Yes, it’s been well over a week since the Walt Disney World Marathon but it’s been a busy week (or should I say a laid back week away from computers)!!! I’m proud to report that my lil sis kicked a little tail and completed her first marathon with ease. While I’d love to say I coasted alongside her that would be lie. After tackling two marathons within 36 days, my body gave out around 15 miles and bursitis in my hip decided to pay me a visit. While I was able to hide it for awhile, I had to slow things down near the end and cost us a little quicker finish. Overall we made it home under 5 hours and Kirsten looked great. I’m sure you’ve read many reviews over the past week but here are a couple of my thoughts:
- Cold, cold, cold, cold. Although we were spared the rain that pelted the half marathoners the previous day, it was around 27º around start time. Yes, this was Florida!!! Luckily I brought enough clothes to wear multiple layers and used some spare socks over my gloves. Yes, this was Florida. The early water stops were ice rinks. Thankfully many volunteers were out warning runners or our day could have ended a lot earlier. Yes, this was Florida.
- Before the race, I got to meet Team Flash. After reading their site for so long it seems like I’ve known them forever. Great to hook up with you guys!!!
- We got to the corrals way too late. By the time we reached the starting area (much farther from the gathering area than we thought) we couldn’t get up my sisters corral (F) and just settled into the first one we could get into. This made things way more difficult than they should have been. It took all our effort in the first 10 miles just getting around the slower traffic.
- I was really disappointed that more of the race wasn’t run in the parks. I thought that they could have done a better job that would have afforded runners more time in a unique setting instead of the roads leading to and from the parks.
- I didn’t count but there sure seemed like a lot of on and off ramps.
- I’m not sure of the exact number of runners but it was well over 20,000. There were a lot of times where the roads narrowed and it seemed like the runners were really squeezed at some points.
- This is a review from the back of the pack. My sister and I both agreed that if we were able to get in the right corral and avoid the crowds, we probably would have had a little different view of the race.
- There’s nothing like family. With both our families and my parents cheering us on, it was great having the support (even if they were freezing). From the spectator side, they found it difficult to get around and see the race. There were tons of spectators and with limited viewing points available, it made for really crowded for families with young ones to get around
After reading this, the review of the race sounds pretty negative. While I would probably not run this race again, it wasn’t horrible. They saving grace was running Kirsten’s first marathon with her and our families cheering us on.
RMFR
