AJ and Erika: Caution athletes. We have a very special guest on the podcast today. If you've ever been to a Red Disney race, you know this voice. We're thrilled to be chatting with Riley Claremont, the man everyone wants the chance to be interviewed by at the start of a Run Disney race. Hey there, friends. If you don't know, the caution athletes is A Riley Claremont phrase. That's right. You hear it on the course at a Run Disney race. And so that was my best impression that I could have possibly given. Welcome to One More Run, the podcast. We're here to help you feel ⁓ entertained by our weird ⁓ jokes that we think are funny. Actually, that's not why we're here. We're here to inspire you, hopefully, ⁓ give you helpful resources so that you can feel confident, prepared, all of that, headed into a Run Disney race. And it might not be a Run Disney race, but that's we're here to do. That's provide some encouragement, some confidence, help you feel prepared. And today Riley Claremont is gonna help us with that. I did not know he had been ⁓ announcing Run Disney as long as he had when he you're gonna hear it in the interview. He told us two minutes ago ⁓ how long, and it's way longer than I thought. Yeah, totally. Anyway, super excited to have Riley on the podcast. Be sure to hang around after our chat with Riley. We are introducing a new segment on the podcast where we're going to be following the training journeys of some runners who have some big race goals and uphill battles to get there. Be sure to hang around after our chat with Riley for that. Yes, super excited about that. So, Erica, for those who don't know who Riley Claremont is, he is one of the four race announcers at a Run Disney race. There's obviously more announcers. There's, you know, there's a whole team, but kind of like the core team that have been doing it a long time. Yeah. ⁓ Riley is one of those. How would you describe for someone, well, yeah, for someone who hasn't been there or maybe they've only done one race and they weren't paying attention, how would you describe what Riley does? I would say that Riley is the man on the street. He is going around and getting everyone's inspiring stories to kind of keep you encouraged, get you motivated, and keep you distracted while you're waiting in the corrals for hours. So yeah, a few hours before the race. Yeah. A camera's following him and he's coming up and he might come up to you and be like, hey, what you running for today? You know, would you be willing? Or he'll probably get your permission, but you know, but but he does that. And a lot of people want to be interviewed by Riley. Honestly, he's one of my favorite parts of the corral because I love hearing those inspiring stories. Yeah. Some of the stories he gets are very like you're you got a little tear developing. A little tear? I was talking about me. Right. Yeah. I got a little tear, you know, ⁓ my allergies. And you, you know. I'm sobbing. Yes. ⁓ so he gets those, but then he also does fun ones too. Where it's like, holy cow, how do you plan to run in that? Right. Yeah. You know? And so ⁓ a lot of people, you know, want to be interviewed by him. I think he grabs people that Didn't expect him to interview them and whatever. And he I love when he does kids, you know, like at the shorter distances. It's so fun. So Riley is awesome. He brings all kinds of energy. This conversation was so much fun. And I just love how all the announcing team, every single guest we have had at all in the one year so far of the podcast, has been as authentic as we expected or hoped. hoped or wanted them to be. They are exactly what you see. Yeah. And so Riley is exactly that. And this was so much fun. We kept him for such a long time. So you guys are lucky. This is a long episode because Riley hung out with us for a long time. We hope you enjoy this conversation. Erica, this is an unbelievable honor. Yes. For us. Totally. Because we literally are talking to the one of the voices that gets us across the start line. And I've seen him at the finish line, but he it's not just that. Right. Right. Like people just like clamor to get FaceTime with this person. And right now we get FaceTime for about an hour and we get to ask the questions. Riley asks the questions. And now we get to ask the questions. Like, this is a crazy world you and I are living in right now. It's okay that we're that we're getting to have this opportunity. I know Riley means a lot to you. Yes. I think that Riley like perfectly embodies Ren Disney family. Like we have said it a hundred times. It is not about the race anymore, it's about the community. And the people and their stories. And and that is Riley. Like he he does the interviews, he shares it. He can tell that like he genuinely is touched and affected by every story that he hears. And so Riley is Run Disney for me. I know. I know. So Riley, ⁓ we're buttering you up there at the beginning here. ⁓ welcome to the podcast. We're welcome. It's too much. It's too much. No, no, we mean it. ⁓ we're we're genuinely super, super excited to have you. Thanks for being here. Well, I again it it's as Everybody that runs by, especially at the finish line, and it tells us thank you. You know, it's thank you. Thank you guys for participating and thank you for the kind words. And again, I'm just so glad ⁓ and relieved, quite frankly, that, you know, my role and all of our role as far as, you know, featuring you guys, telling the story of the Run Disney family, that it lands, that it matters. ⁓ because again, I think one of my main roles and the role for all of us, but especially me and Tracy out there interviewing the guests and telling their stories. ⁓ is to give a context to the race that goes above and beyond just what you are out there to do, your individual achievements, your your personal bests, all that kind of stuff. I always use this quote and I didn't come up with it. Somebody much, much, more, much smarter and more empathic did, but you never know whose storm you're running next to. So again, if we can just let people allow them to relax, give them a laugh, but most importantly, make sure that they know that whoever they're standing next to in the corrals. Whoever they're running next to or running up against, you know, when when the course narrows, yeah, that everybody out there is carrying a burden. Everybody out there is doing something above and beyond just the joy of running. ⁓ and I think that's a universal truth, ⁓ not only for the world, but certainly for the Run Disney family. Cool. We can sign off. We're done. Because he just he just like dropped the mic on the first thing. And we haven't even asked any questions yet. I know. I can already tell you, AJ, I should have brought a clean Xbox. I didn't need it. ⁓ please. ⁓ my gosh. Okay. All right, go for it. We know that you're a Rend is new race announcer, but how would you describe what you do at these races? What's asked of you or what are you there to do? When I first started, it was basically just getting interviews and just th they were very dry and trying to you know lighten up the mood. I mean, I was there to get laughs, ⁓ basically. ⁓ and then I forget what race it was specifically. I think it was one of the marathons and we and it used to be when we were on the road, out on the road ⁓ by Ebcot. Yeah. ⁓ And I would be down at, you know, Corral D, or you know, the farthest I could get where they could still get my signal ⁓ via the camera and the microphones. And ⁓ there was a woman that I started talking to just organically, didn't do a pre-interview with, and she started to tell the story that was incredibly harrowing about why she was out there. And she was out there running in memory of a friend who had just passed away. And while she was talking, she literally collapsed into my chest. And I hugged her and it was it was a moment because it was real, it was authentic, it was organic. And from that moment on, something just shifted in me. And I think something shifted in the community where it's like, okay, let's stop, you know, holding these runners at at arm's length. Let's understand that we really are a Run Disney family. I don't know who originally coined that phrase. I'd like to think it was me, but it probably wasn't. But at that moment, something just shifted. And especially coming out of COVID, ⁓ we had a director who Allowed us to feature that, to talk about the elephant in the room, not pretend that something wasn't happening that was obviously impacting everybody. So my role at first was just, you know, kind of being silly, getting laughs, but it has evolved, certainly for all of us, that we are out there to provide a context. We're out there to remind everybody who they're running with, and to tell the story of the Run Disney family. And I really do think that's what makes Run Disney so unique and so special. Is that you really do get a history, a comprehensive history of who you're out there with, who you're running with, and why they're out there. You know, Carissa loves that question. What is your why? Why are you here? And just simply asking that question, ⁓ because I don't do a lot of pre-interviews. I just go up to people and approach them. And thankfully, you know, eight times out of 10, they're ready, willing, and able to talk, or they approach me. But that that's my role is literally telling the story of the Run Disney family. We love it. Is there anything that kind of goes beyond that? Like that's now kind of what we expect from you. Is there anything that's become ⁓ or you feel like has become like a part of your your role at these races that might be beyond the job description? I'm doing quotes for that. All of it now is beyond the job description. And that's one of the th reasons why it's such a pleasure. And again, when I use words like honor and privilege about my role, my small role in the in their experience, I mean it when I say this and I I usually try and lay this out at least once a race weekend. I am so in awe of these participants, these athletes, not only because of what they're up against as far as when they get to that starting line, but the fact that they've, you know, first of all, the the money they've spent. And we can get into that because I I'm a defender of Run Disney as far as just the massive amount of people and equipment and logistics that go into making these race weekends as special as they are. The travel, the training to get there. ⁓ registration ⁓ obviously in and of itself is a beast. And then once they get to property, they have to circumnavigate this huge property, having to get up so early in the morning, having to walk to the course, to the corrals, and then standing there for hours waiting. And then they do all of that before they actually do the hardest thing, which is three, two, one, go. And then they're off for twenty six point two or whatever. It you know, let alone the the the goofies and the dopeies who were doing every race that weekend. I am literally in awe of each and every one of them. So to see them at the starting line and then to get those sweaty hugs at the end of the race, to see them cross that finish line, to have the honor sometimes to be able to get on the mic and have the DJ, you know, lower the music and tell their story and give them, you know, all their due for what they just achieved. Again, it it is my honor, and I know I speak for for Tracy and Carissa and John. It is all of our honor and privilege. We're happy to get paid. We're happy to get compensated. It's a great gig, but it really does mean more to each one of us than just a job. ⁓ yeah, it's so apparent. It's it's clear as clear as can be. Yeah. That's why we love y'all so much. And we notice that when we go to other races, right? ⁓ We're like, where's the heart in this? Like this, like literally, this race announcer is literally his only job is to get me across the start line safely. That's clearly his only job. Right. You know? And so you guys, I mean, you you make it what it is, a hundred percent. There's no doubt. Well, I'm really glad to hear that. Yeah. Riley, tell us how did Ren Disney even start for you? Like how did you land at this gig? I ⁓ I worked at ⁓ ESPN Club on Disney's Boardwalk, which is now a bakery. Yeah. And ⁓ ESPN Wide Water Sports. In addition, I you know, I I had a a a 25, almost 30 year career in Orlando, theme parks, ⁓ theater, you know, commercial work. you I we were just in Orlando at the right time. Met my wife there. ⁓ she worked for Universal. ⁓ just, you know, worked at both parks, had a great time. And then ⁓ the director of Run Disney, John Phelan, director of entertainment, had me come over and start just doing video hits. And I would only come over for maybe either the half marathon or the full marathon. I wouldn't be there for the whole weekend. And I would drive myself in and all that. I wouldn't I didn't have wardrobe. I wore like ESPN gear because I was only, you know, I'm shot like in this shot just from the to the chest up. Yeah. And I was Do a couple of hits and that was it. And then that evolved into more hits, more stories. And then finally, I think in 2018 is when I quote unquote officially joined the team and was out there for all four races or for the entire weekend. ⁓ but that's pretty much how it started, was just, you know, working the gigs at ESPN Club and ESPN World of Sports, and then being brought in slowly but surely to ⁓ to the Run Disney fold. Awesome. That's awesome. So for us, you're like one of the faces of Run Disney, right? But it's not your full time gig. Like from what I understand, like what do you do when you're not at Run Disney? Before COVID, it was all that theme park work, theater work, ⁓ every now and then doing a commercial work out of Orlando. ⁓ but now ⁓ we moved away from Florida during COVID, ⁓ moved to North Carolina where I have I have family, I have friends, I have a history here with ⁓ Flat Rock Platehouse, which is the state theater of North Carolina. But I am now currently a semi retired stay at home dad. ⁓ I pick up the occasional voiceover gig. But mainly my cornerstone gigs for the year are Run Disney. Fine. Awesome. Even that I'm here, you know, raising a ten year old with a with my wife. ⁓ she works for a company out of Boston. She works remotely out of Asheville. Yeah. And you know, our I d our life is pretty idyllic, knock on wood. Yeah. Sounds nice. That's a great part of the country to be in. Semi retired. You get to go down, go down and do Run Disney four times a year. Like that is a sweet gig. Sweet gig. Yeah. That scratches, you know, that's that that scratches the itch. You know that I mean, just being able to go down there four times a year, having those weekends, having that contact, being able to perform, quote unquote, in front of thousands of people and then get in my car and drive back to the mountains. You know, I I love it and I I I can't thank Ren Disney enough. I know that at some point I'm gonna get that call and it may be this summer where they're like, hey, you know, we need to go in a different direction, Riley, or you know, because we're not cheap. ⁓ you know, we're not that expensive. But you know, I I understand how the business works. And at some point, you know, we're gonna age out. There there's gonna be a new director, a new producer who just wanna go in a new direction because that's what they do. And ⁓ I hope that doesn't come, you know, certainly this year. I'd like to do a few more years of this, but it's been a great run in any case. And ⁓ I just I hope it continues. But if it doesn't, ⁓ I've had a a great, great run. And I, you know, I'm just very, very grateful, not only to the athletes, but to management, to the producers, yeah, everybody we work with. It really is a family. It better continue. I was gonna say, if they if they call you, we will veto. Yeah. If Run Disney ever hears our our little podcast, we need Riley Claremont after there was one we had recently, you weren't there, and it was weird. Like it was very weird that that you were not at California. No, it was a Florida race. What was that? Why why why why were we missing you recently? ⁓ I missed The Princess, half marathon this year. It's the first race I've probably missed in about 20 years. Yeah. and I had a I'd been fully vaccinated, but I had a breakthrough case of COVID. That put me in the hospital for six days. ⁓ geez. And it led to the discoveries of some other things that were going on with me, ⁓ which have all been addressed. And I am happy to say that I'm off all meds and I am completely, you know, bad I need to put on some more weight. But other than that, ⁓ I am completely cured of all things. But yeah, it kicked my butt and it completely took me by surprise. And, you know, even if you're vaccinated, depending on the variant you get, I mean it just really it It again, it put me in the hospital for six days. And the doctor said, had I not had a foundation of vaccines, ⁓ you know, I might not be here. And I don't say that to be over dramatic. I just say that the folks out there, and I said this at the ⁓ at the springtime surprise. You know, I'm a I'm first generation generation X, and we are notorious for not needing any help. And I avoided doctors and hospitals, you know, for a lot of old reasons and bad reasons like the plague. Okay. ⁓ but I had such a good experience coming out of this that, you know, again, for anybody listening, go to your doctor, you know, get a checkup every year. Don't fear that, you know, we need that. As I told the doctors, I had about sixty years of Gen X fun and ⁓ at some point the bill came due. And actually COVID was a blessing because if I hadn't gotten COVID, I probably would have continued to ignore some things that were going on. Mm-hmm. And COVID forced me to address all that stuff. So it had a very positive outcome. But that's why I missed the race. Okay. Well, we missed you and we're glad that you're better for sure. For sure. Yeah, 100%. Me too. Riley, do you have a favorite Ren Disney race weekend? I mean, I they they're all different. ⁓ and I, you know, I love them all. ⁓ for different reasons. I would say wine and dine is probably the most fun. And also because it's the first one back, you know, after being off for about six months. So, you know, it's a reunion with with Carissa and John and ⁓ And Tracy. And it really does feel like that, you know, after summer vacation, you know, everybody comes back because it's wine and dine. There's just this party atmosphere to begin with. You know, it's not like the marathon weekend where, you know, one thing I love about marathon weekend is that, you know, from the 5K to the big race, you know, the mood changes. You know, it starts out as a party, but by that half marathon, and certainly by the full marathon, you know, people are dialed in. They're just more serious. But yeah, wine and dine would probably be the favorite. Very cool. What is your favorite? You guys have a favorite run Disney week, yeah. Well, we've always said princess, but we think that's because it was our first experience. ⁓ and we still love Princess. We've we've done it now five times in a row. Yeah. ⁓ you've done it six, but marathon weekends start kind of taking over a little bit for us. Something about that that that distance of the marathon. You get all four parks. ⁓ I'm a little bit intense when it comes to running, so like I get like a need met that way, you know. ⁓ and so I think marathon weekend is slowly gets better. coming there. But we came down and spectated at ⁓ Springtime Surprise. And even because we didn't run it, it wasn't hot for us, right? It was super fun to be there and not actually be running. Like we actually loved the vibe of Springtime not on being on the course. So I don't know. Can we just say all of them? Like like you started. They're all good. Can we just say all of them? Now do you guys run together the whole race or do you guys split up or how do you guys listen, Riley, we do the interviewing here. Okay. No I'm interested. I'm I'm sincerely interested. Yes, we do both. Both. So what we've kind of decided is that half marathons generally we do separate. ⁓ I'll try and kind of do a performance thing generally for those. ⁓ Erica loves character style, like she likes the experience of all no, that's not true. Never mind. I was speaking out of turn. I'll speak for myself. I'll speak for myself. I like to run the half marathon distance. It's my favorite distance. I like to run it, even if I'm not going for like a personal best. I just love to run it. And we don't run at the same speed. So what we've decided is. Five Ks, 10Ks, and full marathon, we will do together, you know, because we can take the shorter distances easy. The long distance race, like we just need each other. You know, we've been married 24 years. We like we can't be apart for five hours, you know. Like we we need each other. So we do those together. So the halves are generally solo. You don't stop for that. You don't love the character scops? No. Okay. So two things. One, I'm also trying to run for speed, but my PR is way slower than his PR. So every half I do try to PR. The only time we really stop for characters is when we're together because we do the photo pass and I want all the photos together. So but when I'm on my own, I don't normally stop unless it's ⁓ Max or Yeah, we've got we've got some ride or dies. You know what I mean? Power line Max, if he's on the course, yeah. And then you know, we we stop. Mr. Frederickson, Doug, those guys. Yeah, we do. Yeah. So a little bit of both. Nice. Yeah. ⁓ so we know, or at least our understanding is that you're not ⁓ a runner, a distance runner, right? Like like We we understand that, but we ask everybody that comes on the podcast the same question, right? And it's created a little bit of a divide, you know, between our listeners. And that's that Erica loves Main Street and I love the metal. So we've kind of like created this like team Main Street, team metal thing. So we ask all of our podcast guests if you were running a Disney half marathon and you're just gonna have to visualize it. You know what I mean? Just visualize it. If you were, if it your personality type, all the things you've seen and heard and all that, would you rather for a Disney half marathon? Would you rather have the opportunity to run down Main Street or have a finisher medal? Which one would you choose, Riley? ⁓ I think running down Main Street. I knew it. You know, I mean, just because of the the the novelty of that and the fact that, you know, when I was in second grade, my parents surprised me with a trip to a a surprise trip to Disney World. Cool. And then now working there, you know, it would be a thrill to do that. And if I could just say my main reason for not being a long distance runner And and I this is something I, you know, should have gotten over, but I'm at an age now where it's like, you know what, I need to let myself off the hook for that. I have other ways of staying in shape and getting exercise. I have a regimen and all that, and I'm, you know, I'm feeling good. ⁓ but you know, I played organized sports, you know, all through school, ⁓ particularly football. ⁓ and I was always a you know, the big kid, the big for my age, tall, and just, you know, the big kid. And because I was always an offensive or defensive lineman, even though I would have loved to have been a, you know, a running back or a tight end. ⁓ long distance running, you know, if we made a mistake, if we did something wrong, or even if we didn't, at the end of almost every practice, it was like, all right, you know, big guys. And of course the coach would use, you know, a lot more colorful language than that, you know, take a lap or take a couple of laps. It was always punishment. Always. And I, you know, when when John started ⁓ running the 5K, when he did that, I was inspired and I was gonna try and do that. And I started training. And I could not, for the life of me, get over that feeling of this is punishment. This is not fun. And there's also something I have to say, and this may sound like a tremendous rationalization, but it's one of the reasons why I still find it magical and otherworldly. Because I not that I can't do it. I know that mindset, Carissa would like, of course you can. We can do the hard things. Because I choose not to do it, because I choose to let myself off the hook. You guys are aliens to me. So when I'm there doing my part of telling your story, cheering you on at the start and at the finish. And when I say that I'm in awe of you, I truly am in awe of you guys because it is something I literally mentally and emotionally have not been able to get done. I have not been able to do it. So to see you guys struggle and to see all the different body types and all the different types of people out there, all the different ages, it's just so inspiring. And so there's there's literally something inside of me that I don't I love my view of it. I love my vantage point of the Run Disney family. I don't need to be a part of this the super, you know, what do I call it, the super organism that's out there running these races. You know, I like my vantage point and I think because of that, maybe I bring a different perspective to it. But I have so much respect, so much respect for each and everybody who makes that choice to do the training, to put in the time and to accomplish that. I really do. It's unbelievable. Awesome. Awesome. So can we ask you about your fellow Ren Disney race announcers? You kind of talked about you and John, you guys look like you're good friends. You said that you have been friends for a while. Can you tell us a little bit about that? ⁓ we've been friends since 1992. ⁓ we both worked at the ⁓ the horror makeup show at Universal Studios, which is still going on and a lot of people know about that show. I also did Wild West Stun show. I Blues Brothers. Cool. But throughout those years at Universal, and then like I said, we've done a couple of plays together. ⁓ we've done ⁓ you know, independent film together. We just, you know, there's all sorts of stuff. But we've, you know, through sports mainly, ⁓ we've just been, you know, friends, thick as thieves. He's been to my wedding, I've been to his. I've you know, ⁓ it's just been one of those great friendships. And now, you know, even though I'm out of state, you know, our connecting point is still Run Disney and we still give each other grief like brothers do. And it's just it's it's the best. ⁓ It really is, just to be friends with somebody for that long. And I've been married, I've been with my wife for 31 years. I've been with John for even longer. So yes. That's awesome. That's awesome. Yeah, I love the occasional banter from the stage to me. You got like I love it. He was ⁓ he gave he was giving you a hard time ⁓ when he was on our podcast. I mean not realizing you guys have been friends so long, he was like like giving you a hard time. You couldn't defend yourself. He's like, ⁓ yeah, if I had Riley's job, all I'd have to do is be like, hey, what you running for? And then, you know, just throw it back to you at the stage. And I just got a good kick out of that. And now knowing that you guys are such good friends, I actually get the the jab. Yeah, that's good. No, and and the chemistry that he and Carissa have, yeah, you know, is just amazing. And I think the two of them they work so well together and they're such great counterparts. And you know, and all of us are friends in real life. ⁓ but you know, the vibe that the two of those ⁓ folks have, you know, I just think that's so special. And you know, Carissa with, I mean, she takes it so seriously. She's such a total pro. And I think John's presence, you know, humanizes her. and the banter that they have together, I mean, she just, you know, the two of them, they genuinely love each other. Yeah. And, you know, Carissa's been so great for John because John never would have, if you know, if you've known John like I do, ⁓ the the the person next to me who would never ever run a distance race would be John Pelke. And the fact that, you know, at this point in his life, He has found, you know, the the the 5K, the 10K, the half marathon, and now ⁓ you know, the Pelkie Running Club. Right. And everything that that represents, the good work that Grant and Natalie are doing, the money they raise for all sorts of charities, and especially St. Jude. Yeah. You know, just such a great sublevel to all of this and subtext to all this that again was completely ⁓ you know, you would never would have thought would ever happen if it weren't for Run Disney, and specifically because of the relationship that John and Carissa have and the friendship that they share. Totally. Totally. So I'd love to get a little bit more knowledge of everybody. And what Eric and I have done is we've come up with a list of scenarios, short answers, right? Where basically which member of your announcing team? And I'm thinking the core team, right? Like who you think would be like give us a name of who fits this description the best, right? Okay. So we'll throw out a sentence. Eric and I will just alternate. My my question would be like of you announcers, like who's the most likely to miss a rehearsal? It can be on accident, but who's most likely to miss a rehearsal? ⁓ Carissa, because she's ⁓ incredibly busy. ⁓ and her commitment to her daughter, you know, traveling out of state on race weekend to go see a gymnastics meet in Atlanta and then making it back. ⁓ and she also has a tendency to oversleep sometimes. I was literally just gonna say, Riley, you said that so much nicer than John did. And then you're like, Well, and she oversleeps. That's hilarious. Yeah, that's good. Okay. Who do you think is the announcer that is most likely to take a nap right before showtime? ⁓ my God. well, no, actually I have to say ⁓ Carissa and Tracy. Cause they it's sometimes they'll do that. They'll crash out in the back of the trailer, you know, before we go on. She told us that too. Yeah, she did say that. ⁓ the announcer with the strongest opinions on their wardrobe. Tracy. Perfect. You got any story you got any Yeah, yeah, yeah. You got any stories behind that one to justify it? ⁓ there was one race where ⁓ I I think it was Marathon weekend, and sometimes we bring in ⁓ some extra help. Carolina. you know, who was ⁓ you know fluent in Portuguese and because we have a large Brazilian contingent, you know, she'll be brought in for race weekend. And I think there was a weekend and I don't think I'm telling tales out of school. I hope not. But I I forget what the specific wardrobes were, but you know, Carissa was a princess, Carolina was a princess, and they had Tracy dressed up like a goat or an animal. I remember that. I remember that. You know, and it I mean, and she was, you know, half kidding. But you know, but there was a sense of seriousness to it. She brought it up enough times that I don't think she was getting yeah, she'll never ever let anybody forget that from wardrobe, from the production staff that, you know, yes, you know, ⁓ so and so is a princess, she was a princess, and I was a goat, and I don't even know it was a goat, but it was some sort of animal. And she was an adorable animal. She was very, very cute, but it didn't matter. So yeah, Tracy probably would ⁓ be the one to take that the most secretly. I love that. Who is the announcer who looks forward to race weekends the most? I think we all do for you know all of our individual reasons. But I mean, honestly, that that's and I, you know, I don't mean to hedge and I'm not trying to, you know, be corny or trying to make us look good. ⁓ you know, there are all things about race weekend that are not pleasant, like, you know, getting up at 12 30 and being picked up at 1 30 and all that. The hours are are pretty brutal. But no, as far as just this the the opportunity to come down for four days to see each other, to see the family, it it does feel like a reunion and it's fun and it's meaningful. So I think all four of us for different reasons, we all look forward to the race weekends. Perfect. I'm gonna say that the answer is you because you don't live in Orlando. So I'm giving you the the point on that one. How about that? I really do. Well look, I look forward to the drive. I really do. You know, they zen out on the drive. It's great to go out there with a thousand of people and be around all my friends. But you know, when the race is over and I get to go back to the room and just chill, I really do enjoy that. My favorite pre-race story you told was the time you liked. And I'm gonna mess up the details, but you saw somebody going to a Run Disney race and like a sticker on their car or something. Do you remember this? He's wait, you're waving at her or something. And she's like, What are you doing, weirdo? Yeah, I know. I I I scared the I I scared this woman to death. ⁓ we're on you know, probably on I-95. I think it was in South Carolina. Uh-huh. You know, two lanes, you know, left lane, right lane. And yeah, I pulled up behind her and ⁓ she had a you know bunch of Run Disney stickers on the back of her car. And so I get in the left lane to pass her. And I'm you know Was it the word hubris? You know, or you I I don't have the ego where I thought I just thought maybe there's a chance she'll recognize. Yeah, yeah. She should have. Nothing I did nothing but smile and wave and you know, I didn't have any swag on and I don't have any Run Disney stuff on my car. But I really tried to make it obvious that, you know, I was trying to celebrate. Hey, you know, great job. You're going to Florida and waving at her on the off chance that maybe she were wouldn't recognize me and it would be a moment. And of course, no, I just scared her to death. She had this horrible look on her face and I regretted it for, you know, immediately. And then for the rest of the drive down, it's just like, ⁓ that poor woman. Now she's been, you know, terrorized by this guy. But then when I got down to the race, and I think it was Princess Weekend, and this is a few years ago, at the very first ⁓ you know, when we go over to the ⁓ I forget what the lot is called, but where ⁓ DJ CJ is, the pre-race lot, ⁓ before people go to the corrals and we do our little quick show over there. ⁓ and I got on camera and I told that story and Thank God she just happened to be there and comes running over. And so we had this moment where, you it was full circle where it's like, yes, you scared me to death. I thought you were trying to attack me or kill me on the road, but no, you're Riley and everything was good. And now here we are. Hey, you pull over. Pull over. I don't see our thing. Like she was trying to I was trying to tell her there was something wrong with her car. That was my big fear is that she was going to pull off thinking that, hey, you your tires going flat or something like that. Right. Yeah, but that was great that she she just happened to be there and then came over and it was it was awesome. I'm so glad. I love that story. Yeah. ⁓ a couple more of these. who's the announcer most likely to refuse a break because they're having too much fun? ⁓ Carissa. That's a crisis. And not only because she's having fun, but she's first of all, she knows so many people. And I think she understands that there are people who are counting on seeing her at the finish line. Now back in the day, we didn't used to take breaks. You know, we weren't scheduled breaks and we would just be out there the whole time. And it, you know, it kicked our butts. And again. Saying that in the context of people who just ran a half marathon or a full marathon or all four races, I understand how ridiculous that sounds. However, you know, for us, for us, you know, mortals, you know, it got to be it would it was a lot. Sure. Yeah. And you just get tired after a while and you're trying to say the same things over and over again. So we're all glad that they created a grid where we, you know, we get a quick little break. Yeah. But as far as someone who would remain out there and Tracy too. Tracy, you know, she just she loves to soak up all that stuff. She loves waving to all her friends and she knows so many people. Yeah. So I think that's why the two of them would would stay out there the most, just because there's so many folks that are counting on seeing them and making contact right before they cross that finish line. Mm-hmm. Perfect. Who's the announcer who drinks the most coffee? John. but that would be but Chris is a close second. Okay. Good to know. Definitely John. Yeah, John and Chris will both come out of the hotel, you know, with their before we get into the van to be taken over to ⁓ to our trailers and stuff. They're they already have coffee. They already have coffee going. They're pregaming that thing. That's right. Yes. ⁓ who's the announcer who loves the camera the most? I don't know. I mean, I guess me. Yeah. You know, because I mean I'm I'm the one that's got the and when I say camera, let me put it this way. ⁓ you know, we have our technicians, our producers, all the technicians that work out there, the audio guys, the camera people. The rigors, you know, they're all just outstanding and they bust their butts. You know, the amount of work that they do every single weekend is just it's it's astounding. ⁓ and the fact that they can set up all that stuff, and usually it works, you know, to a T, but my camera people in particular, you know, I love them. And ⁓ if they have to follow me all around, and especially at the start line, once we start laying, you getting the waves going, you know, they're being yelled at in their ⁓ in their headset, you know, get a shot of the fireworks, get a shot of these folks. And then I'm going, hey, you know, and usually my cameraman is usually Brad. And I'm like, Brad, come over here. We got to get this interview. Cause we only have, you know, two or three minutes before the next wave has to go off. Yeah. So the work they and the plus they're just lugging that heavy camera on their shoulders the whole time. But I do, you know, I I love the camera and I love seeing myself up on the big step. Yeah. That's awesome. That's awesome. Who is the announcer that's most likely to turn down another gig in order to make sure they can be at Ren Disney? ⁓ again, I think that would be all of us. ⁓ I know for myself that that's happened. Yeah. ⁓ because you know, Run Disney is just it's just it's just that special. You know, again, we're well compensated, we're so well treated, but that pales in comparison to, and not that we elevate ourselves in any sort of heightened way as far as you know what we meet. So good. I'm I I appreciate the compliments, but we understand, you know, what our role is, which is, you know, at the least just distract people for a couple of hours while they're getting ready for the run. And at the most celebrate them and share their stories. And and hopefully, especially with Carissa and those species she gives, especially once we get to the later corrals, ⁓ you know, it's just inspiring. You know, I think we're all ⁓ equally ⁓ you know guilty of that or Yeah, yeah, yeah. Perfect. ⁓ okay, a couple more. The the announcer that would make gr ⁓ make a great balloon lady or gr ⁓ a balloon man. Who who which ⁓ which announcer would make a great balloon? ⁓ I think I would be best at that, you know, if I were to ever do that. That that that's the role that I would love. It's just being at the very back of the pack. Yeah. And again, I I I love and I hope that we've played a role in the evolution of the balloon ladies going from being feared, right, which is just ridiculous, but I understand ⁓ to humanizing them, putting a name and a face to who these w ladies are. And the fact that they're just so committed and they just do it with nothing but love. You know, they have a role to play. They're there to, you know, keep you on track and keep you on time. They don't want you to be swept. Yeah. But it comes from a place of just, you know, keep going. You can do this. We're here. You know, we're right behind you. And as long as you're in front of us, you're gold. And they're great, great, just great ladies. I think one of our first episodes when we started the podcast a year ago was breaking down the misunderstanding of the balloon ladies. You know, like that was like the first thing we had to say was like, hey. Here's what they're there to do and they're not there to do. They're not scared. You know, all that. Yeah. And I we we touch on it all. They're just a visual representation. They're your friend. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Who is the announcer who doesn't appreciate how hard your job is doing the pre-race interviews? ⁓ well I again there's there's the public persona of John Pelke, which is, you know, why are you people here? You're crazy, you're insane. You know, I mean that that's his you know, we all have a bag of tricks. We all have shtick that we're very good at over the years, ⁓ and that's his shtick. And so his shtick would be, you know, what what he said on a prior podcast with you guys, which is, ⁓ yeah, you know, Riley's job, just, you know, hey, why are you here? Blah, blah, blah. Yeah. But obviously behind the scenes he completely gets and respects of course ⁓ the role that I play and the role that Tracy plays, you know, in getting these interviews and all that kind of stuff. So yeah, I would say John. Yeah, yeah. Yes, yes, but kiddingly so. Not for real. We knew we knew that. That was a loaded question. We knew that. Yeah. So that was super fun. We have two more announcer related questions. And by the way, we've been recording with you for 36 minutes and we haven't actually gotten to the questions we really want to ask you yet. So I hope your evening is free because ⁓ we we I just w I want to watch the ⁓ not to put a time on this. ⁓ no, but it I see you know ⁓ World Cup soccer. Yeah, you know, ten o'clock, but I I think we'll be safe for that with them the men play ⁓ turkey tonight. Yeah, sounds good. ⁓ this is this is so much fun. Like I but I but I'm literally I'm looking at I'm going, wow, we've been talking 36 no I look at it like 36 minutes. Time with Riley literally went by so fast. I said the monologue a lot too. So I thought I'm not even calling you out. I'm just saying like we have so much like heavy, like meatier stuff to get to ⁓ that I'm super excited about. Okay, but two more announcer related questions. Okay. What do you love about working alongside the other Ren Disney race announcers? ⁓ that we're also different as individuals and as professionals. ⁓ that each one of us brings something different to the table. And again, our personalities ⁓ couldn't be any different. We're all so authentic in what we do because John, you know, plays the lovable curmudgeon with a heart of gold, and that's really who he is. He's got such a soft, gooey center. But, you know, that facade of his, the, you know, the gruff exterior, and ⁓ you know, why are we out here at three o'clock in the morning, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know, it's it's that works for him so well. And then, you know, Carissa is just so sincere, so authentic, so knowledgeable. And so good at what she does. And again, I try and set her up for as many of her inspiring speeches as possible because they work, they inspire me, and she means every word. So I would just say for all four of us, in different ways, just being authentic ⁓ in our commitment to what these people are doing and the entire Run Disney experience. Yeah. I wanted to say that I think you guys are incredible and we've said that a bunch of times and all that. But one of the things I think is is so great is that you make the person who has never been to Run Disney, feel welcome. And like they belong there and like they've known you forever. And that like that might be like an unnoticed skill or whatever. Like, you know, you know, yeah, ⁓ you know, those of us that have seen you a million times, like, yeah, of course we know who Riley is and all that stuff. But I think I remember the first time we saw y'all, like you made us feel welcome instantly and put us at ease in the corral, out on World Drive wherever, you know, that backstage road that we started on in the old days. You know, so you guys do such a good job with that. ⁓ here's my last question about announcing announcing stuff is when you guys get to the end of a race weekend or end of a race, like what does success look like? Like how do you guys define that when you're like perfect, we did what we set out to do, or this was a good weekend? Well, what does that look like? For me personally, it's that I haven't ⁓ embarrassed myself or anybody that I talk to ⁓ by saying something, you know, in a pro. I remember there was one year where, you know, I made the mistake of ⁓ trying to categorize the 5K. And I was trying to speak for other people saying, ⁓ the 5k is just a fun run. And my point was it's not a fun run. It's a 5k. And for so many people, you know, it's their first you know, entree, if you will, into long distance running. And accomplishing a 5K is a huge accomplishment. It's a big thing and it's a hard thing. And somebody took that out of context and thought that I was belittling the 5k, which I absolutely wasn't. So if I can make it through we and we're all guilty, you know, they're all we've people have all taken, we've all gotten shots taken at us on social media. From people who have either misunderstood or maybe something that we just, you know, in artfully said. So we're always trying to avoid that of offending someone or, you know, ⁓ being taken out of context of of what we're saying. ⁓ but a successful weekend, one of my slogans is run Disney where you are safe, seen, and celebrated. And what you just said, AJ, and and what you've said in the past, Erica, about you know, my energy and my vibe out there, but obviously all four of us have it. That's our our mission. Give you guys something to distract from just, you know, the nerves or whatever's going on or the monotony of just sitting there waiting or set standing there in the corrals and the cold and the heat and the whatever. ⁓ but everybody has a story, everybody has a burden that they're carrying, whether they want to talk about it or not. And whatever your background is, your ethnicity, wherever you're from, none of that matters. That run Disney, that spot is an oasis for those four days, for however long the weekend lasts, you are welcome. You are literally family. And that to me is the whole point of the Rundesi family. And hopefully that is what separates it. Not that other races aren't doing that, but we make a specific point. And thankfully, our managers, our producers allow us to have that freedom where that is the agenda. It's not just a race. It is a coming together of people from all over the world. You're going to be accepted. You're going to be family. And you're going to walk out of there, you know, or limp out of there. Hopefully transformed in some way personally and in the greater good that you want to come back and do it again. A thousand percent. Yeah. I love it. That's so good. Yeah, that's so good. There's so many so mic drop moments where I'm like, well, then we can wrap it up on that one. That's perfect. All right, but we still have more questions. So I want to talk start line stuff. Erica, I'm about to skip my first question because he's already answered it. But start line questions, right? Like we've got logistic questions and things like that. So Erica, you want to fire off? Yeah. How do you manage to find or filter through all the potential stories to share on screen? I'm sure there's so many good ones. ⁓ logistically, when I go out there for the start ⁓ for the start of the race, before we actually get to the start line, ⁓ I'm usually at Corral C or D. ⁓ that's just where they have me stationed. And I'll literally, when I first walk out there, you know, say hi to everybody and ⁓ and just say, Hey, you know, if you've got a story, if you've got a cause or a charity that you want to celebrate or bring attention to, you know, I'm here for it. And, you know, sometimes there are people who, you know, are they'll reach out to me. ⁓ via social media and say, hey, you know, would it be possible for me to get featured? And I'll, you know, I'll do my best to make that happen. But there's also plenty of times where, you know, if somebody's just leaning up against the railing, if somebody's wearing some costume, you know, I will approach them. And again, nine times out of 10, they're ready, willing, and able to talk. And I'm always amazed how many times ⁓ people are like, well, I don't really have a story. And then when you start to peel the onion back for a couple of you know basic questions before we even go on camera, You know, I can't tell you the amount of times I'm like, see, you know, you you you have this awesome thing that when you share this with the entire crowd, it's gonna put people at ease, it's gonna relax people, or maybe it'll inspire people. And then of course, once we get to the starting line where I'm just running up and down and we, you know, we have a limited amount of time. It's usually a minute ⁓ for the ⁓ you know, for A through maybe D. ⁓ and then we start, you know, as they start to spread the corrals out a little more, we had more time. But that's just usually catching somebody. You know, who dares to make eye contact with me, somebody that I know that I've talked to in the past, or somebody that's just wearing something that's so spectacular, you know, that we have to get them on camera. Yeah. It seems to me like we kind of ⁓ like not because we don't like you, Riley, but it gets so crowded right there when we make that hairpin turn that we usually just, you know, we don't need to be known or seen or whatever. So we just stay out of it. You know what I mean? But it seems like a lot of people are clamoring to get to you. Is that not the case? I you know, I don't know if they're clamoring. I know that they're they're There are people, you know, that we have a history with now, like, you know, every time the tutu guys, you know, and again, when I talk about being inclusive and making everybody feel safe, those two, ⁓ Thomas and Adam, ⁓ just the fact that, you know, these are two big, beefy, burly guys, and the fact that they'll wear tutus, it just makes everybody relax and feel safe. And I just love you know, their energy and their vibe. And they're, you know, the puppet runner, somebody I always like to talk to just because he's hilarious. But you know, they're people that that I like to feature. And I don't want to feature them every single time necessarily because I don't want other people to be like, ⁓ okay, you know, Riley has his favorites. You know, inevitably there's some of that stuff. ⁓ but you know, like Matt the Flag guy, ⁓ Fireman Rob. I mean, they're just certain people that are running for causes and running for reasons that, you know, I think need to be shared almost every single time. So those are the people that I if I see them, it's like I'm gonna go to them. But there are other folks that I talk to on a somewhat regular basis where, you know, they if they see that I'm not gonna go up to them, if I just wave from a distance. They kind of understand that, hey, maybe not this race, the next race. And that's all it's all good. Perfect. You do a really good job of keeping people on track. Like is like like if within well, let me say it seems like you do a good job keeping people on track. ⁓ we've seen you have to do the gong a couple of times, you know what I mean? But like how how do how the heck do you do that? Because, you know, we're a podcast host, you know, we're trying to make people be able to tell their story and all that stuff. But you know, how how do you keep people in sixty seconds or less? During the pre-race, before we get to the start line, you know, we usually have, you know, we can't take too long, but we have a lot more leeway as far as how long we can spend with the individual guest. And it depends on, you know, how their energy is, what their story is, you know, how many follow-up questions I'm gonna ask. ⁓ once we get to the start line, it is much more rigid. And my biggest fear, the thing that I don't want to do ever, is have John or Carissa have to interrupt me because, you know, I mean, the main thing is to get them off on time. So the logistics of the race, once we get the start line, that's the most important thing. So you'll see me, you know, I'm constantly doing this, you know, looking, you know, and I feel bad because I want to look everybody in the eye and hear their story. But I also need to always be checking back with ⁓ with John and Carissa to ⁓ to make sure that, you know, hey, we got you and they usually always do a great job of letting me know, hey, we've got two minutes or hey, we've only got thirty nine seconds or however long. Yeah, you know. So that's pretty much how it works. Yeah. Awesome. What does it look and feel like when you look at on these like thousands of runners in the corrals, knowing that most of them have a pretty significant reason that they're running that race? What's that like for you? Again, it's just inspiring. Yeah. ⁓ I call the Run Disney family a a super super organism, a human super organism of love and acceptance and achievement. Yeah. Because that's ultimately what they're out there to do is to achieve something, to prove something to themselves. So that's a thing. You know, I've tried to do it. I can't get over that hump. So when I see people of all sorts of different shapes and sizes from all over the world engaging in this thing collectively together, politics aside, religion aside, all these things separate us. It's one of the reasons why I can join the World Cup so much. We're just seeing what that when people come together, this unique thing that everybody's into. Yeah, it's it's transformational. So that's how it is for me every single time. It transforms me. No matter what kind of mood I'm in driving down on the way back home. I'm always in a different place ⁓ mentally and emotionally. And I love that about Run Disney. Yeah, I bet. Do you have any stories or interviews that have meant a lot to you that that like really either struck a chord or has just stuck with you? There's a a ⁓ woman named Sahar who I just interviewed her by chance. And her story was that she was getting out of her car to come over and join, you know, the huge group of people at the corrals, and she got scared. It was, I think it was her first Run Disney race. And she heard, you know, Carissa giving one of her big pep talks. And because she heard that, she didn't get back in the car and drive away, even though that was the energy. She wanted to do that so badly. But when she heard Carissa's voice, she came over and she finished the race. And now she's literally doing these global marathons. You know, seven marathons on seven continents and in you know in seven days or ten days. It's just nuts. But when I was able to interview her and get that story out of her, you know, of course Carissa came down from stage, the two of them hugged. You know, that's a moment. And there have been so many moments like that. ⁓ so many folks, you know, who have, you know, they're they're cancer free or they just had surgery, you know, a few weeks ago and they're out there doing this incredibly physical taxing thing. Yeah. The people that really have my heart are what I call the second timers, are the folks that went out there. And they didn't succeed or they got hurt. You know, it was a painful experience. It, you know, it didn't turn out the way they envisioned it. And when they come back and do it again, and then they do cross that finish line, that's you know, that's just the best. I love stories ⁓ especially. ⁓ yeah, for sure. Have you had the experience where you talked to someone at the start line and then saw them at the finish? Like in the same race where, like, maybe they weren't sure they were gonna make it, but you actually got to see or talk to them at the finish. Have you had that experience? That know, that's the juice of the gig is moments like yes. That's where the job transcends ⁓ money, time, whatever. None of that stuff matters because when you talk to someone at the start of the race who is hesitant to talk, who is so shy and they tell their story and it's you know, it's harrowing because of whatever they're going through or whatever a family member is going through, and then you see that or they're just full of doubt. They don't think they can do it. ⁓ they haven't trained, whatever. And then you see them, you know, coming down that last shoot. They come up and give you a big sweaty hug. And then again, that's one of my favorite things to do. And you know, Carissa does does this all the time. Every all of us do it all the time. And it's the thing, one of the things we love the most is hey, everybody, pay attention. You know, that's so-and-so. And they just went through this. And now, you know, and you do it, you try and time it just as they're crossing that finish line. And and provide that, you know, that bookend of you started, you were this person when you started the race. And now here you are, usually 13.1 miles later, and you are a different person. You know, you are an athlete, you are an elite athlete. And I may get the math wrong on this, I always question myself, but one of the my favorite things that Jeff Galloway said, and he said so many great things, and we love him so much, was that less than one-tenth of one percent of the world's population will ever engage in any type of long-distance running. So when we call you folks elite, when we say that you're athletes, and I know there's stories about, you know. That you they wore their metal back in the office, and so and so made you know made a crack about, ⁓ well, that's just a half marathon, or you know, you walked part of it or whatever. That is just such garbage. Yeah. Each and every person that crosses that finish line, each and every person that just gives the attempt that crosses that starting line, you are all elite athletes. You're all elite human beings because you're doing something that is so hard, that is so difficult. And again, I'll use that word that I've used too many times now. I'm in awe. Of each and every one. So good. Perfect. He just answered your next question. I literally was just gonna say, Riley, just answer. No, no. It's so good. I love it. Yeah, ask anyone in case he has anything different. And if not, then we'll we'll just cut it. But like yeah, like yeah, to me, this is an important question. Yeah. So I was gonna ask you for our friends who are ⁓ trying to start their running journey or they're trying not to quit. What words of encouragement would you give them based on all the stories you've heard over the years? I have seen example after example after example of people who thought that they couldn't do it. That they couldn't do the hard thing and they did it. And the sense of achievement, the sense of themselves, the confidence, ⁓ they just expand as human beings. I have seen running transform people. So as Terissa says, there'll be a time and a place where we can't do this physically. You know, we won't be able to do this. But today is not that day. And we are capable of doing the hard things. And when you do the hard thing, it brings you to your full potential as a human being. Love that. I remember when we ⁓ we signed up for our first 5k, not at Disney. And I remember being scared to go. I do not belong here. This is not like I can't do this. And I remember it's just overcoming that fear of like just try. Yeah. And that was the hard part of starting. And then I remember wanting to quit on our way to our first 10K and just wanting to quit over and over and over again. And now because of the encouragement and all and and and just not quitting, right? Now we run half marathons and marathons and multiple in a year. And so yeah, we love to encourage folks that yes, you can. Well, you just you just brought up something ⁓ that I wanna, you know, and again, I'm not trying to interview guys. Please but I feel it at the finish line. And this is something, you know, to encourage people who may be on the fence about trying something like this. Have you found it to be true that when you are part of that human superorganism? That even if you haven't trained, or you certainly have never run the full 13.1, or you've never run the full marathon distance, that it is the crowd, it is the group of people around you that absolutely will get you across that finish line. Have you guys experienced that firsthand? Yeah. I I'm I'm I I'm gonna say yes, and like I think that it's it's the hours in your own, like your own determination, one foot in front of the other, that even if you don't get to 13 miles at home or wherever, but you put in the effort and you tell yourself that I can and I don't quit. Right. And it's the hours and hours and hours of doing that, even if it's slow, even if it's ⁓ even if you do have to come up short, it's all that that prepares you for when the crowd goes wild, then you have what it takes to go a distance you never thought you could. Yes. Right. And so I think, I think yes, I think if you my opinion, if you don't do any of that like ⁓ foundational work at home, the crowd can't carry you 13 miles. In my opinion. Like, I mean, you it you might be able to finish, but we're big fans of you cross that finish line with a smile on your face. Right. Right. Where you don't collapse on the other side. Right. And so yeah, you might be able to get there, but you might tear your Achilles doing it or whatever. You know what I mean? And so we're big fans of, you know what? Even if you can't finish the training a hundred percent, you have to mind mind over body all of that stuff at home. Do you agree with that? I do. I I always say, ⁓ like especially our friends that have never run Disney before, I say that the crowd will Help you go faster. Yeah. For sure. You will run faster for sure. And they will take away the nerves once you start running. Uh-huh. Like if you're super nervous about it, once you get there and you're surrounded by everyone else and everyone's encouraging each other. Like my biggest thing I have to watch out for, Riley, on Main Street is that I don't blaze through it too fast. I want to experience it, but the crowd, you turn that corner and they're screaming. And all of a sudden, no matter how tired I am or whatever, like I'm on fire. Full pedal to the metal. And I'm like, well, no, no, no, wait a minute. I wanted to enjoy this moment, but they get you. You know what I mean? And so same with the finish line. Yeah. I there's so many times I have no idea what you guys I'm sorry, Riley. I have no idea what you said at the finish line until like I go back and like watch the video recording from my GoPro and I hear it then because it's so loud and big and whatever. And I'm just like flying through, even if I'm dead. And so yes, the crowd has a big impact. Totally. Well, and we're dealing with, you know, the cacophony of the crowd, the DJ and all that. But I know something that is a mantra for all of us, and especially something that I like to say repeatedly at the finish line is just what you were referring to, is savor it. You know, with each step that you take. Because now that it's in sight, you know, there's no doubt in your mind that you're going to cross that finish line. So don't just blow past it. You know, think about the entire race, think about everything it took for you to get here. And savor that moment because by God, there it is. You have achieved your goal. And how many of us as humans can say, you know, that we've actually followed through and achieved that goal? And it's, you know, just person after person after person after person doing that. It's just, you know, I love it so much. You might have already answered this question and you have to pick one. You cannot say, Well, I love them both, AJ. You have to pick one. Do you enjoy announcing at the start line more or celebrating at the finish line more? You have to choose one. ⁓ I mean, ⁓ obviously they're they're both they're so different. Yes. ⁓ and I really do love I love sharing the I mean, I got that's so tough because again, they're so different. The start line is providing that that bedrock of okay, you know, this is where the story begins. This is what the person's been through. This is how the story starts. We don't know how it's gonna end, they don't know how it's gonna end, we don't know how it's gonna end. ⁓ but I have to say, you know, if I have to choose, yeah, there's nothing like seeing those same people at the finish line. Getting the hug, taking the picture, ⁓ getting the inexplicable thank yous from people where I'm like, No, thank you. You know, you're you're the one doing all the work. You're the entire reason why we're here. So I guess to see the end of their stories, or to see the beginning of a brand new story because they prove to themselves that they could do this and it's the beginning of their running journey and hopefully the beginning of their run Disney family experience, you know, ⁓ then yeah, the finish line has to be the the favorite if I have to choose. Yeah, yeah. We know they're both great. I just wanted to see how you were gonna handle that one. You're terrible. I know I am for sure. I tried to put him against John, you know, to see how that would go, you know. Well, what did John say? Nothing. Not on not on that one. Not you know, I just I just like to see how they're gonna respond. Like a good interviewer, you know, like put him in the corner. Okay. I don't know about that, but whatever. Okay. Of all the things and all the stories you've seen and heard and whatever, what's the common theme that you hear from people ⁓ that that just shows up over and over and over again? I am amazed, always amazed, at the amount of people where, you know, it's not about the PR. It's not about, hey, you know, I just want to do this for fitness and I wanna, you know, I want to prove to myself that I can do it. There is a depth to it for so for thousands and thousands of these people that goes so far beyond just, you know, running the race and running the race and finishing it, that's enough. Yeah. But the fact that they have all these other reasons, you know, that their why is because I just went through this, or you know, my brother. just passed away and I'm running in memory of him. And ⁓ I remember ⁓ one of our dear friends part of the ⁓ the ox and spoon collective yeah ⁓ we just love and they're so much fun. But again, that's a perfect example of, you know, Lindsay Reed, who herself has gone through a lot of physical challenges and lost her mom, you know, within the the last several years. And there was a race not that long ago where she carried the picture of her mom. You know, and we announced her across the finish line as she, you know, had the picture of her mom with her. And you know, again, those are the moments that just move you as a human being that goes far beyond just the fact that, hey, this is a really cool gig. Yeah. Okay, before I completely lose it over here, let's talk about something fun. So ⁓ I know that you have done a lot of interviews with like super fun, crazy costumes. What have been some of those favorite interviews? ⁓ there's a group, ⁓ you know, and I I I don't want to name check them necessarily because I don't I don't want to do that at the expense of anybody else, but you know, ⁓ I I will, you know, Fred. ⁓ and I don't want to butcher his last name, but Fred Fizzola or you know, everybody knows everybody knows Fred. King King Charming, Sully and his group, ⁓ and ⁓ Valerie. ⁓ my god, no, I can't remember her last name. Valerie Ferris. ⁓ they are always panic crafting. I love that term. I'd never heard that until a few years ago, but panic crafting, ⁓ the fact that they'll share their stories on Instagram where you see them, you know, constructing these and the amount of craftsmanship work. And imagination, the amount that they take it so seriously, but it's all in fun. And to me, when they come out and just show their stuff, and again, I don't want to use, I don't want to single them out at the expense of anybody else because there's so many groups of people who put in so much time and effort into what they're wearing. Again, the Ox and Spoon Collective. There is so much fun. It is such a great distraction from the grueling activity that they're all about to be a part of. And it's just a celebration of, you know, again, I'm gonna sound like a preacher. But it's a celebration of the human spirit and it's a celebration of Disney. And by God, that's why we're there is because you know Disney represents to all of us what it represents from childhood to the grave. Yeah. These stories that we pass on from generation to generation. And when they wear the costumes, you know, it just ⁓ we just love it so much and we appreciate their effort so much. Yeah. I love seeing costumes on the course because it gives me a distraction. For two purposes. One, I have something to talk to you about, Erica. I'd be like, ⁓ my gosh, do you how the heck is she wearing How is she running in that? Yeah. And so it like creates a distraction for us. But then also when I really need another human interaction or whatever, it gives me an opportunity to say to somebody else, Holy cow, your costume's awesome. Amazing. Yeah. And now I've got 30 seconds, 60 seconds with another person out on course. And if they were wearing an Adidas t-shirt and and shorts and whatever, I wouldn't say that, you know, I mean like it wouldn't give me the opportunity to say that. So to all of you who do like the amazing costumes, like you give us the option, you know, to there's so many of these athletes that run in these these costumes, these this wardrobe, the cosplay, that when we see them at the starting line, we're like, how in the name of God are you gonna, you know, aerodynamically and just with the heat and everything else. How are you going to make this happen? And then when you see them at the finish line and they've still got, you know, it's largely intact and they've done it. I mean, again, it's another reason why we, you know, we're just awestruck by these folks. Yeah. Yeah. So that's costumes on the runners. How do you feel about the costumes that Run Disney comes up with for you to wear at the start line? ⁓ we love them and we love our wardrobe folks ⁓ so much. They put a lot of time and thought into it. And, you know, the hats that they always give me, and they give pretty much all of us hats now. But she literally hand paints so much of these ⁓ hats. And they're just fantastic. But yeah, you know, when they dress me up as Sam the Eagle, you know, for the Muppets, I mean, there's just so many of them that that stick out. And they just ⁓ this last year, I was in my first onesie and it was Eeyore. I was dressed up like Eeyore. And when I was a child, you know, that was one of the one plushies, you know, that I had was my first one was Eeyore, and that was my favorite. So, you know, to be wearing that costume at my age now. And be able to run that thread all the way back to when I was literally a a kid and falling in love with all things Disney. Yeah. You know, it it's fun. But you know, I want our wardrobe people, and we try to express this to them in the time that we have, you know, that it's just there's a there's a depth there that we really, really appreciate. So yeah, we we love our wardrobe folks and we love the costumes they put us in. Except the one time when Tracy was a goat. Right, right, right. My gosh. But it's a really well done goat. I remember it's a really good goat. I remember it. Just not when everyone else is dressed as a princess. Wasn't it when they was the movie Wish came out? That's what I was gonna say. She was the goat from Wish. I think that's what it was. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So Riley, when race morning is over and you've interacted with what feels like probably millions of runners, how do you like to spend the rest of the day? the van takes us back. We go back to our rooms. ⁓ you know, I think sometimes maybe Carissa will try and grab some breakfast, or she ⁓ Tracy will grab a mimosa if they can. ⁓ I just like to go to back to my room and crash. ⁓ sometimes I'll call the family and have a little time with them. But then for the rest of the day, you know, it's about eating. And ⁓ you know, I'll go out and sit by the pool and read or just lay in that big comfortable bed and watch sports or watch, you know, catch up on some movies. Yeah. But, you know, I love that, you know, it's it's it's why I love the weekend so much because you go from, you know, being on display and being in front of the thousands of people and the energy and all that that you just you have to bring it all the time. Yeah. And then literally just go back to your room and collapse. And you know, I'm I I don't know how this works on your ⁓ the the scale of what what they call not empaths, but ⁓ the Enneagram? The Enneagrams, yes. I am I am an extroverted introvert. Yes. ⁓ if when I have a purpose, I love to improv and I can certainly work without a script, but there has to be a purpose. If it was just me at a party, you know, and I can't tell you there's so many great people that said, Hey, we should grab breakfast, we should have coffee, or they invite me to one of their gatherings or something. Even the even the Helky Running Club folks, even doing this tonight, I get so filled with anxiety. I've gotten to a point in my life where I'm just like, you know what? I'm just letting myself off the hook. Yeah. You know, I don't want to do that. Yeah. We had John on the podcast, and I said, We're gonna we're gonna ask Riley to come on the podcast. I said, what do we need to know? Or or you know, anything about Riley we need to know. And he said, Don't surprise him. He said, And so that's why you got very detailed notes from us, thanks to your ⁓ thirty one year long friendship with Pelkie, because he said, Don't surprise him. That was his piece of advice. I I I am the one who will ask a lot of questions. You know, now that's a bad rap on me. And I will defend myself that there's been many times and many gigs where something's thrown at you at the last second and you have to adapt and adjust. And I think I'm fully capable of that. But I will also be the one in rehearsal to be, you know, like if they want to ⁓ you know, change up the order of something or if they want to bring me and Tracy up on stage and, you know, or rejigger how things are done, I'll be the one going, it works the way it works. Right. You know. John and Carissa are the best at that. Why would we want to mess with that? Or things of that elk. So yeah, they're, you know, yeah, they're it I'm definitely one of the ones that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, don't tweak it. You know, unless there's a really good reason, then we'll do it. Or if it's if it's if it's necessary if someone's sick or, you know, somebody has to step in, like ⁓ God knows ⁓ Jamea ⁓ did for me with Princess, where she just stepped in and did a great job. You know, I I can certainly handle that. But yeah, John's right in this insofar as if somebody just comes in and they're trying to mess with things because hey, there's a new vice president and they want to try it this way, you know, I'll be the one going, why? Why are why are why are we doing this? Yeah. So for all our friends listening, we believe we are ⁓ making eye contact here, we believe that you are a six on Enneagram, which is called the Loyalist. There's nine numbers, right? And the loyalist is that that's perfect. I am a loyalist. The loyalist likes what they like. Don't change it if it ain't broke. They are anxious about anything that's potentially gonna change or that they're not gonna know. ⁓ but the positive is they are loyal to their people. You are you're not gonna like anyone else more than you're gonna like a six. You know what I mean? So we're we're s we're diagnosing you on the podcast. Well, loyalty to my friends, if they've been, you know, in any way wronged or ⁓ hung out to dry by somebody, I don't forg I don't forgive and I don't forget and I'm fearlessly loyal to the people that I love and care about. So I'll take that. Perfect. Well, I'll stop trying to put you in a corner then because I don't want to be on your on your hit list either. ⁓ no. But I want to ask you about because you're wearing Pelky's stuff and you're obviously a big fan of of ⁓ John and and and all your ⁓ co-announcers, but John's running the the St. Jude half again, right? And now Tracy is doing that half. Like what what's your Just you have any opinions or thoughts on that? Like the announcing team is now headed up to Memphis. Like any thoughts? Well, I think it's first of all, I think it's absolutely terrific. And, you know, and Tracy's done half marathons. She, you she's gone out to Disney ⁓ land ⁓ and she's taken part back in the day, even before she was a race announcer. She's taking part in Run Disney races ⁓ back in the day. So she has a history with that. ⁓ again, Pelke, if you'd known him for as long as I have, he'd want to be one of the last people you would ever thought would engage in this. So I celebrate them both. And again, the Pelkey Running Club. You know, let me say it for anybody out there listening, you know, nobody makes a dime. Pelky's not making any money off of this. It is purely to raise money. You know, all the gear that they sent out that people pay for, it all goes to charity. ⁓ Grant and Natalie, you know, just came up with this ⁓ as a lark, you know, to to kind of, you know, ⁓ give Telky some grief, but also to just to celebrate what a lovable curmudgeon he is. And the fact that when he did cross that line and actually taking part. And the Run Disney events, the 5K, the 10K, and now doing a half, it's you know, it is inspiring. So I I celebrate that. I have nothing but good things to say about them. And you know, the only thing that would hold me back from going to Memphis and and you know being there to cheer them on is my absolute fear of social ⁓ situation and small talk and all that kind of stuff. I like to I like to remain an enigma, you know, who comes in. You know, I'm like ⁓ you know, ⁓ to me, one of the best parts was ⁓ you know, ⁓ a King George in Hamilton, where you know, the actor's literally on stage for 13 minutes. He comes out, sings a song, gets tremendous last, and then he's gone. And then he's that's my fault. I mean, ⁓ John will tell you I am notorious for the Irish goodbye, any party. I'm not going around saying goodbye to anybody. I am just out. So I want to get in, make my mark, hopefully it's all positive. Yes, yeah. Yeah. Well, thanks for being on our podcast. Now I feel like it's a big ⁓ it was a huge it was already an honor to have you and now this is even bigger honor, you know. So it's my pleasure and it's my honor. And again, this is cool because it's in service to something sure that we truly believe and it's believe in and it's bigger than all of us. So it's for there's a there's a great reason for it, which is why I'm very comfortable and you guys have been absolutely awesome, and I really appreciate the opportunity to come off monologue about Run Disney. Well, don't make don't don't take that as like this is done. We still have more questions. ⁓ no, I'm gonna think it's yeah. So I I hope I hope that wouldn't you didn't get the vibe of a sign off. Great time. Okay. So clearly, if you've done any Ren Disney, you already know this. But for our friends that maybe are gonna be running their first Ren Disney race, ⁓ fun fact, Riley is the voice behind caution athletes. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever fill in the blank that you'll hear on the course when they're That's correct. Yes. Horse narrows ahead. Yes, all that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How'd that come about? Yeah. How did that how did that come about? Well man, you know, I I wish this was an ongoing concern that I made money at. But ⁓ you know, the way that works is I think probably, you know, over ten years ago, ⁓ I I used to do voiceovers pretty regularly for for Disney. Yeah. ⁓ you know, over at Animal Kingdom, I'm the voice on the of the bus, you know, saying, you know, watch your step. Really? Over at yeah, ⁓ yeah, no. I've ⁓ I I I don't know if I'm sold the voice, but ⁓ the ⁓ Lightning and McQueen at ⁓ Hollywood Studios. ⁓ I'm the voice that introduces Lightning McQueen. So they're No, and I'm so proud of that. And especially for my little girl, you know, it's just like, yeah, I mean, just to be any small part of the Disney legacy, you know, it's it's my honor. ⁓ I used to do the ⁓ what was the, I forget what it was called, but it was ⁓ the Hollywood and Vine sing along at Hollywood Studios. I used to be the voice of that and a bunch of stuff over at ESP and Wild World of Sports. ⁓ you know from just general announcements to the you know the weather alerts and all that and pelke's done some of that too but I literally think that when I went in to do one of those sessions to record the weather warnings and stuff for ⁓ ESB and Wild Water Sports they were like hey while we have you in here you know and you do just this you know then they had a list of just boom boom boom and you knock them out probably took 10 15 minutes you know and I got paid for that session. Yeah but the fact that they've just been used in perpetuity And the fact now that they're Run Disney folks who will wear the t-shirt, yes, you know, although they'll dress as the cones, you know, with those slogans on them, or they'll request me, you know, ⁓ either at the starting line or the finish line to say that stuff and just find it, you know, it's just it's the best. That that that minutia of the race. And the one thing I'll say is I feel so bad for the cast members. ⁓ I yes stand at the toll booth or whatever where those things just play on a loop. ⁓ my God, Chinese water torture. I feel so bad for those smokes. I love that even when I'm not running, I can hear you every week on Rise and Run saying caution runner's topic, change ahead or whatever. Change of topic to do that for them. Yeah, that was again when they asked me to do that. I was like, Are you kidding me? Absolutely. Yes, I love it. You have a lovely voice, but I do think every time I go past one of those things and I see a cast member standing there, I think I even say to you, ⁓ that poor cast member has to hear that. Because it is like, I mean, it's not like every 30 seconds. It's every every two seconds. ⁓ it's like when I worked on Small World. ⁓ yeah. Like we hear that same song over and over and over. It's it's a lot. You should have gotten hate meal from those cast members. They track me down. They're like, We know you're responsible. We know you're the voice. And you know, just thank you because I will I'm forever changed. I'll never be the same. Next time they ask you to record a bit, just be like, I'm getting paid per time this plays, right? ⁓ right. Yes. Yes. All right, Riley, last question before we let you go. Is there anything in your life right now that you're super excited about that you don't get the opportunity to talk about very often? The thing that I want to celebrate mainly is just, you know, ⁓ my beautiful wife, Michelle, who I've been with since 1995. And our 10 year old daughter Emery, who has just, you know, again, we waited about 20 years to have a kid. We traveled, we partied, we'd had our careers all together. And then we were given this gift of a of a girl, and she's just the best. And the fact that I'm Back up here in North Carolina, where you know, I started out ⁓ you know, my professional career when I was 16, working at Flat Rock. So just to have these full circle moments of, you know, Western Carolina has changed, it's grown, it's still beautiful. And the people that I worked with and were friends with since I was a teenager, some of them are still here, still working there, and they're still the same good people that they were. And to be able to share that with, you know, my wife of you know. Going on 29 years now, been together since 95. And my kid, it's just, you know, I I couldn't ask for anything more. And I'm just very, very grateful for all of it. And I don't take any of it for granted. I love it. Thank you for sharing today, Riley. Like we are so grateful for you being on the podcast, but like a hundred times over that what you do at these race weekends, because I know it's a paid gig and I know you got to travel and all this stuff, but you mean a lot to like all four of you. Me and you know, the entire, the entire everyone that puts on the races, right? We don't know the race director, but we know how hard that is, right? Like we appreciate the community that you have created over the years. And we're just so grateful for everything you guys do. Well, I really appreciate hearing you say that. ⁓ we don't take that for granted at all. And we certainly don't take for granted, you know, all the different folks that are doing podcasts that all feed into this again, the super organism of human beings that accept everyone. That love everyone, that want to celebrate everyone and make sure that everybody feels safe and and loved and appreciated. You know, it means everything, especially these days. Yeah. Awesome. So good. All right, Riley Claremont. Thanks for being on the podcast. We cannot wait to meet you at a Run Disney Race Weekend. ⁓ thank you for doing this. Thank you, guys. Thank you so much. Awesome. Erica, I say it all the time, but I just cannot get over the fact that everyone's so awesome. Like all the guests that we've been blessed to have on the podcast in this first year, and now we're kicking off season three. Just cannot believe. I mean, I can believe it because they obviously are are awesome at the races, right? But like they're just so open handed. Yeah. With the encouragement and the helpful resources and all stuff. And Riley did not disappoint. No. So great. You loved it, right? Yeah. So good. I mean, they pop up on the screen and we are sitting over here on this side hoping that they're as awesome as they appear to be when we're at a Ren Disney race weekend. The runners and the announcers, anybody that we've had on. And you're like, please be, please be so great. Like the way that you are, you know, on stage or in person or whatever. And they totally are. Like everyone is amazing and just genuine and for the community. And I just love it. Yep. Me too. This ⁓ we don't do this for us. No. But it's becomes so much fun to be able to have a conversation with someone like Riley. Yeah. And be like, they're awesome. Yeah. Like, I wish everyone could have this opportunity. I know. You know what I When we were recording with him, we were talking about how long we'd been recording. And I just thought like, but our listeners are going to get so much good information. Like I just I'm excited for them to be able to hear it. So this is awesome. ⁓ okay so we're doing a new segment. We talked about it at the beginning where we're going to share some stories of Everyday runners, which doesn't mean that they're average, like they're doing hard things, but just totally everyday runners, right? Non-influencers, not elite whatever's like people that have a big goal that they're going for and it might be a Run Disney race, it might not be a Run Disney race, right? But they're they're trying to do something hard and they might even not be sure they can do it. Yeah. Right. But they've set this big goal. And so ⁓ there's no rhyme or reason. Like, don't feel like we're giving anybody special treatment. Remember, we've just asked a handful of people to share their journey. Yeah. From the start of this training season up to their race. Some folks have November races, December, January. We're calling this the journey may be hard. Yeah. Right. Because that's really what it is. Yeah. So once a month or so, we're gonna hear kind of like ⁓ they're gonna record their own update for us, submit that, and we will then share that intern on the podcast to provide encouragement, yeah, inspiration. If you've got a similar race goal or similar thing, we wanted to get a variety of folks because we realize that not everybody is doing the dopey challenge or running their first 5k. We realize that everybody's thing is different. So what we're trying to do is gather up some runners who are all doing something different. Yeah. And we're going to tell those stories ongoing throughout the training season. I'm excited for this. It's going to be awesome. This is the kind of the launch of that. Yeah. So ⁓ What we're gonna do is I'm gonna literally hand it over to them to give their first updates. ⁓ and then we'll come back and we'll finish out the show. Awesome. My name is Bob. I'm working on a sub-six hour marathon for the Dopey weekend. ⁓ after completing it last year and finishing it in six hours, 59 minutes, and 12 seconds. I'm trying to do the next one under six hours. So I've lost 123 pounds, I believe, in a two and a half years. I'm currently down at 273. And when I started my run Disney jersey, I was about 400. This is my 11th week for training so far, and things are going pretty smoothly. I did rupture my ⁓ hamstring right after Princess, so I've been nursing that back to health, so I really can't do any really speed work yet, but I think after this month I'm gonna start again. I have two great coaches right now. I have Thomas Stokes from Stoke Metabolics. And Alicia Whitney from running with Alicia, and I have full confidence in the both of them that I'm gonna hit my goals in January. Run Disney's definitely gonna keep me ⁓ living a lot longer for my grandchildren. Hi, I'm Lindsay and I'm Thomas. And we are so excited for our first Run Disney event, the 5K at Marathon Weekend in January of 2027. So for the past two years I've been in cancer treatment for leukemia. I actually got a bone marrow transplant. Thankfully I'm in remission and coming up. This February will be almost two years. In 2024, just three months before Thomas received his cancer diagnosis, his mom Julie was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Thomas and his mom supported one another, and we even took Julie on a dream bucketless trip to Walt Disney World when they were both in treatment. She passed away last year, and so we'll be running in her memory as well. With the help of his oncology team and physical therapy, we are so excited to continue on in our training. Something that we are keeping at the front of our minds is I can and I will. Thanks for that, AJ. We're telling ourselves we can do this race and we're gonna do it. Yes, we will. Hi, I'm Kat. I'm running the San Antonio full marathon on December 6th. My goal is to aim for a sub-six-hour full marathon. This will be my second truly full marathon trying to run it at APR. The first time I did, it was a six-hour, 15-minute marathon. I am nervous, but I have excellent coaches back in my corner to help support me. Hey everyone. My name is Ruth Curry and I am currently training to do Dopey in 2027. I did attempt dopey in 2026 this past year and I made it through the 5K, through the 10K, through the half. I was ready marathon morning. I got about a mile and a half in and my knee blew out. ⁓ hobbled my way to the castle, ⁓ waved at the balloon ladies and got on the golf cart. So this year is my redemption year to be able to ⁓ get through to that finish line. I am nervous as anything. I was nervous before. I'm really nervous now, ⁓ because I've done it and not succeeded. ⁓ so every day I train I think about where I was before and where I want to get to. And so I know that this is a process. But you see I'm out here in the heat. I'm in the shade at the moment, you know, trying to get time and miles in and put the work in. ⁓ but it is Something that scares me. However, ⁓ I have an amazing coach. ⁓ Coach Tom Stokes is amazing and he reminds me every day that not every day is good and that every day is worth it. And so for me, that is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna show up, I'm gonna hustle, and this year I'm going to cross the finish line because there's no other option. It's gonna happen. I'm gonna cross the finish line, see everybody cheering for me, smiling for me. And knowing that I did hard things, that's what matters. I'm doing hard things. This is gonna be awesome. We are so excited for you guys and we are cheering you on from here. Yes. So we will catch in with them every catch up with them every every so often throughout the training season. Erica, ⁓ training for us is kind of underway now. ⁓ officially on our way to ⁓ Marathon weekend. Yes. ⁓ and so we ⁓ Peachtree Road Race was was recent, but we, you know, did our own episode on that. But ⁓ so that's kinda like the launch of training. Anything in terms of just how you're feeling or anything related to running. That you want to share at the moment. I'm so excited to be back to running. Yes. Like you don't realize that you would miss it, especially if you don't love it as much as you know, like someone like you. But ⁓ I'm super excited to be back. Uh-huh. It you know, it sucks a little bit because I haven't run in a while. And so it's like kind of not starting over, but it's an uphill. A little bit, yeah. But I just am so excited to be out there. Yes. When we were talking ⁓ with Riley earlier, I was like, let's stop recording and go run a marathon. Like he had me so ready to go out and run. So ⁓ yeah, no, I'm I'm excited to be back and it's gonna be slow, but I'm excited. So yeah. Yep. ⁓ it was fun to run next to you again. That's it. Thank you. It's just fun to run together. I know. That's so nice to be running next to you. ⁓ my ⁓ New York City Marathon training is just kind of going as predicted. Unfortunately, I know that it's a hilly course and ⁓ that means I have to do hills. You know, so I did some I've been doing some hill training here. Yeah. You know what I mean? To prepare for that because I don't want something like a major, you know, like a bridge or whatever to derail. We don't like on the Disney marathon, there are some overpasses, but it's not long in the wind, you know, going over an entire river. You know what I mean? Like it's not like that. And New York has that. Yeah. And so I'm definitely been including that in my training. It's very smart. Thumbs down on the experience of the hills, but I know it makes me stronger. And you'll appreciate it when it's actual race day. Yes. Yeah. I hope so. For sure. Great. ⁓ this has been a fun episode. I enjoyed talking with Riley. Next week we're calling the episode Welcome to Run Disney. Because we've done this before, but we kind of like laid out all the words and phrases and things about Run Disney. But ⁓ we realize a lot of people might be new to the podcast. Right. Right. and it's also helpful because some things have changed. Yeah. Like, I don't know, they changed the entire date on springtime surprise. Yep. ⁓ There's no longer yoga at Springtime Sprite. Like all kinds of things have just slightly updated or whatever. So what we're gonna do is we're just gonna commit an episode to that idea of like, hey, if you hear everyone talking about proof of time, this is what proof of time is. Yeah. Right. And so have we covered it before? Yes. Is it worth covering again, in my opinion? Absolutely. Yes. So as we get season three rolling, next week is going to be that kind of a welcome to Run Disney. Perfect. Whether you're new here or not. Yeah. If you're not new here, maybe. Maybe make yourself a bingo card and see, you know, see ⁓ if we cover all the things that we're supposed to. ⁓ Erica, can we read a Apple Podcast review? Absolutely. All right, let's do that. This one comes from BP Gentry. She says, I found this podcast when preparing for my first Ren Disney event, the twenty twenty six Disneyland half weekend. The tips and information have been very helpful and the guest interviews are a fun addition to the podcast. Thank you so much, Beth. We are so glad that the podcast has been entertaining and hopefully a little bit helpful. And I love that you love the guest interviews because like today we've had like a fantastic interview. Absolutely. And so hopefully you've got a lot of entertainment and ⁓ inspiration out of that. Yeah. Erica, anything else before we call it day? No, I think that's it. Perfect. Join us for the after show if you're a ⁓ support crew member. If you're not a support crew member, that's an easy way to support. Support the show. ⁓ you get bonus content and we just have a good time over there. There's a crew chat, and sometimes that goes ⁓ goes wild. And so it's a great way to support the show. You get stuff in the mail from us. Another great way to support the show is just to subscribe and follow, you know, and that way you get updates on Instagram or or the podcast player or whatever. And then of course, we love the Apple Podcast reviews, it really lets us know what's working well. Totally. And it helps people find the show. Yeah. Okay. I think I am good for today. Thank you guys for joining us. We'll catch you next week for another episode of One More Run. Thanks for joining us for this episode of One More Run, the Podcast. If you like what we're up to, be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcasts, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and follow us on Instagram. You can find links to all of that at ajanerica.com.