2019 WDW Marathon Weekend: Spectating the Half Marathon

For 2019, Matthew and I each chose one race to run during the weekend. I chose the full, he chose the half. So a few Saturdays ago, we woke up at o'dark thirty and headed to Epcot for the start of the 2019 WDW Half Marathon. 

Three Dopeys, a Donald, and a Mickey.

We met up at the usual spot with our ohana (Jeff, Katherine, and Nathan) who were all doing the Dopey Challenge- in fact, they are all PERFECT FREAKING DOPEYS! How amazing are they?

After we chatted for a while and planned where I would see everybody on the course, the runners headed back to the corrals and I headed for the monorail... with a quick pit stop for a coffee and a breakfast sandwich on the way. 😉

Thank you, runDisney, for having quick service meals available at the start. 👊

I walked towards the front of the park and got on the monorail for the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC). This way, I would be able to see Matthew at mile 3.9 and then jump on the monorail to the Grand Floridian and see him again at mile 7.2. 

When I got to the TTC, it was pretty empty and I was able to pick out my spot at the very end of the TTC, right as the runners are leaving and headed back onto the highway. I started chatting with a very nice young man [oh God, does that make me an old lady now?!] who is a sophomore at UCF. His mom and sister-in-law were running the half so we made casual conversation for about 30 minutes before the first runners came through. I didn't catch his name but I did catch a picture of his awesome sign:

Matthew was running with his phone so we had been communicating during the start and the first few miles. He texted me when he was at mile 3 so I knew when to start looking for him. While I waited for him, I got to see Nathan and Katharine and our friend, Justin.

Just a casual hello during a half marathon. Hey, Justin. 😉 

To answer your question, yes, I am available as a race photographer. 😜 Nathan and Katherine kicking ass.

I had a supply of clementines, beef jerky, and crackers available for Matthew and at mile 3.9, he was requesting clementines. So I peeled a baby orange and got it ready for him as he headed towards me with Jeff- they were running the half together. 

What some people will do for a free piece of fruit. Ha!

Can you tell how humid it was?!

After seeing my guys and making sure they were ok, I headed back to the monorail to get to the Grand Floridian. The race route goes right past the Grand Floridian Convention Center so it's very easy to get from where the monorail lets you out to the race course. 

While I rode the monorail, Jeff and Matthew stormed the castle.

Matthew texted me at mile 7 so I knew to when to start looking for him. I had more oranges ready for him as he was just about halfway to the finish.

Have cowbell, will spectate.

There they are!

My sweaty guys. 💜

After seeing them off, I headed back to the monorail to get to Epcot to meet them somewhere between miles 11 and 12. We didn't have a defined meeting spot because I wasn't sure exactly where I'd be able to get to by the time I got back to the park. 

On the monorail, it was very cool to see the sunrise over the Grand Floridian and then see the runners on the highways around Walt Disney World. Having never spectated the half before, it was a pretty awesome experience to watch the race from above. 

Pretty.

That sun is hotter than it looks.

Hi, runners! 👋

When I got to Epcot, I headed over to the park exit near where the buses park. I texted Matthew to let him know where I was. I had gotten there just in time to see him one last time before the finish.

Almost done!

After seeing him start his victory lap of the park, I headed over to the family reunion area near the finish. We had a predetermined meeting place right outside of bag check. When I got there Nathan and Katherine were already waiting and together we waited for Jeff and Matthew. 

Almost to Future World.

Close to mile 13!

Finishers!

Finally, we saw Matthew and Jeff come through bag check and got to congratulate our finishers! After sitting for a while, we headed into Epcot to enjoy a lap around World Showcase before going back to our resort to rest. 

This guy.

Happy finishers.

So proud of my finisher.

While we were in Epcot, the race was actually still going on, so we got to cheer on the last finishers. We also stopped at Starbucks and ran into these two guys, still running, who took a break to grab a frappuccino on their way to the finish. 😂

"I'm going to hang by the bar. Put out the vibe."

And in true Disney wall fashion, Matthew took a picture with the infamous bubblegum wall. 😏

So trendy.

All in all, it was a successful day of running and spectating. Watching other people run sounds like the most boring thing in the world, but it is actually really inspiring. Watching Matthew complete his half marathon made me so proud- he's a freaking rock star. 

So proud. 💙

With the half marathon complete, Matthew and I packed our bags for the marathon and tried to get some rest. We had another long day of running and spectating in front of us! 

Flat runner for the full marathon.

Have you ever spectated a Disney race? 

Race Recap & Review: Spectating the Inaugural Pop Art Half Marathon

Disney magic. I say that phrase all the time, usually about some new ride or experience or character interaction that Disney comes up with that fills me with a sense of joy and wonder similar to my fondest childhood memories.

But the "real" Disney magic, the stuff that makes me actually believe there is good in the world, lies within people. 

Let's rewind a few weeks...

After the Walt Disney World 10k and the Cigna Blogger Event on Friday, January 6th, Matthew and I hit up the expo to pick up my packet for the marathon and browse all the fun vendors. Then we headed back to our hotel, Pop Century, to get packed up and ready to go for the half marathon the next day. I had pre-packaged a ton of Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, and Gummi Bears and planned to hand them out around mile seven of the half marathon. 

As Matthew was laying out his race gear and I was packing the backpack full of spectator goodies, we saw a notification on facebook; the 20th anniversary Walt Disney World Half Marathon and the Kid's Races were being cancelled due to lightening. Shock, disappointment, and eventual confusion set in- what would happen for Dopey/Goofy runners? Would there be any type of refund or deferral option? Would the weather actually be crappy on Saturday morning?

Turns out, runDisney did a fabulous job communicating all the important information that runners needed: Half/Goofy/Dopey runners would have deferral and/or refund options, Goofy/Dopey runners would get their medals after the full, and Half Marathoners/Kid's Racers would be able to pick up medals at the expo on Saturday. 

So while it was incredibly disappointing, the communication from runDisney was superb and we were grateful for them keeping 30,000+ runners and spectators in the loop. Once we knew the race was off, and we could sleep in a little, we walked over to Art of Animation and played "Exploding Kittens" with our friends Nathan, Jim, and Jim's mom for a while. Matthew already knew he wanted to run his own half the next day depending on the weather, so we didn't stay out too late. 

So...the #wdwhalf is cancelled for tomorrow. What am I going to do with all this candy I planned to give out at mile 7?! 😂😂😂

A photo posted by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Jan 6, 2017 at 6:20pm PST

The next morning, Matthew woke up around six and checked the weather- it was pouring down rain and lightening like crazy. Looked like runDisney made the right call. At 7:30, it was just raining a little bit, so Matthew and I got up and headed our separate ways- he was going to run around the path between Pop Century and Art of Animation (about a mile and a half loop) and I was headed to grab coffee and then go down to the bridge that connected the two resorts to cheer and give out my candy.

Glad I invested in these ponchos!

I had my clapper, cow bell, race sign, pre-packaged candy, and a bag of pretzels. I could hear people cheering from the lobby/cafeteria area, so I hustled out to the bridge to see how many people were out running. Nathan had texted and he was going to meet me.

I don't think Matthew and I were prepared for what we saw: so many people were out running and cheering- it was awesome!

Quickly, I set up my sign and candy and started cheering for runners, basically yelling, "snacks, get your candy and snacks here!"  Nathan joined me and brought some bottles of water, powerade, and the cups from his room. Somehow, a little aid station just popped up 😊

The beginning.

It's growing...

Then, a man came up to me and gave me some bananas. Then someone brought over extra gels. Then a dude gave me a bottle of water and said, "I'll donate to the cause." Then two other spectators brought over a bench and we had a serious aid station.

Now it's looking legitimate.

Jim and Charlotte (Jim's mom) joined us and started filling cups of water and powerade and passing them out to runners. Nathan worked on getting us paper cups donated from the cafeteria and I was standing on the corner yelling to runners, "Water, powerade, snacks, on your right!"

Panoramic view of the official aid station of the unofficial Pop Art Half Marathon.

We became quite the team and were having a total blast! We were working efficiently and quickly, making sure runners were fed and their thirst was quenched. Because most folks were running loops, we were able to cheer for multiple people more than once- we even created fun nicknames for some of the runners: "epic beard man," "tall guys," "green shoes," "sparkle ladies," etc. Seriously, it was so much fun. I got to see several friends (including Linzie from Sharp Endurance) and got to see Matthew quite a few times.

Go, Sharpie, go!

Jim's wife, Kellee, and their two-year-old son, Trent, came out to help us and Trent brought his Stitch costume. Suddenly, we had a character stop! At one point, there were probably 10 runners in line to get a picture with "baby Stitch." A young man who had been cheering near us came up to me and handed me a "I'm Celebrating!"  Disney pin with "candy from a stranger" written on it. I choked back tears and hugged him. It was such a cool moment. He explained that his mom had uploaded some videos of us to the Team runDisney facebook group and they'd gotten thousands of likes. Humbling to say the least.

Baby Stitch is my new hero.

Nathan went back and forth to the dining halls at both resorts several times to get more cups donated and to buy more powerade and water- he must have spent hundreds of dollars to keep our runners from getting too thirsty! Folks kept donating food to us- lifesavers, apples, applesauce, chips, even left-overs from runDisney runner boxes! A guy in a Team runDisney shirt approached me with a case of water and said he saw us on facebook and drove over to give us more water. He ended up being Matt Marcella, the founder of Team runDisney (!!!). So, we chatted, got a selfie (obviously), and then he hung out cheering for the runners and getting some live video of the unofficial half marathon.

I meet the coolest people on the internet.

Matthew finished his half (because he's a damn rock star!) and then came out to help us at the aid station. I made him a medal by fashioning a luggage tag (it was in the shape of the actual medal) to a piece of string from a runDisney gear check bag. Jim grabbed his portable speaker and then we had music to keep our energy levels up. It was glorious; especially because it starting raining and getting super windy.

Finisher of the Inaugural Pop Art Half Marathon. Proud. ❤❤❤

A photo posted by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Jan 7, 2017 at 8:43am PST

All of our donated snacks!

People helping people- beautiful.

Jammin in the rain.

Finally, after we'd used up all of our donated cups and gone through all the water and powerade, we called it quits around 1:30 pm. Most of the runners had finished and we were all pretty exhausted. We decided to leave the remaining food out on a bench in case anyone needed it and then went our separate ways to get ready for the full marathon the next day. I grabbed a beer and a cheeseburger from the dining hall to take back to the room and then ate like I ran a half marathon 😂

Earned.

I don't think I'll be able accurately describe the magic of that day and that event. It filled my heart with so much love to see all the runners, determined to get their miles in; the spectators, cheering their hearts out in the rain; and all the people who donated and helped staff our aid station. Pure Disney magic.

With all that's going on in the world, this day reminded me that people are inherently good and by taking care of each other, just look at what we can accomplish- together. 💗

So even though this was the "half that wasn't," it will go down in history as my favorite race of all time. All because Disney magic exists- in the hearts of each of us.

2015 WDW Marathon Weekend Recap: Part III

Recap Part I

Recap Part II

After getting a good rest on Friday night, Matthew and I woke up at 2:30 on Saturday morning to head to the half marathon. We were on one of the first buses over to Epcot; Matthew had all his gear, I was equipped with multiple spectator signs and my winter coat. Yes, it was another freezing and windy morning in central Florida.

After meeting up with our peeps- and getting to see Matt aka Hokeyboy and his wife Kim- Matthew and I said our goodbyes as he headed back to the corrals. Luckily, I've spectated races at Disney before so I knew roughly when I needed to head over to the monorail to get a good spot at the Magic Kingdom. One of the benefits of not running this race was that I was able to see all of my running friends- those that came early and those that were rushing in at the last minute. I was so happy to finally meet Kathleen and Lee in person- we've been twitter friends for a long time and I've loved following both of their journeys to Dopey. I also got to meet Natalie and Jimmy, quite possibly the most good-looking and sweetest couple I've ever met. Seriously- they're awesome. And we met up with Andrea- whom I first met in-person last year on marathon morning, on the bus to the race start. Heather and her crazy awesome mother were there too- we have the best friends around.

My camera sucked all weekend until I figured out how to balance out the whiteness. My bad.

Me, Hokeyboy, Matthew, Kim, and Coach Jeff. Thanks to Matt for this picture.

Around five, I headed toward the monorail. The first corral would start at 5:30 and the first runner would get to MK around six. The wheelchairs would be there within 15 minutes of the start. So I knew I had to hustle if I wanted a good spot.

Back in the day, before I was a distance runner, I would watch Matthew run these races at Disney. In case you didn't know, I'm a professional spectator :-) I have a spot in MK, just before the runners take a right and turn into Tommorowland, that is just perfect for spectating. Here's why: they block off only half of Main Street, USA for the runners which means that it is incredibly congested during that part. However, when they are about to turn into Tomorrowland, the path widens and swings out to the left, just in front  of the castle. That way, I'm sure to be seen and runners can safely hug the left side and come over to say hi to me without impeding the flow of traffic. But you've got to be there early and you've got to be ready to claim your spot.

Big shout out to Mandy for grabbing this great shot!

Also, I photobombed about a thousand people's selfies. Including these fine folks. Everyone wants the castle shot :-)

A quick ride on the monorail and I was in MK. As I entered the park, I was moved to tears. Full on, sobbing tears. It was beautiful. Seeing the castle lit up, with the huge Christmas tree in the foreground- it was just emotional. I think part of it was sadness that I wasn't able to run. It is still tough watching from the sidelines, longing to be part of the race.

Breathtaking, right?

Anyway, I found my spot and quickly got my signs ready. I was tracking multiple friends so I would be ready when they were close to me. I was also texting with Lauren, who was spectating from her resort around mile seven. I missed Coach Jeff and Patrick but did get a quick shot of Nathan as he flew by. I was able to see my friend Donna (who I first met through Instagram and then in person at the Divas VA Race), Mandy (twitter friend who I met in person at the Runner's World Half), Carlee, Krissy, and Megan (all twitter/IG peeps) and I even saw Bart Yasso! I yelled for him and he waved! I'm pretty sure this means we are BFFs now.

As I was cheering, I looked over and there was Kim, Matt's (Hokeyboy) wife! She is probably my spectating idol- she takes phenomenal pictures and captures such cool moments. We chatted for a few minutes and then Matthew texted that he was on his way. He looked GREAT at mile five! We chatted for a minute, I got a few pictures, and then I sent him on his way. I had some time- I was expecting him to run a 2:30- so I stayed for a while and cheered for more runners. Then I meandered down Main Street and back to the monorail to Epcot so I could see Matthew finish.

Seriously?! How awesome are these pictures?! Kim is AMAZING! Thank you, Kim!

So happy to see my runner!

As I'm getting off the monorail, Matthew called me- he was at mile 13 already! Natalie and Jimmy had caught up to him at mile eight and paced him to the finish. I was so upset- there was no way I'd make it in time to see him finish. And the winner for the worst girlfriend/spectator of the year goes to... Ugh.

Luckily, Matthew was totally cool with it and met me right outside the bag check area. He had actually finished somewhere around 2:16, a full 15 minutes before I was expecting him! He flew through those last few miles! As we were grabbing some pictures and talking about how he totally ROCKED the half, our friend Justin spotted us and said hello. I cannot express how much we love runDisney events for this reason; we are surrounded by so many friends and so much love.

Finisher selfie with Natalie and Jimmy!

Halfway through his fifth Goofy Challenge.

We headed back to the resort to get cleaned up and relax. While walking around our hotel, we randomly bumped into fellow Enell Ambassador Julie from Run, Walk, Fastpass, Repeat. She was running her first marathon the next day so we had a quick pep talk and a quick picture :-) Dad and Margie headed out to Downtown Disney and Matthew and I took a short nap. I decided to head back to the expo and meet Coach Jeff there. Matthew napped some more :-)

Team Enell in full force.

At the expo, Jeff and I walked around, got our feet taped up at the KT Tape booth and ran into Lauren and her husband Mark! We chatted for a while and made plans to meet up the next morning for the marathon. I also bought a great running jacket at One More Mile and got another picture with Jeff Galloway- I just can't resist talking to him when I can; he's such a cool guy.

Jeff! Sidenote, only at a race expo is it appropriate for me to dress like that.

We left the expo and headed back to our separate resorts. The Ravens game was on at 4:30 and I wanted to make sure I got back in plenty of time to watch it. After laying in the sun with Matthew for a bit when I got back (it FINALLY warmed up!), we went to our room to get ready for the next day and watch the game with Dad and Margie. At halftime, we ran over to the dining hall and grabbed food to go so we could keep watching football. After a frustrating loss, we quickly turned off the tv and started chatting about the next morning. We also showed my dad a slideshow that we made with running pictures and video "good luck" messages from the rest of our family. It was cool. I might have cried. Just a little ;-)

We climbed into bed around nine, nervous with energy for what the next day would hold for Matthew and my Dad. My 58 year old dad was about to be a marathoner. And Matthew was about to be an 8-time marathoner. I was so excited, it took a long time for me to finally fall asleep. I just couldn't wait to see all the Disney magic that would unfold the next day.