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2007 Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge Report: Al Lagattolla(Courtesy of NorthWest Herald)
Matt Lavine ran in seven marathons last year. A simple 26.2-mile race no longer is enough.
The Crystal Lake runner craves challenges with a twist, and his most recent success took him through the world of Disney. Lavine, 33, won the Goofy Challenge, posting the best combined time in a half-marathon and marathon run Jan. 6-7 in Orlando, Fla.
The Crystal Lake Central graduate humbly points out he really didn’t win anything – he was 12th in the half-marathon in 1 hour, 20 minutes and 4 seconds and 14th in the full marathon in 2:47.32. His combined time of 4:08.12 was the best, ahead of the 4:08.50 run by David Glover of Reston, Va.
“I did not know they were keeping track of who placed where in both races,” Lavine said. “I knew the first day, I was the first person who finished with an orange number, meaning I was in both races.”
It was an extraordinary experience. It’s unusual to spread 39.3 miles of running over two days, and it’s even more rare to have the opportunity to do that while running through theme parks. Runners start at Epcot Center and head through the Magic Kingdom, Disney-MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to run through the park,” Lavine said. “I will say running down main street in the Magic Kingdom was amazing. You would think you were in first place in a big-time marathon. People were getting excited.”
It was different, and that’s exactly what Lavine wants. The race almost wasn’t long enough. He ran in a 50-mile race last year, and he’d like to try a few more. He’d like to even try a 100-mile race through the mountains of California.
He said he ran in a race down The Strip in Las Vegas, and he just wants to try something new each time.
“Things that are a little more non-traditional,” he said.
His ultimate goal?
“I would love to run the entire state of Illinois,” he said. “Running is something I enjoy doing. I hope people who read about me might be encouraged to give it a try themselves.”
• Al Lagattolla is a sports copy editor for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached at (815) 526-4508, via fax at (815) 459-5640 or via e-mail at alagattolla@nwherald.com.
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