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Walt Disney World Marathon 2013
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If you like the Facebook page Disney Marathon Weekend - 5K, Half Marathon, Full and Goofy Challenge, it shows you on there.
It's quite a nice Facebook group and sometimes you get some 'insider' information.
Well, they did say in the comments that maybe it had been leaked as a teaser and it may not be the final medal - so don't give up on the ears yet!
And, if all else fails, wear some on the runs.
What does everyone think to the 'new look' marathon weekend web page?
Just checked it out. IM not sure as I was used the the old one - might take some time to get used to the change
Still too big a page to open on a blackberry!!!!!!!!!!
Definitely going for a run today!
At mile 5 today I was thinking "We will be running up Main Street to the castle in the dark about now......"
Even got "Now - Disney" on the headphones!
I used that as a tecnique to get through the long runs last year. Id imagine where we'd be (guaranteed to be more interesting that the streets of Reading) then my mind would wander for a few glorious mins before it began to hurt again
I didn't know there was a castle in Milton Keynes I thought it was just a bit concrete jungle.
Rigght my disney doller saving is going well. Now earned enough extra cents for my park tickets and not long to go now before I have my ride-a-long nascar experience. The only dilemma is should I push the boat out and have a day at universal or just stay at the house of the mouse. When I went to florida last I had a fleh drehve package as we call them in Dundee and it was easy to get to the parks, Not sure how easy it would be to get from disney hotels to universal and how many extra disney dollars it would cost. Oh the dilemmas.
We got taxis from Disney to the other parks last year (neither of us were confident enough to drive in Florida - and we didn't want the stress!). On average it was $40 each way - it does add up if you do it day after day but it's not bad if you are only doing a couple of days.
thanks goofy,
i did find a company that offered a free bus to universal which looked interesting. Its just a shame that a single day costs so disproportionately more than it should do and the park hopper tickets are such a rediculous price compared to what i seem to remember from being there as a kiddiwinlkle 22 years ago. I know tramping about the parks on the friday for too long would be stupid, saturday would be suicide and sunday may be impossible, I've all day monday and tuesday, a bit of wednesday and then fly home. As much as universal looks good a 4 day pass for disney with a 5th day free and a park a day and whatever one I don't get round best on the friday or sunday to go back to on the wed looks like a good plan. Nascars on Saturday. I am going to laugh in the face of death all weekend lol
Kicking myself that I am not arriving a day earlier than I am. Can't believe there is actually bling on offer for the family fun run. Only get to orlando on thurdsay tea-time which would be too late for the expo. Maybe that is a good think I think 2 races in 2 days is already pushing my luck too far.
C33 - is there any way we can pick your 5K entry stuff up for you and meet you with it when you arrive?
It would be a shame not to do the 5K if you want to do it - it is not timed so you can just plod round and take photos, which is what we intend to do.
Can
Its a plastic medal for the 5k so not real bling however you can get someone to pick your number up on the Thursday you need to provide a letter and some photo ID.
As for buses to Universal there are plenty of free services from the hotels on the 92 if thats were your staying and there are also a number of discount ticket shops if you want to take a chance.
"Start off your 2013 Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend by joining us for the Pasta in the Park Party at Epcot®! Space is limited, so make your plans to attend early".
What do they mean space is limited??? Does that not defeat the purpose of epcot???
Its amazing how America's hope for space travel in the future has slumped so soon after the sad passing on of Neil Armstrong. 
Thanks for the offer Goofy and the advice slowfoot. Maybe I should enter it and take whether I make the expo as a sign of whether I should run or not. If I'm too late on the thursday night getting to disneyland I really shouldn't be running the next morning and repeating the mistakes of bridge to brisbane last year where I travelled for 42 hours from carnoustie to brisbane, arrived 14 hours before the start of the race, got 4 hours sleep and then ran a 10k!!!! Not sure 42 hours travel was really worth it for a 40 minute 10k.
No bling even of a plastic variety at the finish just a manky t-shirt. 
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/08/the-magic-behind-mickeys-20th-anniversary-walt-disney-world-marathon-medal/
Thanks for the link GG nice to get more of an insight.
You've got a wicked sense of humour Caniggia33
Our training is going ok at the moment (touch wood etc) we've got the Great North in a couple of weeks which is more about getting round that anything else. Then we're doing Oxford Half in October before settling into the higher milage in November and December. What has everyone else got planned ???
Well, I've been a plodder for a few years now - steady away, same slow pace whether a short or a long run. But when I fell very sick the night before the Disney marathon 2012 and couldn't run it
, I got in such a sulk about doing all that training and not being able to actually run the marathon that I decided to concentrate on shorter runs and never train for a marathon again. (Bat...ball....home.... 
)
Anyway, that decision didn't last long when I saw the plans for the 20th
- but in the meantime in practising for the shorter runs I think I might have got a bit faster - I took 18 mins off last year's time for 18 miles the weekend before last, then PB'd on a half marathon training run this weekend.
I'm just really hoping now that this surprise improvement lasts.....
Another 18 next weekend hopefully for the marathon at the end of October - and GNR mid-September. MM - have you done the GNR before?
Hello everybody,
I only entered this after my surprise return to form in Manchester. I was close to giving up completely after Sydney last year and after finding some speed I thought was long since gone in Manchester I thought well its now or never. I've been talking about this for ages but the combo of nobody wanting to come with me and the fact my running had turned to mince and I could barely survive a half never mind a full the day after a half put me off.
That sort of creates a wee obstacle in the run up to disney in that I have how would you describe it.......er........well........a wee 26.2 miler between now and then in Munich. I booked it long before I even contemplated Disney being possible as I started trying to tick off the last few races I wanted to do before hanging the trainers up (actually setting fire to the trainers would be more accurate) completely. So I am well into training for that in 6 weeks time. I managed 20 miles on Sat night in 2:20 which I was pretty amazed by as it is an awfy long time since I went that fast for that long. I know you are supposed to go slow in weekend runs but I was running out of daylight and would have been stranded in the pitch dark somewhere between here and arbroath if I hadn't been on full gas. I'm working again this saturday which will throw up the same problems again this weekend. I'm eating a lot of carrots in anticipation!!!!!!
My big problem with the Goofy challenge is I'm not really good at steady plodder. I am a crash and burner and this seems frought with danger as I think the 2nd day could be messy. I know I shouldn't have a target time but I think I do. If I stick together the two worst runs I have had in years (both from last year) I get the grand total time of 5:32. I reckon it is almost impossible to run a half quite as bad as I did in Berlin when I really wasn't well even if I am not going full gas. Even on the day after a half I really couldn't get and worse than in Dusseldorf where I was embarassingly bad. Aim 1 would be sub 5:30 and if things go really well I could get closer to 5:15. It seems good in theory until you look at last years results and see that there are not many goofy challengers that go anywhere near that quick. Maybe I'm just a dreamer.
I often dream of how lovely it must be to do the long runs that fast......
I'm a plodder too GG.. Ive done the GN once before, when I'd just started running. I was under prepared and found it quite painful but strangley wanted to do it again!
Our combined goofy time last year was 7.25 is (blush) 2.10 for the half and then 5.16 for the full. But the plan was always to just have a good time - stopping for photos and enjoying ourselves (if thats the term while doing a marathon).
This time we are going to take it more seriously (ish) and have given ourselves an A target of 4.30 in the full and a B target of 4.45... It sounds ok now but I know at mile 17 on the Sunday it might not be !!
I could only dream of dragging my chubby bum round th 39.3 in under 6 hours.
MM - is the GNR a difficult course? I've never done it before.
Goofy Groupie - have done it 10 times now and it is not difficult but it is also not flat - you have to pace yourself. There is a downhill bit for first 1 1/2 mile then the next 4 1/2/ miles are a steady incline, you then have 2 1/2 miles of flat (enjoy this bit) then a gradual incline for 2 1/2 miles then a steepish hill for about 3/4 mile then downhill short bit to seafront and a nice 1 mile run along front. What you have to remember is there is not one bit of route where the crowds are not at least 1 deep this really keeps you going.