Lou Mongello
00:00:39.590 – 00:04:26.470
Before sunrise, thousands of people line up in the dark, round the bend towards Cinderella Castle and fall in love with running the way most guests never will. And that is rundisney. And more people are falling in love with it right now than ever before.

And whether it’s your first 5K or your next Dopey, no book has ever taken you from pipe dream to finish line. Until now. Because my guest has run over 100 Disney races and finally wrote the one book so many people wish existed.

Hello, my friend and welcome to WW Radio, your guide to the Disney parks and experiences around the world. I am Lou Mongello and this is show number 875. Welcome back. Welcome home.

Wherever you are right now, if you’re out for a walk, sitting in traffic, or on the couch with a bowl of ice cream, I promise I’m not judging you for that. I am just so glad that you are here. Before we get into it, just a couple of ways to stay connected.

Come join us in the WW Radio clubhouse over at wwradio.com clubhouse. Watch and chat during the live show every Wednesday night at 7:30pm Eastern on Facebook and YouTube.

And if you aren’t already getting the free weekly email newsletter at, sign up@www.radio.com and when you do, I will send you a copy of my free 102 things to do at Walt Disney World at least once book.

And when this episode gets you thinking about a race weekend of your own, and I think it just might reach out to our friends over at Mousefan Travel for completely free expert vacation planning. Whether it is your first 5K or your fifth, Dopey, they will help you build a trip around it.

Connect with me on social I’m Lou Mangelo on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. But for now, sit back, relax and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio show.

What happens when a recovering attorney decides to leave it all behind, move to Walt Disney World, pursue a passion, and then turn that passion into something that helps others? Some journeys start with a plan. Others just begin with a Single step that takes you somewhere you never expected to go.

And no, I am not talking about me because my guest today is a Harvard Law graduate and self described recovering big law attorney, which as many of you know, is a club I happen to belong to myself. I was more little law than big law, but a trial attorney nonetheless. And she didn’t trade billable hours for like spreadsheets and depositions.

She traded them for starting corrals and character stops and more than 100, which is crazy. Run Disney Races. You may know her from her many, many, nearly 50 by my count.

Previous segments on the show, including in or Out, Our Adventures by Disney Japan, recap the music of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot Center. We’ve done some out of the worlds top 10 moments years in review.

And if I’m correct, I think her very first appearance was on show 502, which is which, which was a guide to the holidays at Walt Disney World. Her name is Lisa Denodo Glassner.

She is the founder of the Castle Run and she’s just written a book called the Unofficial Guide to rundisney, Your Race Day Companion From Pipe Dreams to Finish Line and Beyond. It’s part race day handbook, part memoir. We’ll get to that. And I’ll be honest, I think parts of it might hit you right in the feels.

So, Lisa, welcome back to the show.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:04:27.350 – 00:04:44.750
Thank you.

I was saying before you hit record, I’m actually like a little nervous because we’ve done this so many times, but we’ve never done it like, we’ve never done it one on one and we’ve never done it like about something that was like, that I created. Like, we’re always talking about something else. So I’m very nervous, but I’m very excited.

Lou Mongello
00:04:45.390 – 00:05:20.950
Well, you should be. You should be because this is going to be more difficult than your, you know, biggest late night deposition.

But I think, look, I think we, I mean, I want to talk really primarily about the book, but I think we do have to start here because it’s one of the things that, that we share both being recovering attorneys. And I want to sort of. Because I think this contextually sets up a lot of the book itself and your journey. Like, at what point?

Because I know for me, like there was a moment. At what point did you first know that law was not going to be the whole story of your life?

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:05:22.630 – 00:06:37.940
I mean, I think I always kind of knew that law wasn’t going to be the whole story of my life.

I think when law started to try to be the whole story of my life was when we really came to a crossing because like, I’ve always had other things that I loved and was interested in and like, you know, and as I got older in law and had, you know, and had my children and had like, you know, a home and like all the other things that like became more important about life and like law was more and more becoming this thing that was trying to consume all of me. And I think that was sort of when, you know, when law and I kind of hit a crossroads because I loved, I loved the academics of law.

I love like the art of law. I love like, I loved law school. Like, if I could have spent my whole career in law school, I would have been the happiest person in the world.

And I had some professors who I now understand much better who actually ended up doing just that. But no, I think that the sort of as are most things in life, sort of the day to day practice of it is very different.

The realities of it are very different. And I think I kind of always knew that it wasn’t going to be my everything.

And the more it tried to be absolutely my everything, like I kind of reached a crossroad with it.

Lou Mongello
00:06:38.260 – 00:09:03.150
So yeah, I tell people all the time, whether they have kids who are thinking, they say they want to be lawyers or I meet somebody who’s like, I want to go to law school. I’m like, slow down, chief. You need to go and intern at a law firm for free for six months before you decide this is the path you want to go down.

Because it is not what you see on, on tv. I used to say LA law, but nobody knows that. Like it’s not what you see on insert whatever law drama, TV show or movie there is.

Like Al Pacino lied to me. I went to law school because of injustice for all. It was nothing like that at all. It was a lot of, of paperwork.

And I think that’s sometimes what people get get. We are not the only people. I know a lot of attorneys who are recovering.

And it’s funny because I distinctly remember the first time we met in person at the, I was doing a meet of the month at the Walt Disney World Swan. And you were there with your husband and your little kids in strollers. And like, I remember your husband like had a green lantern shirt on.

And you came and you told me, I’ve heard the story. I went to, I went to Columbia, I went to Harvard Law. I was like, yeah, blah, blah.

And you’re like, yeah, I left the practice of law, and now I was moving here, and I was like. And I. In my mind, I’m going, wait a minute. What I did is not what you’re. You went to Harvard. I didn’t. Like, you’re not supposed to be doing that.

But did you know. Do you remember you actually emailed me, like, before that and shared your story.

Not just of your legal career, but I remember of your dad and your job and your family. And I happened. I was like, I want to go back and see. You said, all this has been happening. I’m an avid listener of WWE Radio.

My weekly dose of Disney came with a little reminder each week that life could be better if I made the leap. Right. And you went on to how you were sort of winding down at the firm. And I don’t know if you remember saying this.

You said, I say now that my dream job is to work with Rundisney, but we’ll see how that pans out with time. Starting my own business feels like a pipe dream right now.

I know I have what it takes, but I’ll take some time to get there and just figure out exactly what that would mean. I read that I met you there, and I’m like, oh, my God, my Catholic Italian guilt kicks in. I’m like, you need to come to momentum.

Like, I need to try and help you as much as I can because I knew that momentum and the people attending would help you continue down and go down this path that clearly in your mind, you had already started going down sometime before.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:09:04.990 – 00:10:38.760
Yeah. God, you’re going to make me cry with pulling out that email. There’s actually. I’m just going to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

Like, there are yard people, like, literally outside my window. So I’m so sorry if you can hear them, but. No, I mean. And it does tell you, like, how sort of, like, the universe has a way. You know, I didn’t.

I remember writing that email to you. I had no recollection of having said saying anything about Rundisney specifically in that email.

I know I had talked to you in that email about Disney and about, like, leaving. Lol.

And we’ll talk about it more because it’s so much a part of the book and the beginning of the book, but losing my father and kind of everything kind of came to a head that was coming that when I was writing that email, like, the. I have so, like, I want to hug, like, the girl who wrote that email, like, looking back on who she was and, like, and.

And I Think I knew, like, at the time, and we’ll get away from all this, but, like, I think I knew at the time, like, how much strength it was, it took in a way to be walking away from that life that I built. But, like, looking back on it, like, it was a ballsy thing to do. Like, Like, I mean, like, just because you.

Cause I had, like, I had respect and I had, like, expertise, you know, in like this whole, in this, like, area of the world. And like, that is what I’d spent so much time earning.

And like, the fact that, like, it wasn’t making me happy and I knew in my heart that it wasn’t like, where I was supposed to be and that I moved on that, like, yeah, anyway, we can get away from that.

Lou Mongello
00:10:39.240 – 00:11:21.030
I know, and I’m sure you had the same thing.

And again, I want to sort of go, this is a, this is a, you know, a separate business related conversation, but I know you probably had the same thing that I did. Like, wait a. What are you doing?

Like, you’ve invested so much time and resources and money to go down this path and now you’re going to leave it to just sort of figure it out. And you’re like, yeah, but you didn’t just. And I think this is sort of the connective tissue here. You didn’t just leave the law.

You left about six months after your first half marathon.

So take me through that stretch, like, what happened between crossing that finish line and walking out of your office for the last time and sort of making that leap to eventually where it got you today.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:11:21.430 – 00:12:58.510
Yeah, I mean, this is the segue to the book and it’s the whole story, right? Like, is the origin. And this is actually chapter one of the book.

But, you know, in order to answer that question, I have to take sort of a step further back and acknowledge kind of what was happening in the year, a couple of years leading up to that. Because, you know, I was working in law. I had worked initially in New York City.

I was a corporate lawyer doing mergers and acquisitions, and I was in New York, and then I was doing kind of the same sort of work outside of D.C. and everything was. Was fine. Like, it wasn’t, you know, my life’s calling necessarily, but it was paying the bills and it was, it was fine. And.

And then my father was diagnosed with cancer. And so much of our stories, I think, you know, go, you know, run parallel. And sadly, this is another way that our stories run parallel.

But my dad was, you know, when my second son, my younger son was 4 months old, my dad was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, or aml. And it was in the midst of all of that that I sort of.

I sat down to do one of my sort of regular meditations and my body said, no, we are not sitting with these feelings right now. Like, it was. It was just too much to sit still with.

And I think just out of nothing but like, this very human, like, innate sense of what I needed to do with my energy in that moment. I just went for a run. Like, I literally just went for a run, like, just to get it all out, just. And like, just because, like, seeing.

Lou Mongello
00:12:58.510 – 00:13:04.400
You’re like Forrest Gump. You’re like Forrest Gump. That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a run.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:13:04.560 – 00:18:22.050
And like so many adults, I think, like, there’s a reason that distance running has sort of like, caught hold the way that it has.

Because I think like, a lot of times, like, you know, exercise and gym time and all the things, like, as you’re young and as you’re, you know, like, they’re sort of the not fun things, but as you get older and like that sort of one on one time with yourself and to like, process your thoughts and like, to have time, you know, becomes more valuable in something that you value, that all becomes different. And for me, it replaced meditation in a way.

Running became the place that it was a safe place to deal with my feelings and my thoughts and all the things that were going on and all the feelings I couldn’t show in front of my mother and my kids and my job and my boss. Running was where I could process it. So I started just since running.

This is such a long time to your question, but I started distance running during that time in my life. And very sadly, like, we. We lost my dad 10 months later to a horrific fight with leukemia. And.

And I think at that point, like, running had started to serve, like, a greater purpose in my life, like, for all the reasons I just described. And so, you know, we lost my dad 10 months later and we just. And I just kept running and hand in hand with all of this.

Like, my mom and I were kind of dealing with. We had dealt with, you know, the. My dad’s fight with cancer and like, you know, losing it 10 months later.

And then like, all of the, like, red tape that goes along with death, like, we remember, like, I remember we were just like sitting at the kitchen table one day with like, piles of paperwork, just like trying at my kitchen table, like, with piles of paperwork to just like And I was just like trying to help her through like the mess of the part nobody acknowledges about losing somebody, like that part of it. And we were like, let’s just get the heck out of Dodge and take a trip. And we ended up in Disney World.

And it was that October, after losing my dad, that we took our first. I took my first kind of adult with a family of my own trip to Disney.

And it was all birthed out of losing my dad and kind of needing to get away and where else to go but the happiest place on earth. And so we ended up at Disney. And I kind of fell in love with Disney and I was in love with running.

And all of a sudden I found out there was this thing called rundisney. And I found out and this is all answered. We’re getting to the answer to your question, I promise you. But this is the important stuff.

And then we can get on to the rest of the book. But I found out that there was this thing called Rundisney.

And it just so happened that the 2016 Princess Half Marathon was on the two year anniversary of my dad’s death, which also happened to be the day after my birthday.

And I was like, what an incredible way to show the universe that I’m still kicking to train for and run this race in the midst of everything else that’s going on. And so I trained for that race and I ran it. And I think the training for that race gave me so much purpose in the midst of everything.

And then I ran the race and it was great. It was all the things, it was wonderful. It was my first experience with Rundisney. And then I came home and everything was still the same.

Nothing had changed. And I kind of crashed hard after that. And that was February of 2016. And I remember getting on the phone with one of my very, very best friends.

She’s amazing, from law school. And I said, I have to get out. I have to get out of law. It was like I came home and all the problems were still there.

And I no longer had this race that I was training for that was distracting me from all of it. And I said, I have to get out. And she said, lisa, put a date on your calendar. She said, I don’t care if the date and I the story so many times.

I’m sorry if you’ve heard me say it a hundred times.

But like, she said, like, you know, I don’t care if it’s two weeks from now or if it’s two years from now, but put A date on your darn calendar and then spend like the interim between now and then figuring out not just the finances of it all because we were fine, but like wrapping your head around, like, what this means, like the psychological side of it, because there’s a reason that I introduced myself.

Not introduced myself, but you make fun of me and say, like, I talk about, like my Harvard law background because like, as much as that wasn’t who I wanted to be, it was who I was. Like, it was my identity for so long. Not the fanciness of it all, not like the big name, but like the fact that I was, you know, I had gone through.

I went through Columbia and Harvard and then I went into big law and I was a mergers and acquisitions attorney in New York City and then outside D.C. and that was kind of my life. That was my identity, that was my, I don’t want to say my self worth, but in a way it was kind of my self worth.

And I think getting away from that was what I had to wrap my head around in the interim. But that’s kind of. I mean, that’s the longest answer ever to your question. But that’s the answer. That’s everything that led up to it.

And kind of the big, big crash that happened after I ran that race that had been giving me purpose for so long.

And then six months after was when I walked out the door of my law firm for the very last time, because that was the date that I had put on my calendar. And funnily enough, I met you at the Swan and Dolphin about four days later.

Lou Mongello
00:18:23.570 – 00:20:26.160
Yeah, I mean, I think. I think there’s. And I’ll cut down the 45 minute story that you just told to a more, you know, consumable.

No, it’s interesting because I think for people who have run before, they’re understanding a lot of what happens when you run. Right. You talked about sort of running with your feelings and how the physical exercise just does a lot.

It’s very cathartic and I think it’s very healing.

And that, you know, at some point you realize that the finish line for you there was actually the starting line of something else that led you down this path, like you said, to 100 races, moving your family here, like, I get all of those things. And running became a much more important and purposeful and fun part of your life, not just sort of a recovering thing.

And at some point along the way, having gone through it so many times, and if you’ve ever registered for a rundisney race, you Understand the trials and tribulations and stress that it brings in. And for a lot of people, they are getting off the couch and they’re starting running. For other people, it’s the first time they’re ever doing it.

For other runners, it’s just another destination. And there are a lot.

I mean, you know, I ran one and only half marathon back in 2008, when Rundisney really was just starting to become less of an athletic event. Because if you can’t be an athlete, be an athletic supporter. I have to steal the line from Greece.

And something that was becoming more of an event and something that people did. God bless you for fun. And there weren’t a lot of resources out there. And over time, obviously, there have been a lot more.

Not all of them are 100% accurate, so be careful. But for you, as sort of, you’re coming up with the idea for the book.

What was missing in sort of the Rundisney world that made you say, there needs to be a book and I need to be the one to write it?

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:20:27.040 – 00:23:46.240
I mean, this book is what was missing. Like, that it’s.

It’s incredible to me that the book didn’t exist already, but over the years, because I was kind of, you know, you can take the girl out of corporate law, but you can’t take the corporate law out of the girl. Like, I’m still that, like, type A obsessively organized person that I always was.

And so I would prepare for my own race weekends, you know, in that way. And Disney put Disney itself, and I should say, like, nothing about this book is, like, endorsed by Disney. Is like, this is all me.

But I personally would go through the guide that Disney put out every race weekend and all of its infinite complexity and kind of piece together for myself all of the things that I needed to know. And then over time, I started to share that both on my website, the Castle Run, and on my Instagram hecastlerunner.

Just the stuff you need to know, like the courses and the road closures and when your corral opens.

And all the things I kind of was, that was like, the hub where it all existed in a more easily digestible, like, an easily consumable way than, like, the way that Disney would put it out. And so it just started to make sense to me that, like, so much of this was race specific, but so much of this is evergreen.

And it became so obvious that, like, a book would be a really wonderful place for all of it, especially now that, like, so many new people are coming into it. And I think, like, there’s distance. Running as a whole is getting insanely popular.

People complain about how hard the Disney races are to register for. The New York marathon had a 1% acceptance rate this year. It’s tough everywhere. So at least with Disney we can kind of log in and hope for the best.

But I think as great as that is and as awesome as it is that so many people are coming in from the outside and especially with Disney, because I think people love Disney. And so it’s sort of a fun and easy, less overwhelming access point into distance running in the world of it.

But I think the complexities of Disney itself, we all know planning a Disney trip is incredibly complicated. Layered on top of what I think from the outside is looking like a very overwhelming and intimidating process.

The ability to kind of break all of that down and make it less intimidating to somebody coming in from the outside.

I wanted to be able to do that not just in my weekend, weekend real time guides that I put out, like on my website, but also like something that anybody could like, hold in their hand and like, kind of have and like between two covers, like everything, like literally everything you need to know from like the history of the races to like choosing your race to how to register to like training day, to like the inevitable emotional comedown that’s afterwards that I talked to, that I’ve been through and just talked about, like, it’s all in there.

And so like, the ability to like, I can’t believe the book didn’t already exist, but I think it makes a heck of a lot of sense that I was the person to write it. And I’m so happy it exists now for everybody who would otherwise be intimidated by this process.

Lou Mongello
00:23:47.040 – 00:24:34.180
Well, you sort of mentioned a couple things that sparked something because you talked about that it’s for everybody and it’s for everybody because everybody has their own story, right?

Everybody’s story is different, including how and why and when somebody decides to lace up their sneakers or get into their wheelchair for their first or their next rundisney race. So like, who is the book for?

Is do you like and how do you write something that is going to serve both the first timers who have never run a race, possibly ever, as well as the seasoned veterans who think they have seen or done or knew it all or they’ve raced elsewhere, but maybe haven’t done their first or next rundisney race yet? Because it is, like you said, it’s a very different experience here in a lot of different ways, which we’ll Touch on.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:24:34.980 – 00:27:07.310
Yeah. So the book has two distinct audiences, which I think, which I know, like, violates every rule of business and like, everything.

You’re like, you’re supposed to pick your audience and serve them and only them. But. But, you know, the book couldn’t not serve two audiences.

And so it does, you know, I think as beautiful a job as it can do of serving both and audience one is.

Is the absolute newcomer to the races, a longtime runner who is just coming into the Disney aspect of it, or you’re a Disney person who’s just coming into the running aspect of it. That nexus is a new thing to figure out. And so if you’re new to rundisney, the body of the book is for you. It’s absolutely for you.

But at the same time, the other thing that the book is an absolute love letter to this community and everybody in it and all of the veterans and the handful of perfect marathon runners who still. And like, you’re, you know, Deanna’s a perfect dopey. Like, the community around rundisney is such an extraordinary thing.

And so while the body of the book is absolutely 100% meant for the noob to the community, like somebody who just sort of needs some hand holding from start to finish of how the process works, like, it is a love letter to this community. And so the beginning of the book is a written version of the rambling story that I just tried to tell here and sort of why the races are special.

The second chapter of the book is a history of the races going all the way back to the 90s with the first marathon, which actually was very hard and it doesn’t really exist elsewhere. I found that in my research, that sort of digested version. So the front of the book is for the longtime Run Disney people who kind of just.

And the back of the book, which is the heart of the book to me, which is the dozen sort of life lessons that I’ve learned from a decade and more of distance running. And it’s sort of like that old book. Everything I ever wanted to learn, I learned in kindergarten needed to know, I learned in kindergarten.

It’s like that, but running.

And so the front and the back of the book are really just like somebody putting into words what we all love so much about this sport and rundisney specifically. And then the inner body of the book is for the person who just needs some hand holding from start to finish.

Lou Mongello
00:27:09.950 – 00:27:38.640
You say that the book is the guide you wish you had when you began. If you had to sort of boil it down to one thing.

What did you need most for somebody to tell you before your first race or before your first rundisney race that no website or training plan or message board or social media post was telling you that you wish you could. Like you would tell somebody if they were standing in front of you right now about to start training or getting ready for the first Run Disney race?

One thing.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:27:39.520 – 00:27:43.120
Getting ready to cross the start line or getting ready to start their training.

Lou Mongello
00:27:44.080 – 00:27:45.840
You can interpret that however you want.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:27:48.740 – 00:29:14.250
So I think those are two different questions, but I think I’ll just. That you can’t control the day, I think and like that you can. I mean, there’s so many.

There could be so many answers to that question, but that’s the one I’ll go with right now is that you can’t control the day. Like, you can show up like clockwork for every training run. You can do everything perfect.

You can do all the things and like, you could get to the start line and have a stomach cramp or a leg cramp that you didn’t expect. You could have stormy weather that gets your race canceled or shortened or even canceled. You don’t know what the day is gonna serve up.

And I think the best thing that you can do is just show up for yourself throughout all of your training anyway. And the universe is what’s gonna serve up your PR conditions for your perfect day.

But you serve up being and all you can do is be ready when that moment comes. So I think it’s just focus on your own training, showing up for yourself.

Understanding that it’s all about the finish line is sort of like the exclamation point on a very long sentence that is your training and that’s where the meaning of it all is.

And just know that when you cross that start line that you did everything that you could to prepare and you can’t control anything else at that point.

Lou Mongello
00:29:15.530 – 00:29:47.480
And you mentioned it, and I think people who are runners clearly realize this, and I learned this over my years of never running any other races. That rundisney is special for a lot of reasons. But when you take away the medals and the characters and the costumes and the music and the.

The park access, like, what is it about a Run Disney event that makes it different and so much more special than any other? Especially, like destination type of race or event?

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:29:49.080 – 00:29:58.160
I mean, like every. There’s just a magic to it. Like, I mean, the, you know, the characters like you.

Lou Mongello
00:29:58.160 – 00:30:08.050
Disney is built not just for people who are athletes and who are runners, but it’s built for those who have never run before because there’s so much more to it than actually running.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:30:08.050 – 00:32:57.250
Oh, a hundred thousand percent. Yeah, a thousand percent.

And I always say, like, if you love Disney, you owe it to yourself to do a 5K because it’s just like you could be a local, you could have been to the parks like hundreds of times. Like you could know every word of may it rest in peace carousel progress. You could be the biggest Disney person in the world.

But if you’ve never seen the parks in that way, it’s a completely different way to experience them.

To run around World Showcase before dawn with the torches going and music going, to turn that corner onto Main Street USA with throngs of people, the crowds of thousands of people cheering as you enter Magic Kingdom and turn that corner and round the bend and all of a sudden the castle’s in front of you at mile seven or nine or whatever it is of whatever race that you’re running. There’s just an energy to the events and everything that Disney does well, it does well at the races.

The organization, the entertainment, the characters. It’s like no other. And I’ve run races everywhere.

I love the big races all around the world, but there’s just something to running them here that just brings the magic. And I think so much of that is the community that I just keep coming back to. You could take it all away.

You could put our community on the West Orange Trail and we’d be 90% of the way there’s, you know, cause it’s like the people that show up again and again and like the creativity, the costumes, like I’m not, I’ll bound sometimes like for a run, but like some of the creativity that you see out there that these people put into their running costumes, like jogging.

Jack Sparrow, who we all know who like runs, like he’s a fast guy and he’s an incredibly nice person and like does so much for the community, but like he puts on like a full on like Jack Sparrow costume and runs the marathon.

Like, you know, I can go on and on and on about like what makes Rundisney so much so special and so different from any other endurance event out there. And you know, the parks and Disney and how they do things and the characters.

But like, it really is just the heart of the community that has built up over the years around these races. And like the coming together of those people is really what makes it so special. And that’s who this book is for. That’s like, why, while the book is.

While the book is, in its most literal sense, like a holding of the hand for the new person, like, from start to finish, it’s also just a love letter to those people.

Lou Mongello
00:32:58.530 – 00:35:36.330
Right? Because I think running is such an intensely solitary experience, but with rundisney, it also feels incredibly communal.

I think it’s just different than running anywhere else. And, like, I also understand the idea of. And I love the fact that it’s called a companion, because the idea of not having to do it alone, I get.

Like, it’s personal to me. Again, this is not about me.

But when I ran my first and only half marathon in 2008, I want to say it was an individual goal, something I always endeavored to do, which is a complete lie. On my former podcast, it’s when rundisney was just starting to become a thing, and I was like, oh, I should try running a race run.

And he laughed at me. My now obviously former co host laughed at me. And I was like, okay, buddy. Like, I’m going to do it.

And it was me and my wife and Steve Drew and the three of us in clearly unprepared. Like, our yellow WWE cotton T shirts. Not the one, by the way.

Like, we did it, but after that, like, members of the wwrado community were like, oh, Lou Mongello is a little guy with no athletic ability and tiny little legs. Like, if he can do it, I can do it, too.

And the community starts to come together to participate and support one another and become part of something bigger, which eventually leads to the formation of the WWE running team and how people come together.

And I think that the running team, what we’re talking about, is sort of a microcosm of what rundisney is, is because runners and walkers and wheelers and joggers and of every age and pace and experience level come together and they encourage each other before, during, and after the races. Like, for us, like, that was a big part of, like, still, what contributes to our Dream Team project?

Like, we’ve raised more than half a million dollars from Make a Wish. And the running team is such a huge part of that.

And I think sometimes for people, too, Lisa, like, they might be sitting in their car on their couch. Maybe you’re, like, on your couch eating a pint of ice cream. I’m not judging you. You.

I love Disney, but I’m not sure that this world is for someone like me. Like, I’m not an athlete. I don’t even know how long a 5K really is.

Like, how do you help Those people take that next or first step or maybe even sort of allay some of the fears or dispel some of the misconceptions about what rundisney is and how a first time participate participant might have, you know, what kind of experience they’ll have.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:35:36.970 – 00:39:14.410
Yeah, that’s such an important question.

And I think, you know, and it is, it’s all shapes and sizes, all like, you know, you know, athletic levels from, you know, somebody who is, you know, an Olympic athlete like out there to do the marathon, to like somebody who, for whom the fight, like doing the 5k is a real undertaking and achievement. And both of those things are equally celebrated at Disney. And I think that’s so much of what’s another thing that’s so special about the events.

And honestly, my simplest question is that while you should treat it like an athletic event and I think you owe it to yourself to treat it like that and to train for it and to do that couch to 5K program or whatever it is that works for you and show up for yourself between registration and showing up for the event. Like, my simplest piece of advice is just to register like for a 5k. Register for a 5k. They are untimed.

They do carry a pacing requirement, but it’s very, very manageable. And it’s more just make sure you can pretty much walk a 5K. You can absolutely walk a 5K.

And I kind of, and I won’t get into the mathematics of it all here, but like there’s a literal cushion calculator on my website that you can go onto and kind of put in your numbers and it’ll tell you it’s@thecastlerun.com cushion and it’s in the book that kind of walks you through the math of like how doable it really, really is. And you know, I mean, just go out there and have fun. Like, what’s the worst that could possibly happen? You get swept. Like, God forbid you showed up.

It’ll probably be the biggest story you have for your whole life.

Like the, the three miles before you got swept at the half marathon will probably be one of your favorite stories that you have to tell because you put yourself out there and you like, did the thing. So just do it. Like, and you’ll see people who are all shapes and sizes, all levels of athlete.

Like, you’ll get passed by people who are hobbling and look like they’re three decades older, older than you. Like, there are people that have passed me on the course that I’m like, you know, It’s a humbling experience. But that’s like.

But that’s the point, right? Like, just. Just do it. And, like. And it’s Disney. So, like, you know, it’s not like if you get swept at the Boston Marathon or the New York, New York.

It’s not like that. It’s. You’re still in Disney World. You’re still in this happy place.

You can still show up two hours before the race even starts and take pictures with the characters and dance to the DJ and have fun and hang out in your corral with a bunch of really cool people who are also kind of doing the thing. And you’ll cross the start line and you’ll do your best and do. Train for it.

Do yourself that honor of training for it and treating it like a proper race, because it absolutely is. But also just do it.

If you’re listening to this right now and anything about this sounds cool, if the thought of rounding the bend into Magic Kingdom with a castle in front of you and thousands and thousands of people cheering for you as you bound towards Cinderella Castle before dawn, if that sounds good to you at all, they are hard to register for. They’re hard to get into these days. But register. Like, sign up with a charity.

That’s a great way to get a bib and, like, do some good at the same time. So, like. But yeah, if you’re intimidated by it, like, that’s usually a good sign that it’s something that you should be doing, right?

Like, if it gives you, like, the heart palpitations. That’s what they say, right? Like, then it’s a good sign that you should be doing the thing. Like, just do it. Just do it.

Lou Mongello
00:39:14.810 – 00:39:55.970
Well, I mean, I’ve always believed that getting to the starting line is more difficult than getting to the finish line, not just because it’s sometimes difficult to register from a practical perspective. And I like the fact that you open up the book with the John Bingham quote. The miracle isn’t that I finished.

It’s that I had the courage to start, right? Because it is like, it’s that courage. It’s taking that first firm step. And I think that you win as soon as you line up at the starting line, right?

Because it’s not about finishing for Rundis. It’s certainly not about finishing first. Because other than the person that finishes first, everybody else gets the same medal, Right?

The fanfare of the person who finishes last is sometimes greater than the person who finishes first.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:39:55.970 – 00:39:57.890
Like, Disney, it’s 100%.

Lou Mongello
00:39:57.890 – 00:39:59.410
And that is everybody.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:40:00.210 – 00:41:36.760
Yeah. And we haven’t even touched on that. But, yeah, the fact.

And that just sums up Rundisney and, like, the life lessons from, like, all the things that are important about running and Rundisney and, like, the way that this community holds each other up, like, the fact that the final finisher of the race gets at least as much, if not more fanfare than the person who wins it, like, just speaks volumes, because you don’t know what anybody is bringing to the race, which is just another huge life lesson that comes with all this, right? The person who wins the race, their whole life is probably running. They’re a professional who. Their whole purpose in life is winning that race.

Not purpose in life, but you know what I mean? They have a lot more sort of to give to word it.

The person who finishes last, like, the person who still showed up at that start line not knowing if they were gonna finish and, like, hurt and, like, got through the miles and, like, through all the pain and, like, and didn’t.

And there’s no shame in dnfing a race, but, like, you know, I’m still gonna celebrate that person who pushed through anyway and, like, and who, like, chose the pain and the discomfort and, like, to keep that promise that they kept to themselves, to, like, get through it all regardless.

And, like, the fact that Rundisney, the crowd and the community and the outpouring of love for that last person to cross the finish line is like nothing else. And it sums up the entirety of this community and what Rundisney is all about.

Lou Mongello
00:41:37.080 – 00:43:03.410
Well, even, like, our WW running team, like, we’re out there every single race, cheering. Not just the people who are wearing our shirts or are part of the team, but we cheer on everybody.

We’re there from the first person to the last person.

And it’s those last few people that, like, for me personally, I get emotional and we cheer louder and cheer harder because, you know, they’ve worked so hard to get there, and sometimes they need it most. And I think.

And you alluded to this, because I think the most important part of the book, yes, the practical and tactical things to do and how to do it and the steps are very important. But I think the lessons behind underneath whatever it is, the miles that you call a dozen life lessons may be the most important part, right?

You talk about goals being the oxygen and the dopey blues, and I think, you know, the importance of, like, if you do have people who are out there coming out to cheering to cheer for you, like, having conversations with them about what Race mornings and recovery is going to be like, and the importance of rest and things like that.

And I think those lessons, which are sometimes the things you don’t see on a website or, you know, in a PDF, are the things that are helpful not just in preparing, but I think for people who are on the course, like, it’s before, during, and after and things to reflect on as well.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:43:04.450 – 00:45:40.320
Yeah, I mean, I remember listening to the. You had even had a clip of it, like, as a highlight of the. When you did a show with AJ About Disney.

I remember, like, this line that she said where she says, like, it’s not about Disney. Like, it’s not about Disney.

I remember, like, that line and the reason that that line spoke to me so clearly and everybody’s got some version of this, but it’s not about running. Like, it’s not about running. It’s not. It’s not about Disney. It’s not about running.

It’s not like, you know, I think, like, we all kind of come to life and find, like, ways to deal with it and try and try to get through the things and, like, try to do it in a healthy way.

And, like, you know, I think, like, part of the beauty of, like, rundisney is that the people who are drawn to Disney kind of often need it in a way that makes them very human. And I think the people that are drawn to running often are drawn to it in a way that makes them very human.

And the people who are drawn to run Disney, it’s like that squared, if that makes sense.

Like, if you need Disney in your life as a Disney adult or if you need, like, running in your life as a running adult, like, rundisney is sort of like where that nexus where all of those people kind of come together.

And I think it all just boils down to the life lessons that come out of all of it and being able to carry that into the rest of your day and just be a better person in the process. You don’t know what anybody else is carrying, and nothing will teach you that better than a race course or a training.

The person who is struggling through that final finisher, you have no idea what they may or may not have brought to that start line and carried through that race and through that training season with them. And I think we all know that about ourselves. And in going through that process, we sort of come to understand it better about everybody else.

There’s just something that’s so beautifully human about the whole experience. And like, and whatever is, whether you love to Crochet or go to Disney World or you know, or race cars or run like whatever your thing is.

Like the whole point of it, unless you’re like a professional Olympian, is to like use it to make the rest of your life better. Right? Like that’s the point. Like I’m not out there to win the race.

I’m out there to like become a better human in the process of getting ready for the race. And that’s right.

Lou Mongello
00:45:40.320 – 00:46:55.230
And I think, you know, and not to be like melodramatic or hyperbolic about. I think there’s something transformative about participating in a run.

And I don’t want to say running, participating in a rundisney event, whether you are walking, running, walking, jogging, cheering, whatever it might be. And there’s a, there’s a part in your book where you call yourself perhaps the most introverted person in the tri State area.

I am really trying hard not to react to that because all of Florida, eastern seaboard, continental United States might be better.

But you found yourself, and I think this is, it’s indicative of what Rundisney does is you are an admitted introverted person who now finds yourself in one of the most community driven sports and experiences imaginable at Rundisney. So like as an introvert, right? Cause I think some people might be listening going, this isn’t for me. I don’t have any other runners.

I don’t know anybody. I’m very introverted.

Like what has Rundisney and more importantly, I think the Rundisney or wwradio whatever is community taught an introvert about belonging to something bigger than the individual than you individually.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:46:56.510 – 00:49:55.050
I mean, I think I’ve just over the years just had to like give myself grace in that department because I am a wildly introverted person and it is a lot for me, like the run. Like, yeah, I mean to a fault. To a fault. I am an extremely introverted person. And you know, and I think like the rund is me.

Like I’ve had to give myself permission and also like given the community like permission to like accept me for what I am. Like I, I run alone on my training runs and I usually run alone on the course. Like I’m with my people, they’re around me.

Like we’re weaving in and out of you.

Like we’re kind of meeting each other in the character lines and like we love each other and we’re out there and we’re supporting each other and like, but like I, I usually, like I, I roll in by myself. Like I kind of see people. I say hello, I like run my race. And like sometimes I hang out, sometimes I don’t.

But like I think like, but like just giving the, like giving the community, like allowing the community to like accept me for what I am and also like to show up with this book.

Like, I, like there’s a part of me because I am like you do learn a lot about like no matter how introverted you are, that like we are, we are tribal.

Like we are like we are, we are social beings and like we need to belong somewhere and like even as an introvert, like that belonging is important and it’s, you know, and, and like just learning that and like, like seeing the value that that brings to my day to day life is like I can’t deny it.

Like I’m every, every single day my choice might be to be like alone on my couch or at my desk, like working or doing like, but like at the end of the day like I, I’m a social being just like everybody else. And like I need that and like that identity that comes.

The tribe that has run Disney has brought so much value to my life that I can’t, that I can’t deny. But at the same time, like to have shown up like you know, sort of. And I, and I do sort of exist on the periphery at times.

And that’s just because I am who I am. Like, I’m a quiet person. Like I have one on one conversations with all the people, but I’m not usually the person who’s in the giant group of people.

But like to have, for the community to have allowed me to be the person who wrote this book is like such a, like such a special thing to me.

Like the outpouring of love that everybody has shown to me like, as the person who wrote this book has been so special to me because I’m not the person like at the party, I’m not the person like dancing at the wine and dine after party. Like I’m not.

I’m a quiet like to myself person and like, and like for the community to have still like shown me the amount of love that they have for like showing up with this book has been like such a special thing.

Lou Mongello
00:49:57.120 – 00:50:05.280
Okay? So because I have many other questions bouncing around in my mind, I’m gonna throw you a bit of a curveball which you are wildly unprepared for.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:50:05.600 – 00:50:06.240
Okay?

Lou Mongello
00:50:06.240 – 00:50:16.640
We’re gonna do a little lightning round. Like lightning round. Like quick one word, one sentence answers. So because I want to hit a bunch of other Things very, very quickly. Ready?

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:50:17.760 – 00:50:18.240
Okay.

Lou Mongello
00:50:18.240 – 00:50:18.960
No, you’re not.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:50:19.200 – 00:50:20.080
I’m not ready.

Lou Mongello
00:50:20.400 – 00:50:22.560
What is the best rundisney race for a first time?

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:50:26.230 – 00:50:32.630
Like any 5K, unless you’re a runner and in which case like go do the marathon because there’s nothing like it in the world.

Lou Mongello
00:50:36.230 – 00:50:47.590
Rundisney races have come and gone. There’s different themes, there’s different weekends, there’s different times of year and times of day that they.

You can only keep one run Disney race weekend. Which one is it?

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:50:47.830 – 00:51:04.180
Dopey, obviously. Marathon weekend. It’s where it all started. It’s what it all leads up to. It’s the climax of the season and they’re all fun.

But marathon weekend is where it started. And Dopey is the heart of the community of rundisney.

Lou Mongello
00:51:05.620 – 00:51:10.580
What is one piece of running gear that people frequently get wrong?

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:51:12.740 – 00:51:33.550
Oh, give people. Get your shoes. Probably it’s the most important thing. Like, go to a running store, get fitted properly for a pair of shoes.

Like, not because like your friend wore them or because they look cool or because like you saw like somebody on Instagram and then. But like have your stride and your body like assessed properly at a running store and get fitted for your shoes.

Lou Mongello
00:51:33.950 – 00:51:36.510
Crocs are a bad idea coming from a non runner.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:51:36.510 – 00:51:38.670
Just afterwards. They’re lovely.

Lou Mongello
00:51:38.910 – 00:51:57.360
Marathon, like, I was trying to do research and there was nothing. I’m like, what shorts do I wear? By the way? Don’t wear a cotton T shirt. Just to let you know.

Can’t even imagine what on course character will always make you stop, no matter how long the line might be.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:51:58.000 – 00:52:15.350
Ooh, Mickey and Minnie. I think it’s just you can’t not stop.

A lot of times they’ll be right in front of the Chinese Theater and Hollywood Studios and sort of of decked down in whatever garb that they, you know, is the theme of the race. And you cannot stop for that.

Lou Mongello
00:52:17.030 – 00:52:31.670
Different races take you to different places. There are sometimes long stretches of just pavement and whatnot. What is your favorite stretch of any rundisney course?

Like this part of the course, you cannot wait to get to the castle.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:52:32.230 – 00:54:22.000
So it’s not every race.

It’s the half marathon and the full marathon of marathon weekend and the half marathon of Princess weekend are the three races where you get to do it. But entering Magic Kingdom, turning that bend and like. And running toward the castle. Like, with like the. And we. The one thing we haven’t.

I mean, I know this is a fire round. I’m not. But like, we haven’t talked Enough about the spectators like this. We appreciate you so much.

Like, but, like, the thousands of people who, like, showed up at 4 o’ clock in the morning to, like, see their runner fly by for 15 seconds and, like, maybe get a hug. Like, what. With the castle in front of you. And, like, if.

And if it’s, you know, if it’s marathon weekend, whatever they’re doing for the holidays is still going on in there because they keep it up for us. But, yeah, like, that.

I mean, there’s so many special stretches, but, like, the obvious answer is sometimes the correct answer, and it is that bend into Magic Kingdom with the castle in front of you and, like, the thousands and thousands. And because also because you probably have just spent.

Spent many, many miles just, like, alone on the road, and all of a sudden you’re, like, rounding the bend into Magic Kingdom and you’re like, oh, yeah, this is a rundisney race.

And there’s, like, all these, you know, and there are thousands of people and there’s signs and, like, the love and yeah, it’s like you, like, literally will start to, like, get a little verklempt. You feel like that you have them. Like, if you don’t.

If you don’t tear up in that moment when you turn and you see the castle, like, you know, your heart is a few sizes too small. Like, it’s very difficult not to get emotional turning the bends and, like, seeing the castle in front of you.

And more importantly, just the thousands and thousands of wonderful people who have chosen to, like, show up and cheer in the dark and in the cold and in the heat and in all, you know, braving the elements to, like, cheer. Like, that’s.

Lou Mongello
00:54:22.400 – 00:54:50.060
I’m not saying cheering is harder than running, but I. This is my point. This is my time to announce that I am releasing the Cheering rundisney Companion. For those of you.

There was one year, and I have to bring this back. I think this year, like, I gave the Run the WWE running team cheer squad medals because we’re out there.

Like I said, like, before that first runner and after the last runner and it. And to know how important it is, it’s part of what keeps us out there as well.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:54:50.220 – 00:55:00.350
All right, There’s a chapter and there’s a whole chapter in the book on spectating. Like, that’s just as important as everything else. Like, we appreciate you so much. And the people go. Go. I’m sorry.

Lou Mongello
00:55:00.350 – 00:55:01.670
This is lightning. This is the worst lightning.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:55:01.670 – 00:55:02.510
I know. I know.

Lou Mongello
00:55:04.670 – 00:55:10.510
Lawyers sober boast. What is one item you will Never arrive at race weekend without.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:55:11.630 – 00:55:32.160
These are hard questions. My playlist. I will never arrive at race weekend without my playlist.

It is like on those long stretches and they’re always so meticulously crafted to like, you know, get me through and like have like that pump up song like in certain parts and like the finish line that we’re expected to be. Yeah, no, the music, the music, absolutely.

Lou Mongello
00:55:33.280 – 00:55:53.370
If you have ever tried to register for D23, the ultimate Disney fan Experience, or go to a Lorcana or pin drop, you can appreciate the stress and the requirement of taking a day off almost sometimes to register for a Run Disney race. What is your one piece of best advice for surviving a rundisney registration morning?

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:55:55.210 – 00:56:35.550
It takes a village. Like get your community together, get your spreadsheet in front of you.

Everybody who wants to get in, make sure that, you know there’s a whole chapter in the book on registration.

But two things it takes a village, lean on your people to get in and just know that if you don’t get in, first of all, keep training, keep running, keep doing the thing and also go for a charity if you can’t. Like if you, you can go, you can go through a charity before registration even opens. And it’s a wonderful, wonderful way to run the race.

The charities themselves have communities around them and can be super supportive in the race. Um, but yeah, so it takes a village and if you don’t get in like go, go for a charity.

Lou Mongello
00:56:35.870 – 00:56:42.910
All right, a little bit more lightning. What is one mistake you see runners making repeatedly that you hope your book is going to help correct?

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:56:43.230 – 00:57:08.290
Not running your own race, like going out the gate, like not pacing for yourself but pacing for the people around you. Like not listening to your own body, like not kind of like accepting where you are on that day. Like just run, run your own race.

And if that means like breaking off from the group that you’re with for a little bit, then they still love you and you know, you do what you need to do to get through it and honor yourself and the work that you did to get to the start line.

Lou Mongello
00:57:08.770 – 00:57:16.740
This may be the most important question of the day. What is your last pre race meal and your first post race meal?

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:57:17.380 – 00:57:54.870
Oh gosh, my last. So my pre race meal is something with not a lot of fiber. My pre race meal is, is, you know, is just is like a healthy dose of carbs.

My, my post race is usually a pineapple cider at the food and beverage cart or area because you’ve earned it and yeah. And whatever’s in the snack box. Some plastic cheese and some chips.

Lou Mongello
00:57:55.830 – 00:58:12.240
Guys with their plastic cheese. All right, last question.

If somebody picks up the book having never genuinely run a single mile, what do you want them to feel by the time they get to that last page and close it?

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
00:58:13.280 – 00:58:49.120
Inspired and accepted. Like, you can do hard things. I promise, Like, I promise you can do hard things.

And, like, you’ll get so much more out of the training process than the finish line. And you’re gonna be, you’ll be such a better person for it and you’ll have a wonderful community around you.

Like, I just, I want you to feel inspired to know that you can do the thing no matter what you think. Like, you can absolutely do the thing. And, you know, and as far as the logistics go, I got you. It’s all there. It’s all between those two covers.

Lou Mongello
00:58:50.880 – 01:00:16.560
Lisa, what I love about the book is that it is, I think, practical enough to help somebody navigate everything from registration to training to travel to race morning and every mile in between. And that follows.

But I think it’s also honest and personal enough that it recognized that I think some of the most important parts of the experience have nothing to do with your pace or the medals or even running itself.

It is about that courage, like you said, to begin to take that first, first literal or figurative step, to keep the promise to yourself, to accept the things you can’t control, to allow yourself to rest and discover, like, really what you individually are capable of. And I think as. As often as the case, I think rundisney is also about the people who get to share that experience with us.

The book is the official, the unofficial guide to rund. The rundisney Companion, your race day guide. I tried to do it from memory and I can’t.

The rundisney companion, your race day guide from fantasy to finish line and beyond. It is a companion. I love that word. And it should be consumed and treated that way.

You can find Lisa and everything she does over at the Castle run and Instagram. She is hecastlerunner anywhere else people should find you find the book.

What they should do to keep up with not just your race weekend information and adventures, but. But to help them on their Rundisney journey.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
01:00:17.200 – 01:00:49.620
So you already named the two main spots. TheCastleRun.com is my own site where I keep up with real time, all the things and then also on Instagram, hecastlerunner.

But we’re here to talk about the book. It comes out on August 7th.

It’ll be available on Amazon and also on my website and if you want to sign up for updates on it and also updates in general, you can get on the list at the rundisney Companion and sign up there for the email list and I will message you the day it comes out and I.

Lou Mongello
01:00:49.620 – 01:01:35.390
Will link all of those in the show notes over@wdwradio.com Lisa Nerdo Glassner Congratulations on the book and for sharing not only everything that you’ve learned through a decade of running, but I think some of the personal story that you share behind why you learned it and to you, our friend who is at this table or with your bowl of ice cream, who is listening.

Maybe there is your own race, your own goal, or maybe an entirely different kind of metaphorical finish line that you’ve been thinking about pursuing.

Remember, you don’t have to know exactly how the story is going to end before you begin because sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is simply step up to the starting line. Lisa Naro Glassner thank you so much.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
01:01:36.200 – 01:01:41.880
Thank you so much for having me. We’ve done this show many, many times before, but never like this, so this was special. Thank you.

Lou Mongello
01:01:42.360 – 01:01:48.280
I need to start carb loading for race weekend. Cheering is a marathon in and of itself.

Lisa Dinoto Glassner
01:01:48.680 – 01:01:52.480
We didn’t talk enough about the spectators or carb loading.

Lou Mongello
01:01:52.480 – 01:11:21.440
The importance of carb loading. Six months of pure pasta consumption yes, Foreign it’s time for this week’s Walt Disney World Trivia Challenge.

How well do you really know the sights, sounds, secrets and stories of Disney? If you think you know the answer, you can enter for a chance to win a Disney Prize package.

And this week’s Trivia Challenge, like everything we do here, is brought to you by the most important part of WDW Radio, which is you. I mean it.

Because when you join the WWW nation, you’re not only helping to support the show, you’re becoming part of an extraordinary community of Disney fans and friends from all over the world.

And membership starts as little as a dollar per month, with real perks along the way like monthly group video calls, scavenger hunts, care packages, early access and discounts to special events and much more.

But the best part is what we do together, because through your support and our Dream Team project, this community has helped raise more than $550,000 to grant make a Wish trips for children with life threatening illnesses. That, my friend, is is real Disney magic.

So if this show has ever made your day a little brighter and you want to be part of something that makes a real difference, I’d love for you to join the nation.

You can learn more by visiting wwwradio.comsupport and now before we get to this week’s trivia question, let’s go back, review last week’s and select our winner.

For our last trivia question, I asked you to tell me what was the name of the automotive exhibit which was located at the end of World of Motion in Epcot Center. Thanks to you and all of you entered and got this one correct and know that the answer is the Trans center, which sounds so totally early 80s.

And this was the post show area that guests entered after riding World of Motion in Epcot’s Transportation Pavilion.

It was sponsored by General Motors and extended the attraction story by looking at the present and future of transportation through displays of current GM vehicles. Hello. It was a showroom.

Futuristic concept cars, short films, some interactive exhibits and demonstrations of of futuristic and emerging automotive technology. Again, more than just a showroom.

It was really designed to leave guests thinking about how innovation, design and technology could change the way people traveled in years ahead. But let’s be honest, it was a showroom. There were GM representatives there you could speak to about buying one of the vehicles on display.

Anyway, I took all the correct entries, randomly selected one. It was brilliant marketing and last week’s winner randomly selected is Alexis M. So Alexis, congratulations.

I will get her prize package out your right away. And if you played last week and didn’t win, that’s okay because here’s your next chance to enter in this week’s Walt Disney World Trivia Challenge.

So in her new book, Lisa traces the history of races all the way back to the very first one. So here’s your question. In what year was the inaugural Walt Disney World Marathon run for the first time?

What year was the very first Walt Disney World Marathon run for the first time? I’m going to give you an extra week to answer this one. The contest is going to run until Sunday, August 9th at 11:59pm Eastern.

So go to wwwradio.com, click on this week’s podcast there, use the online form and you can enter for a chance to win a prize package that includes a WWE radio keychain, stickers pin, an embroidered patch, and a mystery prize that I brought back from one of the Asian Disney Disney parks. So good luck and have fun.

Before we go this week, I was thinking as I was talking with Lisa and one of the things that reminded me of in our conversation is that running was never really meant to be a solitary thing. Yes, you lace up your own shoes. Yes, you Run your own race.

But I think the part that keeps you coming back and I think the real magic for so many people is the people that you get to share it with. And it’s why I started the WWW running team back in 2009.

I quickly told the story about how it started with my wife, our friend Steve Drew, and me wildly unprepared. This is not an athlete’s body in the cotton T shirts.

We had no business running in crossing the finish line for our very first half marathon at Walt Disney World. And what happened next caught me completely off guard. People in our community started saying, well, if Lou could do it, so can I. And they were right.

And today the WW Radio running team is hundreds of people from all over the world who are runners, walkers, wheelers, stroller pushers and the cheer squad who show up in the dark hours before dawn to scream our little lungs out for people that we’ve never even met. Some people race every Run Disney weekend. Some run local 5Ks, some are leasing up at home for the very first time.

And every single one of them belongs here as part of the team. And so do you. Because it’s about more than miles.

Like I said, through our Dream Team project, our community has raised more than half a million dollars for Make a Wish. That’s what happens when you run together. So here’s what being on the WWE running team actually gives you.

Yes, you get a shirt and there’s gear and the pieces that make you feel like you are part of the team when you get together before the race starts and you spot each other on the course.

But that really is the smallest part because what you really get is a community that has your back, encouragement and training support when you’re just starting out. Accountability fund. Your alarm goes off at 4 o’ clock in the morning and the couch is desperately calling your name. We have a private Facebook group.

We are there before, during and after every race.

Meetups all during the rundisney weekend and people that will run right beside you to the starting line and all the way through the course so you never have to do the hard part alone. And if Lisa’s book is the guide in your hand, then the running team is the family around you. One doesn’t replace the other. They belong together.

You can learn more and sign up right now. Again, you’ve never had to have run a race before. It doesn’t matter if you’re thinking about walking your first 5k or you are a perfect dopey.

You can learn more and sign up right now over@wdwrun.com and I would love to invite you to come be part of the team. Because these races, these weekends, these experiences are so much better together.

And to you, whether running is your thing or not, maybe you’re out on a training run. Look, maybe you are on the couch with that bowl of ice cream. If that’s your marathon, I don’t care. Thank you so much.

Because you could spend your time anywhere and you choose to spend some of it here with me. And it means more than you know.

If this episode helped you, made you think, or simply reminded you that you are capable of more than you believe, do me a favor, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. Maybe the friend who’s keep saying someday one of these days I want to run a race.

That is how this community and family grows and it’s how we keep finding one another. And of course I want to hear from you. Come join the conversation in the WW clubhouse. Be part of the live show every Wednesday night.

Call the voicemail at 407-900-9391. Let me know about your Rundisney experience and come find me over on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. I am Lou Mongello.

Tell me about your first race or the one you are finally ready to sign up for. And before you go, one more thing.

If you have an idea that you can’t stop thinking about or you’re trying to build a podcast, brand, a book or business around something you love, my Momentum Weekend Workshop might be exactly what you have been waiting for.

It is my intimate four day workshop for creators, solopreneurs and entrepreneurs in Walt Disney World this October during the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. Hi, I’m Lou. It is intentionally small, only 50 seats, everything in one room. And the goal isn’t just to hand you more information.

It’s to give you clarity, help you make the hard decisions, build a real plan and finally start moving forward.

Because you’re going to walk out with a custom action plan, a 200 plus page workbook, honest feedback, meaningful relationships, and a room full of people who understand exactly what you are trying to build. We have less than 15 seats left and the early bird pricing is ending soon.

So you’ve been waiting for the right time, the right people and the right push. This is it.

Everything you need to know is over@lou mongello.com momentum or just email me lou@www.radio.com if you want to know whether it is the right fit for you and because today was the best kind of reminder that all of this is better in person and together. Here’s a few more ways to actually be together this year.

Come find us and say hello over at the ww booth at D23, the ultimate Disney Fan event coming up in just a couple of weeks in Anaheim.

Join us for some fun at the Oogie Boogie Bash VIP Experience at Disneyland this fall and our pre dawn pre Opening Breakfast at Avengers Campus October 25th through the 29th. And in 2027, come sail with us to Alaska aboard the Disney Wonder.

However you want to celebrate the magic, there’s a good chance we’ll be there right with you. Go to www.radio.comevents for more information.

And when you’re ready to plan any events it your race weekend, a family vacation, or any one of these community adventures, please reach out to our friends over@m MouseFanTravel.com their expert planning is completely free. They handle every detail so you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the experience. So until next time, remember I love and appreciate you.

Be kind, choose the good, keep moving forward one step at a time. Have a great day and even better tomorrow. Thank you again. See ya. Well, it sounds pretty good. In fact, that’s just the right spirit.