I
Just Can't Wait to Be KingChecking into Disney's Caribbean Resort Hotel, we discovered our room in Building 26. At Disney's Animal Kingdom the next morning, we found a parking space in Row 26. And on Sunday, I would complete the string of 26's by running that many miles in the Disney World Marathon.
I had come to Orlando, Florida to lead one of the Runner's World pacing teams in the marathon. I was in charge of the 4:30 group, meaning I would churn along at a steady 4:30 pace (10:18 per mile), and anyone wanting to finish in that time could join me. The magazine has been providing pacing teams in select marathons since 1995, and runners love them.
I was uncertain about my own finishing ability. Despite being in shape for shorter distance events, I hadn't put in the miles to get ready for a marathon. Longest runs of 10-12 miles are okay if you're running 1500 meters (as I did at the NCCWAVA meet in Barbados in November), but not much help if you're planning to go 26 miles 385 yards.
Still, I didn't want to pass on a trip to Disney in January. I figured I could keep people on pace for 20 miles, after which everyone was on their own. As insurance, I recruited Leesa Weichert, coordinator of pacing teams for The LaSalle Banks Chicago Marathon, to run with me.
My wife Rose and I arrived early to act as tourists before business intruded. Over the years we've visited most of the Disney theme parks, but hadn't seen Animal Kingdom, a new section inspired by the success of The Lion King. Central to the park is a safari where you ride through a jungle and see various African animals. I tried to convince Rose that the animals were Disney robots, but she wasn't fooled. After our attendance at the World Veterans Championships in South Africa two summers ago, we had spent several days at Hsluhsluwe Nature Reserve. Seeing animals in a theme park doesn't quite match the experience of having a real elephant threaten your Land Rover, but it comes close. We also enjoyed the theatrical production, Festival of the Lion King, a slam-bang half hour of dancing and singing, featuring music from that film. "I just can't wait to be king" would beat in my head for days afterwards.
Friday at the Expo I helped lead a clinic at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex for runners interested in joining a pacing team. Everyone wanted to know how to find the teams at the start and how they function. We had signs with various times from 3:00 to 5:00 identifying each group and wore bright-colored hats to be more easily spotted, particularly after aid stations where it's easy to get split from the group. I told everyone my strategy was to walk through each aid station (19 in all) and afterwards start a chant so people could find us.
Me: Who are we?Everyone: 4:30!
Me: What are we?
Everyone: Best looking!
As an additional aid, Leesa planned to run wearing Mickey Mouse ears.
That evening we met Dana and Mary Jane Summers at Pebbles Restaurant for dinner. Dana is an editorial cartoonist for the Orlando Sentinel and also draws two comic strips: Bound and Gagged and The Middletons. (Dana drew the cartoon illustrations that accompany this article.) Like many of today's runners, Dana and Mary Jane had started walking for health and enjoyment, then graduated upwards to running the marathon. Joining us at dinner were Jim and Sandy Kirwin. Jim planned to run the race dressed as Pinocchio, complete with long nose. At Saturday's pacing team clinics, I got off several jokes at Jim's expense, suggesting that the nose might cause people to mistake him for Bill Clinton.
The marathon started at 6:00 AM on Sunday, requiring me to set my alarm for 4:00 and settle on a Power Bar for breakfast. Chaos reined in the starting area, but most runners seemed to find us. Leesa arrived wearing a cap with Mickey Mouse ears. Jim Kirwin as Pinocchio arrived with several other runners dressed as characters in that movie. With 13,000 runners on a narrow course, we lost 3 minutes off our planned 10:18-per-mile pace, but I brought our group through the half marathon point within a few seconds of 2:15. With a large group in tow, I still had everybody chanting that we were "best looking," but around 20 miles the chant got weaker. People started to drift away, both to go ahead and drop back. I had done my job, but despite plans to drop out at that point I kept going, focusing on Leesa's mouse ears to keep on pace.
Leesa finished in 4:29:46; I crossed in 4:30:27, having lost half a minute between miles 22 and 25. I felt exhilaration at a task well done. Since our visit to Animal Kingdom, the lyrics to "I just can't wait to be king" had been playing through my mind like a broken record. Past the finishing chute, a volunteer hung a medal around my neck. It was a Mickey Mouse medal, complete with the distinctive ears. That was a crown worthy of any king.