Stuart, Laura's husband, cheered us along the way. He snapped a few pictures as well. Here are a few. Cathy had a camera along the course, but we will have to wait for those until they get developed!
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Race Day -- YIKES!
The day (if you really want to call it that) started with a team breakfast at 2:45 AM. Yes, AM. Then one last stop at the bathroom before moving to the area to catch the bus to the starting line at Epcot Center. We walked from there to the staging area, a place with all kinds of tents and hundreds of port-a-johns. By the way, it was 72 when we got up at 2:30. It just got a bit hotter through the day!
Laura & Cathy were in wave C -- the third group in an effort to keep the slow out of the way of the fast. Our wave was scheduled to start at 6:30. Our team snatched a piece of pavement and waited while waves A & B left to move to the starting line. The stat was about 1/2 mile from where we were waiting.
The race began with a bang -- literally -- fireworks, cheering form Mickey & Minnie, music and everything you could ask for at 6:00 in the morning to get one in the mood to move in a 13.1 mile loop. As we were walking over to the start the sea of people snaked on for almost the full half mile between the waiting place and the starting place. People were dressed in all manner of funny outfits. Many were princesses, a few Tinkerbells, Team in Training, other charity runners. It was quite a sight. The emcees said that there were 16,000 runners/walkers today and there will be another 16,000 tomorrow for the full marathon.
The added challenge of this race was that we had to maintain a certain pace. There were timing mats along the route and if people were not keeping up, they were picked up and taken to the finish line. No finish, no medal. The medal is the best part. We had our coaches with us, urging us to keep up the pace and finished within the allotted time. Our medals are Donald Duck's head with the year and Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon written on them.
After collecting our medals, checking in with the team tent, having a snack, we returned tired and happy to our hotel.
Laura & Cathy were in wave C -- the third group in an effort to keep the slow out of the way of the fast. Our wave was scheduled to start at 6:30. Our team snatched a piece of pavement and waited while waves A & B left to move to the starting line. The stat was about 1/2 mile from where we were waiting.
The race began with a bang -- literally -- fireworks, cheering form Mickey & Minnie, music and everything you could ask for at 6:00 in the morning to get one in the mood to move in a 13.1 mile loop. As we were walking over to the start the sea of people snaked on for almost the full half mile between the waiting place and the starting place. People were dressed in all manner of funny outfits. Many were princesses, a few Tinkerbells, Team in Training, other charity runners. It was quite a sight. The emcees said that there were 16,000 runners/walkers today and there will be another 16,000 tomorrow for the full marathon.
The added challenge of this race was that we had to maintain a certain pace. There were timing mats along the route and if people were not keeping up, they were picked up and taken to the finish line. No finish, no medal. The medal is the best part. We had our coaches with us, urging us to keep up the pace and finished within the allotted time. Our medals are Donald Duck's head with the year and Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon written on them.
After collecting our medals, checking in with the team tent, having a snack, we returned tired and happy to our hotel.
Friday, January 5, 2007
Pasta Party Send Off
Friday afternoon they loaded us into buses to go over to the Epcot Center for the Team in training (TNT) Pasta Party. There were at least 10 buffet tables set up with salads, pasta, sauces and chicken breasts. Then there were the tables of cookies. I think there were close to 1000 people in the room getting fired up for the coming race. For this race participants have raised over $5 million to support work toward finding cures for blod cancers and supporting patients and their families. There was a speaker and there were pictures of patient heroes from all over the country. One of the speakers was a survivor of Lymphoma who is completing the 1/2 Marathon Saturday morning. Ours was the first of 2 seatings. It was kind of odd having the traditional pasta dinner at 2:00 in the afternoon. Of course we are getting up on race day at 2:00 in the morning to catch the bus to starting line by 3:30.
We have had our team meeting. Organized our clothes and emergency information for the race and now just need to race until the starting gun at 6:00 AM.
More pictures will appear Saturday afternoon after Laura and Cathy finish this race.
We have had our team meeting. Organized our clothes and emergency information for the race and now just need to race until the starting gun at 6:00 AM.
More pictures will appear Saturday afternoon after Laura and Cathy finish this race.
The Adventure Begins
Thursday morning we boarded the plane in Buffalo, bound for Orlando and Walt Disney World. Laura, Cathy and Stuart joined almost 20 others form Western New York to complete the Walt Disney 1/2 or Full Marathon. The team members all raised money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as a part of their commitment to the trip. Cathy is participating in memory of her Dad, Laura in honor of her friend Gary.
When we got off the plane in Orlando, it was warmer and more humid than it was when we left Buffalo. A shuttle picked up and ferried us to our hotel -- the Coronado Springs Resort. It is a sprawling property with a Spanish/Mexican motif. There is a lagoon in the middle with three and four story buildings all around. The inner ring is .75 miles around. The property has about 1200 rooms, I think. There are several pools (outdoor, of course), a big whirlpool/spa, an exercise room, all kinds of services like massages, hair styling, manicures and pedicures and several choices for eating.
Jon asked if the resort had changed much sonce the last time I was here. Of course it has, because I was last here in 1986! It promises to be a fun weekend. Keep checking back for pictures and more stories form the resort.
When we got off the plane in Orlando, it was warmer and more humid than it was when we left Buffalo. A shuttle picked up and ferried us to our hotel -- the Coronado Springs Resort. It is a sprawling property with a Spanish/Mexican motif. There is a lagoon in the middle with three and four story buildings all around. The inner ring is .75 miles around. The property has about 1200 rooms, I think. There are several pools (outdoor, of course), a big whirlpool/spa, an exercise room, all kinds of services like massages, hair styling, manicures and pedicures and several choices for eating.
Jon asked if the resort had changed much sonce the last time I was here. Of course it has, because I was last here in 1986! It promises to be a fun weekend. Keep checking back for pictures and more stories form the resort.
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