Epilogue ... See you real soon!
Well, considering marathon weekend was nearly two months ago, I suppose it's about time to put this baby to bed.
Tuesday was my travel day and no one wants to hear about that. And
@jennamfeo probably doesn't want to relive her mad dash to MCO after she overslept. I was privy to minute-by-minute text message updates. Proud to say Jenna slayed it.
Anyway, rather than recap a boring day, I want to make some acknowledgements:
@rteetz: Before this weekend, I ran pretty much all of my races solo. Your recaps were the reason I decided to switch gears for Marathon Weekend 2020 and really focus on fun over time and effort. You're like 16 years old, but you were the inspiration. Also, sorry for calling you out over folding vs. scrunching. Thanks, pal. See you at Lakefront in October (I'm not kidding)
@FFigawi: What an introduction. I'm glad you and I could finally hang out. Whether you like it or not ... you're my ride or die now. I'm so happy we could have such an epic, memorable experience together. It's a story I'll tell for years to come. I really hope Mrs. FFigawi forgave you for screwing up brunch plans. Look me up if you're ever in Iowa for RAGBRAI or whatever (our gas stations have really good pizza).
@jennamfeo and
@Keels: Best support crew ever. Best DATW crew ever. Thanks for everything you do. Thanks for commiserating with me after the races. You two ever need anything, you know where to look. See you at Lakefront in October (I'm not kidding)
@michigandergirl,
@Bree,
@TCB in FLA and the rest of the Goof Troop Roving Road Party: I can't think of anyone I'd rather spend 6 hours/26.2 miles with. Any future Goof Troops will be measured against you and the bar is incredibly high. Thanks for giving me the funnest race experience of my life.
@Dis_Yoda and
@MommaoffherRocker: I can't thank you enough for the beverage stop. Thanks for the fuel to get me across the finish line.
@Mr. Drauer: Ain't no beer like a parking lot beer. A pleasure, as always, to run into you and share a few beverages. I hope to knock back a few cold ones with you before too long.
@DopeyBadger,
@Sleepless Knight,
@camaker,
@Neon Cactus,
@TeeterTots,
@PaDisneyCouple, et al: Great to do the pre-race meetups with you. Great to do Hurricane Hannah's with you. Great to do DATW with you. You are all top flight runDisney all-stars and the reason why I love that weekend so dang much.
And now, some closing thoughts...
Doing Disney solo when you have three young(ish) kids is a strange beast. There was a lot I enjoyed - the freedom to do what, I wanted, when I wanted. Eat what/where I want. Ride what/when I wanted. Have some adult beverages, get up at 3 a.m. to run a race, etc. That said, it's so different without my kids. Even on race weekends, my daughters are the inspiration for what I do, so it was hard to not share those victories with them.
That said, I love marathon weekend so dang much. There's really nothing better. I love that time with my fellow runDisney all-stars and I can't wait to do it again, and again, and again.
Right now, so much of my life is up in the air. I don't know when my next race will be, let alone when I'll be back in WDW. But I am so, so, so thankful for this weekend, the experiences and - most importantly - the people I shared it with. From the bottom of my heart, it was an honor to experience Marathon Weekend 2020 with you all.
GOOF TROOOOOOOOOOP!