By: Laurie Olivieri
It
is exciting, fun, thrilling and all the races are very early! The
Disneyland half marathon (13.1 miles) started at 5:30 am on August 31st.
It was my very first Disneyland Race. I had run the Princess HalfM arathon in February in Walt Disney World and thus qualified to receive
my very first coast to coast medal!
I
was bib #8606 and in corral I. That was not the last corral..I am not a
fast runner..I am more a molasses type of runner with lots of
determination to finish! As long as one maintains pretty close to a 16
minute mile average and stays ahead of the "Balloon Ladies", you will be
allowed to finish!
I
run for the WDW Radio Make A
Wish Team. I love the support I have received and also the friends I
have made. Along the 13.1 miles, I heard Go Blue! Yeah WDW Radio! a
couple times. It is so encouraging.
We
ran through California Adventure..it was my first time seeing Carsland
in person. I got all choked up! We ran into Disneyland! Through the
Castle! Where Walt once walked! Yep, got choked up again.
I
was struggling..It was hot to me! I am an early morning runner - less
than 60 degrees is fine with me. It had started creeping past that and I
was not having the happiest of moments with about 2 miles left to go.
I was still maintaining my run/walk/run of 3 to 1..run 3 minutes, walk
one minute, etc.
Then I saw the pigtails of someone I
knew. Julie - an online friend. We belonged to the same workout group
online and a couple other groups. I said hello, we chatted and then my
timer went off. I went to run again and noticed she was limping. She
had lots of blisters on her feet and she just wanted to finish! I
decided to walk it with her! I have met many of my Disney friends in
person and decided this was perhaps the best way to celebrate our Disney
friendship.
We talked and walked and we finished together!
"Yeah Laurie !!!! I got all teary,, I think that it probably my most favorite part about DL, knowing that you are walking where Walt walked !! It gets me Every. Time. Great article!!!"
ReplyDelete" I ran all 3 races, saw Carsland before AND still choked up. Running thru that castle felt SO different than Princess. Perhaps the obstacles I overcame to get there and the fact it was Walt's creation!! Awesome article!!"
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