WDW Marathon Weekend

The full Marathon distance was a hot, wet, mess. It was over 70 degrees at the start and the start time was even pushed up to 5am. The humidity was absurd; pushing 90%. Understanding Epcot is under serious renovation, the parking was absolute chaos. There were stories of resort buses taking nearly two hours to get from the resort to the drop off point. I know I waited in traffic an extra 70 minutes. All of the chaos resulted in RunDisney pushing the race back 23 minutes, and thusly it started around the same time as the other races. So, many people spent a lot of energy being angry at traffic, and the temperature was disgusting, but then it got worse as the first three miles of the race were spent on the roads of the Epcot parking lot. There was nothing exciting to look at, and while there was a character stop, it just wasn’t enough for this distance and this price. Eventually the course corrected and headed to Magic Kingdom. Terrific stops for characters, terrific crowd on Main St. and lots of fun before heading back to Animal Kingdom. Along the way my newest friend, Cheryl, spotted me. I was so grateful because it was a miserable day. We had a drink at the bar in AK and headed off to Blizzard Beach. People behind us had their course cut short and weren’t allowed to enter the park due to heat. We saw many people injured and suffering from heat-related illness along the course. We made it to Hollywood Studios and then took the turn towards Epcot. I saw my buddy who offered me a Millennium Falcon, and I should have taken it because I could have used some coaxium. Instead, Cheryl and I made it to Epcot where I missed Ms. Jodi and a beer. However, Cheryl and I stopped for shots in Italy and a beer in Germany. I carried my beer to the finish because why not. I wanted to savor it. These were terrible conditions where many people could not finish and missed their Dopey Challenge by a few miles. I’m blessed that body could keep going, blessed that Cheryl found me along the course, and I am excited for the improvements for next year when Epcot isn’t in such bad shape.