Disney running shoes Showdown, costumed races, and magical marathons—what REALLY makes a RunDisney event unlike any other? In this episode, Eric teams up withamateur marathoner, elite spectator, and fellow Disney nerd Krissy Murphy to unpack the full story behind the RunDisney phenomenon and go deep on the most sought-after Disney running shoes ever: Brooks (the new sponsor) versus the OGs, New Balance! Joining Eric on Synergy Loves Company, Krissy spills all the secrets: exclusive themed shoe releases, epic cosplay costume tips, hidden Disney running communities, and why these events inspire runners (and non-runners!) all over the world. Whether you’re lacing up for your first 5K, searching for the coolest Mickey shoes, or just want a taste of the Disney magic at home, this episode is packed with must-know Disney running tips!
What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Brooks vs. New Balance Disney shoe history—are the OGs better? The wildest RunDisney shoe collabs (Glass Slipper New Balance? Incredibles ASICS?) How to train for a RunDisney race (without pixie dust) Pro cosplay/running costume tips for Disney races & fun runs The truth about Disney’s running community and “balloon ladies” Secret “at home” ways to bring Disney running magic to local races The best RunDisney event bonuses, like Plastic Cheese!
Support the Show! Buy stuff and donate: shop.synergylovescompany.com
Follow Krissy Murphy Online- Instagram :https://www.instagram.com/krissymmurphy/ Support Krissy’s friend Dawn at the Philidelphia Marathon: https://raceroster.com/events/2025/96663/2025-philadelphia-marathon-weekend/pledge/participant/37414906?p=2
Follow Synergy Loves Company: YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@synergylovescompany Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/synergylovescompany/ Bluesky → https://bsky.app/profile/erichsynergy.bsky.social
00:02 --> 00:05 Tell people all the time. One of my favorite podcasts, Synergy Loves Company.
00:10 --> 00:42 We have this coterie of rich franchises, the company now that people want to engage with. I came here to try and continue what Walt Disney and his associates set in motion 50 years ago, which is to experiment with every new and innovative kind of entertainment possible. It's what they hope to do here.
00:42 --> 00:50 To really develop something that, well, just more than an entertainment enterprise, it's something.
00:50 --> 03:03 That contributes many other ways. How does someone actually run Disney? No, not like Bob Iger. I know he runs Disney, but I don't see him signing up for a half marathon at Epcot anytime soon. I'm talking Run Disney. You know that series of races hosted at Disney parks around the world. Everything from 5Ks to full marathons and combo challenges complete with characters, costumes and plenty of Disney magic along the way. Like, how do you train for it? Can I just use pixie dust? What about the shoes? Should you be lacing up with the latest Brooks collection or dig out those old school Minnie Mouse new balances? Now, I've never done a rundisney event myself, but I've always been fascinated by this world where running culture meets Disney fandom. And today we're putting two footwear giants toe to toe in a sprint to see who crosses the finish line for the best Disney running shoes. Brooks, the current sponsor of rundisney versus New Balance, the OG brand that kicked it all off years ago. Hey, this is Synergy Loves Company, where we explore how Disney connects to everything so you can feel connected to Disney and even when you can't be at the parks. I'm Eric and today we're going to dive into the shoes, the spectacle and the community that makes rundisney so special. And since I'm a total newbie to run Disney, keeping me company today is the perfect guide for this topic. Chrissy Murphy. She's an amateur marathoner, an elite spectator, a pop culture connoisseur, and all around Disney person. She's run a ton of rundisney races. She's pulled off some iconic running cosplays and has the inside scoop on everything from the first Minnie Mouse New Balance to the newest Brooks collection. Chrissy Murphy, welcome to the show.
03:04 --> 03:09 I am so excited to be here. I've been a fan for a long time. Longtime listener, first time guest.
03:09 --> 04:02 Yes, yes, I love it. And that's. I have been a fan of yours too. Just kind of interacting with you online and seeing all the cool things you do in the running world. We'll say and Crossing over sometimes into that Disney space too. And so the topic today, we're talking about rundisney, we're talking about shoes, all sorts of stuff. But you kind of opened my eyes to something I had no clue about when you sent me a message online asking if I had seen the new Brooks Running shoes for Run Disney this fall. And, and I was just kind of like, wait, new Brooks Running shoes implies that there's other Disney running shoes that I had no idea existed. So, yeah, what's the deal with these Brooks Running shoes?
04:03 --> 04:53 Yeah, so they're, they're. It's awesome. So it's kind of like really cool for me now because I'm up in Pacific Northwest. Brooks is based out of Seattle. They have. I mean, I've been running for 15 years now. I've gone back and forth with different shoe brands, but Brooks has been one of my favorites. And in the last few years, since after the pandemic, they became the one of the big sponsors for rundisney. So people were really excited because they're like, are they going to bring back the shoes? Because they used to have shoes. So that's a little spoiler alert with another company. But also they're branded merch in the expo. So, like your shirts, your jackets, your backpacks, and all the little accoutrement that you want to commemorate your rundisney event.
04:53 --> 05:15 So, yeah, yeah, it's the, like the shoes themselves are like, they're pretty, pretty Disney themed. Like they have. I mean, the shoe, the one shoe itself is called the Ghost. Right? Like, that's the name of the shoe. But they like, it was kind of cool for the fall. They incorporate like a kind of villainous haunted. Is it, Is it a Haunted Mansion theme that they did?
05:15 --> 05:49 Is it? Yeah, it's funny because there actually was a Haunted Mansion shoe previously, but these shoes that were released most recently were villains themed. And you get little tabs for the different races at the Halloween half Marathon. And they even had like, their feature was they have a glow in the Dark panel on the shoe. So kind of cool, because if you've done a rundisney race, you know that they start at stupid o' clock in. So you'll actually see that beautiful illumination of your glowy shoe if you decided to wear them.
05:50 --> 05:59 But no, that's, that's a good point. The shoes have that glow piece because of that early morning run. They are definitely thinking about those Run Disney events. Yeah.
06:00 --> 06:00 So cool.
06:01 --> 06:57 The theming is awesome. So then when you said. And now you've even said More things now because you said they used to have a haunted mansion themed shoe that I didn't find in my rabbit hole digging. But I went further down the rabbit hole and I saw that there were these really cool shoes that they brought back for the fall, but they like debuted them last spring and they're like Mickey and Minnie themed Brooks Running shoes. And I. So I said to you, I'm going to go back to our conversation. I was like, I really like those Minnie Mouse ones. They have really cool polka dots along the soles and that, like, they're, they're actually, they're actually well themed because, you know, it's hard sometimes to theme a shoe. And then you blew my mind with some more information about more Disney shoes and a kind of a special connection you had to some older Disney shoes.
06:58 --> 08:33 Yeah. So I was really excited, like you said, when, when those came out, like, they went to this iconic, the coloring and color blocking of Minnie and Mickey. And they are on some of the most popular brook shoes. So it's shoes that you'd actually wear, which I think is really important. It's not just like, you know, kind of gimmicky or something, I think. But they were. The first thing I thought when I saw them is they were a throwback to the original Rundisney shoes that came out in 2013. And this is when New Balance was their title sponsor. And when I, when, when I told you about that, you're like, what? You know, but I was like, no. And so I have them. I still have them. I, I run, but I go, I go through so many shoes. But there's some shoes that just I keep and tucked away in a box that don't get worn anymore. So, like, ones that I ran like a PR in a marathon or something or run Disney shoes, New Balance shoes. So these were the original. It's funny because, like, if you look up the models, it's the, the numbers have changed so much because this was what, 12 years ago? But this was top of the line New Balance. In 2013, I entered a contest at my local New Balance store in Sarasota, Florida, and I won the shoes. This was like. And believe it or not, this was the, like, first prize. This was not the grand prize. The grand prize was a trip to Walt Disney World and race entry for the Wine and Dine half marathon.
08:34 --> 09:31 But then you got the shoes, the Minnie Mouse shoes that, which, when you were like, oh, these are from like 2013. I was like, wait a minute, this is my takeaway. I was like, Wait a minute. I could have been wearing Disney themed running shoes since 2013 and nobody told me? Well, you told me, but now about the Brooks ones. So, no, I was just like, my, my brain was like, like exploding. Like, wait, what is happening? I need Disney running shoes now. But I guess, you know, maybe a Run Disney event too in my future to wear them at. But. So you've, you've, you've worn Brooks shoes, maybe not Disney Brooks shoes, and you've worn New Balance, or do you have like, between the two? Because I want to see, like, are we, are we full on board for Brooks or are we nostal for New Balance? And maybe thinking wistfully about the old rundisney days.
09:31 --> 10:16 That's hard because based on vibes, I have to go with New Balance because that's when I was really deeply entrenched in the whole rundisney lifestyle. My first half marathon ever was the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. So I have a very special connection with that race weekend. It's very special to me. And it was kind of like something that I was thrown into because I wanted to run the Disneyland half marathon. But of course, when I told the three people I knew that had ever run a rundisney race, they were like, oh, did you know that there's a coast to coast? If you run two half marathons or farther distance in one year, you can get another special medal. And you're like, oh, okay.
10:17 --> 10:22 Isn't that always how Disney gets you? They're like, you can add a couple more days and it's just a few more dollars.
10:22 --> 10:25 And you're like, you're like losing money if you don't.
10:25 --> 10:29 Yeah. Oh, my gosh. They got. That's how they do it. So that.
10:30 --> 10:31 That's how they got me.
10:31 --> 10:55 Yeah. No. And that. And then you were hooked. And I want to get into your, your Run Disney career, of course. But I think there's still more in the New Balance world to dig into. Because as I dug down the rabbit hole, I found out that during the time that New Balance was making shoes, they actually made glass slipper New Balance shoes out of glass.
10:55 --> 11:05 Yeah, that was wild. Oh, my gosh. Talk about crazy brand activation, right?
11:06 --> 11:54 It was a synergy triangle between Disney, New Balance and Zappos.com because you could only get them on Zappos.com and I don't know if what, you know, I didn't dig enough to find out whatever became of them. They're probably sitting in someone's closet somewhere because I don't know that You. I mean, you couldn't really wear them or run in them for sure, but it was just another one of those weird things that happened. And so, like, New Balance was. Was pretty full on. New Balance was pretty much full on interun Disney, I know you did some research for the show. I was excited to see this. What else, like, New Balance was so embedded. What. What was that other thing you. You found for us?
11:55 --> 13:56 Sure. Yeah. So actually, this is when I was living in Florida. So I. I did live in Florida. First I lived in Florida two separate times. But the second time that I lived in Florida, 2013 to 2019. So right in the height of, like, Rundisney really popularity, really coming up, not not only Run Disney, but kind of marathoning. I think people really getting into running and stuff like that. So New Balance not only had the shoes, but they basically, like all the Walt Disney Parks and resorts at Walt Disney World in Orlando had, like, kind of like suggestions on where you could run or jog while you're on vacation. But it was kind of just like someone at the front desk telling you, like, oh, the sidewalk over there, that's a good spot. Or I Googled this, like, I mean, 12, 13 years ago, like, there was like, random maps online that you could find that were, like, maybe not the most current ones. So I took it upon myself. At the time, I actually was a. Like, a affiliate writer for touring plans, and I wrote an article about where to run at Walt Disney World. And I, like, went and, like, looked through all these things. And I lived in Sarasota, so I think I took like a weekend trip and, like, went to see how many I could see. And they actually had posted signs at the different resorts, and so they were branded New Balance. So New Balance Running Trail. So they would show where. Where you could go the approximate distance you could get in a run. And I would, you know, suggest to people, like, if you're on vacation, this is where you could get, you know, your little jog in the morning before you go to the parks and things like that. Some I would rate which ones were better than others. Like, for example, like, running by the Contemporary. A plus, you know, beautiful. You got the water view. You got iconic monorail going over Animal Kingdom Lodge. You're running in the parking garage. So it's not. Not quite as majestic.
13:56 --> 14:07 I guess they're not going to let you, like, run with the Savannah. Yeah, that's not going to. I. So I guess. I guess I understand a lot of.
14:07 --> 15:29 People, even maybe not something they advertise, but I know a lot of friends in the central Florida area that when they're training for races, whether they run Disney or other Orlando based events, they'll do their long runs in like the Epcot Crescent Lake resort areas. Because you can kind of loop around a lot. You know, Boardwalk, Mountain, beach, you can go to Swan and Dolphin. You can basically, you know, the same path that you'd be walking from Hollywood Studios to the back of International gateway of Epcot. You can do that a couple times, especially if it's early because you know, people aren't going to the parks yet. It's really beautiful and that's basically like part of like the marathon course or something, you know, so it's pretty neat that you could do that. And that was outlined. But like you said, I was wondering because I remember seeing New Balance everywhere. So I'm like, I know sometimes things fall off the radar and I'm like, is New Balance still on the sides? So I had some, you know, man on the street kind of people on the beat sticking it out. Some friends that are bartenders at various resorts. I'm like, can you take a walk on your break? Take, take a look. And you know, they took some pictures for me and now they're unbranded. So I'm not sure if that's just something that they're just like, hey, this is our thing. Like it's, you know, our resort running path. It's not, you know.
15:29 --> 15:29 Right.
15:30 --> 15:31 Energizing this at the moment.
15:32 --> 15:38 Right? Yeah. It's like if Brooks wants to pay more for it, then maybe. But no.
15:40 --> 16:03 On that note though, and I forgot to put this in the notes, but I was wondering if you had done this before. Several of the resorts do their own like little fun 5Ks, like no weekend. Yeah. So like Port Orleans, for example, has a beignet dash. Like you can sign up at the front desk and then it includes a beignet and like a little cutesy little medal at the end.
16:04 --> 16:17 I didn't know that was even a thing. See, you're teaching me so many things about Rundisney in general here. I thought we were just going to talk about shoes and I'm learning so much more about it.
16:17 --> 16:34 Yeah, it's super cool. They're really fun. I don't know which ones are currently going on, but for a while I think a lot of the resorts had them like on their, like, you know, the little schedule that they give you when you check in and they would tell you like, these are the recreational activities we have.
16:34 --> 16:35 That's awesome.
16:35 --> 16:37 Extra charge, of course. But, you know.
16:37 --> 16:46 Well, I mean, it is Disney. It is Disney that comes. That comes along with it, right? Oh, that's. That's amazing. So, yeah. So New Balance was, like, fully embedded.
16:46 --> 16:47 Oh, yeah.
16:47 --> 17:13 And then Brooks is maybe gonna fully take over. We'll have to. We'll keep it. We'll have to keep our eyes on the signs. And I do want to ask you more about some Run Disney stuff, but before that, I think I might have one more contender for official Disney shoes that I want to bring up. And these are the Asics collaboration that came out with the Incredibles.
17:13 --> 17:15 Two Incredibles Two.
17:15 --> 17:30 And I know you saw them. I'm gonna have. There's gonna be a picture on social media, if you're listening, or you'll see it on the. On the screen right now. But I want to ask you, how would you describe these Incredibles to A six? Because I got some words.
17:32 --> 17:35 In a nutshell, I would say unimaginative.
17:36 --> 18:05 I see. I. That's a better word. I just called them lame. I said they were really lame. They're just red. The red shoes. There's like a Frozone one that has a cool little, like, Frozone, like, band kind of thing on it, but, like, it's like a laceless look, you know, but they're just red. And then there's like, some black and blue ones, which I don't get the black and blue ones, but. Yeah. So there's no A6. Sorry, you're not in the conversation. We'll keep.
18:05 --> 18:07 Not at the moment. No.
18:07 --> 18:29 Try again. Try again, Come back and then we'll. We'll get in there. So, shoes. We talked shoes. I need to go looking for more. More Disney shoes. Go on Stockx or whatever and find old Disney shoes for probably hundreds of dollars. Or find the new Brooks ones, which are really exciting.
18:30 --> 19:14 Well, and that's the cool thing, too. Yeah. When the New Balance ones were out, you know, like, with any Disney collectible, a lot of it was about scarcity. Like, you had to be at the Expo to get them. So it was like, you know, when some. When they release, like, a pin or they release something, it just is like this frenzy to get it. Now, I think they've, I don't know, taken notes or have better inventory or something. But now, like you said, like, you were able to find the Brooks ones on the website, not all the current models, but they are uploading them to their store. So, you know, people at home that maybe are not going to run Disney event can purchase them and have a little bit of that magic at home. So I think that's. I think that's pretty cool that Brooks is doing that.
19:15 --> 19:47 Yeah, that is. That is really neat. Hopefully they have your size when you go look on their website. But it is that. That is really neat. I know that's. I mean, that's. You said like the magic word. That makes me excited for Synergy Loves Company because it's like the at home thing, right? Like, how can we connect with Disney at home when we can't be at the parks? And it's like, yeah, the Brooks shoes. When you go running in your neighborhood with Brooks Run Disney shoes on, you could still feel kind of that maybe you're doing one of the virtual races or something like that and you could still feel that connection. So I love it.
19:48 --> 20:08 And I noticed that too. I've actually not done any of the virtuals just for whatever reason. I just haven't. None of them have really appealed to me. But they posted this year that it's like the 10th anniversary already of them doing virtual. And I thought that was wild because I'm like, I feel like that was just like a few years ago. Like in my mind, it happened during the pandemic.
20:10 --> 20:16 Right. That's what I, I thought too. And I was like, that's like five years ago. That was. But 10 years they've been doing it. Wow.
20:16 --> 20:39 And they had some really cool themes. Like, they had like the attractions one. They had like a, like kind of like a Valentine's one with like the little Disney couples and, you know, little things like that, like snacks. That one was really cute. I know. Really into that. But yeah, I just. I don't know. I. Those to me are like, you're paying for a medal. Which is fine. There's nothing wrong with that.
20:40 --> 20:41 Yes.
20:41 --> 20:46 But I'm like, I could. I run six days a week all the time. Like, I don't need to pay to do.
20:47 --> 21:24 You would. You would earn your medal on the first day. Because I've seen. I've seen your mileage online and I'm like, I think I should go running if I want to try to keep. No, keep up with Chris. I can't keep up with Chrissy, by the way. I do run a little, but not like that. But I want, I want to keep up with you in the sense that I want to know about your rundisney experience. I've never done it. I want to kind of know about the experience from you. So, like the first thing I want to. Which Run Disney events. Have you participated in or some of your favorites? Because you've run a lot from what I know. What were some of your favorites?
21:24 --> 21:28 Yeah, I had to make a list because my memory is just not like it used to be.
21:28 --> 21:29 So work. Right.
21:30 --> 23:10 I took a look, and if I count them out, from kids races to the marathon or, like, race challenges, I've done 26 Rundisney events. And so, like, my first one was the Half Marathon in 2011, but it all started when I was still a cast member at Walt Disney World working at EPCOT. And 2010. If you bring up 2010 to any person that's run the Walt Disney World Marathon, they'll be like, oh, that year it slated. It was like, in Florida. Yes. It's like, January is so unpredictable. I don't know if you and your family have been in January. It could be freezing or in the 80s, like, and maybe from the morning to the afternoon, you know, it could be a huge variance. But that year I was working at Epcot and I'm like, who are these lunatics here coming to run a marathon in the ice and sleet? And one year later, yeah, I became really into it in 2011. I did basically every event that was available at the time. So I did, you know, the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend. Disneyland have marathon weekend. Those used to be kind of like the two, like, pillars, and they've changed the schedule a lot. But at the time it was January and Walt Disney World, Labor Day at Disneyland. And so you would have those two. That first year that I did the half at Disneyland, it was 2011. So that's when DCA was, like, still in, like, all wall mode, you know.
23:10 --> 23:11 Oh, yeah.
23:11 --> 23:35 Like, not a lot going on, but it was like my second or third time being there. So I was. I was just happy to be there. It really didn't matter to me. It was kind of, you know, if you're a big Disney fan, you're not disappointed when it's different because you're like, this won't ever happen again. Like, I'll never experience this DCA again. Like, this is so unique and weird, you know?
23:35 --> 23:35 Yeah.
23:36 --> 23:58 So that was fun. But then, you know, through the years, my favorite race at the time was the Walt Disney World Wine and Dine. A half marathon weekend. Because the races used to be at night. So, no, not stupid early, but stupid late. They'd be in the evening, and then they'd have the after party in the theme park.
23:59 --> 24:00 And so that's really cool.
24:00 --> 24:18 That was so much fun. They were just like, really cool. Those in November as well. I mean, like, in general, Florida is just a weird place to predict weather. November would be like also insane. You know, one year be super humid, the next year being like a downpour. 50 degrees.
24:19 --> 24:20 Yeah.
24:20 --> 25:23 You know, you never know what to expect. But you know, just make sure you bring your layers. You know, you've, you trained for this. You know, you've, you've probably trained through every type of weather. So you should be prepared on race day. It's all good. Um, obviously the Rundisney takes safety really seriously. So there was one year that I had to defer because I was pregnant. So back then you could defer. So that's another point because you can't do that anymore. But I was able to defer and I cheered for my sister who was running like her. I think it was like her first or second half marathon. But because of weather, lightning on the course, they had to cut the course. It was. So it was a half half marathon. So it was like six, seven miles or something. And it was always interesting to see like the divide of like serious runners versus, like recreational. So like the serious people are like, I had 13.1 miles on my plan. I'm disappointed. I'm gonna run after this. I'm gonna run around the park or whatever. And then you have people like my sister that are like, awesome, I don't have to run as far today.
25:24 --> 25:29 Right? It's like it says that I ran the whole thing, but I didn't have to. That's some value. No.
25:30 --> 26:17 So, yeah, it was, it was super fun. And yeah, so like, that was my favorite. I did like the Tinkerbell half, which was super fun. There used to be. And this is another one that is kind of interesting. Cigna used to be the huge sponsor for the marathon weekend and they've changed sponsors through the year, like title sponsors. But Cigna used to do sponsor meetups and it was like this huge thing on the Disney parks blog, like sign up for this meetup and they'd be like, some Disney related celebrity would be there and then you could have some sort of little meet and greet and then run through the park together. So one year we had one at Epcot for 189 and we got to meet Jeff Galloway, which was super cool.
26:18 --> 26:19 Oh, that is cool.
26:19 --> 26:43 Tinkerbell half. We got to meet Sean Aston. No, because he. In like 2013, he got really into running and so he like, he was like training for I think New York or something like that. And so like he was doing, like, a lot of fundraising and things for different organizations. And he was like, at every Run Disney event, and then, like, Joey Fatone randomly would show up, you know, for these things.
26:43 --> 26:46 He's just there, right? He's just, like, always hanging around Disney World.
26:46 --> 27:26 So, yeah, it was. It was interesting. Another one was, like, we got invited a couple of us that were, like, at this. It's so funny to think about now, but, like, bloggers, you know, we were like, we had our little Disney blogs, and, like, we had, like, this, like, cooking demonstration at the Napa Rose at Disneyland. And so they showed us me, like, this is some, like, healthy foods you could eat when you're training for a marathon, you know, and it was, like. It was a little corny because you're like, they're just videoing people, like, watching chefs cook food, but we're like, oh, we're preparing food together. You know, there's something they could put on the. You know, on the Signo website, you know, for sure.
27:29 --> 28:25 No, that's. That's some cool stuff. There's. There's. I. I mean, I wasn't expecting to hear Sean Aston in this conversation, so that was. That was cool and random. Jeff Galloway. Oh, if you have a picture. Yes. Send it, because that's. That's amazing. That's. Well. And you kind of started to get into this idea of, like, the Run Disney. Like, that Disney, you said they take safety very carefully, and they. They kind of. They bring that Disney touch to, I mean, everything they do. I mean, if you go online, people will say they're losing it or they've got it more than ever, and you'll hear everything about it. But the truth is, Disney always has that Disney touch, whatever it is to it. So I kind of want to know, what's the Disney Touch? What makes a Run Disney race out of all those ones you've gone to in your history with them? What makes it different than just, like, me running that 5K at, you know, the. The. At my town?
28:25 --> 29:36 Or you really notice it when you're at Walt Disney World more than Disneyland. Like, I love both experiences, but at Walt Disney World, you know, because you're in the bubble at Walt Disney World, when you think of, like, even if, for example, like, in your town, if you did a half marathon, that was, like, a point to point, they might, like, hire some, like, local school buses, you know, to take you from a parking lot to somewhere else, you know, so you can get all those logistics. People that complain about rundisney not being Smooth. They have not done a race like that, like, in their hometown, where, like, they're like, oh, the buses didn't show up, or, you know, this, like, at Walt Disney World. It's like, you know, they have, like, the maps. They have, like, you know, the higher transportation. Like, they have the bus stops. Like, everybody knows what's going on. They have the signs ready, all that, you know, it's not like, oh, I don't know if the bus is going to come and maybe I'll have to take an Ubers, you know, something like that. Like, it's just like, everything's kind of just like, ready for you. Like, it's like plug and play. Like, you get there, you kind of know what to expect. It's like, if you've done Disney Parks, you're going to kind of translate that kind of, like, experience to your race experience.
29:37 --> 30:16 I mean, that is the Disney that we know and love, right? The transportation. I love Disney transportation. So if I got to ride to a race on a Disney bus, I would just be happy. I also can see, just like, being in the parks would be like, getting to run through the parks would be amazing. And all of the routes tend to go through at least one of the parks, depending on how long it is. Probably multiple on those longer marathons and those things like that. But is there any part of that, like, when you're going through one of the Disney parks? Like, that is like, kind of an awe moment that you've had that you're like, this is amazing. Like, is there a spot.
30:17 --> 30:59 I have to say, every time at Disneyland that I've run through Cars Land, it's just like, next level. Because, you know, you're used to, like, walking around, and it's breathtaking on a regular day, you know, when there's people there. But if you're, like, further up in the race, Because I usually, like Emma Corral Ace, there's not a lot of people around me. Like, you are, like, you feel like, the feeling that I get when I'm in Cars Land, I feel like I'm in, like, who Framed Roger Rabbit? I'm like a person in the cartoon world, like, by myself. Like, this is so cool. Like, you're trying to transported completely. Like, you. It's next level. It is just so cool. I just. It's hard to describe, you know?
31:00 --> 31:01 Oh, for sure.
31:01 --> 31:02 Well, it's magical.
31:02 --> 31:23 That is awesome. Well, I mean, that's Disney, right? The Disney magic. What are some, like, are there any sort of, like, I know, like, when I go to race in my town. As, as I've said, I. Sometimes you get a medal, sometimes you get sunglasses, sometimes you get a T shirt. Is there any like, bonuses like, like that that make the Disney race worth it?
31:23 --> 33:49 Run. Disney has done an excellent job at monetizing each race weekend now. So like before it was like, here you're coming to do one race, but now it's like, you're probably going to do more than one race, whether it's you doing them or maybe another member of your family. Like, you know, maybe you're training for the half and like, but like your wife and your kids want to do the 5K or like your younger children want to do the kids race or something like that, there's a shirt for every event. And then also if you do the challenges, like doing more than one race in a weekend, like how people do like Dopey, which is the 5k 10k half and full, you get four shirts for each event, plus goofy plus dopey. So you get six shirts, you get all the medals. You know, you might be getting more medals later on in the year if you're doing like the coast to coast and, you know, all these, these different things. But the coolest thing to me, like, it is cool to earn the medal, you know, at the finish line. But the coolest thing that I experienced not only as a runner but when I was a cast member is the runners coming back in the park with their medals and they're so proud of themselves and like the conversations that you can kind of start with people like, you know, you say congratulations and sometimes it ends there, but sometimes you end up talking to them like, hey, what other races have you done? Like, where are you from? Like, how many rundisney events have you done? Like, what was your favorite? You know, and you have like an instant bond with anyone that's like in kind of this like group. It's just like really special and super fun to like be able to talk to people about that. Like, I know one of the events that's on hiatus right now is Castaway Key Challenge. I did that in 2019. So it's running any of the race events at Walt Disney World Marathon weekend, then hopping on the Disney Cruise Line and doing a 5K on castaway key. And that's cool. That was so cool. I, I really enjoyed that. But like, you know, you're like on the pool deck talking to people. Like, you know, people relaxing from running, you know, whatever races they did during the marathon weekend. And you're like, I Just, I guess we can't get enough. We're going to do another one on the island and it was like, really, really fun. That one's not as competitive or anything because it's a 5K. You know, it's more accessible. Like, other people can also run it. You don't have to have done races, but you get a medal, you get to run in paradise. How can you complain about that? You know?
33:50 --> 33:53 Yeah, no, that's pretty awesome. I want to talk about the.
33:55 --> 33:55 The.
33:55 --> 34:39 Cosplay that happens at these rundisney events. Because, I mean, just Disney bounding in general is like a big thing. I've done that before myself. But the, the cosplay of, of. Of if Run Disney is like next level. Occasionally you'll get like, you know, a fun run in your town and someone dresses up like a Christmas tree because it's in the winter. Or you'll get someone who, you know, wears a turkey on their head for a turkey trot. But, like, you're not getting the same level of that kind of dressing up as you do for, like, Disney events. So I gotta ask you about some of your Disney themed running cosplay because you have dressed up in Disney costumes to run.
34:39 --> 34:51 So, like, my first, the first time I I dressed up for a Rundisney event, it was for a Princess Half Marathon in 2012. I, like, constructed my costume out of things I had and things at the Dollar Tree.
34:52 --> 34:54 Oh, hey, Dollar Tree works.
34:55 --> 36:13 Yeah. So I like put it together. You know, it was like reminiscent. Like, you know, I had the color blocking basically, like, kind of like did the hair. But then over the years, people got like, everybody, like, is really upping the game and it became, I mean, like, it's like the Instagram thing, right? So people want their costumes to be like, featured on the website. They want this and that. And then brands started popping up as well to exhibit at the Expos. So like, one of them that was like, really popular and continues to be very popular. Sparkle athletic. Like, so you see those sparkly running skirts and they would give you like, tips on like, hey, if you buy this blue skirt and you pair it with like this red tank top, you know, we can look like this princess, you know, and things like that. So that was kind of like the beginning of it. And now there's like these brands. Like, the one that like just popped in my mind was like crowned Athletic. They have like actual costumes, but they're like, with running clothes material. So, like, you know, they have like, you know, they name them these, like Creative names. So they're not, you know, infringing on any type of copyrights or anything like that. Like, you know, like courageous princess for like a red headed girl with the green dress.
36:13 --> 36:15 Yeah, I hear you.
36:17 --> 36:54 Like, some people will just show up with that, like, good to go, which I think is totally fine. Like, and it's your level of participation that you want. You know, you can be all dressed up or you could, you know, come in the clothes that you run with at home. But then some people come up with these like, really like, kind of like niche ideas. Like, you know, so they'll come up with like a, a group costume. Like every Disneyland half marathon weekend, there'll be like people that do like the puppies from 101 Dalmatian. So there'll be like literally hundreds of and like a couple cruellas, you know, chasing them.
36:54 --> 36:54 No.
36:55 --> 37:29 Yeah, and it's like really cute. People will dress up as like snacks. Like, I was just thinking about churros because I was watching that last episode you had. Yeah, people doing like a Mickey Pretzel. Like they're dressed up as a churro. They're dressed up as like, like kind of like cult things that become popular in Rundisney. Like you get a snack box at the end and one of the things that's in there is this disgusting little cup of fake cheese. Like fake nacho cheese. People dress up as the cheese. Like, people make race signs talking about like, I ran 26.2 miles for this fake cheese.
37:31 --> 38:22 Is it that same plasticky cheese that comes with the Mickey pretzels? Is that the cheese we're talking about? Yes, that. That iconic plastic Disney cheese. Yes. I know too. You have at. At other, at other races, not necessarily Disney races have gone and cheered on other runners in addition to running them yourselves. I know you have this cool. I remember it because I thought it was cool. You had like an Elle Woods Legally Blonde sign that you made was like a cool sign to like, you know, encourage runners. And Disney of course, has these things too. So I, I just wanted to know if at a Run Disney event you have ever seen like a really cool Disney themed encouragement sign that you thought was really neat.
38:23 --> 40:12 It is so challenging. It like people underestimate how hard it is to be a spectator. You know, people are like, oh my gosh, no. You guys are doing all the work. I'm like, oh no. Like, it is so hard like to find your runner that you're gonna see for like 16 seconds maybe, you know, you know, mapping out how you're Gonna get to the next location, like, you know, maybe carrying things for them, like snacks, like first aid, you know, all these kind of things. So it's, like, a really important job. So if you. Anybody that is listening to this is like, I'm never going to run one. But, like, if you're there, you know, this is, like, a very serious thing you can do is become an elite spectator. So some of the signs that I see, and I like to theme my sign with my costume for spectating. So the thing that you said earlier, like, when I cheered for the Philly Marathon, I did wear the all pink, like, Elle woods. And I said, what? Like, it's hard. And I thought. And, like, just to, like, make someone laugh when they're, like, having a tough moment, like, some people would, like, stop and take a picture with me and the sign. Like. Like, the fact that it could, like, brighten their spirits for just, like, a second, you know, Like, I'm like, I. My work here is done. So I see a lot of great ones when I'm running at Disney, and then I try to do some as well. So one that I saw a picture of, um, and it had, like, they drew the Jungle Cruise boat, and they said, this race goes on for Niles, and Niles Classic. And then, like, they had another person, like, staged, like, a few feet later. And it says, if you don't think so, you're in denial, you know, and it was like, you know, they're little Jungle Cruise jokes. So, like, if you're. If you're a Disney person, you're like, this is funny and this is cute. Like, it's, you know, themed. I think they had the little hats. Like, that was very cute.
40:12 --> 40:13 Oh, cool.
40:13 --> 41:08 I enjoyed that a lot. When my. One of my best girlfriends, Teresa, was supposed to be running her first half in 2024 when I ran the marathon, that was another year that they had to shorten the course. So she was really upset. So that's a little spoiler. But I was like, I need to be out there with something. She can find me. And, like, I want to post my picture to, like, on Instagram so people can find me and I can cheer for them, give them a high five, you know, give them a hug, whatever they need at. At that moment. And so I dressed up like Princess and the Frog, like the. Like the grandma and I. And I had things. Cause you're almost there, you know, so, like, that's awesome, you know, and it's, like, the best. Because usually that's a sign you Never want to see. Like, when you're at a marathon, you're like, I. I am not almost there. Like, you are a liar. Like, you know, but.
41:08 --> 41:09 Because always more.
41:09 --> 42:19 No, I had the whole costume. Like, you know, they're like, okay, that's funny, you know, and I had the little, like, stuffed little snake and stuff. So it was like, you know, I. I just like to do something that just makes people laugh or, you know, just have a little moment. And it's always cool because, like, I don't know, like, you never know. Like, you know, when you post stuff, you don't know how far your reach is if someone is not commenting or saying anything, but, like, someone will come up. Like, I was, like, walking to the bus after, and they're like, oh, my gosh, I saw your picture and I was hoping I'd see you today. And I'm like, that is so cool. Like, you. No one is a stranger at these events. You know, it's like, you can make so many connections. And, like, some of those people, maybe you'll never see them again. Some of these people I like, talk to them because they're like, what's your Instagram? You know, and they start following you, like, right there. And then you're like, maybe I'll see you at the next Run Disney event or something, you know, or. Or I find out that they live near me. Or, you know, maybe I'll see you at a race, like, in Seattle, you know, so it's. It's pretty cool that you can do stuff like that just from, you know, something pretty mundane, just. Just being involved in any capacity that you can. That you don't have to be a runner to get involved with rundisney. I think that's what's kind of fun.
42:21 --> 43:26 Yeah, that is good. That is the other way in, right? Like, you can't be that elite. We'll try to be an elite spectator, as you put it. But I like how you. You said, yeah, maybe we'll see you at a race in Seattle or nearby, wherever you might live. And that's the thing I want to get into next because, like we talked about a little bit earlier with Synergy Loves Company, I'm not necessarily talking about going. I'm not always going to the parks. Like, so many of the Disney YouTubers, podcasters, they're all talking about the parks and what's happening in the parks at the moment, and I don't get there that often, so I want to find how we could connect to Disney in our own home spaces. And in our own places. So I want to know, what do you think we could do? What could someone do if they wanted to bring a little bit of the rundisney style magic into a race at their own home and maybe not feel totally ridiculous about it or just kind of own it and feel totally ridiculous about it?
43:26 --> 46:34 Yeah, yeah, don't ask me about that because if you take a peek on my Instagram, I have no idea problem being ridiculous all the time every day. But I mean, there's like so many, like since the time I started getting involved with the community, there's like so many more like niche groups as well, you know. So like, not only like, you're a Run Disney person, but like, maybe you're a Run Disney person that is like a military veteran, you're a Run Disney person that lives in this certain state or like, you know, you also are involved in this other, you know, interest or something. So there's so many different, like affiliate affiliations or something that you can have now, but you can make these connections. The other thing that I find really interesting and cool is people like get really into like details of elements about the race. So one thing you may have heard, people train to beat the balloon ladies. So they're the people at the end of the race, you know, the sweepers, the course sweepers. Yes, people. Like, there's accounts that like, you know, like follow them basically. You know, so people get interested in like, what do I actually have to train to make sure that like some people fully embrace the idea that they are not a runner. And that's their words. I think anybody that runs is a runner. But they're like, I'm not a runner, but I want to go do a rundisney event. I need to know, like, the website says I have to do 16 minute pace, like, what do I actually have to run? And they like run the data. You know, they're like, these were the finishes of these bibs. And you know, people get like, really into this stuff. And like, I find that very like, not my interest, but I'm like, if that's what motivates you and gets you like, interested, okay, that's cool. That's a little gateway. Or one of my friends, Chris, he runs an account with his fellow pacer. He's one of the Jeff Galloway pacers. So that's the cool thing about the Run Disney events is because Jeff Galloway has been affiliated with the races for a long time. He's like the pioneer and like advocate of the run walk run method. So The Pacers always do run, walk. So if you were coming with a race goal of, you know, you want to run the half marathon in 2 hours, 30 minutes, you can meet the pacers at the expo, you know, and they could tell you kind of like their ratio of how they run, like, how many minutes running, how many minutes walking, that kind of thing. They post all that stuff on the website, and people make those connections before they get there. So maybe, like, you think, hey, I'm a beginner runner. Maybe I'll do a race in, like, a year. Maybe I'll do a race in a year and a half. You can start connecting with, like, these pacers and, like, these other people that might be in your pace group before you ever get there, you know, and within that, maybe you will find someone that's like, in, like, maybe the next town over or something, and you could practice it together with them, you know, and you could say, like, this is how we're gonna run. And, you know, this is. It's kind of neat. Like, I've actually met people that that's how they became friends, because they were, like, training together. Like, you know, training buddies, whether it's in person or maybe just like they're, you know, someone that they met on the Internet, which is kind of neat.
46:35 --> 46:55 No, I didn't even know that. Like, I. I was aware of the. The end of the. The race kind of balloon lady sweeper type idea, but I didn't know there was such a. Like, a community around, like, trying to figure out how to beat it. And that's kind of cool, too.
46:55 --> 48:41 Like, I mean, it's almost like lore at this point. It's like, there's different ways you could even approach a race. Some people, I've never done this because it was not a thing. And I was really big into Rundisney, but lately. And these people, you know, more power to them and their big budgets, but they'll. They do seasons, so they'll run every race in a rundisney season. So they'll say, the calendar was released for 2025. I'm registering for every single event. And there's, like, different clubs that Rundisney actually offers to kind of give you advanced registration times and, you know, of course, more fees to pay. But, you know, that that's smart, smart thinking, because people will pay it. People will do, like, a whole season of races, and they'll connect with each other, not only based on, like, you know, previously, it was like, I want to finish the race. I have a time goal for the race people will now come up with these ideas called, like, Dead Last Start. So they'll. They'll want to beat everybody. So they start way behind where they would have started running, you know, and, like, it's like, almost like games of chance people come up with to, like, make the races even more fun. That's not fun to me, but fun to them. You know, if that's something you can manage, that's great. There's, like, all these strategy websites on how, like, you can get on attractions while you're running the race, like, the marathon, what times things will open. Like, I've run the Walt Disney World Marathon four times, and it was not till the fourth time that I did get to ride Everest during the race because it was an early entry. I'm like, I'm not gonna, like, purposely run. You know, people will be like, okay, mile one, run 10 minutes. Mile two, run 12 minutes, mile three. Then you gotta speed it up because you're doing this. I'm like, I don't.
48:41 --> 48:43 That's not all that calculation. Yeah.
48:44 --> 49:08 You know, if that's what makes you happy and motivates you, I think that's totally cool. You know, you're not hurting anybody. You know, you're enjoying yourself. But it worked out for me because I'm like, okay, if I'm running past Everest and it's open, I will get on it. And I did. And I have to say, that is, like, the craziest Garmin map I ever had afterward, because it showed you doing all the whole.
49:09 --> 49:10 It had the whole.
49:10 --> 49:11 Back in there.
49:12 --> 49:17 Oh, I didn't even think of that. Yeah, because you're going down the hill super fast. It's like.
49:18 --> 50:17 It's. It's so entertaining. I'm really glad I did it. But, yes, some people have, like, you know, how many. How many rides can you get on? How many? Some people do, like, crazy things. Like, I can make an advanced dining reservation for somewhere and eat. Or I can go get, like, you know, before we were, you know, we're like, in the green room before the show. We're talking about, like, you know, the most current, like, Lightning Lane, FastPass, Genie, whatever it is. Now people will, you know, somehow, like, scan in or, like, get someone to scan in their thing so then, you know, when they go by Guardians of the Galaxy, they can get on it before they finish the race. Like, people strategize this, and it's incredible. Like, it's not my jam, but it's just. There's become just so many, like, offshoots and like, ways to approach your rundisney experience that it just kind of blows my mind today.
50:19 --> 50:45 That's awesome. It's like the subculture of rundisney that I didn't even know existed. And I love it now. See, you just keep giving me like more. More rabbit holes to go down and I, I can forever. I'm gonna have to run one of these. These run Disney. These run Disney events. But before I do that, how do you think I could Disneyify a running event in my own town?
50:45 --> 52:41 There's like simple ways you could do it. I think one of the things that we've bonded about before is music. And there's been a lot of different releases of like my most famous, most fun one that I've been adding to run list is like the Disney punk, like pop punk songs that they would. So adding songs to your playlist, you know, that's kind of fun to like Disney fy. Kind of like your run, you know, maybe like an item that you're wearing that makes you think of like an attraction, Your favorite attraction, your favorite character, that kind of thing. Some of my friends that are in like long training blocks for a marathon, they'll like theme a training week. So like, for example, like, you're like, this week is the last week of summer. So one of my friends is like, every day I'm talking about like something I liked about the summer. And they're like a summer song that I liked listening to, you know, so that's something you could do with Disney too. You know, I could say like, you know, this, like my, my five favorite Pixar things. Each day I'm gonna like, theme it, you know, maybe something like I'm listening to something that I'm wearing that day. Like some of my favorite characters. Like, there's a lot of like, little things you can do. And it's not like, doesn't have to be like a big pronouncement or anything. You know, you could just be telling like your kids, you're like, yeah, this morning I listened to like only the Coco soundtrack when I was running you. That could be something fun that you do. We're always trying to think of things to spice up your, you know, your workouts. People are motivated in different ways. So another idea that we had was if you're a person that for whatever reason has to train on a treadmill, you could like, you know, watch a movie while you're running. You know, like, you're like, hey, I'm not going to care about my Pace. But I know that like Aladdin is 92 minutes long or something like that, you know, I'm going to run the whole time I'm watching or something, you know. So that's. There's a lot of things you can do and bring it home.
52:42 --> 53:38 But no, I love that. That's some, some awesome stuff. So, yeah, I have. So I have. I feel like I have more homework to do because I've learned so much about rundisney and shoes that I need to buy and all of these things, which is a. That's a great thing because I love to have more research that I could do and more stuff to get into. So I want to thank you so much, Chrissy, for coming onto the show and just like teaching me about all of these cool run Disney things that. Many of which I was shocked and amazed that I had like, I didn't know what I didn't know. We'll put it that way. And now I have all these things that I want to learn so much about. So before, before we go, is there any like, cool events, things that you have coming up that you want to. You want to talk about? Let. Let someone listening know about?
53:39 --> 54:40 Yeah. So currently one of the things that I do is a lot of local races. So for the last two years I've been an ambassador for Tacoma City Marathon Association. We have a whole host of events in the Tacoma area pretty much from spring till like Christmas. We have a Christmas theme one. So, you know, you could. I show up in costume most of the time. It is optional. You do not have to. But yeah, you can always check out my Instagram because I will have a promo code if you're in the area. Actually, it was really great. One of my friends reached out in February that said, oh, one of my friends is going to be in the area during the summer. Do you have any suggestions for races? And I Suggested our narrows half 5k because it ends in the Rainier Stadium, which is our like minor league baseball. And we love it, you know, and she actually came. She used my code. She came and she met me at the start line. It was so cool. It was very, very cool.
54:40 --> 54:41 That is so.
54:41 --> 55:43 I love that. And then also I'm really honored to be an ambassador for the Philadelphia Marathon this year. So that's what I'm training for. The title sponsor for the Philadelphia Marathon is the American association of Cancer Research. I'm not fundraising, but I can give you the link for a friend that is fundraising because she. I think if there's anything that unites like everybody, like, nobody loves cancer. Let's get rid of cancer. They have a pretty lofty goal for fundraising this year. So I have one, I do have a link for that and that is going to be the end of November. We'll be running. There's 8K half marathon and a full marathon and this is the first year that they're completely sold out. So I would love to tell you to come join us, but it's sold out unless you find a charity entry, which if you are so inclined, we would love to have you, but the regular entries are sold out. It's going to be an amazing Race weekend.
55:44 --> 56:26 That's awesome. No, definitely go and I'll put a link in, in the notes too, that you could go and support, support your friend there and that would be, that would be an awesome, an awesome thing to do. Once again, thank you to Chrissy Murphy for keeping me company today. And if you've ever done a rundisney event, I'd love to hear about it. Leave me a comment below or hit me up on social media. Make sure you subscribe to the show so you don't miss any of these comments. Great interview episodes in the future. And remember, sometimes the most magical Disney experiences happen all around you. You just need to know where to look. And until next time, keep discovering the magic in everything.