Marathon Weekend 2019 Part 2: Joyful Miles Meet Up

Confession time: I have run exactly one runDisney race. I have been to three Joyful Miles meet ups.... So I might have gotten some serious runDisney FOMO during Wine and Dine 2018 and made it to both of the meet ups that weekend. It was a bit awkward admitting that I wasn't running anything that weekend but I did get to meet some amazing people.

After that experience, there was no way that I was missing the Marathon Weekend meet up! It was hosted by 5 lovely Youtubers-Laura, Jackey, Heather, Kimberly and Gerald. And there were a ton of other amazing people there from Wine and Dine weekend and the Joyful Miles Facebook group. (If you are on Facebook, you should definitely join that group. It's awesome!)

It was amazing getting to see Laura and Jackey of Joyful Miles again! I adore their podcast and usually listen to it while I'm doing my long runs. They've been with me on many miles and they are just as fun in person. Listening to them is like having a fun girl chat with your besties about running.

Heather is another fun Disney runner I met in person at Wine and Dine. I love her channel because it's super informative but also really captures her personality. She also does really nice live videos where we can all chat about a running topic and then ask questions. Heather was also running the half this weekend and it was great to know Heather would be among the people with whom I got to share my very first half marathon race.

Kimberly was also one of the meet up hosts. She is just the sweetest, loveliest person! Her mom does a lot of races with her and I think that is just so cool. They were both gearing up for the full marathon.

Lastly, there was Gerald of Rezruns. He makes, hands down, the best runDisney videos. His videos made these races look so fun that they helped me stay motivated to train and actually sign up for my first runDisney race. In person, he's really cool and chill and has a passion for sharing his knowledge and experience with others.

I met tons of other wonderful people and I really do feel like this meet up was one of the best parts of the weekend. Everyone was just amazing and encouraging. As an introvert, I know I'd have been so terrified of coming by myself but I'm so glad that I didn't let my shyness keep me from talking with people. I've never experienced anything like the runDisney community and it's been amazing. If you are interested in ever running a Disney race, please join in a Facebook group or check out any of the channels linked in this post. I guarantee that you will not regret it!

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WDW Marathon Weekend 2019

Part 1: The Expo
Part 2: Joyful Miles Meet Up - You are here
Part 3: Half Marathon Race Recap
Part 4: Marathon Spectating
Part 5: Park and Photo Day