There may not be a more appropriate reward than the medal that was draped around Brandywine Hundred resident Larry Anthony's neck on Jan. 8.
It was an image of Goofy, the aptly named Disney cartoon dog.
"People tell me it's perfect," said Anthony, a 43-year-old DuPont Co. lab technician. "When I tell them what I did, they say 'Are you crazy?' "
What Anthony did was run the Disney Half-Marathon on Jan. 7, then come back and run the Disney Marathon the next morning. So did a Newark couple, John and Cindy Sparco.
That's 39.3 miles in just over 24 hours.
"I wanted to do something unusual or unique," Anthony said. "This sounded unique. I run with the TrailDawgs [at White Clay Creek State Park, north of Newark]. They gave me the incentive, because they're always running in ultras and other unusual events."
Anthony finished the half-marathon in 1:56:43 and the marathon, his 10th, in 4:16:10. Both were contested in unusually cool, crack-of-dawn conditions, with temperatures in the 30s, which was beneficial, he said.
Half-marathon finishers receive a medal with Donald Duck's likeness. Marathon finishers are rewarded with one emblazoned with Mickey Mouse's image.
Those who accomplished the double also got a Goofy.
"I'm glad I did it," he said, "though I'm not sure if I'd do it again. It was a lot of fun."
It was part of a weeklong family vacation with wife Krista and daughters Alex, 9, and Allison, 6.
Anthony had run the Disney Marathon twice before. Adding the half-marathon was a way to spice up the challenge.
"At the half-marathon, I had to keep reminding myself to stay at marathon pace so I would still have energy left for the next day's race," he said. "It felt funny holding back when you're used to running a race to your full potential."
The marathon course traversed the various Disney theme parks -- EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and MGM Studios. Anthony, as expected, started feeling quite fatigued at 18 miles and gutted out the most difficult last two miles.
"The feeling of crossing the finish line made it all worth it," he said.
John Sparco, 40, and wife Cindy, 35, were running just their second marathons. They each had combined times of just under 9 hours and 17 minutes.
"We did it for the medal and it was a lot of fun," Cindy Sparco said. "We weren't trying to be competitive. It was something to do for the challenge."
Courtesy of Kevin Tresolini at 324-2804 or ktresolini@delawareonline.com.
