I don’t have a bucket list, but if I did, I guess you could say the Dopey Challenge at Disney World has been on it for years. I enjoy Disney World and as I became a serious runner and ventured into marathons, I learned that there was a marathon that ran around all of the parks in Orlando which sounded really fun to me. At first I heard about the Goofy Challenge where people could run a half marathon one day followed by the marathon the next day. I was very intrigued by that until I learned about the Dopey Challenge – a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and marathon run on four consecutive days. I figured if I was going to make the trip to Disney, I may as well go big and do it all.

It took years for everything to finally come together. For one thing, it helped to actually have a job with vacation time that would allow me to do this. By 2021, I finally had some paid vacation days. The next thing holding me up was the idea of possibly traveling alone to do it. Over the last several years I’ve grown very comfortable (and often prefer!) taking trips on my own so I decided it was time to go for it. I signed up for the Disney World Marathon Facebook page which helped me learn how everything worked. I knew that the races sold out very quickly and when the registration day came last April, I was stuck in a queue for well over an hour and it was more stressful than trying to buy concert tickets. Thankfully, Dopey was still available once it was my turn. It was another couple months before it was possible to book hotels and I was able to get one of the All-Star resorts (the most affordable option) on Disney property. Then I learned that my friend Kristine’s son would be working in the Disney college program and would likely still be there during my race weekend. She’d be happy to visit while I was there. I’d have great company and I wouldn’t have to stress about going to the parks alone. Everything was working out!

The races took place Thursday, January 9 through Sunday, January 12. I took a flight that got into Orlando at noon the day before and was extremely grateful that Kristine offered to pick me up at the airport. The first priority was to head to the expo. Once I was in town I was able to sign up for the “virtual queue” to get into the area that sold the official RunDisney gear at the expo. That wait was over two hours! It took at least half an hour to get to the expo from the airport anyway so that would help chip away at some of the time.

The expo took place at ESPN Wide World of Sports and it was so busy there that we had to take a long walk from a dirt lot across the main road where we parked. Of course I had to make some photo stops.

Then it was line after line after line. I figured this was a part of the Disney experience so I better be patient and get used to it!

We finally made it inside (and through another line) to collect my bibs, then we had to go back outside and wait in a line that circled a huge playing field before we could get into the building that housed the general expo. BUT…yet another line before we made it to that!

The expo had some photo stops and lots of vendors like any typical big race expo. Nothing all that exciting and I didn’t find anything I needed but I still wanted to check things out.

By the time we got through all of that we still had nearly an hour to wait before we could get into the RunDisney part of the expo. As a comment in the Facebook group said, “I can run a marathon faster than it’s been today for me to get bibs and merch.” That’s barely an exaggeration. Kristine wisely suggested that we could go to my resort so I could check in and drop my stuff off.

My last visit to Disney World was in 2012. I enjoyed staying at the All-Star Sport Resort then and decided it should serve me well enough this time too.

Once again, I was thankful that Kristine was so willing to drive me around. We went back to the expo to browse the RunDisney merch and it was pretty overwhelming. They had stuff for each of the races, for the Goofy and Dopey Challenges, for the weekend in general, and some plain RunDisney gear.

The Facebook group helped me learn that unless you got there during the first couple hours, the “good” marathon and Dopey stuff would be gone. It was after 3:00 by then so my expectations were low. I was already going to come home with SIX race shirts so it’s not like I needed much more. I saw some cool marathon jackets but the sizes were very limited by then. It was fun to browse but I didn’t get anything. However, Kristine was kind enough to give me a custom sign that she had ordered!

I went back to my resort and headed to the food court for some dinner just after 4:00 and settled in my room by 5:00. With some crazy early mornings ahead of me I knew I needed to get into the routine of early dinners and bedtimes. As if racing four days in a row isn’t enough of a challenge, one of the MAJOR factors of getting through Dopey is surviving the 4:30-5:00 am starts. Subtract a couple hours from that to factor in getting dressed, catching the bus, making the long walk in to the staging area in Epcot parking lot, dropping a bag at gear check, getting a potty stop in, and lining up in the corrals at least 15 minutes before the starting time. In addition to training for the runs, I actually trained for the early mornings by getting up at 3:00 am on a somewhat regular basis for a swim or occasional treadmill run leading up to the race.

Day One – Thursday – 5K

I had pretty restless sleep and woke up just after 2:00 am. Ouch. There was a long line of buses outside my resort so there was no concern about catching one on time. I erred on the side of caution for my first day and got on a bus around 3:00. At that point it was 40° and felt like 32°. I figured that since I was used to 8° back at home, 30-40° in Florida would feel like a heatwave. Not so much when standing or sitting around in it for an hour and a half waiting to run. One trick I had learned from the Facebrook group is that Walmart has some super cheap blankets and they’re great for keeping warm while waiting. I checked one bag on my flight just to carry all of the “throwaway” gear I would need to stay warm before the races. On this morning I wore an old fleece jacket as well but I still ended up feeling super cold.

The ride to Epcot only took 10 minutes then there was a nice long walk from the front entrance back around to the parking lots. I dropped my bag of post-race clothing at gEAR check (pretty clever naming!) then scoped things out. There was a stage and video screen with constant entertainment and announcements, plus multiple characters were staged for photo opportunities. The lines seemed pretty long and I didn’t want to wait. As I hung out in that area I ate my second Picky Bar of the morning. The method of eating one when I woke up and one an hour before racing worked well all four days.

I went to the corral area and found a TON of porta potties located right across from the corral entrances. Some people in the Facebook group advised getting to the corrals early to be near the front, so I tried that just after 4:00.

I was in the “B” corral for the first two days and we didn’t start the walk to the starting line until 4:40. That meant I had 40 minutes to kill. I sat on the ground shivering with my blanket wrapped around me as I held hand warmers and listened to interviews and the DJ playing music from the stage next to the starting line. When it was finally time to move, I found that it didn’t matter that I had lined up so early. People bunched up so much that somehow I wasn’t near the front after all. Corrals were released in waves starting at 5:00 to help with congestion.

Another thing I learned from the Facebook group is that people can sign up with any estimated pace they want for the 5K and 10K while a proof of time is required for the half and full marathons. That means people purposely game the system for the shorter races so they can start in the front corrals and get a head start on lining up for photo stops with characters. Although I would be in the “A” corral for the half and full, I was likely placed in the “B” corral because people provided false time estimates. I’m glad I was aware of this prior to the start of the race so I would be prepared to deal with walkers. It still made things extremely frustrating for the first mile (or more) as I tried to get through mobs of people walking when I truly wanted to run.

I’m not much for getting creative with costumes but I still wanted to be festive somehow. I found some fun Winnie the Pooh running shirts from Bicycle Booth online.

The 5K took place throughout Epcot which was really fun. A few spots were a little dark and I was wary about my footing, but I was fine for the most part and it was cool to see the buildings of the World Showcase lit up throughout the park. It was more enjoyable once I was able to get moving at my own pace rather than weaving around people.

With four days of racing I knew I needed to be strategic. I told myself that it would be okay to give the 5K a little effort, then back off for the 10K and half marathon so I could try to run a solid marathon. All of the walkers threw a little wrench in aiming for a truly speedy 5K, but I sped up as I went and felt great so it all worked out just fine. I didn’t realize until later that the 5K was technically a fun run without official times. Because I did the Dopey Challenge, the results for each race showed up by the end and I saw that they timed me at 24:34.

I had gotten so cold while I sat in the corral that I could still barely feel my feet by the end of the 5K! I hadn’t expected to feel so cold when it was much warmer than I’d been used to at home.

I collected a box of food, got my stuff at gear check, then realized that being one of the faster runners would be helpful for post-race character photos. I hadn’t stopped to pose with any during the race because the lines were too long and I wanted to keep moving. The characters that were in the staging area prior to the race were there after the race as well and I was able to breeze through the lines within five minutes for Dopey and Pluto. As I waited in the character lines, it was kind of crazy to still hear announcements for runners at the starting line. There were so many waves of runners that I had completed my race before some had even started!

I was done with the race and everything else so early that the buses weren’t heading back to the resorts yet and I had to wait until after 6:30. At least I was able to sit on one while I waited and could warm up a bit.

I went to the food court at my resort for a filling breakfast, showered, and headed out to Animal Kingdom by 9:30. I knew that Kristine couldn’t ride roller coasters so I planned to do that on my own before she got to the park. I went straight to Expedition Everest which is a fun one. I waited in the normal line and learned from my seatmate (another runner) that there was a single-rider line. He planned to ride it a second time so he showed me where to go and it was fun to get a couple rounds in so quickly. While I had worried about whether I could enjoy the parks solo before I knew that Kristine would be joining me during this trip, it was actually pretty fun and sometimes that helped me chat with other friendly people doing the same thing.

Still, I was glad to meet up with Kristine so we could hang out for the rest of the day. I learned that you could save on packing by planning to wear race shirts each day. People talked about bringing their medals to the parks for photos too, so Kristine and I got plenty of pictures to help celebrate my 5K run.

I swear I didn’t warm up the whole day. I had a jacket and gloves and still felt like I shivered all day long! It was a fun day despite the chill. We went to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for a pizza dinner and I got back to my room after 6:00.

Day Two – Friday – 10K

I went to bed after 8:00 and was up by 2:30 for the 10K day. I decided it wasn’t necessary to catch the bus quite as early just to wait around in the cold at Epcot so I left 15-20 minutes later than the prior day. After freezing so much on my first day, I wore two long sleeve shirts instead of one. Instead of sitting on the ground to wait for the start, I stayed on my feet. That kept them from going numb like they had the day before. In addition to my Walmart blanket, I wore a garbage bag and heat sheet on top and wrapped another heat sheet around my legs. I looked ridiculous but I was warmer! When I got off the bus to walk around Epcot a second day in a row I couldn’t help but laugh to myself about how this was truly insane.

I didn’t bother trying to get to the front of the corral this time and lingered toward the back so I had some space to stretch. Once again, I dealt with congestion at the start due to slower people starting further up than they should have. Fortunately, the 10K route took us out to some wider roads where people could spread out and that made things much easier. I also wasn’t quite as anxious to get moving as I had been the prior day because I knew I needed to slow things down in order to hold up for the entire Dopey Challenge.

This time we got to run around the boardwalk area which I had never seen before and I loved it. There were resorts and shops with some spectators scattered around.

While running through Epcot, the only spectators we had were the “cast members” around the World Showcase, volunteers at aid stations, plus DJs and bands who helped keep us hyped up. We ran through the World Showcase again for the last couple miles of the race.

I decided to make a character stop just before the 5-mile mark because there were only a few people in line. I ran in for a photo with Donald Duck then kept rolling and still ran 8:33 for the mile – not bad!

I wore my Piglet shirt for the 10K and it was a success!

I told myself to be disciplined and not go faster than an 8:00 pace aside from picking it up just before the finish line. I had a good rhythm and felt great.

Once again, I headed straight to the characters for some post-race photos once I was done. Click on the images for larger versions.

Back to my resort for another yummy breakfast at the food court prior to showering and heading out to Hollywood Studios for another busy day.

Thankfully the temps climbed up near 70° and it was sunny so I could enjoy a day at the park without shivering. I knew I should be smart about resting my legs so Kristine and I went to the Indiana Jones show then the Muppets 3D show so I could sit for a while.

Kristine’s son Jake joined us for a bit too.

The Aerosmith ride is going to change to something new soon too so I had to visit that one last time. That line took longer than I had hoped and I got a bit wary about being on my feet for so long.

I had never been on the Skyliner before so Kristine and Jake took me on that and we ventured to the Art of Animation resort for dinner at their food court. It’s fun to change it up and see the themes at the various resorts. Chicken parmesan and noodles seemed like a good way to fuel for a half marathon the next morning.

Kristine and Jake were staying at the Beach Club resort so we went there next and I enjoyed walking around. We got some ice cream and I enjoyed seeing another area I had never been to. At the same time, I was also a bit stressed and frustrated with myself because I knew I was staying out too late. It’s kind of funny when getting back to my resort at 6:45 seemed “late” but I was on a very unconventional schedule with the early mornings – more like the middle of the night for most people!

In a way, I was already halfway done with my adventure but not at all in reality since I had only covered 9.3 miles of the 48.6 involved in the challenge. I spent WAY too much time on my feet and hoped I wouldn’t pay for it the next morning. My ankles were already stiff when I woke up on Friday and I might need to allow more time in the mornings for loosening up with the distances getting even more serious.

I went to bed around 9:00 which was later than I’d hoped, plus my heart was racing and I couldn’t shut down. On top of that, I was really bothered by the constant sound of rolling suitcases on the pavement, especially on the floor above me. The white noise app on my phone wasn’t enough to drown it out. I woke up sweating at one point, and when I got up for good at 2:30, my eyes felt like crap.

Day three – Saturday – half marathon

I found myself leaving later each day of this adventure so I wouldn’t stand around killing so much time at Epcot before the races begin. This time I left at 3:30. When 3:30 is “later” it further emphasizes how crazy all of this was.

The temps finally warmed up to 60° so I could wear shorts and didn’t need hand warmers or a blanket. Rain was in the forecast though. I didn’t know when it might hit and how bad, so I wore a flimsy poncho covered by a nice “throwaway” raincoat I had gotten at the Salvation Army. I would be extremely thankful that I had brought that with me!

The rain started just as I posed for my nice Epcot photo and quickly picked up. I bundled up in my rain coat and wrapped my legs with a heat sheet. One smart thing I learned was to save the heat sheet that I was given at the end of each race so I could use it again the next morning.

I was thankful that I was in the “A” corral for the half since it required a proof of time and walkers couldn’t fake it to start at the front. The Disney races draw all kinds of people from speedy runners to walkers and I’m all about everyone enjoying the experience, but things go more smoothly when people line up in a place that reflects the pace they actually plan to go. I noticed that it felt more like a true race environment in the first corral. I was surrounded mostly by people wearing typical running clothes rather than costumes.

There’s no place to shelter while waiting for these races so I just had to cope with getting soaked for nearly an hour prior to the race.

When it was time to run, the rain actually died down.

Congestion was a bit of an issue to start but at least I was surrounded by people who were running and not walking like the prior two days. I figured the slow start just helped me keep my pace under control. My goal for the day was to act as though I was doing a training run at an easier pace and NOT race. I ran 9:24 for the first mile which felt agonizingly slow in a race environment. When I’m in training mode, I usually drag through my first mile around a similar pace as I start to warm up so it was probably for the best. I dropped to 8:38 for the next mile so it’s obvious that I was able to cut through the congestion by that point.

This was the first day of spending a lot of the run on the highway to get from one park to another. As we headed out from Epcot some of the road surfaces had a texture that was a bit slick due to the rain. I was thankful that it wasn’t all like that. We still had moments with light rain but it stayed away for the most part and wasn’t nearly as heavy as it had been before the race began.

I had wondered if I would need a headlamp at any point during these races since we spent most of our time running before we’d see any daylight. There were a couple of spots around Epcot that were a bit dark but I was fine. The highways had enough scattered lights. There was some music along the roads to help liven things up along those more boring stretches. There were occasional character stops too but if there were more than a few people in line I didn’t feel like stopping to wait. As I got further along the course and the lines grew shorter I did find it worthwhile to stop for some.

When I got to the Magic Kingdom there was a drastic change in energy. We entered the park and ran down Main Street which was lined with crowds of enthusiastic spectators – something I hadn’t seen during any of the races yet. The energy of the crowd combined with the view of Cinderella’s Castle up ahead took things to a whole new level. I found myself smiling the whole time I was in the park and absolutely loved that opportunity.

We ran past It’s a Small World then got to run under the castle.

When I saw that multiple photographers were set up in front of the castle, I had to take advantage of that photo stop. I ran over to one of the dots they had on the ground, posed quickly, then kept running.

We ran past a monorail stop where we saw another large group of spectators, then it was back out to the roads for miles to work back toward Epcot.

When I was about 10 miles into the race I kept distracted by watching people on the opposite side of the highway who were still heading toward the Magic Kingdom. The road was SO much more congested for them and I felt grateful that I am able to run fast enough to have plenty of space. I saw the infamous “balloon ladies” who bring up the rear. People need to stay in front of them or they could get pulled off the course for not maintaining the minimum pace. What a relief that I didn’t have any added stress like that!

By the last few miles of the race I ended up near the 2-hour pace group. The pace groups all use the run/walk method so I found myself getting ahead of them when they walked but they’d catch up when they ran. I wanted to finish under two hours and knew I was a few minutes ahead of that. Still, having them around kind of got to me and I tried to get moving a little more so I could have my own space again.

Eventually I got back to Epcot and this day featured less of the World Showcase. Getting back into a park helped me pick up my pace while still trying to stay disciplined and not push it too much.

Once again, I picked up the pace as I neared the finish. I was coming in just over 1:56 which meant I had been smart about controlling my pace. For reference, I had raced a half marathon in 1:45 a month earlier. I knew it was all about the long game and making sure I’d have enough energy left to run a marathon the next day.

Time for more post-race character photos!

I felt proud of how I’d run this race because I still felt good at the end. It’s kind of funny that I caught my bus back to the resort around 7:30 after having already run a half marathon for the day. Once again, I had a nice breakfast at my resort, showered, then had plans for the day.

While planning this trip I knew I could be pushing my luck by spending so much time on my feet at the parks. I made a point of not going to any parks on Saturday after the half marathon. I would need a mellow and relaxing day to recover and rest before running a marathon the next day. It was a good day to meet up with a bunch of local friends for lunch and Kristine was kind enough to pick me up once again so we could go to Disney Springs. Our friend Evan had also run the half marathon, plus friends Jan and Laurel came from other parts of Florida so we could hang out and grab lunch at an Italian restaurant.

It was a blast getting to hang out with some good friends for a couple hours and I’m so glad we were all able to coordinate.

Kristine and I wandered around to a couple shops at Disney Springs before leaving. She was awesome enough to take me to a Jersey Mike’s so I could get a sandwich to take back to the hotel for my pre-race dinner later. I got back to my room by 4:00 and chilled for the rest of the evening.

Day four – Sunday – marathon

Time for the unknown – how would my legs cooperate for a marathon after all that I’d done? The final and most intimidating stage of the challenge!

I tried using earplugs to drown out the sound of roller bags and other noises but I still didn’t get enough sleep. It didn’t help that the marathon started at 4:30 while the other races had all started at 5:00. Back to a 2:00 am wake-up! It was 40° and clear which seemed like perfect conditions for a marathon. I was still wary about being cold during my pre-race wait so I layered up with the remaining blankets I had brought.

This was the day when things got REAL. When I arrived at Epcot the previous mornings I had laughed to myself about how ridiculous all of this was. On my final day I was getting so used to the routine that I was kind of sad that it was coming to an end. I was also so preoccupied with nerves that the silliness wasn’t a factor. A marathon is intimidating enough under normal conditions. I had no idea what to expect after all of the running I had already done combined with time at the parks and lack of sleep. I am able to run a 5K, 10K, or half marathon on a regular basis so those races hadn’t caused me any concern. The marathon is far from a casual thing I can do any old weekend!

This was the first day that I didn’t battle any congestion at the start. What a relief! I wanted to make sure I enjoyed the experience and not concentrate too much on aiming for a time goal, yet I also wanted to give a solid effort. When I put in so much work to train for a marathon I want to do as well as I can. I thought an 8:15 pace could be reasonable on the flat course if I had the energy but I didn’t want to start at that kind of pace and risk crashing in the later miles.

We started by running around Epcot which I enjoyed yet again. I saved my Tigger shirt for the final day. I thought it would help me channel his energy and bounciness!

We ran from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom again and got to see a little more of the park than we had during the half. I had to get more cool photos by Cinderella’s Castle!

RunDisney did a good job of providing entertainment on the long stretches of highway between the parks with the character stops, video screens with movie clips, music, and DJs. I stopped for photos with a few characters when the lines were short enough for me to get right in and then keep rolling. Mile six was my slowest mile of the race with an 8:51 and I’m sure that involved a short wait for a character. At times I questioned if I was taking a risk of blowing a Boston-qualifying time by making the stops. I didn’t know if I’d run well enough for a BQ but it’s always a thought. The true goal of this race was to soak in the whole experience though, not to concentrate on just putting in the work to achieve a time.

There was a pretty brief stint through Animal Kingdom and we went by Expedition Everest and the Dinosaur area. I know that some people try to get on rides while they run through the parks. Although I wanted to have fun, I also wanted to keep moving. I think I got to Animal Kingdom early enough that the coaster wasn’t open yet anyway. By the time some of the people got there the parks were actually open. I finally started to get a little bit of daylight shortly after that segment.

Prior to the race I had read many complaints about running around the Blizzard Beach parking lot for mile 22. It wasn’t a very exciting stretch but it didn’t bother me too much. We got to Hollywood Studios about 24 miles into the race and I was both surprised and disappointed by how little we ran through that park. We entered near the Aerosmith ride and it felt like we basically ran down one road before heading straight out of the park. I understand that the parks eventually open to the general public while some people are still running the course and they don’t want runners clogging the parks too much. Still, I think I was in and out of Hollywood Studios in about a minute.

We got to run on the boardwalk near the Epcot area again which I loved.

My fueling plan for this race was to eat a caffeine Clif Blok every other mile starting at mile six, eat a salt tablet every mile in between, and drink my Skratch electrolyte mixture from my own bottle while also grabbing water at most every water stop. It seemed to work well because I had good energy for most of the race and no stomach issues. I was looking forward to getting back to Epcot at the end and hoped that would give me extra energy since I started to get pretty tired by the last couple miles. During the last mile I told myself not to worry about pace and had to consciously work to lift my feet enough so I wouldn’t trip from the fatigue.

I felt some great energy running through the park with a choir and spectators along the final stretch.

I managed to come in at 3:44:29 which meant I had achieved a Boston-qualifying time by 31 seconds! I didn’t feel too awful when I finished and made sure I kept moving.

Notice that I ran 26.65 miles – nearly half a mile extra. Part of it is because areas of the course were so wide. I spent plenty of time weaving around people, and of course there’s the factor of veering slightly off course for character stops. My Garmin pace actually had me at an average of 8:25 which was pretty stellar at the end of this challenge, plus considering how I made numerous photo stops that ate away at bits of time too.

I got my marathon medal and mouse ears and went to collect my challenge medals. I got my Dopey medal, plus I got one for the Goofy challenge for completing both the half and full marathons. 

Within a few minutes of finishing the weight of what I had accomplished hit me and I started to cry a little bit. I had worked SO hard to prepare for this undertaking and I DID IT. I didn’t just survive it either – I had completed the challenge with a really solid marathon. Everything had come together and all of the hard work paid off. This seemingly crazy challenge and all of the logistics involved had gone as well, if not better, than I could have hoped for and I couldn’t help but get emotional as I reflected on that.

I composed myself by the time I got to the finishing area and stopped to take plenty of celebratory pictures. I went to Dopey’s line first then worked through a few of the other characters.

When I got back to my resort I followed the same routine of going straight to the food court. This time I enjoyed a Mickey cinnamon roll and waffles but it didn’t settle very well in my stomach. My stomach can often be a concern after a marathon which made me wonder if I’d be able to pull off another day at a park.

My stomach behaved after that and I just coped with some soreness. I felt totally fine walking around though and was relieved that I could enjoy some time at Epcot. I made it after noon and got a good six hours in. I met up with Kristine who was great about walking all around the “Epcot ball” so I could get some nice shots with all of my medals. I’m glad our friend Evan suggested that I bring a bag for them because they’d be so heavy. A little backpack was a wise choice.

The photographers did some more “Disney magic” so I could have some of my buddies in the shots.

We met up with Evan and his family and chatted for a bit before wandering around the World Showcase. I had to grab a picture that included Evan’s wife Brenda because she had her own fun Seven Dwarfs shirt.

My main goal was to find some good treats around Epcot. To start, I got a chocolate croissant in France and a chocolate caramel cookie in Germany where we came across Evan again.

By then I had realized that Kristine had her own fun Seven Dwarfs shirt too, so we got another picture with Brenda that had all three of our shirts. 

Rather than hitting many of the attractions, most of the day was spent hanging out with friends, looking for carbs, and keeping my legs moving as we walked around the World Showcase so I wouldn’t stiffen up.

Eventually I got pretty tired and knew I still had to pack since I was leaving early the next morning. I went on Soarin’ before parting ways with Kristine and Jake (who joined just as I was getting ready to leave) and went back to the resort.

I had half of a sandwich left in my fridge that I ate when I got back but it really didn’t sit well. I didn’t do as good of a job with refueling all around Epcot as I had hoped and it wasn’t good that the sandwich made me feel sick on top of it. I was okay for the first half of the next day, but by the second leg of my trip home I felt nauseous and miserable through my flight. The nausea was still with me the next morning so I didn’t attempt to go to work. I hadn’t eaten enough and was probably dehydrated as well. I felt completely depleted and it clearly all caught up with me. After a day mostly spent in bed, I felt fine by the next day.

There’s the tendency to ask what’s next and how I top this. I don’t feel like I need to find ways to keep topping myself and it’s more about finding other good adventures to take on rather than having to up my distances or difficulty level. The Boston Marathon is next and that’s a pretty big thing to work toward. I’ll definitely continue to spend some time reveling in what I accomplished at Disney because this was the most epic thing I’ve done. As I continue on with marathon training I keep reminding myself how tough I was to complete this and it helps me mentally tackle challenging days. This was something I had dreamed of for years so I’m thrilled that it lived up to everything I had hoped for. Coping with the weather and early mornings with a lack of sleep were small things in the big picture and just a part of an experience that I absolutely loved.

– Janet

Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz