In early January, one of our friends, Mabel Fong decided to run 4 races in 4 days. But not just any distance but 5k, 10k, half marathon, and a full marathon.
We wanted to share her post with you because Mabel is so self-motivated, she runs marathons frequently and makes it her personal challenge to do several every year. She wanted an even bigger challenge and decided to go further by doing the 4 races in 4 days.
Mabel Fong – running recently this Winter. Mabel loves to run!
The race is called the Dopey Challenge sponsored by Walt Disney.
Mabel says in her blog “The distance goes without saying was a challenge in itself. The most brutal part was the time when the race started. Except for the 5k which started @ 6:15a.m. Rest of the races all started @ 5:30a.m. Not a big deal, but when you are talking about 25,000 runners all trying to get into the WDW Epcot parking lot, it’s some major logistics.
Each morning, I had no choice but to wake up @ 4a.m. (I am from Vancouver, B.C.) which meant it was only 1:00 a.m. back home(west coast time)! Not too tough, right?? But when you had to do this for 4 days in a row, it’s a different story.”
After her 5k, 10k, and half-marathon, she is now on the final day and into the marathon.
She says “A mile to go….I didn’t slow my pace. I was totally enjoying my race!! At the finish line, I “high-five” Mickey and Donald duck. I DID it! I came, and conquered the Dopey Challenge. 48.6 miles!!! Did I feel dopey?? Nope! I felt on top of the world! I finished with 3 medals on that day.
Combined medals were 6!!! They would definitely cause neck strain if you try to wear them all at once!!! My combined time was under 9 hours for 4 days of racing. Not too bad!
Will I be back?? Most likely Yes! There’s a kid in me that will NEVER grow up. It was unreal. I still could not believe I did it. Just for statistics, there are so far about 12,000 Dopey Challengers in the world! And I am one of the them! How cool is that! A race which challenged me so much at the same time provided me with so many happy memories!!
Thank you, Disney for giving me such a wonderful running experience!!
As Mr. Walt Disney once said, “If you can dream it, you can do it’!!!”
We believe you can do it, Mabel!
Below is her certificate of accomplishment.
Most days you can find Mabel running around Vancouver, BC, Canada. Check out her blog. If you are interested in new challenges, Mabel will inspire. http://coolrunnerblog.wordpress.com
