- Photo courtesy of runDisney
- It’s addicting. runDisney has turned me in to a girl who actually enjoys half marathons (I swore I’d never even run one) and even stranger … a girl who wears tutus and sparkly things while I run. Seriously – I used to kick people in the mouth for sport. How I got here, I’ll never know. That’s why I’m considering my wacky new hobby weird but wonderful thing number one. And, truly, I’m only ONE of about 100,000 other folks with this same powerful addiction. Folks go nuts over runDisney races, and deservedly so. Team runDisney brings the fun like nobody else. It’s not a surprise for races which accommodate 20,000 runners sell out in 24 hours.
Snow White Man
Fitzness.com - Men in tutus and princess gowns. It’s hilariously funny and good entertainment, but I’m positive that I will NEVER get used to it. I do love that thousands of men are so supportive of their women that they’re willing to go this extra step though. Check out the dude above. What’s YOUR take on that? (FYI. He’s wearing a Sparkle Skirt. Get yours here.)
Fitz has got a friend in … Jessie (Taryn Buckley) Note: sparkly scratchy tutu
Fitzness.com - There are no strangers. I often run these races alone. I show up alone, and drive away alone. But in between – I make oodles and oodles of friends! For example. At 4:15am on Sunday morning (before the Princess Half) I grabbed a bagel in the Race Retreat. Since all the tables were taken, I asked a woman sitting alone if I could join her. We hit it off instantly, ended up walking to our Corral together and chatted it up for a good hour. Melissa and I were grateful to have someone to share the time with and I was elated to receive a Facebook friend request from her after the race. At mile two of the half, I randomly started chatting with Rachel who was running next to me. Her pleasant company distracted me from my knee pain, and being with me was helping her run faster. We completed the next 11.1 miles together, supporting each other the entire way. It was an absolute blast. runDisney makes people sweeter and friendlier than usual. If you’re afraid to go alone, you shouldn’t be. Friends are literally everywhere.
- The crowds are bacon-obsessed! During Saturday’s Enchanted 10K, things took a turn for the silly around mile four. We were running up to enter EPCOT Center through the back side of World Showcase around 6:30 am when all of a sudden – everyone smelled bacon. You would have thought I was running in a pack of burly linebackers by the way this group started moaning and wailing for that greasy pig fat. What the hell? We were RUNNERS! But the amazing odor wafting through the streets was just too much to bear. Honestly, I haven’t eaten pork of any kind in over 20 years, but I also really wanted bacon.
- Burping at mile 5. I’ve worked in the fitness industry for over two decades and I have absolutely no ability to explain what happened at mile five. Two days in a row. During the Enchanted 10K it all began somewhere in EPCOT when one petite blond 50-something lady let out a really loud burp. Shocked, I turned around to see what/who made that crazy sound. She blushed big time and we shared a giggle. But then … things went nuts. I felt like I was in that scene from Willy Wonka when Charlie and his uncle had to burp their way down from the ceiling. Dozens of burps sounded off around me like alarms! I had considered joining in for just a brief moment, but then I remembered that … I don’t do that. During the Princess half marathon on Sunday, I didn’t receive the same bold showing as I did on Saturday, but there were two really obvious burps five miles in that made me raise my eyebrow. What is it about mile five anyway? An involuntary response to the smell of bacon, perhaps?
Fitzness.com
- Princesses come in all shapes, sizes, ages, colors and genders. I do believe that the absolute most wonderful thing about runDisney is that it draws such a diverse crowd. Think about it. The folks running the Boston Marathon? They seem intense. The folks running runDisney races? They’re mostly just out for a good time. I’d guesstimate that no more than five percent of the participants actually “look” like runners. Everyone else just looks like everyone else. Some are big, some are small, some are super young, some or super old. You’d be SHOCKED to see some of the people crossing those finish lines. More importantly, you’d be INSPIRED! Read this article on the last few thousand people who cross the finish line. You’ll understand.
- Mass organization. I’ve had fairly intimate access to the crew running the show at these mega-races for several years. I still have no idea how they pull it all off with such ease. No other race has so much going on, so many options for participants and fans, and so much entertainment throughout the race. From the race director, parking attendants, massage tents, musicians, photographers, medical staff, security, voluntEARs, race announcers, PR team and more … it’s a seamless operation. I tip my hat to them all.
Complete Medal Whore
Fitzness.com - Hard-core hardware. They call us medal whores. Classy, I know. But Disney knows how to incentivize runners like no one else. Sure, you could just run ONE race, but then you’ll only get ONE medal. (How lame.) If you run both the 10k and the half, then you get an extra medal for completing what they call “The Glass Slipper Challenge”. If you run a half marathon in Disneyland and one at Disney World within the same calendar year, you’ll earn the “Coast to Coast” medal. I’m Fitz Koehler … and I’m a medal whore. Since I ran the Tinker Bell Half Marathon in California a few weeks ago, I left the Princess weekend with FOUR flashy medals clanging on my chest. Is it weird or wonderful that thousands of adults are willing to run extra races for the hardware? It’s probably a little of both, but I’m going to go with wonderful – because I’m all for extra exercise. What’s wrong with that? Wanna know what’s REALLY weird? Check out the Dopey Challenge (cray-cray).
Photo Credit: runDisney
- Proposals. Tons of men play Prince Charming, get down on one knee and pop the question. They do it at the start line, at the finish line and often … somewhere in between. Not weird at all.
Photo Credit: runDisney
- San-FAN-tastic signs. I love these people. Most of them have come to cheer for their personal friends or family members, but really … they cheer for us all. I always say that I only run these half marathons because runDisney keeps me entertained and distracted the whole way. But! I really should be giving major credit to the fans and voluntEARs who line the streets. They hoot, holler, shake cowbells (who doesn’t love a good cowbell?) and create/wave incredible signs. They’re always good for a laugh or a smile along the way, and sometimes I actually do get the feeling they are really there just for me.
Whether you’re a walker or a runner, old, young, tall, short, black, green, purple or other … I encourage you to visit runDisney.com, check out the race options and register. Start small, start big or jump in to the Dopey Challenge. Have a little faith. runDisney will get you through it!
