Check out Andrew's Special Report on the Walt Disney World MarathonP.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon was made complete with Smash Mouth in concert, lots of tunes along the course and several KAR finishes. Natalie Dale has emerged as KAR’s ladies marathon machine by cranking out another 26.2 in 4:37:24. Watch out Bob Smola, Todd Raab, and Fred Colbert, here she comes! Sherrie Mann and Cindy Owen teamed up for a synchronized 3:53:32 finish and Bob Poznanski finished with a strong 3:41:49 finish. Congratulations to all our P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona finishers.
We bring you this special report on the Walt Disney World Marathon from Andrew Vidor! Thanks for sharing Andrew!
We bring you this special report on the Walt Disney World Marathon from Andrew Vidor! Thanks for sharing Andrew!
Walt Disney World Marathon Race Report
January 11, 2009
Race Preparation
2008 was a busy race year for me with three peak races in a five month period and other various short distance road races and triathlons in between. Glass City Marathon (3:35) in April; Steelhead Ironman 70.3 (4:39) in August; and Grand Rapids Marathon (3:43) in October. Coming off a big race season left me with a significant base, a bit of fatigue and hopes for another PR.
Running and training for a 26.2 mile race in January always has its challenges living in Michigan. The snow and cold always makes it difficult to get in those quality runs and speed work. Fortunately we had dry roads once in a while and the dreaded treadmill to fall back on. I’ve learned to “tolerate” the treadmill this winter in preparation for Disney.Mandy and I arrived in Orlando late Saturday afternoon and made our way to Disney’s Wide World of Sports after dropping our luggage off at the hotel. Bus transportation throughout Disney made getting around extremely easy since we didn’t rent a car.
After picking up our race packages we wandered around the Expo for a while. Your typical expo with lots of training and racing attire and plenty of Marathon Weekend specific merchandise. We headed back to the hotel and had a light dinner at 4 pm followed by bed time at 8 pm. We were wide awake at 2:00 am so we could begin making our way to the race site. Yes, 2:00 am, some of you were still out on the town in various parts of the country. We took a cab to the resort we were going to stay at for a few days and boarded a bus shortly after 3 am. We arrived at the staging area/gear check to find a band playing 80’s and big band swing music. Time for final mental preparation and relaxation as not to waste much energy with all the hype. 5:00 am and time to make our way to the race start.
With nearly 13,000 runners we were sectioned off into corals. Mandy and I were both in Coral A which was associated with prior marathon finish times. Temperatures at race start hovered in the mid 50’s which was great for a throwaway, shorts, race singlet and light gloves. A quick good morning from Mickey and the Gang was followed by fireworks and a 5:50 am start. We were off… Since Mandyand I were both in Coral A we didn’t have to challenge the masses of people in corals farther back. We were across the start line in less than 30 seconds where Coral H takes about 15 minutes to cross the start line.
The Course
Since Florida’s largest elevation change is the Tower of Terror is a flat course and fast. The two largest hills included running up an over pass. We passed through four parks including Epcot; around Tomorrowland and through Cinderella’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom; past Expedition Everest in Disney’s Animal Kingdom; near Disney’s Wide World of Sports; in and around Disney’s Hollywood Studios; along the river and finally finishing back at Epcot. While not in the parks we usedthe resorts roadway system to log the extra miles. With lots to see in the parks it kept your mind off racing for short durations of time.
Aid stations were spaced every few miles with plenty of hydration. I’m glad I carried my own supplements as Cliff Products were only distributed at mile 16. There were also numerous medical stations that supplied medical staff, BioFreeze and chafing cream. I’m assuming there were so many medical stations to reduce Disney’s liability. A large number of runners were participating in the event because of the allure with Disney parks and characters. Speaking of characters, there were plenty of them in the parks giving you the opportunity to high five Goofy or get your picture with Pluto.
Crowd Support
WOW! More support than you could ask for and sometimes want. The first ten miles or so included local high school bands playing music; cheerleaders keeping you pumped up; DJs spinning music and adding energy on the course. It was great to have that much entertainment the first half of the race; however, I think that it personally wasted some energy through adrenaline that would be needed later in the race. The second half of the race included music every mile or so.Crowd support was also great. Spectator points were somewhat limited but more than the other marathons I’ve ran. Hydration stations had plenty of people cheering you on. Team in Training Coaches seemed to be everywhere giving you encouragement and an extra push. As you turn the last corner, out of nowhere you see the finish chute maybe 100 yards away. People were packed at least 10 deep and on bleachers. The noise and energy was incredible.
The Experience (the good, the bad, and the ugly)
My nutrition, rest and taper plan was about as good as I could have asked for. My goal was aggressive, sub 3:30 while shooting for a 3:20. Sometimes you have to go big. I stayed about a minute behind the 3:20 pace group until mile 13 when I closed the gap to about 30 seconds. By the time we got to the half we were right on pace with 7:38 minute miles after a somewhat fast start. My body felt incredible, legs full of energy, and the pace was easy until…
At mile 16 my race turned upside down. A few hundred yards before the hydration station my stomach cramped. It brought me to a brief walk as I grabbed a water to rinse my mouth out. I’ve had stomach cramps before during training and races and knew that they would only be brief so I only stopped for maybe 5-10 seconds and was back running again at pace. I slipped a few seconds away from the 3:20 pace ground and managed to keep moving for a few more miles. The cramps only worsened and I was hardly able to drink and GU was completely out of the question. I had a few salt tabs left so I popped those to get some electrolytes since I couldn’t get even a teaspoon of GU down.
By mile 20 I was in such severe pain it seemed like I walked more than I ran because it hurt so much. Regardless of pace or time walking it just wouldn’t go away. My pace at that point hovered between 10:00 miles. Galloway was a struggle. Every endurance athlete has good days and bad days so I kept on moving. I’d run a few hundred yards until I couldn’t tolerate the stomach cramps and then walk again with my head down in misery. Rinse and repeat.Looking back there is no rhyme or reason for the cramps. You stack as many cards on your side of the table as possible in taper and hope your body cooperates race day. The crowd support and other athletes can be your best friend and your worst enemy during these points in a race. One second you love hearing someone say “Andrew, you’re doing great and looking good”. And then the next timeI hear it I think to myself, “Is there another Andrew running by me? Because I’m walking and look like I’m about to stroke out.” By the time I realized that 3:30 was even out of question I just kept trucking making my way water stop to water stop and then a few hundred yards at a time.
The last 5k I was able to perk up knowing that soon the misery and severe stomach pain would be over. I finished with a staggering 3:49; though still a respectable time considering the suffering that I’d endured for nearly the last two hours. Despite all the stomach issues my legs never seized or tired. I headed to the medical tent for a while and then a quick massage to keep my legs fresh.
Mandy’s run was much more positive. Since she PRed Grand Rapids this wasn’t a race for her. She absolutely loves Disney World and was a fun run for her. Running through Cinderella’s Castle was probably her most exciting part of the run. She soaked in everything that Disney had to offer, especially the theme parks.The race was excellent, very well organized and run. I’d recommend it to those that want to experience a fun marathon or those that might want to beat the sub zero temperatures for an early season marathon. They also have a half marathon the day before. And for those that want to log some extra miles they offer the Goofy Challenge. 13.1 miles on Saturday and 26.2 miles on Sunday plus some pretty cool bling.
Until next time train hard to race hard.
