*Throughout the race, it was very evident that we were running a marathon at Disney World. Characters lined the roads throughout much of the 26.2 miles. Hugging Goofy at mile 19 was something I won’t soon forget. What a boost!

*The course was very flat, great for a PR if the weather is right! It was on that day, but much hotter the second time I ran in 2014. In general, the only hills are the highway overpasses.
Water stations, food, and candy were plentiful throughout the race. Disney doesn’t hold back on this—I think they have stations at every single mile.

*You run through all of the parks, and each is very exciting (making the somewhat boring highway stretches between parks fade from your memory pretty quickly). I’ll never forget running through the front door of the Magic Kingdom castle at dawn.

*The live animals in Animal Kingdom kind of scared me at first, but when I realized we were not actually in the wild, I calmed down. I think this has to do with running fatigue.

*Making friends with other runners along the course (if you are able to speak) always helps get you through some of the more challenging miles. Camaraderie is already there, so it’s easy to start the conversation. I met my “person who you call friend because you’re running at the same pace throughout 26.2 miles and want to get your mind off of running” at mile 2 and we hugged after we crossed the finish line. It was pretty special.

*Towards the end of the race, I looked out towards a field that was lining the course and saw Zorro on a horse. I wasn’t immediately sure if it was mile 21 talking or actually Zorro, but let’s assume it was the latter since we were at Disney after all.

*Crossing the finish line with a BQ (even sans Garmin that day!) at my first marathon was actually pretty darn cool. Suddenly the impossible– running a marathon– became possible. I was so happy to have accomplished this physical challenge and couldn’t wait to do it again.