disney4dan 68 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Congratulations Ed. I will try to be there when that event happens. Really impressive accomplishment! Heck, I would be aching from walking 48 miles in that many days, never mind pedaling a hand cycle. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Roller ... aka Ed 351 Posted January 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 A colleague of mine returned to work today from running the Disney marathon for the first time. She was so impressed by how organized everything was and the amount of people participating. When I told her that I knew of somone running with a bike she asked me to pass this on to you. When she was hot and tired and wondering how she would finish, she would see one of you guys on the bikes and you would give her the inspiration to push through it. You guys were going through alot more than she was and still participating. When I told her you were a disabled vet she wanted me to thank for your service. So Ed you were an inspiration to someone in Central IL.I stopped for one runner. She seemed to be having real problems. I gave her a package of my GU Chomps and a bottle of water. I made sure she took some of both, encouraged her to take her time ... and notified them at the next medical tent. One really sad moment - just past the 26 mile marker (yes, just 0.2 miles away from the finish), a runner was passed out face down on the ground surrounded medics. I was told an ambulance was picking her up about 10 minutes later. The encouragement really helps, BUT you have to watch out that you don't let it cause you to overdo. Stick to your training plan, hydrate, etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Alright, Ed. If you were waiting for me to catch up before you proceeded....I'm caught up. Hijack and all. And speaking of hijacks.....for anyone going to Philly who likes mussels, you have to check out Monk's Cafe downtown. Huge beer list, all unique stuff, and GREAT mussels. Carry on now, Ed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Roller ... aka Ed 351 Posted January 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Alright, Ed. If you were waiting for me to catch up before you proceeded....I'm caught up. Hijack and all. And speaking of hijacks.....for anyone going to Philly who likes mussels, you have to check out Monk's Cafe downtown. Huge beer list, all unique stuff, and GREAT mussels. Carry on now, Ed.Craft beer and mussels ... are you trying to sabotage me! You must know that I love both. We will be staying downtown, so I will have to check it out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lklasing 16 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Ed - I just read through all this and have to say I am so impressed with what you have done! You have overcome so much and are truly an inspiration. I'm really looking forward to hopefully hearing a lot more about your experience with the Dopey. I can't imagine doing all those races but it sure would be an amazing accomplishment. Leslie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Roller ... aka Ed 351 Posted January 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Day one of the races - the 5K Family Fun Run. This run is not timed normally (you are supposed to have fun with your family, after all) ... but the Dopey runners have timing chips. The Plan - take it easy and finish around the 40 minute mark (45 is the cutoff).You start in a CM parking lot beside EPCOT, and that went well ... all the other wheelchair racers left me in the dust. Next you circle around to the right and go backstage. Nothing to see here ... move along, move along.Now it gets interesting ... You enter the EPCOT under the outside speed run track for Test Track ... and start getting passed by the faster runners. Head down to the Countries and turn left toward Mexico ... and you start seeing some of the Disney characters. Circle around until you get to the #!$@? Bridge just past France. Have I told you I had no time to train; have I told you that inclines suck ... you will come to understand that going uphill in a handcycle is "not a good thing". What goes up must come down ... a LOT faster! Going downhill to the International Gateway was FAST. For my first downhill run, it was almost frightening ... but it was also FUN! Backstage again ... and, again not much to see ... except a water stop.Back into EPCOT near Canada; a short run; turn left and head to the "Ball". Circle around the left of the Ball, backstage one more time and you see the finish line back in the CM parking lot you started in.How did my "take it easy plan" work? I thought I WAS taking it easy ... and finished in 24 minutes. I felt great; no shoulder issues at all ... and FAR less cardiopulmonary issues than I normally had while running. Hmm, maybe I was in denial about my running problems. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Great update! I bet the uphills are rough!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Funny. I never thought about the incline on that bridge by France. But, it is kind of steep. Did you take the turn through International Gateway on two wheels? 24 minutes for a 5K is fast. What is considered a good time for a wheelchair athlete? TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Roller ... aka Ed 351 Posted January 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Elite wheelchair athletes average 15 mph ... or even faster! For perspective, two of the higher end competitors at the Marathon were discussing their plans. One said he was taking it easy, and wanted to finish around 1:45. YES, that is 26.2 miles in under 2 hours! To qualify for the Boston Marathon, you have to have a time under the 2 hour mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Elite wheelchair athletes average 15 mph ... or even faster! For perspective, two of the higher end competitors at the Marathon were discussing their plans. One said he was taking it easy, and wanted to finish around 1:45. YES, that is 26.2 miles in under 2 hours! To qualify for the Boston Marathon, you have to have a time under the 2 hour mark. Wow, that's much faster than I thought. Amazing. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Roller ... aka Ed 351 Posted January 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Day 2 - The Minnie 10K (you will learn that all the Marathon Week runs have a character name except the 5K). Awake at 2:30 a.m. to have time to get to the outpost, load my chair and take the shuttle bus to the race start area. The Plan - take it easy today ... yesterday was faster than intended; save it for the Marathon ... 1:15 (1:30 cutoff) sounds good.Same start location, but we don't head backstage like we did for the 5K - we turn left, head down the road for just over a mile. They warn us that there is a sharp turn ahead. No kidding! Handcycles do NOT turn sharply - mine has an 18 FOOT turn radius. Of course, you have an incline to go with the turn !#$@+. Head back the way you came, and then go backstage - still nothing to see. This time you enter EPCOT next to Norway. CMs cheering, characters, and that expletive deleted bridge at France again.Out the International Gateway and take the bridge (why does it have to be bridges) across to the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk is ROUGH! $@#!+, it's another bridge! This time it's over to Yacht & Beach Club. $#=@+ It's uphill to the International Gateway! Backstage again, but this time we head into EPCOT near The Land. No trip around the Ball this time - across to the backstage area and the parking lot finish line.What the $@#/! I took it easy; there were inclines that really slowed me down; HOW did I finish the Inaugural 10K in 49 minutes? I still felt great; shoulder is fine; something is just not right and I'm going to pay for it the next two days. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Man, there was a lot of cussing in the 10K. I'm not sure I'll be able to read about the half. LOL. 49 minutes is an amazing time. Especially since you were trying for 1:15. You were only about 30 minutes fast! Maybe you should get a speedometer? TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 LOL.Good job.You're going to fit right in there in Philly.TCDShe has to learn the fine art of throwing duracells at the Eagles opponent, then she can be officially sworn in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 She has to learn the fine art of throwing duracells at the Eagles opponent, then she can be officially sworn in. True. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fortpartyof4 108 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 She has to learn the fine art of throwing duracells at the Eagles opponent, then she can be officially sworn in. I haven't committed to a new NFL team yet. Not sure it will be the birds. Also cannot get behind a team with Vick on it. The hubs has started to switch, though. Then again he was a Jaguars fan so anything is an improvement! My neighbors, who are natives, told me Eagles games might not be the best place to go w/ my kids. We are huge sports fans and were so excited to move to a city with a team in all of the sports we like to watch. We saw some bad press right after the season got underway last fall about fights in the stadium between fans. Really disappointing to not go to a football game for fear of these idiots. I wish those dolts knew what a bad rap they give the whole city with their embarrassing behavior. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fortpartyof4 108 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Man. I have also never thought about all of those inclines. Not sure I've ever really noticed them, I guess with the crowds you don't. 2:30 am??? What time do they start the runners? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Roller ... aka Ed 351 Posted January 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Up at 2:30 in order to be at the Outpost by 3:00. Load my chair and be on the way by 3:15. The shuttle bus also stops at Wilderness Lodge and the Contemporary. Get to the drop off point about 3:40 - and then walk over a mile to the area for disabled runners ... where I have to be by 4:00.The actual start is some distance away, and they have to get everyone into their corrals. Start time 5:30. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Roller ... aka Ed 351 Posted January 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Day 3 - the Donald 1/2 Marathon. Yes, I was up at 2:30 AM ... again. The Plan - I really need to ease off, because I have a Full Marathon tomorrow. Cutoff is 3:30, so 3 Hours sounds good. Start on Epcot Center Drive. When you get near World Drive, you hit the on ramp (the first incline :banghead: ). It didn't seem to bad and I had some good speed going down onto World Drive. About the 5K point, you head through some of the Magic Kingdom parking areas. 5K split 20:44 WTH! Head up to the Contemporary, and then take the bus entrance to MK. Have you ridden a bus to the MK? Are you familiar with the Water Bridge? There is a steep downhill - and then an equally steep uphill. :banghead: Downhill sounds good - except there were runners blocking my way and I had to ride the brakes - no momentum and then a HUGE incline. It was pure grunt it out to get up the hill :banghead: . Head backstage, and enter the MK by Tony's Town Square. Main street is PACKED by people cheering us on. They had to be up as early as I was to make it into the MK! Turn into Tommorowland (another small bridge that was nothing after the Water Bridge underpass.) Circle around and come through the Castle. Turn right and head through Frontierland. Then you head backstage between Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. 10K Split - 44:46 - I need to ease off! Down Past the Grand Floridian and head toward the Poly. Oh, look - it's Golfing Mickey. Stop and have a Photo taken and waste a little time. Back onto World Drive, and head to EPCOT. 15K Split - 1:13:08. This is just crazy! Oh %$#@^ - there is a long on ramp to the overpass over World Drive to get to EPCOT. Everyone is saying this is the last one. Grunt it out, and at the top I see TWO more hills :banghead: . Enter EPCOT from backstage just inside the entrance, turn right and head straight down the middle. Turn around, and head straight back. Just past the Ball, turn right, head backstage and end up at the finish in a CM parking lot. Finish - 1:50:14 ... 45 minutes faster than my first Wheelchair 1/2! My shoulder didn't like the on ramp and the two hills, so I iced it down. Tomorrow is going to be "interesting". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h2odivers...Ray 952 Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Congrats on your Hal marathon time. I hope your shoulder didn't give you to much during the full marathon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dblr....Rennie 224 Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Congrats all around your doing great, best of luck on the marathon we are all cheering for you!!!!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Roller ... aka Ed 351 Posted January 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Day 4 - the Mickey Marathon. Surprise, surprise - I am up at 2:30 again. The Plan - I've got this; there is a 7 hour cut off; just take it easy. Same start as the 1/2 Marathon - the same ramp onto World Drive :banghead: ; the same damn Water Bridge underpass ... and the same damn people blocking me on the slope down :banghead: . That means I have to grunt it out going up ... again :banghead: . 5 Mile Split - 41:32 The same path through the Magic Kingdom ... and the same crowd of 'adoring fans' :jumpforjoy . The same path past the Grand Floridian and the Poly and down World Drive until we hit the 8 Mile mark ... and then we took a loop out through some parking lots, and got on Bear Island Road. 10 Mile Split - 1:28:02 I can't begin to tell you how interesting it was to go by the Recycling Center and the Water Treatment Plant. Enter Animal Kingdom backstage by Kali River Rapids, and turn left. Go by Everest and head to Dinoland. Exit backstage, and head out to Oseola Parkway. 1/2 Marathon Split - 1:59:29. Stop at a Medical Tent around the 16.5 Mile mark to get Biofreeze on my shoulder, and head into Wide World of Sports. Take a convoluted path through every part - all the tracks; circle the Baseball Stadium, and head back out to Oseola Parkway. 20 Mile Split - 3:06:50. Turn left onto Oseola Parkway and take the ramp onto World Drive. Another off ramp :banghead: , and we head backstage at The Studios. Enter next to Tower of Terror, circle around and head out to the exit. Oh look - there are LOTS of people waiting for rope drop! They may not have been aware that there was a Marathon taking place, but they were all supporting us :jumpforjoy . Up the pathway to the boardwalk area, across the bridge :banghead: to Yacht & Beach Club and on to EPCOT. A short jog backstage and right to ... the Bridge from Hell to France. Circle around the Countries, past Mexico, turn right and head up past The Ball. Backstage again, and there's the Halleluyah Chorus- which means I'm at the 26 Mile mark and the finish is just around the corner! A very sad note here - about where you see the American Flag in the background, a runner was passed out surrounded by Medical Staff. Another Team AllEars member about 10 minutes behind me reported that an ambulance was picking her up as he went by. Sprint to the finish (4:11:49) and get loaded down with medals (Mickey, Goofy and Dopey). Ice down the shoulder again - which isn't feeling bad at all. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Roller ... aka Ed 351 Posted January 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Observations and general info: I did MUCH better than I expected - even when I started stopping to get character photo ops. I blame all the crowds yelling support almost every foot of the course. I wore shirts with Team AllEars and my name - so I constantly heard, "Go ED" and "Team AllEars" from complete strangers for the most part. How can you not give that little bit extra with that going on. Race names? What's up with that. All the runs except the 5K have shirts and medals associated with one character - the 10K is new, and Minnie Mouse is the themed character; the 1/2 Marathon has always been themed with Donald Duck; the Marathon is named for the main Mouse - Mickey. What's up with Goofy and Dopey? 19 years ago, they started a special race combo - the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge. Do the Donald on Saturday and then the Mickey on Sunday and you were officially Goofy and got a shirt and a medal to prove it. This year they added the Minnie - and another challenge. Run all FOUR races, and you were officially Dopey. I'm not crazy, I'm Dopey ... and I have the shirt and the medal to prove it. (I also received the Goofy, because I did that also). Interested in the Race Courses - 5K and 10K http://as1.wdpromedia.com/media/rundisney/pdf/wdw-marathon/2014/10K5KMap.pdf, 1/2 Marathon - http://as1.wdpromedia.com/media/rundisney/pdf/wdw-marathon/2014/HalfMarathon14_Map.pdf, and the Full Marathon - http://as1.wdpromedia.com/media/rundisney/pdf/wdw-marathon/2014/Marathon14_Map.pdf. I went TOO fast. People behind me got to ride Everest right as it opened. A group of Team AllEars were on the first ride of the day! The Team AllChEars Squad was passing out Margaritas in Mexico after the Margarita Bar opened - I just got a big cheer :banghead: . Next year, I'm stopping at EVERY character for photos! To heck with good times, I'm going to be there to have fun! Toward the end of the Marathon, they had two stations passing out bananas - and a station in The Studios passing out chocolate and gummie bears. Those helped a lot. Any questions? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h2odivers...Ray 952 Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Woot! Woot! Congrats on an awesome accomplishment. Great times. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Congrats on your accomplishments Ed!And thanks for taking us along for the ride. You know what would be perfect for next year? You could wear a Gopro camera and get the entire experience on video! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Congrats!!! You are awesome Ed!!I agree a gopro would awesome! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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