Today, registration opened for the 2013 Walt Disney World marathon weekend – and I signed up for the goofiest race available. Goofy’s Race-and-a-half challenge involves running the half-marathon on Saturday… and the full marathon Sunday! sigh…
Disney World is very special to me: it’s the site of my very first full marathon, back in January of 2009. I made the trip with my whole family, who all participated in the races for big personal “firsts.” (Even Mom, with her first time spectating at back-to-back endurance events!) The race is terrific, and takes runners through all the theme parks, packed with characters, music, and fun. It also has some challenging bits: specifically, the miles in between the parks devoid of much other than flat asphalt and quiet – which I think is good for any marathon course.
WDW is also one of the toughest places to run one’s first full marathon, because with the Goofy challenge in the lineup, it’s one of the few places where you might be asked if you ran “just the full” marathon! I will see that that sentiment is put to bed this time.
Training for Disney will be interesting because the mid-January race is really too late to be at the end of the 2012 Wisconsin racing season, and too early for the 2013 season. I have a copy here of Jeff Galloway’s Goofy training plan, which I hope to dovetail into the later part of my 2012 racing season, which includes the Austin half-Iron tri in late October. It’s important to look at a racing season as a whole: there will most certainly be a need for breaks in the action.
Come join us! Take on the Goofy Challenge yourself! Registration is open at http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/rundisney/wdw-marathon/
