Hi friends! Because Jenny is awesome but doesn't have her own blog, she has graciously agreed to share her thoughts, photos and feedback from her Disney Marathon experience last weekend. She has some great insights and the most adorable photos, so I hope you enjoy her journalistic stylings.
In September last year, whilst Chicago marathon
training, my friend and I decided it would be a great idea (ha) to sign up for
the Disney Marathon. 2013 would be the 20th anniversary of the marathon so it
would be extra special. So we both dashed home and signed up excitedly.
Among the options we could select were souvenir
necklaces, pins and tickets to their Pasta in the Park Party held at EPCOT, so
we chose the party.
Pasta in the Park runs for three nights and costs $47.50
for Adults (ages 10 and up) and $28.35 for Children (ages 3-9) per night. The tickets promise:
·
Buffet pasta dinner and dessert at the
World ShowPlace Pavilion inside Epcot®
·
Disney character appearances
·
Live DJ and a reserved viewing location
of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, a mesmerizing fireworks, laser and
water show.
We arrived around 7:30 p.m. and the
party was in full swing. We were told to eat lots (no problem) and after
choosing our food from the buffet tables we were told to seat ourselves. The
food was delicious and the menu included:
·
Mixed Greens with Lite Vinaigrette &
Cucumber Yogurt Dressing
·
Herb Balsamic Potato Salad
·
Herb Roasted Chicken
·
Bowtie Pasta with Grilled Vegetables and
Basil Pesto
·
Wheat Penne Pasta with Marinara Sauce
·
Parmesan Cheese
·
House-made Focaccia Bread with Butter
·
Whole Bananas
·
Chocolate Brownies
·
Ice Water with Lemons and Limes, Lemonade
and Fruit Punch
·
Cash bar
The
DJ entertained the children with the latest dance crazes while the parents ate
and we were introduced to one of the Marathon directors who presented race
information and facts for the weekend. We had gone on the Thursday night and
the Family Fun Run 5k was being held on the Friday morning, which probably
explained all the children being there.
65,000
runners and spectators were expected for the Marathon weekend, with 20,000 half
marathoners and 25,000 full marathoners.
The night was also to celebrate
the 95 Perfect 20 runners. These were the runners who had ran all 20 marathons
since they had started. 79 men and only 16 women all received commemorative
Perfect 20 rings. Simply amazing. I spoke to a few of the Perfect 20s and asked
them at what point they decided not to skip a year. Most said they loved the
race so much they were just compelled to return. Others said they run until
they reached different milestones, like 10 and 15 just to see how Disney
celebrated the dates. I suspect the low number of women was due to the fact
that they weren’t encouraged to run in the earlier days and that a lot of the
women runners stayed home with their children.
Overall the party was a great
night out and the food was excellent. It was extra special this year with the
20th anniversary celebrations.
My tip: Ensure you get there in
time to enjoy some of the rides before EPCOT closes.
1 comment:
Nice review and pics. $47.50 for dinner for three nights? What a deal.
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