THE GOOFY

By Paul Anderson

When Lee Brower first suggested running a half marathon followed by a full marathon on back to back days, I thought he was crazy and wished him well.  Then he suggested we prepare for the event by running a half marathon each month from April till January; I thought he’d really lost it.

Now that it is over, I’m grateful for his vision and commitment and for goading me into participating.  I’ve run 10 half marathons plus the Goofy in the last 10 months.  You could say that’s lucky 13 half marathons (counting the Goofy marathon as two halves).  It’s been a great experience and I’ve had some wonderful insights, including the following:

Insight 1:  Running for a cause is a blessing.  I’ve enjoyed running since I was in junior high school; however, I’ve never run for a cause.  Being a “Wacky Warrior” added a new dimension and really felt good.  It also felt good to run with the team.  During the races I often reflected on how lucky I was to be able to run when many young children with cancer often can’t even walk.  I was grateful to run for them.

Insight 2:  Consistent training makes the impossible possible.  As stated, when I first heard about running the Goofy, I thought Lee was crazy.  I was usually fully spent at the end of a half marathon; thinking about running a marathon the next day was nuts.  During our first half marathon, I had to stop and walk a while.  After others, I had to lie on the grass to regain my strength.  As we continued, I felt better and better after each race and my times improved.  Running the Goofy was really relatively easy; my preparation moved it from impossible to an event I really enjoyed and felt remarkably good afterward.

Insight 3:  Diet is very important before a race.  Lee said he felt the food he ate was like fuel for his running.  I came to understand the truth of this statement.  Before one race in particular, I did not eat properly.  What should have been a rather easy run became a very arduous run.  Being fully prepared is essential

Insight 4:  The Goofy is a riot.  Disney knows how to put on a run.  I started on the half marathon not going for a fast time, but to enjoy the experience.  I realized this was not an ordinary race when after the first mile I saw a line of runners stopped to get their picture taken with Captain Jack of Pirates of the Caribbean.  I joined them and got my picture.  There were many, many other places to get pictures with Disney characters and I took advantage of most of them!!  It was a riot.  Fortunately we ran together as a team for much of the races and had a great time together.  We ran through all the Disney parks, around an auto race track and through a baseball stadium.  They kept things entertaining.  I had to run faster when there were no characters, or other cool things to see, so I could stop and experience the cool things.  It was great!!

Thank you to Nick, Lori and Lee and to all the others who made this such a wonderful experience.  And the experience and effort will continue!!

By Dave Sheffield

157.2 Miles – 10 half marathons from April to January, ending with a full marathon: the WACKY Goofy.  Everyone says that I am Goofy, too, for doing it.  I also added in two half marathons on top of the 10.  I ran two half marathons in October and November.  Here are some other numbers to consider:  1,080 miles of training and racing, a total duration of 187 hours and 20 minutes of running.

Training started on March 12, 2012 when I ran 2.75 miles.  My comment on that run was “Legs Hurt”.

When Lee first mentioned the Goofy Challenge, I knew he was “Goofy”… to run 39.3 miles in two days.  I reflected back on the 2010 Ogden Marathon when I crawled across the finish line because my legs were locked up with cramps.  I even threw my new running shoes in the garbage… saying “no more running”.  Thanks to Lee, and all of his “nutrition” research, I was able to train and finish the Goofy Challenge with no leg cramps, and I actually enjoyed running the Goofy Challenge.  Due to the training, I was confident that I would finish, however, you just never know what is going to happen, so I was very nervous before both races, and relied upon the spirit of Nick, my sister Janine, and all the training miles that got me to this point.  I don’t run with any headphone, or music… because I find that the time running is a great time to think of all that I am grateful for, and to remember all that is important to me.  There were a few training runs that were very emotional for me, thinking of loved ones, Nick, Janine, and my family.

Running the Goofy Challenge… the only word that comes to mind is “amazing”.  The whole atmosphere, all the runners, the scenery, the Disney characters, running through the theme parks, through the Cinderella Castle, around the race track, through the Animal Park, through the ESPN park, and around Epcot.  Just amazing.

Thanks Lee (and WACKY Warriors), for this experience, for the support, for the training research, and for the “reason to run” (which I need).

With Gratitude,

Dave Sheffield