Today, runDisney and New Balance gave us what many have been waiting for…the first look at the actual new runDisney New Balance shoes for this year!

In the official announcement, we also learned how one can purchase these shoes at the Walt Disney World Marathon Expo next week. Here are the steps…

To help manage wait times with the very busy Disney’s Health & Fitness Expo, you will be able to reserve a time to visit the New Balance booth. To make your reservation, just follow the steps below.

• Upon arrival at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, visit Champion^® Stadium (footprints like the ones above will guide you!)
• Follow New Balance signs in Champion Stadium to the New Balance Staff
• Register a reservation time with the New Balance Staff
• After reserving, you will receive a text message/email confirming your reservation time
• When your reserved time is almost ready, you will receive a second text message/email directing you to a side entrance door of the Jostens Center
• At your confirmed time, you will receive a final test message/email to head to the New Balance booth for your new shoes

THING TO KNOW (BEFORE YOU GO)

Prices range from $72 to $125 depending on the model and design of the shoe, and all Guests attending the Expo may purchase up to four shoe liners, four adult shoes and two kid shoes. Unfortunately, when making your reservation time, you cannot reserve a specific model, design or size of shoe, and while shoes are available on a first-come, first-served basis, New Balance has taken steps to have enough shoes on hand to meet the demand.

We are excited to get 2014 and the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna off to an incredible start. For more news and inside views of the New Balance shoes and more, be sure to become a Fan and Follow Us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Yes, I’m super stoked about the new shoes and have it in my budget to purchase the Sorcerer Mickey shoes. The way I figure it, I’ve got three opportunities to get these shoes. First, at the Walt Disney World Marathon Expo next week, the following week at the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Expo, or at the Disneyland Half Marathon Expo on Labor Day Weekend. Although, I would just love for it to work out to get them in Florida. The wife and I will be getting fitted at the New Balance store in Pasadena this weekend. So, we will know our size before we go. We will also hope to try on the regular version of these New Balance models beforehand to know for sure if it will be a wise purchase. After all, it would not be good to buy the shoes and realize afterwards that they don’t feel good. It’s just too much money to waste like that.

Now that the holidays are in the rear view mirror, I’ve got the Walt Disney World Marathon on the brain. I’ve found some great blog posts today dealing with the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend at this blog hop. Click on the image below for more posts like the ones I’m highlighting here…

First up, Kimberly from Maker Mother Marathon Runner has some great general tips for the Walt Disney World Marathon race. For a newbie like myself, she provides some excellent advice. Check out her tips here. One tip Kim offers that I’ve already taken care of…

Book a massage at the new Senses Spa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort or Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort at 407-939-7727 or use the marathon massage tent! 

Next, Sarah from Sparkly Runner gives a very detailed run down of where the character photo ops are during the races for marathon weekend here. I have been looking for a one stop shop kind of list like this one for several weeks. Not only does Sarah give you a list of where the characters are likely to be, but she also offers tips for getting great photos during the races. Personally, I’ve printed out the post so I can review it between now and the races I will be in over Marathon Weekend. Since I’ll be in the later corrals, the lines will likely be long for many of the characters. So, I’m planning on making a mental list of those characters I absolutely want to have a picture with during the race and which ones fall into the second tier. I’ll need to have my priorities straight before the race begins.

Another concern I’ve been trying to figure out is where my wife might want to be in order to see me during the marathon. Karen from Just Me and My Running Shoes has a blog post that will be very helpful. Check out that post here. From Karen’s advice, it sounds like there are a few things to figure out in priorities of photos and viewing as well. Since my wife and I are not morning people, I’ve only hoped that my wife would be there close to the finish line. It sounds like she might be okay with a later wake up call and still make it to EPCOT by the time I get around to finishing. However, if my wife will be up for it, and wants to see me a few times, Karen’s post will help a lot in finding the best viewing spots along the marathon course.

The last post I want to highlight is from Christina of Christina Runs Disney. Here post (here), talks about an all important matter to runDsiney enthusiasts…the race costume. In her post, you’ll find excellent advise on how to come up with the costumes that work for a runner. My wife and I will be in a costume for the 10K race and I will have a different one for the marathon. What will they be? I plan on unveiling that information on Monday. So stay tuned. Remember my last costume?

It’s hard to believe that the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend starts their festivities in less than a week! Brooke and I will be running in the Inaugural Walt Disney World 10K one week from tomorrow! Then, two days later, I’ll be running my very first full marathon! Over the past two days, as I’ve been at various gatherings of friends, I’ve gotten one question asked of me over and over again…Am I ready? I think so. Check out the Blog Hop mentioned above for some other great advice for the exciting 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. There are some great bits of advise out there.