LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (April 3, 2022) – Two New Jersey runners had a scary good time at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler on Sunday, sweeping the men’s and women’s divisions.
Stephen Rathbun of Springfield, N.J., was the race’s overall winner, while Victoria Sadowski of Randolph, N.J., was the first woman to cross the finish line during the race that took runners through Walt Disney World Resort.
“It was fantastic,’’ said Rathbun, who also ran the 5K and 10K with his wife. “The Hollywood Studios portion was really fun, a lot of energy. And to be out on the road and have it lined with fans and supporters was really special.’’
Rathbun, who was running his first runDisney race, and Sadowski both won easily. Rathbun clocked in at 53:58, more than two minutes ahead of second-place finisher Ian Bordelon of Orlando (56:12) and third-place runner Offir Gonzalez Vidals of New York (59:39). Sadowski ran it in 1:06:28, well ahead of Kate Burkowski of Windermere, FL. (1:07:56) who was second, and Chelsea Ellis of Greenwich, CT (1:08:36), who was third.
“It’s so cold (in New Jersey) and it’s not that much fun to race in the cold, so we come down here,’’ Sadowski explained. “We have nothing like this up in New Jersey. These races are seriously awesome.’’
Rathbun and Sadowski both said their experience on the course was just as magical as winning.
Said Sadowski: “It’s just amazing. I mean, I ran in high school. I ran in college at Rutgers. I’ve run in all types of races and there’s just nothing like Disney races. I mean, the energy is just wild. You wake up at 3 am and come here and it feels like it’s the middle of the day. It’s amazing. It’s just so much fun.’’
In the wheelchair division, Julius McManus of Santa Rosa Beach, FL., won the men’s division (1:04:15), while Heather Sealover took the women’s crown (1:00:01).
The inaugural runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend paid homage to past popular runDisney races, featuring fan-favorite themed courses with added twists and turns. The 10-miler was the final race of the three-race runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend. There was the Expedition Everest 5K on Thursday and the Race for the Taste 10K on Saturday, plus a sunrise yoga event at Magic Kingdom and a health and fitness expo at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
For more information on runDisney races, visit www.rundisney.com. For news releases, photos and video of runDisney races, visit www.disneysportsnews.com.
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Media Contact:
Alexis Mack, Disney Sports Public Relations, Alexis.Mack2@disney.com, (440) 724-1744 (cell)