Awww, Christine. Thank you for your kind words! A little disclaimer here: my stupid Skype dropped the call when Christine was talking about this, and when I finally got reconnected, I was thinking that maybe Christine was talking about me, but wasn't sure. LOL! But, both you and I pushed for runDisney to have a larger presence on the boards (knowing it's popularity and just how fun it can be) and from there it all just kind of rolled into what we now know as #runICOT and #cheerICOT.

I"m not sure what it is about these events that touches me so, because I'm not a runner at all and my hubby has always been a runner, so it's not necessary a tough thing for him. Does that makes sense? I think it's just that I've cheered my hubby for a lot of years at a lot of different events besides Disney, and I've seen a lot of 'journeys.' One of my favorite memories is having VIP access at the Marine Corps Marathon a few years back (certainly not because we're VIPs, but because my hubby knew someone ), and a huge perk with that was being able to stand directly at the finish line. At WDW, it's pretty much impossible to see your runner cross unless you're watching on the big screen or pay that outrageous amount of money to be in the 'cheer zone.' Anyway, the Marine Corps Marathon is one that a lot of first time marathoners run. I'm not ashamed to say that I stood at that finish line with tears running down my face watching so many emotions as folks crossed, ranging from pure elation to pure agony. Amazing! And I stand there and can't help but wonder what story that guy has, who he may be running for, how much weight he may have lost, etc. It's inspiring! This year my tears were for Christine on Marathon Sunday. Such a huge accomplishment, girl!!

My hubby has 'run Disney' since before runDisney was a thing. His first WDW Marathon was in 1999, and he did one more before we moved to Japan in the mid '00's. When we moved back to the States 3 years later, more events had been added (including the Disneyland Half) and runDisney was taking off. We were hooked, and now it's a mild obsession. James has pretty much gotten his fill of the theme parks themselves, but he loves a runDisney event, so I know I'll always get him there for that reason alone.

Cheering has always been fun for me, especially WDW Marathon Weekend. The first few days are especially fun with everyone dressing up and you can holler out "Go Cruella!" , "Go Olaf!", "Go Aladdin!" and get a response from the runners. On the half and full days, when the runners get a little more serious, I always try to pick out sports teams or service members and give them a little "Gig 'em, Aggies" "Go Tigers!" or a "Go Navy!" and hope that little cheer helps them along the next mile or even 100 feet.

Now with #cheerICOT in full force, I can't even explain how much fun it is being with my ICOT buddies and cheering on our ICOT runners. and now the added bonus of recognizing the folks from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. GO TEAM! One of my favorite things is when people find their people on the course, and I hope our ICOT runners feel that way about seeing us. And even if we make Grandma at the Boardwalk mad for waking up her grandson (yes, they were warned it was marathon weekend), I say MORE COWBELL! So let's make 2016 a HUGE year for #runICOT and #cheerICOT. How about it? It's exhausting, and I personally know I look like death warmed over by Saturday, but it's so worth it! Can't wait to see you all in Florida next January, as we'll be running and cheering again for THYCA.