The Goofy Run – 2010

My first event the New Year was a double header in sunny Florida to undertake the Goofy Challenge by completing a Half Marathon (13.1 miles) on Saturday morning then getting up on Sunday to tackle the 26.2 mile marathon course for a total of 39.3 miles.


After landing in Orlando I boarded the Disney Magical Express to my resort and began my winter running vacation. Friday morning was chilly but the sun was shining as I made my way to the expo, picking up the packet was surprisingly smooth.

Half Marathon Morning was a completely different story. I overslept until 3:15am so I hopped into the shower, skipped coffee in my room and rushed off the catch the bus to the start. Glad to see I wasn’t the only one in line at 4:09 am! While on the way to Epcot the first signs of precipitation could be seen on the windshield. Before leaving my room I did venture outside to check the weather and if felt like a tolerable temperature to run in shorts. Stepping off the bus it was cold and windy with sleet starting to fall. I never expected these conditions so I was only dressed in running shorts with a throwaway sweatshirt to keep my upper body warm. Unfortunately Disney did not provided ANYTHING for runners while we hang around waiting to begin. My last marathon was New York where there was food, coffee, tea and even a large tent to block the wind in the starting area.

My plan was to target a 2:30 finish time but the run itself was not what I expected. The festive atmosphere of Disney filled with sunshine and photo opportunities that I anticipated never happened… Instead it was dark and gloomy with sleet bouncing off my head in FLORIDA! As I ran the first few miles I couldn’t help but think how poorly the course was designed and was happy my wife didn’t plan to be a spectator. We ran down a 6 lane divided highway with the runners on the right three lanes, a sizeable grass median separated the next three lanes than a temporary fence contained the spectators. At the end of that stretch of road the runners merged into onto a one-lane ramp where they were dumb enough to place the first water stop creating even more congestion, wonder if Dumbo was the course Designer! After a few miles the sleet turned to a light rain and I fell into a comfortable pace to finish a bit ahead of schedule.

Sunday morning at 2:15 am it was time to get ready for the main event. Since I was up on time I brewed coffee, showered and dressed better since the temperature was below freezing. Wearing a sweatshirt and pants to be tossed once warmed up I made my way to the starting area so I’d make it to the 4:30 Tweet up with @maddyhubba @chrissduffy and @marathonchris. After 15 minutes or so we went our separate ways for a final port-a-potty stop before the long run.

It was cold but dry so I was able to snap a photo of the fireworks as we started our journey! I was still wearing my throwaway clothing at mile 10 since it was such a cold day but figured it was time to brave the weather and shed the layer. Course support on the Marathon was much better than the Half. At two locations bananas were handed out and they had mini chocolate bars and raisins at another spot to keep runners fueled. It remained chilly for the entire morning but my body held up fine and I managed to stay on pace for my planned 5:15 finish time. Just after mile 22 I pulled off for a few minutes to check my email and tweet my location so my final time was 5:16:29. The Goofy Run is not an event I’d plan on every year but it is one of the more prestigious challenges that every marathon runner might want to consider.

The first call I received after completing the race was from Pat, my NY running partner, she asked if I felt any different but I'm still the same Goofy guy.