Happiest Runners on Earth

This weekend was the first event weekend for our season, and it was the Disney marathon and half. A third of our team headed down to Orlando and they were ready to rock! The half marathon is actually held the day before the half, so we got to hear amazing success stories throughout the day yesterday. I'd met this one guy, Justin, at kickoff, and he was so funny. He refers to gu as "glue", and when I asked him what his race goals were he said "To not die during the damn thing." Not only did he get through the race, he ran the entire way AND he did it under 2:30. So. Freakin. Awesome.

Then today it was onto the full marathoners. The race started at 5:35am, so I got my ass up at 6am so I'd be able to track all my babies real time. I got everybody plugged into the website, and then I set the page to refresh every 1 minute - although that was nowhere near frequent enough for me, apparently, because I kept violently hitting the refresh button each time someone approached the next checkpoint. I also had Steph, my TNT love who got injured, giving me updates from the actual finish line down in Orlando. It was quite the morning :)

First through was Nelson, a first time marathoner who lives and breathes TNT. He was so damn excited for this race, and put everything into it. Then was Cat, one of my pace group babies, who is so damn funny and enthusiastic and just an awesome person to have around. She finished just behind Nelson. Then was Wei, another pace group baby, who apparently came through with the world's biggest smile on her face, as did Jen Samson not too far behind her. Then there was Christine, who I just adore. Christine and I met during her TNT info session, which I was volunteering at. Throughout the season we became good buds. She and I met up to do our Tuesday runs every week for the majority of the season. She's a great runner, despite some serious pain in her heels, and she's super positive without being annoying about it. She crossed that finish line crying and smiling with her hands in the air, exactly how a person should finish such a monumental race. I am so proud of her, and so excited that she did it. She had the world's best facebook status update afterward: "Shut the front door. I just RAN A MARATHON!!! it was awesome and I rocked and I'm definitely the coolest person you know!!!"

Then it was all about Wendy. The reason the half marathon is the day prior to the full marathon in Disney is because they have something called the Goofy Challenge, where you run the half marathon Saturday AND the full marathon Sunday, for a total of 39.3 miles - not for the faint of heart. It's certifiably insane - and Wendy did it. Back in September when she announced that she was going to go for it, we all thought she was nuts. Who would want to put themselves through that kind of hell? Plus she'd never run a full marathon before, and it didn't sound like a good idea to try it as part of the Goofy Challenge. But, Wendy has this indomitable spirit, she decided she was going to go for it, and she tore that shit UP - Minnie Mouse costume and all :) Out. Of. Control. What an amazing chick.

I'm so proud and psyched to welcome all my TNT lovies into the "I survived a marathon" club, and I am sufficiently inspired and excited for my own race next week.

Cat

Christine

Jen

Nelson

Wei

Wendy