The decision to do RFTT 10K was a bit spontaneous, and we had signed up only about a month earlier. As it was a 10K, we felt we could indulge our urge to wear some sort of costume. Rachael went to the fabric store and found blue gingham material with Mickeys running and jumping on it. Perfect! She got a simple apron pattern and embellished the design with some large black rickrack on the edges.
Meanwhile, I found a place to order chef hats. Not costume one, but real ones. And I discovered that they not only came in white, but also in black and red. We decided on red. I mean, if you are going to stand out, do it right, eh? My husband has a professional embroidery machine for his business, and he was able to put the Mickey logo (head and ears) and then Chef Vicki, Chef Amanda, and Chef Rachael. They looked great!
Rachael asked if it would be okay for her niece, Kaitlynn, to join us.
Kaitlynn hadn’t been able to go two weeks earlier, and Rachael thought it would be fun for her to go with “the girls.” Rachael was at my house at about 7:00 on Friday (5 October), and soon we were on the road to Disney!
We checked into the Port Orleans – Riverside and then went to World of Sports to get our race packets. I didn’t think it was possible, but the “expo” was smaller than the one in March for the inline skate event. There were the tables with packets and chips and a table for signing the waiver.
There were a few racks with merchandise, covering both a cross-country event and the 10K. That was it. There wasn’t a shirt included in the goody bag, though we did a nice glass with the race logo. I decided I would rather spend the $20 on something else later!
At MGM, we headed into a store and found a Cinderella tiara for Kaitlynn.
After modifications, she proudly placed it on her head, and the three “princesses” went to dinner at the 50’s Prime Time Cafe. It was quite an experience! For those of you who haven’t eaten there, your waitress is your mom – and woe to anyone caught with elbows on the table! Mama Jan took us in hand right away, seeing at once that she had not one, but three princesses to deal with for the evening. We all chose the meatloaf, which was divine. We were told to clean our plates or no dessert. Kaitlynn had some trouble finishing her green beans, and we knew it wouldn’t be long before Mama Jan would be there to get her to clean her plate. Rachael got a great picture of this fork LOADED with green beans headed toward Katilynn’s face! (She didn’t actually have to eat them, but she was told she got no
dessert.)
Then it was over to EPCOT for the extra magic hours. Our tiaras garnered many smiles and comments from the cast members, though fellow park visitors generally gave us strange looks. Ellen’s Energy Adventure was to be our last ride of the evening, and we eagerly took our places with a few other visitors. We were asked to use the first car on the right, as they weren’t going to send all the cars through the ride. We were in the front row because Kaitlynn had never been on the ride before and we wanted the best view. Soon after the cars moved into the area with the dinosaurs, it stopped. And then lights began to come on. And dinosaurs stopped moving.
As it got brighter and brighter, Rachael and I realized there was a problem.
After about 10 minutes, someone noticed the problem and an announcement asked us to remain seated; a cast member was on the way to assist us. When he arrived, he opened the gates on the right of the car and we gingerly picked our way out of the ride. It was quite an experience, and I told the cast member that we’d be back the next day to try again.
On Saturday morning, the alarm went off sooner than any of us expected.
After showers and breakfast at the hotel, we were back at MGM for a ride on the Rockin Roller Coaster. It was a new experience for me, as the Tower of Terror was a new one for Kaitlynn. We got some pictures in front of the tower and the guitar and then it was time for Animal Kingdom.
This was the site of another new ride for me – the Primeval Whirl. For some reason I thought it was a kid’s ride and had never been on it. We three got in a car, and soon after it started I was wishing I had someone else in the car to keep me from sliding around so much. We laughed so hard we couldn’t breathe! And we rode Everest – another first for Katilynn. After barbeque for lunch we returned to Epcot and Ellen’s Energy Adventure.
Kaitlynn moved up to the front by the doors, and scurried to the front row we had been forced to abandon the night before. We were joined this time by a mother and small boy, who had been on the ride before and delighted in telling me all about it. This time everything worked to perfection.
Dinner on Saturday was at the Biergarten in Epcot. Three women and a young couple from Ocala joined us to make a party of eight. We had great seats for the show and enjoyed clapping along. My favorite part was the chicken dance. The food was AWESOME. I ate two bowls of leek and potato soup, schnitzel, chicken, potatoes, and three desserts.
Our next stop was Downtown Disney for a bit of shopping and more dessert.
Yes, Kaitlynn and I had sundaes at Ghirardelli’s. Rachael just sat and watched in amazement as the ice cream disappeared. Then it was time to focus on the “reason” for coming – the 10K on Sunday morning.
The next morning I got up, dressed, and braided my hair. Once Rachael was up and dressed, I braided her hair as well. We both wore black shirts and black shorts with our aprons. We really did look amazing! The desk clerk had told us the night before that the bus would pick us up in front of the hotel at 5:30, and we were there with time to spare. (Kaitlynn would take a bus a bit later to meet us at the finish line.)
We chatted with fellow runners and discussed other Disney races we had done.
At the start, we got some strange looks and some downright dirty ones. It seemed that some people thought we weren’t taking it serious enough. But we didn’t really care, because we were having FUN! At the start area, Scott found us and we chatted for a few minutes – about the race and the event to occur near Valentine’s Day. J I took a picture of the race shirt (the one that cost $20) on a gal near us so we could use it on the back of our Diva shirts. A few minutes later, when we stood to get ready for the start, she was startled to discover that we intended to run the race!
Rachael and I ran along, walking when we felt like it and taking a few pictures. The morning was very humid but for me the temperature wasn’t too bad. The police and cast support seemed particularly pleased with our outfits. Runners we went by and others who overtook us provided nice comments that lifted our spirits. We waved our spatulas and even gave “high spatula” to those along the sidelines.
Into MGM, around and out again, and then over to Epcot. It got a bit congested at some spots, so in there we stayed single file to make sure others could get around us. Going over a bridge at Epcot, we caught up with the gal with the shirt at the start. I couldn’t resist, and when I got close I told her to move it along and tapped her with the spatula. She looked around, broke into a grin, and said her friends had left her. I admit, there was part of me feeling a bit cocky. She didn’t think we were even doing the race, and here we were going by her!
We ran around the world showcase and towards the finish area. I started to pick up the pace, which Rachael noticed and called me on. Just habit – I generally finish strong so I look good for the finish line area and pictures. We ran together across the line at 1:18 and change.
Kaitlynn was waiting for us and we told her we’d come back to find her. We wound through the finish area, got our medals and the requisite photos.
Just outside the area were the food tasting tables, but we decided we wanted REAL breakfast. One guy came up and asked for a photo with us, and we happily obliged.
We found Kaitlynn and the three of us headed to the Contemporary hotel. We hoped to get into the character breakfast or at least get a picture with Chef Mickey. Alas, the character breakfast was very full so we went next door. We decided to give it one more try. At the desk, I could see Chef Mickey in the crowd, hugging children and posing for pictures. I approached a gal at the desk, told her we had done the 10K race that morning and asked if there would be any way to get a picture with Chef Mickey. She told us we looked great and headed off in search of the cast member in charge of the characters.
After a few minutes, she returned and led us to a spot near the buffet area.
We waited patiently, and were rewarded when Mickey arrived to pose with us for a picture. Our mission accomplished, we thanked everyone in earshot, and happily returned to the hotel for showers.
The fun wasn’t quite over. Though we changed out of our running gear and aprons, Rachael and I wore our chef hats and medals the rest of the morning.
We went to Magic Kingdom for pictures at the castle (sort of a tradition) and some lunch. We rode Space Mountain (holding hats in hands to avoid losing them) and saw the PhilharMagic show (Rachael’s favorite). It had been a long weekend so we headed home.
Both of these races were great fun. I would do them both again, though I wouldn’t go to Disney often for a 10K. When I do these, I find I have to remind myself why I’m there – for a RACE! I have such a good time wandering around, eating foods I never get at home, and dressing in ways that would make my teenage son blush.
Photos at - http://www.asiorders.com/go.asp?23648558
