Disney Marathon 2016 (Magic Kingdom)

Continuing the bloglog of the 2016 Disney Marathon, Andrew and I are still a bit in the dark, and cruising through miles 2-6, otherwise known as the environs surrounding the Magic Kingdom.

Tough corral placement had us pretty far back for the start, but months worth of trailrunning with the E Streeters had us primed for some off road (grassy shoulder) running, allowing us to pass literally hundreds of runners to get to where the roadways were a bit more open.

At which point we immediately started hamming it up with the characters along the course.

First up:  Mike Wazowski!  He's probably pretty thrilled to have been in a pic with Andrew, truth be told.

The sky wasn't falling, but Andrew gave Chicken Little and Abby the thumbs up

So yeah, I don't know what's more scary here.  Jack Skellington behind me, my pose, or the fact that I'm already sweating that badly by mile 3!  (It was, actually, the most humid/warmest stretch of the entire Florida weekend.  Go figure.)  Again: thank God for Bodyglide.

Breaking onto one of the most beloved streets in the U.S. of A,, father and son stopped to pose for a pic taken by a raucous member of our ChEAR squad, Heather, who had rolled out of bed and with mom Jackie, monorailed over to the Magic Kingdom to make some noise for us.

Andrew high-fived pretty much everyone he passed.  Quite unlike the Scream Tunnel at Wellesley College in the Boston Marathon, where he kisses them all.

Iron Man.

And just like that, as we passed in front of Cinderella's castle, the sky changed color and morning began to break

Andrew, Lilo and Stitch in Tomorrowland

I was very late for an important date with the White Rabbit and Alice over in Fantasyland

Jumping Jellyfish!  It's Sebastian and Ariel!

We tried to have a quick pint with Gaston, but his tavern was still closed from the previous night's wild kegger

Be Our Guest, Andrew, and strike a pose with Lumiere

As I've mentioned in several previous blog posts, he's determined to get that damn sword out.  He'd even interrupt 26.2 miles of fun to give it another go.

If I look a little Frozen, blame the folks up in the castle - Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff

Do you think he's a tad excited?

Capturing the Magic

Suddenly, the crowd started roaring.  We knew it couldn't be for us two schleps, and sure enough, we turned to see this - a proposal at mile 5!  (She said yes!)

Getting down with Big Al for a little Country Bear Jamboree.

Running like lightning past Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

And then, as we pass behind Splash Mountain into the backroads of the Magic Kingdom - we saw it!  Maleficent the dragon, in all her midieval majesty, along with other-worldly escorts.  (I think that's the screeching crow staring me down.)

Son of Dragons

Father of Dragons

And fired up and ready to take on the next 20 miles!

Disney Marathon 2016 (Pre-Race)

Any marathoner will tell you the block of time pre-race, in the lead-up waiting for that starting gun, can sometimes feel like an interminable stretch of anxiety.

All the self-doubts, the questioning about the long road of training that brought you here, the apprehension of what's to come in the next 26.2 miles, they all congeal and make for an introspective period that can test the nerves.

Not so at Disney.

Here, you can't wait to get the run underway because you know there's a lifetime of memories awaiting you on the roads ahead, and you're already trying to predict which characters you're going to encounter and mug up with in the hours ahead.  Like Hercules, somehow, it doesn't feel as daunting to Go the Distance in this particular race.

But first, you've got to undergo a running rite of passage, waiting in line at the porta-potties.  Of which there are a magic kingdom full in the parking lot of EPCOT. 

And yeah, harlequins on stilts.  They get an even higher five. 

Waiting in the queue, with thousands behind us, thousands in front of us.  We were packed in like the wildebeests of the Serengeti of the Lion King

The temps were on our side, heading toward some of the warmer numbers we'd reach during the entire Marathon weekend.

But right away, we knew we were in for some interesting weather - the humidity felt like it was about 100%, a condition that would come into play even in the first three miles - in fact, the stretch running in the darkness was probably the sweatiest of the entire day!  (Runners know what this might forecast for the run ahead.  Thankfully, Andrew and I were well armed with compact BodyGlides.)

We had a very special guest for our starting gun and starting line fireworks

Andrew just wanted to get the race underway

A father-son first - a full marathon, start to finish, side-by-side.  Sorta.  The lad could easily have dusted the elder, but chose to hang in to soak in the event together.

Iron Man and Captain America, assembled.

Finally, the vaunted starting line.

Let's get it started!

Getting EPCOT Up

With the weight of the world on their shoulders, the Cooks prepare to take on another Disney park, a family fave, EPCOT, or the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.

Falling on this particular day, the day before the Disney Marathon, EPCOT could have stood for Eating Particular Cuisine Overrules Training.
But we'll get to that as we eat our way around the World Showcase.

The day started innocently enough, as any day at the Polynesian Resort should, with a healthy helping of Tonga Toast.  Anyone who's ever tried it knows of what I speak.  Julie Hay Robinson - I'm looking at you!

There was plenty to go around, but first and foremost, there was carbo-loading to do.

Before we head out, time to capture Heather alongside one of the movie that was a staple of her earliest days of movie-viewing.  Lilo and Stitch, and the accompanying music, will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

By Ymir's beard, I'm ready to head to the park.  (Note: attempts to hide swords in the bushes won't thwart my efforts at a sword-wielding photo.)

And we're off! Again, another posed pic I'm going to have to collect from previous trips to mark our progress through the years.  All three other members of my family have clearly weathered the passage of time better than I.

First up was the lovely gardens outside Le Cellier in the Canada pavilion.

Then it was on to the United Kingdom.  You may recall seeing a pic of Andrew one of these booths for reals in one of our England blogs of a few months prior.

Inside the gift shop, Doctor Who gear abounded, as did sportswear for that country's soccer teams.  Unfortunately, to our dismay, no gear of Martin Brewer's beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers

These two ladies are my cup of tea.

Not quite lunchtime, probably more like elevensies, but it's time for a pint and some fish and chips!

If this duck thinks Andrew is sharing his food, he's quacked up.

Kick back and relax for a bit before we move onto France

As any Doctor Who fan knows, fezes are cool.  Especially in Morocco.

In Japan, Heather nabs a blue slush and the sushi she'd been hunting for since arriving in the parks

Christmas decorations still stood at the United States pavilion

On through Germany and der biergarten and through Italy

Into China.  I'm Heather's biggest fan

Over in Norway, Andrew indulges in what most marathoners eat 12 hours before the big race.

No siestas in Mexico, but our obligatory sombrero shot

Time for some quick shopping (a guarantee for ANY Disney day)

My wife is both magnificent AND Maleficent

Heather's no Figment of anyone's imagination. But damn, is she cute!

Oh look, light sabers!  If you've been reading this travelogue, you know what that means

Time for a few group shots with the park's cast of characters

 She's been seen giving Goofy hugs for almost 25 years

For the briefest of times on this Florida trip, the skies opened up, so we jumped into the Land pavilion to keep dry for a spell.

The Land, as all Disneyophiles know, is the home of Soarin', hands-down Jackie's favorite ride in this particular theme park.

Alas, this day, it was not meant to be.  It closed two days prior for longterm renovations.

The Land is also home to one of Jackie's OTHER favorite attractions, a ride through the hydroponic gardens.  I don't share in her enthusiasm of this particular ride.

Time to wrap up the night with dinner reservations in Italy, a plan made months earlier to help us carbo load on Italian food for the next morning's run.

Fun guy that he is, Andrew always opts for the mushroom pizza at Via Napoli, his favorite pizza in the world.

And natch, he made all gone.

Before you leave the restaurant, it's always courteous to give the thumbs up to the chefs.  And the Italian volcano gods as well.

Heroes and Villains.  Ready to run.

Time to lay out the gear for the race to come in just a few hours and call it a night.