RunDisney announced today that the January WDW races and the February Princess races for 2021 are going virtual. They will no longer be held in person, and all registrants will have the option of either a refund or converting their registration to a virtual run. They will also re-open up registration this Thursday for anyone interested in signing up for the virtual races if they weren’t able to snag a spot earlier this year when they first went on sale.

What does this mean for me?

I was signed up to do the marathon in January, my first ever full marathon, and all 3 of the Februrary princess races - the 5k, 10k and the half. I just entered week 13 of my marathon training too, and was set to run 15 miles next week for my training. I’m glad they announced this sooner than later before I unnecessarily added on mileage next week for naught. I’ve never gone beyond 13.1 miles before in a run and I was really anxious about the crossover into uncharted waters. Not that I don’t want to do it, but it’s definitely a daunting thing to run that much in a long run. I would have been pretty mad had they announced this 2 weeks later, so right at the break even point of my training, was perfect to avoid unnecessary strain on my legs and avoid risking injury.

I have til October 7th to make my decision but ultimately I think I’m going to withdraw from the now virtual marathon. Why? Honestly, it’s a lot to take on. 26.2 miles to run laps around your neighborhood is brutal. After a certain point, you really do hate yourself running circles around the same route. And a virtual race is simply not the same as an in-person race. Not that I don’t feel accomplished every time I complete a half marathon around my neighborhood, but nothing is ever going to compare to a real race.

There’s running and there’s running in Disney. And it’s really the running in Disney that I really like. Crossing that finish line is the absolute BEST in person. When I run at home, I simply get back to my house when I complete my run, shower, get something to eat and go about the rest of my day. There’s nothing really special about it. But at Disney, there’s absolute magic in the air. I always want to cry every time I cross that damn line. I wish I could describe it and put it into words what it is, that je ne sais quoi, but it simply cannot be replicated with a virtual. Simply put, it just feels amazing. You’re on top of the world. Nothing can stop you. Nothing can take that accomplishment away from you. All the people cheering you on through the entirety of the race from beginning to end, the posters, the high fives, the encouragement, the water/Powerade/food stops, the bands, the fireworks, the character stops, running down Main street, through the CASTLE, oh my god, the castle!

I still remember my first runDisney event. The excitement, the energy, the anticipation, the unknown! It was the most amazing experience and that’s why I keep coming back every year, setting bigger goals each time. This was supposed to be my first full marathon. For some, it would have been their first Disney run, first Dopey, first Goofey, first marathon, first whatever, and I really feel for you. We all know “there will be other events,” but that still doesn’t help much with the disappointment. I can’t offer much consolation. Let me just say this came as no surprise with the state of the world right now, but it’s still heartbreaking to say the least. I understand the decision made to go virtual but I’m still sad about missing out on my first marathon.

BUT! I will say, your training has not been entirely wasted. For some of us, we’ve done things we’ve never done before! We reached new distances, set new PRs, found new running trails, ran more than we’ve ever ran before, learned to run in hard conditions like extreme cold or sweltering heat and even buckets of rain. Last year when I did my first half marathon, I had only done my training runs and the actual race. This year, after I returned from Princess weekend, I continued on with my running and kept up with long runs even through quarantine. I’ve done 6 half marathon runs this year in my neighborhood just because. In the past I would never think to do that because doing one is daunting enough. But I’ve been working towards building my cardio and endurance. Once upon a time a run from my house to the end of the block seemed like forever. And then one day a 5k became my warm-up. And then a 10k. One day, a half marathon will be my warm-up. And that’s how I’ll conquer the Dopey Challenge one day. Step by step, one foot in front of the other.

As for the Princess races, I was thinking about forgoing them as well but then I saw the damn medals and damnit, now I want them. But at least with the Princess races, I know I can do them because I already completed the challenge when I set this as my goal earlier this year. I’ve done it once so I know I can do it again just fine. So I’m staying on to do the Princess virtuals to add those medals to my collection. I figured why not since I started collecting them since 2018, might as well keep with the continuity so I can keep building my wall of medals. That Rapunzel medal has my heart anyway, let’s be real.

But for the marathon, I don’t want a virtual to be my first. It feels like cheating to just receive a medal in the mail without proof that you earned it, since everyone signing up is going to get one in the mail without needing to really run for it. I don’t want to run it on the honor system, I want to run a real, live, officially timed race and I want it on paper that me, myself, and I did this honestly, to the fullest of what I have to give. I want my first full 26.2 miles to be in person, with those crowds pushing me through and motivate me through every mile and I want to feel it in my heart as I cross that finish line. No virtual is going to do that and I’m not going to miss out on that experience for my first time. So for now, we’re going to pivot and put the goal on hold. I’m hoping I can find maybe a local race that will still be taking place next year like the NYC marathon or something, so I can have that under my belt to know that a marathon is doable for me, and then possibly take on the Dopey Challenge in 2022. If not, then we’ll reset the first marathon to be 2022, and the Dopey in 2023. I’d rather not keep rescheduling my dreams and goals, but hey, there’s a time and place for everything. Right now, the universe is telling me to continue slowing down. So for now, I’ll continue with my running as part of my regular workout routine, but I’m going to put a pause on my marathon training. Since it looks like 2021 might still be some time before we go back to somewhat normal and are able to travel again, I'm going to make 2021 the year I save up my money to do ALL those runs hopefully in 2022. The year we break my legs, hahaha! Just because 2021 is being rained on doesn't mean we quit. We must continue on, but now we're going to make even bigger goals and climb even more mountains. One day we’ll conquer the Dopey Challenge, the Castaway Challenge, and the Castle to Chateau Challenge though, I promise you! It's going to be epic.