JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- (Feb. 2, 2016) The daily grind of marathon running is often dictated by a strict regimen of properly fueling the body, training for and running a race, and allowing sufficient time for the body to recover for the next event. While all of these factors still play an essential part in the preparation for a command chief warrant officer, the significance of the 26.2 miles ahead of him on race day takes on a less competitive character when stepping up to the start line after donning his Disney Goofy costume.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Craig Russell, the office manager for the Mission and Installation Contracting Command Office of Counsel here, upped his endurance game this year by completing four races totaling 48.6 miles on consecutive days Jan. 7-10. The four courses included a 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon through Walt Disney World theme parks in Orlando, Florida.
The previous five years, the Philadelphia native completed Goofy's Race and the Half Challenge consisting of a marathon and half marathon over a Saturday and Sunday each January in costume, except for 2013 when he was deployed and 2014 while stationed in Italy. And although an avid runner, the competitive juices that once drove his desire to run rarely play a factor these days. After all, he is in a Goofy costume.
"Believe it or not, I'm not really that competitive. I just like to do it for fun," Russell said. "When I run an actual event, I'm just trying to force myself to keep going and going. You see people out there who are attempting to not let other runners pass them, but most runners are not in costume.
"I'm the only runner in Goofy costume in that park every year," he said, estimating only about 20 percent of the approximately 30,000 runners dress up for the full Disney marathon, which is a Boston Marathon qualifier.
The 20-year Army veteran arrived at the MICC headquarters from Vicenza, Italy, in July 2015 and is responsible for assisting attorneys and paralegals assigned to the MICC Office of Counsel. He describes that support as "a little bit of everything."
Russell said the popularity of Goofy's Race and the Half Challenge prompted Disney run coordinators to create the four-race Dopey Challenge. His race results this year included a 28:53 5K, 56:56 10K, 3:26:38 half marathon and 5:58:35 marathon. And although his personal best marathon finish is closer to that of his half marathon today, at age 45, Russell admits that endurance running is no longer about time.
"I ran for time when I was younger, of course," Russell said with a laugh. "It's a little bit harder now that I'm older. And when you're in a Goofy costume, you really can't. You stop and take pictures with other Disney characters and people throughout the park. It's just for the experience. After a Disney experience of running through multiple theme parks with people cheering you on all along the way, it's just awesome. You don't typically experience that with other events except at the finish line."
The legal office manager plans to broaden that experience beyond the Disney theme by transitioning to the Rock 'n' Roll marathon series so that he can collect a different medal for each state in which he runs with hopes of also garnering milestone medals for multiple races in different states. He kicked off that practice in December 2015 by accomplishing the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Marathon - dressed as Goofy and carrying his Eddie Van Halen Wii guitar.
His next tune-up comes Feb. 21 with the H-E-B Alamo Half, which routes approximately 10,000 participants throughout downtown San Antonio and includes passing through Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Then it's on to Dallas in March for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. Russell intends to incorporate these runs into training for ultramarathon distances of 50- and 100-mile races.
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