Walt Disney World Marathon
January 12, 2003

The 2003 Walt Disney World Marathon marked a decade of running for this event. The weekend attracted 16,000 runners for the Marathon, and an additional 6,000 for the Half Marathon, and 3,000 for the 5K and Kids Races on Saturday.

I think one of the most memorable things I observed at the Disney Marathon was the enthusiasm and dedication of the "cause runners" with leukemia-fighting "Team in Training" (2,600 runners raised more than $9 million in Pledges).

On Marathon Sunday the race started with a flashy display of fireworks and an inspiration from whom other than Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Both marathons started in the dark at 6:00 am. At the beginning of the race we ran through the inspirational lights and sounds of the World Showcase at Epcot. During the run you could feel the magic as we ran through Cinderella's Castle in the Magic Kingdom. (Some of us felt more magic than others!) Next we ran through Disney's Animal Kingdom and then past the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

On thing I remember during the race was how Disney even peels your bananas for you! This can be a hard task at mile 22 when you are running out of energy!

Finally, we were back at Epcot, where we received our medallions. Donald Duck for the half marathon and Mickey Mouse for the full Marathon.