This time next week I will have completed my first full marathon! A marathon is 26.2 miles and this year 400,000 people will run a marathon in the USA! Here is an inside scoop on what the Disney Marathon next Sunday January 10, 2010 will look like:
The course starts on a road just outside of EPCOT. It continues around the front of EPCOT for over a mile before actually entering the park through (I believe) its main entrance. I’ll pass mile 2 in the shadow of that Giant golfball called Spaceship Earth…only there won’t be a shadow because it will be dark. I’ll pass mile three somewhere on that nebulous border between Future World and the World Showcase before heading out of the park. Mile 4 will look awfully familiar because it covers almost exactly the same ground as the first mile, only in a different lane of the divided road.Miles 5,6, and 7 are open road miles enroute from EPCOT to the Magic Kingdom. Mile 8 will take me around the Walt Disney World Speedway and through the Magic Kingdom parking lot. I’ll hit mile 9 in or near the transportation and ticket center. Then, it’s a run along Topiary Lane in the shadow (the sun will be up by now) of the monorail tracks along the shores of the seven seas lagoon. I’ll briefly run under the Seven Seas Lagoon and past the Contemporary resort before hitting the 10 mile mark. Mile 10 may be the most magical of the whole experience. The 10th mile winds across the front of the Magic Kingdom, into the park, down Main Street USA, through Tomorrowland and Fantasyland before turning left and proceeding right through Cinderella’s castle. It then moves through Liberty Square, past Adventureland and through Frontierland before exiting the park right at the 11 mile mark.Miles 11,12, and 13 will have me cruising past the Grand Floridean and Polynesian (my favorite) resorts. Halfway through, I’ll begin one of the toughest portions of the marathon. Miles 13-15 travel along a remote road that borders a golf course. Crowds are apparently quite light on this portion of the course and there’s the smell of a sewage plant to deal with. Mile 15 marks the entrance to the back side of the Animal Kingdom where I’ll run past some of the animal holding areas. By mile 16, I should be near Expedition Everest and in the guest areas of the park.Miles 16 and 17 traverse the Asia and Dinoland USA portions of the park before taking us out through the parking lot, past the main entrance, then to the 18 mile mark. I’m betting that miles 18-22 will be the toughest 4 miles of the marathon. The sun will be getting higher in the sky and there will be no shade on these open road miles. I’ll cover two overpasses - some of the only "hills" in this marathon.At the 22 mile mark, I’ll be close to entering the Disney/MGM studios theme park. At the 22 mile mark, I’ll be close to entering the Disney/MGM studios theme park. I’ll enter near the Tower of Terror, run along some backstage areas, and hit the 23 mile mark before running past the giant Sorcerer Mickey hat, straight down Hollywood Blvd and out the front of the park. From the front of the studios, I’ll be about a 5K away from the finish. I’ll hit a narrow pathway that runs along a canal to the Boardwalk resort. I’ll hit mile 24 just before the boardwalk. Then, I’ll continue left past the Swan, the Dolphin, the Yacht Club and the Beach Club resorts. After the Beach Club, I’ll head back into EPCOT once again, passing the 25 mile mark near France. I’ll pass Morocco, Japan, America, Germany, Italy, China, Norway, and Mexico before heading back into Future World. In the shadow of Spaceship Earth (it will definately be light out now), I’ll pass the 26 mile mark. With only 0.2 miles to go, I’ll try to straighten up for my photo op at the finish in the EPCOT parking lot.
It’s so easy typing it out. I think it will be a monster on the day of the race. With a little luck, I’ll finish!!!!
It’s so easy typing it out. I think it will be a monster on the day of the race. With a little luck, I’ll finish!!!!
Pictures and race details to come!!! Wish me luck!
