Every day we take a look at ourselves in the mirror and ask the question “do we like what we see?” We ask ourselves if we look beautiful or handsome. We ask ourselves if our outfit looks good on us. We ask ourselves if our hair looks like it has been brushed. More often than none we ask ourselves if we like the size of our body. For some with confidence the answer is yes. For others the answer seems to be a repetitive no. We feel like an over eating, whale resembling, never thinning blob. For my dad, approaching 50 within a month, he considered himself to be grouped in with the other blobs. Like many others my dad needed inspiration to change.

My friend and I had recently registered to run 13.1 miles as a part of Disney’s running program, RunDisney. I had always hated running but somehow connecting it with Disney gave me a desire to find a new passion. Seeing my new found love of running inspired my dad to go from 242 lbs to 202 lbs in approximately 6 months. He ate right, worked out, and ran even more than me. My dad planned on joining us for the 2 races but unfortunately was too late in registering and both races were sold out. Determined that we would run the next one together, my dad continued to run more and more.

When the time for my first competitive race came on October 4th  my dad was right there to cheer me on. The 5k took place in the morning and the course took us through the humid, bug holding woods. I ran through the dirt with mud kicking up and sticking to my blue fur leg warmers like snow sticking to a black lab’s coat. As I crossed the finish line for the first time, I realized why I loved running so much. Nothing beats the feeling of crossing the finish with your legs about to collapse, sweat dripping down from your forehead to your brow, your heart racing, and a huge grin reaching from cheek to cheek. Finally, having the medal around your neck to prove to the world that you did it just makes the hard work and exhaustion worthwhile; but my day was far from over. That night I was taking part in another race that was 10 miles long.

For those who aren’t runners, a 5k and a 10 miler put together equal 13.1 miles, or a half marathon.
My dad now runs at least 3 miles every day to prepare for our upcoming 5k on May 2nd. Since it is a Disney race my dad and I will be running dressed as Nemo and Marlin (orange looks good on us with our tans). This will be my dad’s first competitive race, as well as the first time he will be running with me. My dad says he is inspired to run every day and his inspiration to run comes from his “desire to share accomplishments with his best friend (me), and to stay healthy to enjoy many years to come.”

The running program set up by Disney has allowed my dad and me to bond in a whole new way. He is now a new father both inside and out. None of his old clothes fit him, he is off many of his heart medications, and he claims that he no longer snores. The last point is debatable.

Like any other runner we have set many goals. One goal will be to run in the inaugural RunDisney Paris race when it is brought to Disneyland Paris in the future. Slowly but surely we are working together to reach our goal of completing the Walt Disney World Marathon in 2 years and eventually running the ultimate test of endurance, The Dopey Challenge. This challenge spans over 4 days and 4 races and totals up to 48.6 miles of running. We’re not quite prepared for that yet, but in the mean time we will continue to run as a team; completing 5k’s, 10k’s, and half marathons together. As Walt Disney once said, “If you can dream it you can do it.” My dad and I certainly dream of becoming better runners, and as a team we are living the dream.