Race for the Taste 2009

My Disney racing started in October of 2009 with the 10K Race for the Taste.  It was the perfect long weekend!  My father had gotten us 5 military 5 day passes and we were off: myself, my parents, and my two daughters.  Our schedule was loaded.  Not only were we racing the 10K, the 3K, and a 200 meter between us, but we were also going to the Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. 

Fans are always welcome along the course and at the finish line!

This fan looks very supportive!

2009 was the last year the Race for the Taste was run in the morning.  They sent the 10K and the 3K off early in the morning.  I flew solo on the 10K, my eldest was accompanied by my mother around Epcot, and my youngest ran away from my father in the 200 meters.  As fun as the longer endurance races are, the kids races and 5k's are a blast for the whole family. 

The day seemed warmer than any of my training runs.  Of course I had been training in cold New England and the race was in warm Florida.  The temps were warmer than most summer days at home.  I was a few miles into the race when I realized I had stopped sweating.  I felt I was entering a danger zone.  I had never gone from a full sweat to no sweat.  I slowed down a few ticks and felt much better.

I was so thrilled to be running through the parks.  We left the Epcot parking lot and headed out onto the access road toward Hollywood Studios.  I loved entering the park through the back lot.  As we came out of the entrance the morning sun was shining through the palm trees that lead to the entrance of the park.  It was amazing!  We turned toward the resorts and ran along the ponds and the Boardwalk toward Epcot.  We entered through England.  I loved watching running buddies split off from the route to take fun photos around the world.  It was my first Disney run and I did not have any expectations.  It was my first glimpse of how fun running at Disney could be. 

When I finished I met up with my family.  My eldest and my mother had finished their race as well.  The photos taken of them running around the world were fantastic.  My mother was so proud that she could still run the 3K and my daughter looked like she had had a great morning.  The only race left was my youngest's 200 meter.  It was a mass start, one turn, and straight to the finish line.  She took off like a shot and left her grandfather in the dust.  She was a girl in motion.  When I wanted to take a photo of her at the finish line she held up one "wait a minute" finger, bent forward, took a few deep breaths and then gave me a great smile.  She had given it her all.  After the race we had tickets for the post race picnic.  Too bad the parking lot was scorching at that point.  We had all also exerted a little too much to be hungry for the foods they were offering.  Looking back on it I can't believe there were only 4015 runners in the 10K that year.  The runDisney events sure have grown.

We walked away from the race with 4 great medals and some amazing family memories.  The night before the race we had dined at Cinderella's Royal Table and we were looking forward to the Halloween Party.  The races were smack in the middle of a wonderful long weekend.  It was a great introduction to running at Disney.  Our next race would definitely include costumes and a camera!