Mara had graciously agreed to get up early and drive me over to the starting line area so I could sleep in. Despite the fact that I woke up several times during the night I felt pretty good when I woke up at 4:15 to get ready for the race. I was planning to wear a Dopey hat and ears for this final race. Unfortunately the weather was going to be a lot warmer after the sun came up. I decided to ditch that plan and just run with my 48.6 headband. I was still in a shirt and shorts that matched Dopey’s clothing colors. I figure that was good enough.
Mara got to the Swan at 4:45 am and we headed over to Epcot. The traffic wasn’t too bad at all. She pulled up and let me out. We planned to meet at the finish line. I started the long walk over to the starting line corrals. Again I was going to be in Corral H which was the very last one. This didn’t help my nerves at all. When I finally got into the corral at about 5:15 am, I pushed my way as far up as I could so I would be in the very back. I knew to get going at my cadence of 2 miles of running to 2/10 of a mile walk break, I was going to have to weave in and out of a lot of walkers.
As expected the race started right on time. I simply sat there on the ground listening to my Grateful Dead Podcast and waited. Finally at 6:00 am a guy nudged me and said we were moving. So I got up and started to slowly walk towards the starting line. It was really crowded in the corral. We finally pushed our way to the front and at 6:13 am the gun went off and I was finally “running”. Now it was going to be mind over matter for the next several hours.I ran the first 2 miles dodging all of the people who were walking from the very beginning of the race. As I approached the 1.5 mile mark, I noticed that Captain Hook was there for a meet and greet. How could I pass up that opportunity. The line was short since I was in the last corral. After getting a great photo I took off again. When the 2 mile mark came up, I decided to run another mile since I had a brief rest when I met Captain Hook. As I ran the 3rd mile, I took the chance to meet Star-Lord as well. Surprisingly I was easily averaging a 10 minute pace. I knew I would slow down as the race went on but my nerves were starting to subside.
Since I was feeling good, I kept up with my run/walk program. I ran through the Magic Kingdom parking lot along the same path as the Half Marathon. I passed the Contemporary Hotel while passing many runners and walkers. At this point it dawned on me that running a race with no pressure to hit a certain time goal was allowing me to just enjoy the experience. We made the turn into the crowds outside the Magic Kingdom’s entrance and then into the park. The sun was finally up and there were a ton of spectators along Main Street cheering us on. That was a great motivator.The marathon route is exactly the same as the half marathon route through the Magic Kingdom. I enjoyed running through the castle again. The crowds were much bigger this time. After passing by Splash Mountain the course takes you out through a back stage area. As I made it into this area, I saw that they had four of the villains next to a parade float. I decided to stop and get my picture taken. I met Jafar, the Evil Queen (again), Dr. Facilier and Judge Claude Frollo. The line was pretty long but it was worth it. I took off again and exited the park onto Floridian Way.
I took another short walk break. I remembered this part of the route from the half marathon. It is not too exciting. I saw more characters along the way but just wanted to keep going. The temperatures were starting to rise and the sun was beating down on us. Though it wasn’t too hot, I didn’t want to run so slow that I would still be out there when it was in the 70s. I passed mile 10 on Bear Island Road and noticed that over the last 3 miles I had been averaging about 9:45 per mile. The course is very flat so it is easy to feel like you are not running too hard when in fact you are cruising at a pretty good pace.
Just past mile 10 the course takes a turn to the west onto Western Way. I did not recall this part of the route from my study of the course. This part of the race basically takes you out a mile and then you turn back east and run the same route back. It is a 2 mile stretch of nothing to see but other runners on the opposite side of the road. I just locked in and focused on getting to the half way mark to see how I was doing for time.
I finally made it back to Bear Island Road and turned right to head towards Animal Kingdom. This was the part of the course I was looking forward to as it is my favorite park. It also happens to be where Mara works. There were some really cool sights along the path to get to the backstage area. You can see the Nautilus, a Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride Car and a Snow White Ride car. Once I turned into the back stage area onto Conservation Road, I met a couple of small donkeys. One had a shirt on that said, “0 horse power.” The other had his picture taken with me.
half way mark. I looked down at my watch and saw I was at 2:26:51. At that moment all of the pressure and nerves fell away. I knew I could finish this race and not get swept up. As I entered the park there was Timon all by himself. I gave him a hug and had my picture taken with him. I was feeling so excited to be running through the park that I ran the 14th mile right at a 9 minute pace.
The exit from Animal Kingdom takes you out behind Dinosaur (the ride) and around the park’s parking lot. Then onto Osceola Parkway for miles 15 through 17. I was starting to get heated up a bit. This part of the course is not very exciting either as there is a lot of road construction on the street. I did get a chance to get my picture with Pluto who was just hanging out on the side of the road. As I passed mile 17, I saw the turn that would take us up a hill to ESPN World 
of Sports.The hill was surprisingly easy for me. I guess that the hills I run in my neighborhood here in Scottsdale had me well prepared. At mile 18 I finally turned into the ESPN sports complex. As we entered the area, they had put out some kiddie pools with wet sponges floating in them. I grabbed one and washed my face and neck. The cool water really helped rejuvenate me. The only problem with this part of the course is that the pathways through the complex are very narrow. I had a hard time keeping up a good running pace.
As I was approaching the turn that would take me to the baseball complex where the Atlanta Braves play their spring training games, I saw a pace group in front of me. When I reached them I saw that it was the Jeff Galloway 5:30 pace group. Since I couldn’t get up to any speed despite the fact that I was feeling really good at mile 19, I hung with them. They were running a 3 minute run and 1 minute walk cadence. It was nice to just take it easy in this very crowded part of the course. When we left the baseball field, we were finally out of the narrowest part and heading back to Victory Way which would be the final exit from ESPN.I finally made it out of ESPN and onto Victory Way and started heading north again. The road was much wider and I could spread out. I stayed with the Galloway pace team until I passed the 21 mile marker. I looked at my watch and saw that I was at 3:51:00 with only 5.2 miles to go. I felt I could potentially come in under 5 hours but didn’t want to press it. Besides I didn’t know what characters I might want to stop and say hello to along the way.
The next mile took me north on World Drive and another hill at an off ramp. As I got to the top of the hill, I made the turn onto Buena Vista Dr. I was finally going to get into Hollywood Studios. As I was approaching the back stage area and mile 23, I saw the Incredibles. I had to stop and pose with them since I was having an incredible race.After a short wait, I got my picture and started to run again. At this point I was mostly running just on the adrenaline. The crowds were huge and their cheering really gave me a boost as I ran down Hollywood Boulevard and
out the front gate.
I then crossed under Buena Vista Drive and the course took me along the water front between the Swan Hotel and the Boardwalk. I passed mile 24 and was running really well. I was at 4:25:24 and having a blast. The crowd along the Boardwalk was not as big as I thought. I guess it was because it was getting late in the race. I ran around the board walk and got to the bridge that would take me back into Epcot Center. I had less than 2 miles to go. All I could think about was that I was going to finish and with a huge smile on my face!As I entered the park, there were people along the route with chocolate candy. I grabbed a couple and munched them down. They tasted so good. I passed the 25 mile marker and found a great spot to take a selfie with Spaceship Earth. At this point, I didn’t care about time. I was feeling strong and excited and proud all at the same time. I rounded the Word Showcase getting cheers of encouragement from the spectators and made my way to Spaceship Earth and the last part of the race.
When I got to Spaceship Earth, I decided to stop and have the professional photographer take my picture. I wanted a record of how I looked after completing over 47 miles of running over the last 4 days. I gave her a big thumbs up and then turned around and headed towards the finish line.
I am not sure I can adequately describe the feeling as I rounded the corner and could see the finish line. Sure I had crossed it 3 times so far but this time was going to be special. I ran hard the last 2/10 of a mile and as I was approaching the finish line, I started to yell incoherently. I had trained hard over the 16 weeks prior to race day. I had put in the time and I was reaching my goal. I was crossing the finish line with a huge grin and injury free. What a feeling of accomplishment!
I finished the race in 5:04:45. I could have come in under 5 hours - but why. It was never about the time on the clock. It was really all about the physical and mental challenge. I know that 4,674 people completed the Dopey Challenge this year. Yet it takes nothing away from my feeling of accomplishment. I am obviously not alone in taking on the challenge and ultimately conquering it. However, the medals were spectacular. Because I finished the Dopey Challenge I traveled home with 6 amazing medals – one for each of the four races plus the medal for the Goofy Challenge and one for completing Dopey. All I can say is that Dopey was an AMAZING experience and I am glad I signed up for it and was able to race part of it with my daughter. It is a weekend I will never forget. If you are a long time runner and want a challenge, I hope you too have the chance to run it.
Feb 4 – 4.10 miles (44:50, 9:08 pace)
Feb 5 – 6.30 miles (54:49, 8:42 pace) – Speed Work
Feb 7 – 7.30 miles (1:04:40, 8:52 pace) – Tempo Run
Feb 9 – 13.18 miles (2:28:19, 11:15 pace) – Sprouts Mesa-PHX Half Marathon
Total Miles: 30.88 miles
2019 Total Miles: 206.72 miles
1 comment:
Very proud of your accomplishment and that you truly enjoyed the experience. You and Mara had a great long weekend together that you can talk about for years.
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