There are a few small things that can sometimes annoy me about RunDisney races, but they are far outnumbered by the overwhelming "warm fuzzies" that participating in a Disney race gives me. I'm working on another post that's proving more difficult than I imagined to write (which is also why there hasn't been anything new recently) that deals with this topic as well. But it'll probably be another few days before that one is published, so until then, so I'd like to share a Disney Parks Blog post about finishing last:
Finishing Last is Finishing First at a Disney Race
posted on January 23rd, 2013 by Robert Hitchcock, PR Manager/Content Producer, runDisney
If I am not running in a runDisney event you will find me at my second favorite place – the finish line. It’s there I find inspiration and a reminder of why I run. Of course it’s exciting to see the winners glide across the finish line with ease, and admire faster runners setting personal records, but for me the thrill is seeing the smiles, laughter, cheers and tears of runners finishing in the middle and at end of the pack. Whether they are doing it for themselves, for a specific cause or in honor of someone who can’t run, they set a goal, achieve it and make their dreams come true. Winners train to win – these runners train to finish.
It’s because of that determination, beating the odds, that I find myself cheering louder for the last place finishers than I do for the first place winner. On Sunday at the Tinker Bell Half Marathon at Disneyland Resort, after the bleachers cleared and confetti from the winners blew around on the ground, I got to cheer on my newest runDisney hero, Jenna Boyd from Wisconsin. Fighting the clock and turning down offers for rides by race staff, she fought her way to the finish line and was greeted with a welcome fit for a champion. You see at a runDisney event, finishing last is just as special as finishing first.
Please allow me to introduce you to my hero Jenna Boyd.
Congratulations, Jenna!
Isn't Jenna's story a great one, and don't you love that RunDisney celebrates the last finisher with as much excitement and emotion as the first finisher? Just one of the many reasons I love a Disney race.
Keep an eye out for the next post, which will also discuss finishing last, including it's benefits and inspirations. Can't wait to share this awesome and inspiring story with y'all.
