet are firmly planted on the sun. 

So now the journey begins... as I sit here tonight, I have 3 weeks and three days. Time to get moving.