What better way to start the new year then by running a marathon in sunny Florida? So off I went to Orlando to compete in the 6th running of the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 10, 1999. This marathon was actually “fun” to run (I know what you are thinking…how can running 26.2 miles be fun?) because I ran it to see what Disney was like and not to run a PR. I had never been to Disney, so this was a totally new experience for me. Disney is like being in a dream world – it is very clean and everyone is very friendly. The marathon course took us through four of the theme parks – Epcot, The Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom Park (the new Disney attraction), and MGM Studios. The start was at Epcot at 6AM (the bus picked me up at my resort hotel at 3:30AM - yikes, I am not a morning person), complete with fireworks and singing Disney characters. The first hour or so of this marathon is run in the dark, which is actually pretty neat. Running through Epcot in the dark with the colored lights overhead and the fiber-optic lights in the sidewalks was very cool. I was surprised by the amount of spectators out at this time in the morning…tons of people lined the roads to watch and support us crazies. Oh and I should mention the temperature at the start was a lovely 55°F. I can’t say enough good things about the organization of this event and the amount of cheerful volunteers working to make this such a popular and enjoyable marathon. But I wouldn’t expect anything less from a Disney production. Everything from the 2-day expo, to the transportation logistics, to the race info book I received beforehand, to the entertainment along the course (and there was a lot of it), to the course and runner’s safety along the course, to the finish line events, to the big Mickey Mouse head finishers medal, was a first-class production. There were even enough porta-potties at the start, along the course, and at the finish to support the 9,000 marathoners and 4,000 half-marathoners. This marathon had runners from all 50 states and many foreign countries. Anyone, who is looking for some fun in the sun, running, should consider the Walt Disney World Marathon in January 2000.  But register early, this years race was at full capacity by November 23rd of 1998.