Creigh Kelley: Race Announcing Legend and 30 Years of the Walt Disney World Marathon

When the finish line tape breaks and the cheering fades, the stories of the race remain, rich with triumph and heart. That's where Creigh Kelley, a titan of the running commentary world, comes in. Join us as we sit down with Creigh, celebrating his 30-year legacy as the voice of the Walt Disney World Marathon, sharing tales that transcend the races and the profound impact he's made on the running community. Our conversation unravels the rich tapestry of marathon history, from the intimate beginnings of the Disney Marathon Weekend to the evolution of race events into spectacles of showmanship and camaraderie.

Every race director knows that orchestrating a marathon is akin to conducting a symphony – it requires precision, adaptability, and a touch of flair. As he reflects on his own experiences as a race director and MC, he shares the lessons learned from epic fails and the surprising wardrobe choices that come with the territory. We peel back the curtain on the quirky side of broadcast commentary, discussing on-air improvisations and the unforgettable that have defined our careers – from misdirected marathoners to the serendipitous successes that make every race an indelible chapter in our lives.

As we near the finish line of this episode, emotions run high. We honor the enduring spirit of endurance athletes, recounting the moments that exemplify why we run – for the personal battles, the shared struggles, and the collective triumphs. And as Creigh  prepares for his next great adventure, we celebrate the bonds that have been forged and the stories that will carry us towards the next starting line. It's not just about the miles logged or the times clocked; it's about the heartbeats behind them, the lives touched, and the inspiration we draw from every runner's journey.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Welcome to 321 Go the Podcast. I'm John Pelkey.

Speaker 2: 0:08

And I'm Karissa Galloway, and we're bringing you stories from start to finish to keep the everyday athlete motivated to keep moving towards the next finish.

Speaker 1: 0:16

Alright Karissa. Today we're bringing to the folks a chat with an icon, and that's a far too oft used word.

Speaker 2: 0:25

I think it really is.

Speaker 1: 0:26

But this guy is an icon in the running industry, the man who spent 30 years announcing the Walt Disney World Marathon. We thought we'd done it for a long time Nowhere near as long as our good friend Kree Kelly.

Speaker 2: 0:37

Kree is an icon and you listen to this episode. You're just going to hear the amazing breath of everything he's done in the endurance industry, some of which, as his friend, I did not even know. But he is our good friend. He has been a mentor to me for the 20 years that you and I have been at the Walt Disney World Marathon. But he's so impressive, so giving to the industry, and I am sad that he won't be joining us again next year on stage.

Speaker 2: 1:03

You guys, I feel like people who joined Red Disney the last five years. You don't really know him. You know, you see him as the guy who comes up. His role has lessened over the years as we sort of changed the style of what we did, but he really shines with those first athletes. The awards ceremonies we used to do, the speaker series, was his thing and he brought to life so many great stories there. So I'm excited for you guys to get to know Kree. If you're running the Colfax Marathon in Denver this May, you're going to hear him announcing with dopey champion Brittney Charbonneau. So that'll be a fun duo, really cool race. As John announced it last year and he'll never announce it again, because once you leave a race you never get to come back.

Speaker 1: 1:48

I'd like to say for the record I did not. I didn't just give it away. I booked another gig. That's one of my legacy gigs that I've done for a longer period of time. So I just I couldn't do this this year. I would love to be able to do it.

Speaker 2: 2:03

I know and it's a great. I actually was invited to announce as well and I was with the race director in Kenya and I was like it's fine, I'm never going to come because you have Brittney and you're going to love Brittney and I understand it's okay. But that's a story for another day. Right now, we want to thank you guys for listening. Please give us a five star rating if you're listening on Apple or wherever you're listening. That helps us be social. We love seeing you guys share everything on IG and, yeah, let's do this. Three, two, one go.

Speaker 1: 2:46

All right, Carissa, you are the envy of all of us because you've just came back from a cruise. Johnny loves a cruise. How was yours?

Speaker 2: 2:56

I was tired.

Speaker 2: 2:57

I mean those, you know you look at the planner and you're like I can't, to midnight, I'm not going to make it to the 2000s dance party at midnight. And then all of a sudden you're sitting in a chair, not on the dance floor, but you're sitting at the 2000s dance party at midnight. So it was really fun. I went with my girlfriend, angela, so it was the first time I've been on a cruise without kids and you know I've done anything without kids. I was like where's the adult pole? Where's the adult section? Let me just go check it out. There actually weren't that many kids on this cruise. In general, it's not a Disney cruise, it was a Lore of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise. We had a great time.

Speaker 2: 3:37

My highlight was the Mama Mia Broadway show, really yeah. So it was the first night and it's a little bit tedious. You have to make reservations for your shows and we had my time dining, so like it was like a puzzle, trying to make sure that we could do everything, because I guess for me the shows are important. I want to see, like I enjoy seeing the shows. So we looked at the thing and Mama Mia was like two and a half hours and we're like, oh wow, that's long, we'll just go and then our mission. If it's not fun like, we'll leave or whatever. It was amazing. The performers were so good. The choreography I guess I've never seen Mama Mia on Broadway, so I don't know how similar it is, but it was sharp. They were like giving it all out. It was really well done, so super enjoyed that.

Speaker 1: 4:21

There's a lot of really great. You know it's funny, it's one of those things that sometimes gets slagged off. There's a lot of really, really great shows on cruise ships because there's a lot of very, very talented people, some of whom I've worked with in theme parks, who are doing cruise ship work right now. Frankly, as live performance has kind of been minimized over the last few years in the parks, a lot of folks that I know who are longtime Disney or Universal folks or SeaWorld, they've headed over to do the ships because it's a pretty good gig and it's, I think, up the quality of the show. So I'm glad you liked it. I like that show a lot. I don't want to say a guilty pleasure, because it shouldn't be guilty of an abba's music, but it's a fun show.

Speaker 2: 4:59

It was really fun. So there were supposed to be three night cruise. There was a show each night, while the second night show got canceled. So then I just saw the performers just hanging out for like two days.

Speaker 2: 5:09

I'm like you guys literally have nothing, that you had two shows and now you've done nothing for two days because they're just they're just, you know, on the ship, you know me and being around, and if you are someone who's in the business, you can recognize like, oh, that's that person, and then you kind of see all the circle around them. So we enjoyed that. There was also an ice skating show, which was more enjoyable than the last one I saw on a cruise ship.

Speaker 1: 5:32

You've never seen an ice skating show on a cruise ship.

Speaker 2: 5:34

Yeah, angela was very worried the whole time because the ice was getting slushy and she was getting very concerned. She's like, do they stop the show? They can't. It's very slushy. I'm like I think they're fine. They do it twice a day, like every day.

Speaker 1: 5:46

Yeah, they have like a some sort of plastic-y thing and again I sound like the science major that I wasn't that they can use for ice skating, because my, my, my lovely wife and more talented wife, jodi, as I'm contractually obligated to mention on the show she did a show down at Bahamar, hosted a show, a Bahamar Christmas show, and that's in the Bahamas Bahamar great resort down there and they had an ice skating show. But it was on this plastic stuff that can double as ice in some way. I don't know.

Speaker 2: 6:17

Well, this one was like sloughing off.

Speaker 1: 6:18

No surprise, they're not doing that on the ship right, yeah, it was like sloughing off.

Speaker 2: 6:21

So you could see, like you know, the ice coming out went to the Bahamas. We did not get off and people who were supposed to go to Bahamar their excursions got canceled because there was like some stuff going on recently there. I know, but your wife worked at Bahama and she said it was lovely.

Speaker 1: 6:35

Beautiful, unbelievable. I couldn't afford to. I couldn't afford to stay there. Frankly, it's really really top. I will say that I thought that the.

Speaker 2: 6:42

The shows were not better than the Disney shows, but I liked them a little more than the Disney shows. On the wish, which I'm probably going to get, definitely, mama Mia. Mama Mia was hands down significantly better than anything on the ship.

Speaker 2: 6:57

And last thing I'll say they have an island like Castaway Key. They have Cocoa Key. Went to the adults only area. It wasn't a beautiful day but it was so there was an adults only area and we just went there because we just thought it was like $33. Let's go there. There's a heated pool, knowing that it might not be that warm for me in March it's always cold that noon. I have not seen more drunk 30 plus people in a pool. It was. I was like embarrassed for these people.

Speaker 2: 7:27

I was like I'm sitting reading my book, because I was at the midnight 2000s party. Therefore, I am not going to be drinking 12 hours later. I mean to each his own. I needed a minute.

Speaker 1: 7:41

Well, you know, henry David Thoreau said at the great, massive men leave lives of quiet, desperation. And I mean, I think some people get we have, we're very lucky. We have colorful lives where we do a lot of fun things, a lot of out in front of people, social things at parties, conventions, big races and so on.

Speaker 1: 8:03

A lot of people don't just don't have that level of excitement through their daily lives. I think it's a little more of a grind. So you know, you get on it on a cruise ship and I'm like you cruise ship for me. Yeah, I'm going to have a couple of drinks here and there. I'm not going to get slosh, I'm going to. I want to be in a chair with a book, with the Caribbean breezes blowing on me. But some people, they want to party because they just don't. You know their, their life is not quite as exciting. They're doing important things and stressful things, life and death decisions being made, all kinds of stuff.

Speaker 2: 8:37

So I think you know they're going to have a little bit of a person. I'm not judging, I just I was like I'm going to be Riley Claremont, like new.

Speaker 1: 8:43

how dare you bad mouth the United States of America?

Speaker 2: 8:47

Okay, but I just wanted to set this scene. Like I'm reading my book, right, and there's the DJ. Music has been going on for a little bit and that's fine, and I have not. I'm so old, angela, and I kept saying this like when do we becomes old? Like bachelorette parties on cruise is the thing now wasn't a thing for me in either wedding. So good, not judging them, but I'm reading my book at like 1145 and all of a sudden the DJ because there was a DJ starts shooting the smoke off and I look up and there's these people like twerking, standing on this platform. They're being thrown into the water, there's champagne shots going into people's mouths and I'm just like, just, it was a surprise.

Speaker 2: 9:24

Yeah we eventually did get in the pool and we judged so harshly. We had backstories, you know all kinds of good stuff. It was quite fun.

Speaker 1: 9:36

I mean, don't you, don't you agree we have more colorful lives?

Speaker 2: 9:40

I do agree.

Speaker 1: 9:42

I just also feel like not more important or better, or just more, more, more colorful. Our days are a little more festive generally because we have dance parties at 3am.

Speaker 2: 9:51

So we have Christian Right. Right, exactly exactly. That's how it's all flipped for me.

Speaker 1: 9:58

It's all on the front end of 3 am Now. That used to be the back end of the day, which is never.

Speaker 2: 10:03

And if that you again, I am not judging. I just didn't expect that people were that hard. I was thinking like the boat was there till 5. I was thinking this is what I would see it like 3 pm, not 1145 am.

Speaker 1: 10:14

Yeah, yeah, people. People started early should have been on the kiss cruise with me nine years ago. They had collector cups that they had margaritas in and they were limited number and the bars opened at like 8 am and so there was a line for margaritas at 8 8, 30 am Because everyone wanted the cup. And, of course, if you get the and you're gonna get all four of the cups, obviously, I guess, man so you're like Shotgun in two to four margaritas before 9 am. Come on, it was a party.

Speaker 2: 10:43

No, and I had a great time. I'm just saying it at parties, aren't it early? And that's all I have to say about that. Say you're getting old without saying you're getting old I mean, but there were some people older than me I had oh yeah having their parties.

Speaker 1: 10:57

So all right, fair, fair enough.

Speaker 2: 10:59

All right, john, history moment, do you?

Speaker 1: 11:01

yeah, you know what I'm so glad you asked, because last night I was actually doing some research on that, because I've decided to go with the Apollo 13 thing good.

Speaker 2: 11:10

So two months later, you made a decision on what you're gonna go with.

Speaker 1: 11:14

Well, I sort of I was so between two and I've been kind of reading about both of them, but I found some really great. I'm gonna expand it into the whole Apollo program a little bit, not go beyond Apollo 13, but I found some really interesting stuff that I hadn't seen before, some documentary stuff, and what I want to be able to do is I don't want to give people the Wikipedia.

Speaker 1: 11:35

I want to give them a couple of interesting facts that they wouldn't have, that they would have had to really search to find, like some, of the Kennedy assassination and you're lifting, your rising.

Speaker 2: 11:44

You're rising, raising all boats with the education that we are all going to benefit from, and yourself.

Speaker 1: 11:49

I'm trying. I'm trying and probably should have put a, should have put a clock on me, because I, if I will procrastinate as much as possible and it's not procrastinating, not doing anything I will go down other rabbit holes, which I've done with this is that nothing to do with it, but it's interesting procrastination or is that adult ADHD increasing?

Speaker 2: 12:07

Yeah, no, I'd that feel the same way like I like am late to everything now because I'm like going upstairs, I'm like I got to put this away and then I like my brain doesn't remember, like you're trying to go somewhere, like right. Speaking of procrastinating 10k training.

Speaker 1: 13:39

Yeah, actually I'm doing, I'm doing pretty good. I had to take a day off because I was just feeling a bit under the weather the allergy season here in Is just for crap.

Speaker 1: 13:48

My car was. My car is gray. This morning it was a dull yellow with all of the pollen that was all over it. Yeah, when you're when it's so bad that you feel like Embarrassed if you don't rinse your car off before you go to the store. But you know I'm pushing through, I'm still not doing, I'm not moving really really fast and I'm not going huge distances. But it feels like I'm improving, which is what I really need, because if my brain sees no improvement, it was like freshman algebra week. One didn't understand it, gave up on it completely. So I'm seeing a little bit of Improvement. So I feel I feel pretty decent about where I am right now. Probably should be further along, but I could easily be further behind.

Speaker 2: 14:28

So there you go. That's happy. I'm very happy to hear that. Also, I hear you and Jody got to work together at a race. You and I did many, many moons ago.

Speaker 1: 14:38

Right, you introduced me to it Actually, the Lakeland Promise one.

Speaker 2: 14:43

Like many years ago, we drove together.

Speaker 1: 14:45

Yeah, absolutely, you picked me up here. It's where you met my dog, lenin, for the very first time, and we didn't have Emily with that point, but you and I had a great time. They've changed the location of it it was more in the downtown when you and I did it, but now it's right all along the lake there, the lake of name of which escapes me land, but it's a really fun event.

Speaker 1: 15:06

They had a couple hundred people running the 10k, about half of them running both races. They do a 10, start a 10k and then following that there's a 5k and I think we had about 1200 people it was sold out running the 5k. It's for their regional medical center down there, for their cancer the house cancer center over there. So it raises money for a really, really good cause. It's a very fun race. The weather cooperated.

Speaker 1: 15:35

It was a little cool, but not quite to the princess weekend cold and and, and it didn't heat up so quickly that the poor people coming in at the end of the 5k going my pace, weren't Weren't struggling. So a lot of fun the kids runs. It's always a good time out there. Shout out to our friend Danny, who got me involved in that, and now Jody and I and they've asked us back for next year as well. So we're excited about that get to see some friends, saw a couple of people, couple of hearty folk who had run the princess as well, stopped by to say hello and I told them this course, as you know I would. You just ran last weekend, you're running this weekend. That's nuts, that's just was princess.

Speaker 2: 16:12

Really well, I like my time. Continuum has has gone completely. Or I also want to shout out the gate river run was last weekend. So Katie Merck, half the tutus at just a two he was a two guy, not a two-two guy. Adam was there, had a good race and then I think best damn race was in Orlando too. So I also some other people running and I was actually going to run the gate river run if Angela couldn't go on the cruise. But I went on the cruise. It's kind of sad. I wanted to go, I wanted to run the race, but you know cruise race so I picked the.

Speaker 1: 16:43

Yeah yeah, you and you put in your time. Yeah, and I don't think those were. You know, that's the thing. Any given weekend, now that I have so many friends that I've met through run Disney, any given weekend there are five, six Big races going on across the country. So anybody who ran last weekend we were down there in Lakeland and cheering folks on everybody got a personal bath.

Speaker 2: 17:05

Yeah, put it on the calendar for 2025.

Speaker 1: 17:07

Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 17:07

John and Jody.

Speaker 1: 17:09

Alright, let's see, speaking of announcing races, anything coming up for you.

Speaker 2: 17:15

Well, we have, as you know, our springtime surprise. Then I dive into Ironman season. I have Ironman Texas, which is a really big kickoff of a pro race. We were just having some conversations today about press conferences and pro panels. I will be doing the Coast Guard marathon in Elizabeth City at the beginning of April Because and I'm from that, you know not that area but I'm gonna fly in an orphan, so I'm excited about that that. I have the Indy mini marathon, but I'm really excited about a new race I'm gonna do. It's not a new race, it is in its 52nd iteration the Falmouth Road Race I'm gonna be announcing this year.

Speaker 1: 17:54

So Falmouth Virginia.

Speaker 2: 17:55

No, falmouth up in Cape Cod. This is like, oh, okay.

Speaker 1: 17:58

There's a Falmouth Virginia as well, so no, but this is a legendary summer race.

Speaker 2: 18:03

It's a point-to-point race, huge race, big elite field. So I am gonna do a lot of the stuff for the elites. There's mile runs. I am gonna ride on the press truck for the women's lead elite and do commentary, so that'll be fun too. Then I'll be at the finish and then I will go from Falmouth back to Boston and fly to London to see Taylor Swift and then fly from London to British Columbia for Ironman Canada. So wow thank you, cc, for the jet lag is optional shirt. I'll be wearing it, that trip.

Speaker 1: 18:33

Wow, look at you. Well, I'm gonna be going to Atlanta next week.

Speaker 2: 18:38

We are gonna be in Atlanta.

Speaker 1: 18:40

I yeah, I know it's.

Speaker 2: 18:41

I don't know when this episode is that nowhere on this, on the talking point. So I thought maybe we're not allowed to oh, I just don't know when this episode's airing to know. But yeah, we're taping a live podcast in Atlanta on March 16th.

Speaker 1: 18:54

Yeah, so we should yes tell people that yeah, no, gonna be a gala way we can watch the stuff going on.

Speaker 2: 19:00

We're gonna interview Jeff or gonna. You don't even know we're talking about.

Speaker 1: 19:03

I don't, I have no idea. I only know where we're staying us.

Speaker 2: 19:07

We are interviewing Jeff about pre-fontein and about okay. I think experience. So we're gonna do that and yeah, if you're gonna be there, we'll see you there.

Speaker 1: 19:17

Look forward to it. Well, atlanta, one of my favorite towns get to meet up with my best friend from college. Good out to Andy and his new wife, michelle, who got married in Italy we talked about on the podcast. I couldn't go because I'm gonna be in Italy in May and then I'm gonna be back in Italy in July and I could not Justify three times in one year in Italy. And now that I say it out of my mouth, why couldn't I justify? Perfectly, just?

Speaker 2: 19:40

I also wasn't has chimed in. He's joined the chat and says that I don't know again If this airs after this weekend that you could actually do a 10k or a training run on Sunday there in Atlanta.

Speaker 1: 19:52

By you he means the royal, you right, he means you.

Speaker 2: 19:55

I know you've already planned to not run. Your brain has already picked out of fun Things. You're having, you're doing, you're drinking.

Speaker 1: 20:03

Not gonna be doing that, then you could come cheer for people. I won't know. I'm gonna come out. Yeah, I'm gonna come out and cheer for people. Are you kidding me? Yeah, I want to try to come up with a sign, man, after all the cool signs that people showed after princess. Yeah, there was some fun stuff.

Speaker 2: 20:17

Yes, so that's, that's your call. You guys are creative, so now you'll be the uh, john and jody cheer squad. I mean, don't tempt jody, maybe she can bring out some of her recurring disney characters recurring disney characters. Can you get us a?

Speaker 1: 20:29

can you get us a golf cart to go between miles so she could start like at mile two with one of her Wacky characters and then we could just move forward through the race.

Speaker 2: 20:38

That would be amazing. All right, anyway, with this airs afterwards, we don't know, but we're moving on. But uh, yeah, see you in Atlanta or we will have seen you.

Speaker 1: 20:47

Can I ask one question? Sure, uh, your, uh, iron man, texas, we're, uh, we're in texas. Does that take?

Speaker 2: 20:52

the woodlands in houston.

Speaker 1: 20:54

Okay, we have a lot of. We have a lot of athletes from that area running the uh running at disney. You see the woodlands pop up a lot on our screen. I was there gosh.

Speaker 2: 21:04

Maybe 12 years ago, when I did linkedin's culinary tour, I worked with michael kia rello in the woodlands, I believe, so I have little experience there, but excited. It'll be my first time announcing that race, so yeah, that'll be great.

Speaker 1: 21:19

All right, sounds great. Hey, we want to thank sarah acres with runs on magic. As a lover of run, disney yourself sarah Always loves helping plan those magical weekends. But the world is your oyster with sarah's help. Whether you're looking to book a honeymoon getaway and all inclusive girls trip like carissa Family cruise, international adventures that we all have coming up, she is here and at your service.

Speaker 2: 21:44

Yep and you can get complimentary travel planning services, personalized itinerary specializing in run disney universal and cruise vacations. Go to her website, her instagram, email her and there's promo code. Tell her 3, 2, 1 go when you request your vacation quote. You can get up to either a tuna dollar disney gift card or a booking credit really exciting. So find her an ig at runs on magic, where she shares special offers it more. Or email her at runs on magic travel at gmailcom.

Speaker 3: 22:13

Okay, civilians, it's time for the goods let's get on to the interview.

Speaker 2: 22:18

Joining us today is a man who, without I, would not be anywhere near the announcer I am today. As you'll soon hear, he is not only someone who tolerated john and I in the early years, but taught us how to be first rate Announcers when john and I were just sleepy newbies. He's a veteran, a veteran announcer, a cancer survivor and one of the kindest humans around. Welcome 3, 2, 1, go kree. Kelly, hi kree, how are you and where are you?

Speaker 3: 22:47

So I am. I am in coloros, nice to see you and john. It's always great to see you and I'll be, you know. I look forward to the next time we're together at on a stage somewhere in the world and I'm in centennial Colorado, a verb of of denver, and john is actually Enjoyed a little scotch in my house here.

Speaker 1: 23:08

I have more, more, more and a little gin, but that's another story a story for another day and we should tell people as we're taping this. Uh, we are actually just a few days away from seeing each other on stage. This will play later, but looking forward to seeing you, and I do have to ask, before we jump into the nuts and bolts of the interview kree, what's the weather like out there? I was just watching a little bit of football. It's snowing like hell in Chicago. How is it in colorado?

Speaker 3: 23:34

it's about 48 degrees, it's sunny, it is so colorado, you know it. I went, I Visited my oldest daughter in gross point, michigan, over the last four days and it was kind of 42ish and kind of a miserable little down you know rain thing. And I said, wow wonder what happened when I left. Well, we got seven inches of snow, you know, but it's fun. Now it's like not really there.

Speaker 1: 24:07

So well that that's. That's actually pretty enjoyable, and we're having a little cooler weather here. Let's get started with this. You know, as chrissa mentioned, you the elder statesman of the run disney announcing team. Can you just briefly and none of us can do anything briefly, so do your best Give us your bio coming out of new jersey, ending up at the virginia military institute, to vietnam veteran in new jersey.

Speaker 3: 24:30

I was on the chicken ranch in new jersey as a little kid.

Speaker 1: 24:33

Sorry, I made that mistake. I was thinking Connecticut natural enemy of new jersey. I apologize to both states for making that mistake. But coming out of there, vmi vietnam veteran, how did you end up getting there to, uh, the second disney? You weren't there the first year but the second disney marathon. Take us up to that point in your career.

Speaker 3: 24:51

All right so. So one of the things that is curious and I I've watched a lot of your podcasts, you know, believe it or not, and I just found it sort of stunning that I and I'm sure I've missed it that I didn't hear john hughes name ever come up. It was talked around a lot, but so john hughes and I met in winter park on a run, uh in the very early 80s, and for those of you who don't, know, john hughes was our original race director.

Speaker 2: 25:23

He just passed the baton, maybe two years ago, and he was part of the impetus, if you will, that brought this here.

Speaker 3: 25:29

So yes, and so john and I met, became friends rather quickly. We both had running stores, he had track shack, I had a fiddlipenies that Jeff gallo and I put together in colorado, and he and I Bonded in a number of different ways, one of which was we were both putting on running events. And Through all of that and fast forward, I would announce some of his races. That that incredible half marathon it was the citrus bowl half marathon back in the day, I don't know what it's called now and I did the tv broadcast for the red lobster 10k in norah loughno, you know I I was remembering some of these things as I was trying to Type up my quick bullet points for my bio and renais said that's too much, you know, but the point is we got this friendship.

Speaker 3: 26:25

Well, he had this goal to put on the world championships, um, a half marathon at disney world. He wanted to do that and he kept getting turned down for one reason or another and eventually, um, he persuaded disney to take a look at doing a marathon. And at that time, in 1992 or three, when he finally got them to pull the trigger on it, I said, dude, I gotta be your announcer, I gotta be the guy I, I want to be your announcer so badly and he said they don't think this thing is gonna work, they it's not a big flash and so it we're sort of it's sort of an experiment. So we're just going to use rush russell, I think is his name and, and he's a local guy, it doesn't cost much you know the whole thing and I went ah man, I really

Speaker 3: 27:22

wanted to do that. Well, it turned out to be A pretty solid idea, surprise business idea. You know it was great. So I got to come in the second time and that began my career at run disney. Now, at that time it wasn't run disney, it wasn't even the endurance team it was. It was what it was, it was disney world and I got to meet so many cool people and that's how I got there. And so it was um, an evolving Uh system and we didn't really know Exactly what we were doing. Um, I mean, john did and he certainly had the event component down solid.

Speaker 3: 28:07

Um, I don't remember when we added the half marathon. I remember we brought in mark um Gosh I'm trying to remember from pennsylvania's great guy, an author, mark will will ever, and His job was to do the half marathon start eventually. You know that was his job and he was super sad when they put the events on different days and then he evolved out and all of you, you know, evolved in, which was really cool and um. So I got to saw, see the uh evolution and it was. It was really fascinating.

Speaker 3: 28:42

It got to be bigger and bigger and I remember distinctly being in a meeting at it was where they uh, where the endurance team met. It was like, uh, it was a building and it was. They had a conference room and I remember going there after maybe a dancekin race or something and Um got got to sit in on it and they were discussing whether or not they were going to do um a medal for Both days. You know what would that look like or how many people would actually care, and they were all over the map in terms of how many be 300, 500.

Speaker 2: 29:24

So you're talking about what would become goofy.

Speaker 3: 29:27

Yeah, it eventually evolved into goofy yeah, and so, um, they were stunned when they got whatever. It was some incredible number. I think was 5,000.

Speaker 2: 29:36

I was like stupid.

Speaker 3: 29:38

And it was another. I don't know who's taking credit for that. I'm not sure who was the, the person that put their imprimatur on it. It might have been john, but I doubt it. I think it was somebody more in the creative side that did it and uh, but they did a little poll in the room how many do you think it'll be? And somebody said the number 5,000, and they were right.

Speaker 3: 30:06

I just thought that the way that they kept bringing in new managers for the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend it was really the weekend as it ended four days that was insane. But I quickly took on one thing that I really wanted to do and they had. The expo was becoming bigger and bigger and all I wanted to do was to emcee a bunch of clinics talks. At that time there was a high emphasis on top-notch runners. It was really important that we had that. And we had other things. We had the Rick and Dick Hoyt team. We had all these cool people. Mcgilvery was becoming a big star and we had him there. And Jeff Galloway was like I don't remember the year that he came in, but it was relatively early. Was it year one? I can't remember because that was not the year.

Speaker 2: 31:06

Well, you weren't there year one, so you wouldn't.

Speaker 3: 31:10

No, but it was John Hughes that clearly knew that Jeff had a huge reach and Jeff was basically one of my mentors because he got me back into running properly and I mean it was just such an exciting. It was really trailblazing the whole way and so getting to do those clinics, that's all I really. You know the rest on stage and at the start and the finish and all that that was great. But I really cared about nurturing those and for years and years I wrote the script for that. Who was going to speak? I had to get approval, but who was going to be to speak? What you know how that would flow and it really helped me as an emcee down the road at number of other things.

Speaker 3: 32:01

You know the one time when I had to sub in for Bart Yasso at Boston I think it was in 16 or 17, to emcee all their clinics, it was a natural because I'd been doing it at Disney for so long and found I loved it. I mean that was something I really, really loved and as it evolved into you know, we all saw changes in the dynamics, the personalities. I remember people that you wouldn't know the name of, but later on, paul, that went on to New York City, to the New York Roadrunners to work with the New York City Marathon, all these different people that were sort of in charge. I liked them all, every single one of them. I liked them all. And I remember going to take my son when he was a young teenager to see John Pelkey over at ESPN Wild Rows Sports. He had that show and was Riley, your co.

Speaker 1: 33:10

Yeah, he was. It was Mark Ferrer, our director, and Riley and I, and we were mainly, and then another friend of ours, joe Candelore, who's not used to be working.

Speaker 3: 33:18

I said I want you to me, you'll love this and my son, who is now CEO of a company with 120 people in Chicago. This was like beyond cool for him to watch you on it in a radio booth doing this thing and he still talks about that. How cool that was.

Speaker 1: 33:41

Yeah, well, I think the thing that triggered me to let people because people always talk about one of the things they like about our podcast is we talk about behind the scenes. Before there was a run Disney and with Chris talking about you know, the Marathon weekend was just another event at Disney for entertainment and, logistically, for the folks who deal with the technical aspects, and then road closures and all that sort of thing, and they were just assigned throughout the year and those positions people would leave the company, people would be promoted to another position, people would simply have been assigned to another event. That overlapped too much. And one of the reasons and of course, I was not privy to any of this and we, chris and I, both predate run Disney, but I think one of the reasons they did it was once it got to the point where they needed people dedicated to it year round, and prior to that they didn't have that.

Speaker 1: 34:34

It was the people. There were people who had it on their mind, but the people who came in were just doing yet another event and we had a lot of great people go through there. But as it grew, it was necessary to make it an entity. So you had eyes on it year round because the undertaking again, chris, you talk about you know, oh, it was a Marathon and there was this. That again it was a weekend, and now it's like three long weekends and a fourth even longer, well, almost the full week and everything that goes into that. It would be impossible to do that now the way that it did when it started. It's just remarkable how it's grown.

Speaker 2: 35:11

And Cree. I remember. You know the speaker series doesn't exist anymore, unfortunately. A lot of people probably don't remember it, but I remember being starstruck and being like what Cree does, like I don't know, don't ask me to go over there, because at that time I was like Paula Radcliffe, like what? Like interview her, like no, like Dave McGilverry, like you did a great job and that was exciting.

Speaker 2: 35:32

And if you guys go back and look through times for the Marathon, like there are some really blistering times, you know, in those early years with the elite athletes. So Cree for you in those early years, because for many, for a long, until John and I arrived, it was pretty much just you on stage for the start. What was that like for you coming from? And we haven't talked about it and we probably won't have time to, but you have an expansive. You know it wasn't just like they were. Like sure Cree can do the Marathon. Your resume from the 80s to when it started in terms of coaching, commentating, broadcasting, all the major events. You had the pedigree and the talent to do any marathon in the world. So when you're coming to Disney, when did it shift from I'm Cree at Disney, like wait, what do I, you want me to do this. There's a video, or what?

Speaker 3: 36:23

Yeah. So that was a great question and I mean I just think about it was there was another level of professionalism that you and John and others but particularly you and John, you know I was school and you maybe in the early years, but you were school and me after that and you were your comfort zone was so high in being able to negotiate with. I can remember I said I don't want to radio, I don't want to think in my ear, I don't need that, I don't, that's not me, I don't do that, and all I wanted to be was a wind up toy. You know, push me up on stage, tell me where you want me to stand, I can smile, I can chat, but it's not my show anymore. And in the early years it was my show.

Speaker 3: 37:21

I mean, I was the guy and I would be the only person I really took close direction from was truly John Hughes. He would say we're good to go, or we need five minutes, or you know, hold up, or you know whatever it was. But I had total command and as, as you know, I came from a military background and I much preferred command to staff and I'd like being a staff officer, I want to be the dude in charge, and that's what race directors love to be. They like to be in charge. So when I had to take direction from others fully willing to do that. But I also knew I wasn't as good my, my talent set wasn't quite as good to be in a production or that kind of a setting with a script as I was I got it. I know it.

Speaker 3: 38:27

This is my show and I remember one awful. I mean you probably have to be graceful enough never to bring it up, but I can remember one time oh, it had to be 15 years ago, I don't know when it was, it was deep in my memory but I, it was the. It was at night, it was the.

Speaker 2: 38:49

I remember, but you told me not to bring it up, so I'm bringing it up. It was the tower of terror race tower terror.

Speaker 3: 38:56

And so I remember I decided, for some odd stupid reason, that I would try to memorize my part of the script and I said actors, do this. It can't be that hard to do that. And I didn't. I had no training, I'd never been in a play in my life and I tried to do it and it was an epic fail. And anybody that is watching this that wants to be an announcer, mc, don't do what I did, you know. Just get some training or something, or just follow the lead or read the NAM cards, whatever it takes. You know, because it wasn't in my wheelhouse. I'm sure I could have trained to do it, but I didn't want to, and you know what it's never, and, with those weeks, even what we get on the card.

Speaker 1: 39:48

Sometimes it's an ever changing thing too, and you learn and I am a trained theater actor I'm pretty good with lines, but why the hell would I learn it? There's a damn good chance that it's going to change in the 15 seconds between walking out of the trailer to going up on stage. So yeah, you're right, you have to get back to it's the old school Walter Cronkite thing you know, prior to free teleprompter, where you just have to be able to glance down at your bullet point and then talk about things. That's kind of what the announcing has become, and really in a lot of races Cree as things have grown, because races now are much more involved, with sponsorship and a lot of other information that you have to impart to people, than back in the If you're memorizing sponsor reads good for you, cree, yeah exactly.

Speaker 3: 40:35

You're not on camera then, so it's OK. It's terrible. It was a very painful lesson I've had. I've only been gotten rid of as an announcer from probably less than three events in my entire career. That was one where I deserve to be thrown out, and you are an epic. Clearly. You all were so generous and kind to me and I'm going oh Christ, what did I do?

Speaker 2: 41:04

Well, I think that goes both way, cree, because John and I are, I believe, celebrating our 20th Walt Disney World marathon and we showed up with very little idea of what we were doing, of what the marathon entailed, and you could have been, as a lot of people are in that situation, standoffish and not helpful and, like you said, this is my show and it was your show, but you were so gracious to John and I, and I was all of I'm not going to say how old I was, but it was less than 20.

Speaker 2: 41:31

In a situation that, like, I'm so grateful I was in, but, like you know, a little over my head, and you were so gracious with us and you have been my whole career and there are so many things that I can do now, like showing up to a race, starting it, pulling the dignitaries up, saying where's Bob, where's Bob, I need Bob. You know the things that I wouldn't have had the confidence to do if I hadn't learned them from you, and so I think, when people see our show now and they see how it runs and how it flows and there's not that, john, aren't we supposed to have so and so a lot of that comes from what we learned from you, that you just you want to leave and gets it done.

Speaker 2: 42:07

And, and you know, you really did help set up the professionalism that I think has gotten a little a big boost to Disney magic, but at the end of it it's people may not realize it. We've got a tight show of people that need to speak, things that need to happen, videos that need to play, and you kind of help teach us how to make sure that that ship you know runs on time. And the other thing I love about you is you are always down for whatever they want you to wear. Do you have any memorable costumes that you were like? Well, here I am, mom and dad, proud son.

Speaker 3: 42:43

There, but I you know I probably have blanked out the one I was thinking of. Who's that Seneca? What a wonderful person.

Speaker 1: 42:54

Our costumer.

Speaker 3: 42:54

Yes, and I mean I. There were a couple that really I thought were stupid.

Speaker 2: 43:03

You were like a hip hop Mickey or something. It was like who picked Cree to be hip hop Mickey.

Speaker 3: 43:09

No, not me, that was just not me. And, and you know, I couldn't even get into character because I didn't know what that was.

Speaker 3: 43:16

Your hat was like sideways and like a flat bill it was so bad and so, and plus, I have ears that stick out, so I mean I'm like Dumbo up there, you know so anyway, so it was you know that part. I don't have a favorite one, I just know that I love doing it. Once I realized that this is what we do, and we didn't do that in the beginning at all. No, I mean, we got all this gear that we had to wear was brand new and very evolutionary stuff that happened, but I think that was one of the smartest things.

Speaker 3: 43:51

Somebody, somebody creative, said we're going to do this. You know we're going to, we're going to put these people in these sports hosts and costumes. You know, we, we're, we're going to and we're going to have them interact with characters on stage and we're going to. I mean, all of that was whoa, this is way different than where we were. But you know what? I'd go to another event, a far more traditional setting, and there was part of me in the back of my mind going this is solid, it's just not quite as much fun. There's something about going up on stage and then going offstage and back into a talent trailer, having a quick cup of coffee and warming up or whatever we did, and then you go back out on stage. I mean, the whole thing was so surreal, all the moving parts. You know, mark, and the way that he and John feelin' before that these were people that became for me because I was always anxious would I ever get hired back again?

Speaker 2: 45:04

We all are, it doesn't change Everybody. They hear us say that all the time.

Speaker 3: 45:09

You know, it's just the only event where I was just constantly anguishing. Should I call John Hughes? Maybe Carissa has an inside note. John Peltke might know. You know, I'll call Farron Kelly, he'll get me in. You know, I remember Farron way in the early days and I mean it was just, it was just a. It has been a wonderful family and I think I don't know how you want to address this because this is coming out in the later podcast time right in the January.

Speaker 3: 45:40

Well, I will have retired from the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend by the time this airs, and that was a hard decision on one hand, and it wasn't a hard decision on another, because there has to be room for younger people, I think, quite frankly, to come in fresh personalities, different personalities I don't know who they, I mean I don't even know if they'll add a fifth person or whatever. I am, this fifth wheel or whatever it is, but older people in our generation and you know everybody's listening, calm down, I'm still running. I'm actually going to be one of my goals life goals is to train a whole much, a lot harder and more effectively than catching workouts as I could, because you know I want to be, you know, like Dr Roger Robinson, catherine Switzer's husband, I want to be that guy. You know he gets two knees and now he's setting age group world records. You know, hell yeah, I want to be that. But I think Disney is such a wonderfully unique setting and I got to do. You know, I've got a poster framed at John Cena up in my office of sorts in my home, and it's from the endurance team and it was celebrating 10 years of being the lead announcer or something.

Speaker 3: 47:13

Walt Disney World Marathon. And I made a decision in I, chris you may remember, but I and John, I made a decision that I was going to. I've been offered by the Danskin Women's Triathlon Series after their first year to be the exclusive announcer and I really wanted to do that and it was 10 events a year or whatever it was, and it went for 10 years that I did it. But in doing that I was throwing away other Disney races and I knew when I did that there'd be no going back. You know that was that, was it I. I closed that door. I was grateful to keep, you know, one event, but I didn't go to the West Coast. I didn't. You know I was done and you did do Princess in the early years.

Speaker 2: 48:11

You did the first couple of princesses with me and John. You were there, but I don't know if you were at the. I don't know if you were at the start, always, or maybe you were just at the finish or somewhere else for princesses. But I I know Kri and I because there's a picture of the storybook that Kri and I walked out of and it wasn't a big enough stage, honestly, for three people to be on, but it was just this little storybook that we kind of came out of the woods at.

Speaker 1: 48:32

Yeah, I think I was doing for some of those I was doing like awards, working on awards ceremony or just you know, or they were handing out some things. But yeah, I was slowly added in. I do remember those and I think it's. I think it's interesting, kri, and God knows, we're going to miss you so much when you're not around and then Carissa will never stop talking about how she's the veteran runner on the crew. That'll, that'll be the whole, that'll be the whole thing at that point.

Speaker 1: 48:55

But you and it is unique that you you really got to see the transition from from it being an event that they saw as an event that they could publicize with some elite runners and kind of elite event to realizing that now people are something that they're going to be doing.

Speaker 1: 49:10

And now people are signing up for this, the exponential growth of running to the point where it's like, well, now we really need to put on a show. And that's where the transition happened. And they brought people like myself and Carissa in who had more of a performing background. But it was important to have those touchstones so that the little that I knew about, as you know, as a former horrible track athlete in high school that was my background, to learn the nuts and bolts of the running community and the things that you need to talk about, and then we could dress up everything around that and and John Fielin, I believe, was the one who started putting us in costumes I think that really came down to the fact that they realized giving us new clothing every year was much more expensive than giving us something to wear that we would give them back at the end of the day.

Speaker 3: 50:02

It was a bunch of. It was a bunch of.

Speaker 2: 50:03

I always follow the money Well and I think that it honestly, if I think back, I think that it started when they added Tinkerbell, because Rudy and I were dressed up for Tinkerbell and that was the first Disneyland race that was more themed, oh so, and then I think that people started to see pictures and it was like, well, why are you dressed like this here? But then you're dressed like this here. So I think that, along with John Fielin came in kind of, and I think John Fielin actually, I think John actually went out to West Coast to see.

Speaker 1: 50:33

You know I it's. It's painful enough for me to even mention that there are races at Disneyland, given their distaste for me, but I think he did actually go out there and I think your right Chris came back saying well, they're doing this so slowly. We started adding things in and now it got to the point where it creates the most off ask questions of this podcast. What are you going to be wearing? Who decides on your clothes?

Speaker 3: 50:58

And I was like oh, you know.

Speaker 1: 50:58

Did you ever say you know? Do you? Did they give you two or three to choose from?

Speaker 2: 51:01

It's like no somebody goes and gives it to us. Even today, somebody was like oh, what did you pick to wear? And I was like what did I pick to wear? I don't know. I'll show up this day. They'll make sure it fits. I'll say I'm going to be cold, please give me more layers, and that's, you know, and that's, and that's where we'll go from there.

Speaker 3: 51:17

Well, you know it's. It's funny about that. I was thinking about Alan and Grace. You know they would on every single Disney event, left coast or right coast. You know they've. They've been on every, done everything, and I just wonderful people. I don't even know if you've had them on your pot. I don't think you've had them on, nope.

Speaker 2: 51:37

They were on the rise and run podcast recently, so they're obviously on our list too.

Speaker 3: 51:42

Yeah, well, anyway, the reason I mentioned them, um it, it I'm. I've always been very proud of the, of the fact that you know, I never did the Disneyland events, except I did the only Disneyland marathon.

Speaker 2: 51:58

Yes, that is folks. I want you to just listen to what he said real quick. He said the Disneyland marathon, which happened. So, cree, tell us a little bit about, about that one.

Speaker 3: 52:10

Well, it was really. It was really cool. I was excited to get the job. You know, I was doing the radio broadcast and I honestly, to this day I cannot tell you what year that was. Um, it seems to me it was after 95, but it might have been much earlier. I just don't remember. Maybe somebody can look it up while I'm talking. But the but. I got to do the radio broadcast and I love to do radio. I mean, the radio has always been. If I had to choose one medium that I was really happy about, I always loved doing TV. If I could ever get a gig and I did get a few but or got a lot in track and field, but the but anyway, radio. And I got to do it with, now, sadly, the late Mike Finnelli, just a classic guy. I don't know if either of you have ever met Mike. Have you had you think so?

Speaker 3: 53:04

No, what an amazing guy was. Brother to Gary Finnelli, the crazy guy used to run the Blues Brothers outfits way, way back for your born and but anyway. So he and I were doing the radio broadcast, so we had our. He's a thorough historian, I was a thorough historian, I had my notes, everything was ready to go. There's a great thing about radio you can be on air but you need looking at all kinds of things simultaneously. And both of us were making predictions about that.

Speaker 3: 53:38

It was a good elite field, so it had to be early on. It was a good elite field and we'd done our analysis and we comparing notes and we're going, you know, and and okay, all right, and because we had a prelude to it, you know 15, 20 minutes and then boom, we're in this show and they start and everything's going great. We're talking about yeah, they're going to go here or there. And they didn't. They misdirected the runners within a mile or so. For after the start, and this is Disney, this is a colossal, oh my God. Moment. And Mike and I looked at each other and, because we knew it, the moment we got the first split, it was like wrong. It was like these are, these are guys that can run five minute miles easily, you know, for mile after mile, and they were running Like it was a seven minute, it was. It made no sense, so we did a course correction. Somebody came in and gave us a note they were, they were sent off course.

Speaker 3: 54:46

However, they had the course measuring guy there because if there was going to be a California state record, they wanted to immediately recertify the course. And people that don't know this don't care. You measure a course, it gets accurately measured with a bicycle measuring method, called anyway, and then they, the moment the race is over, if there's a record, they immediately remit the course, and it has to be with pun, I think, but within point zero, zero eight of original distance anyway. So the guy was there, nothing to do, probably not going to be a record, but it was good planning. And, oh my God, they had lost a certain amount of distance that they had to make up somewhere else and the only thing they could think to do was to tack it on into the last somewhere in the last three or four months. They had to.

Speaker 3: 55:49

So here was, here we were, with ridiculously stupid splits. So we're just making them up. We're just. We decided they are running about 505 pace or whatever we decided they're running, and we continue to go with those splits, because now we were getting reports from the lead vehicle, who was in the lead pack, and blah, blah, blah, so it all conformed to what we're talking about and suddenly it was like mile 22 or whatever. They were back on the right mile markers and we were within like 12 seconds of what we had predicted. And so he and I I mean talk about at the end of a broadcast when you do high fives. There are a lot of high fives on that one and it was a one and done event. Anyway, I just love some of the things that I got to do that you talk about the cue cards and memorizing them.

Speaker 1: 56:47

There was one where book everything was thrown away you know you're on your own, you know it's the old and I told Chris about a time with Catherine.

Speaker 3: 56:53

Switzer doing the national championships half marathon. Oh my God, that was a disaster.

Speaker 2: 57:00

Yeah, tell us the story because I think this one is. It's just, it wanted echoes how much experience you have, but I think it's just funny for people to learn, like we said, john, the behind the scenes of these things. So you're with Catherine Switzer, who is, in her own right, an amazing, amazing distance running legend.

Speaker 3: 57:17

So this is a, this is in the early 90s or late 80s, but it was the Parker'sburg by God, west Virginia half marathon that was also designated as a national championship, also designated as a USA track and field national championship. Big deal, a lot of major runners there and we wanted to get this right, and so they decided they would have a television broadcast. So the local I remember which NBC, abc pick one affiliate was doing it and they fired. I was kind of triple dipping. I helped them put together the field, got paid to do that. Of course I was an agent, so I put some of my athletes in the field. I was emceeing the press conference so I could favor my own athletes to some level. But they were good enough to win and they did. And then I got to do the TV broadcast and so with Catherine Switzer I mean that was, she was already a huge legend.

Speaker 3: 58:20

Forget 1967 in the Boston marathon. By that time she started the Avon women's marathon and the Avon running series and it become a friend. I remember in the mid 80s sleeping on her condo floor in BC Before I ran the cherry blossom 10 mile. I couldn't get a, I didn't have enough money or whatever to get a hotel room. So it was mid 80s and I, so I got to be on. She said you can stay on my floor. Great, that's awesome. Here's a pillow and a blanket. And so here I am with Catherine Switzer.

Speaker 3: 59:02

This she's been the voice of Boston marathon. She had, you know, she's done the broadcast, new York City marathon and so many other things that she had accomplished. And here I am paired up with her and she was a delight. You know, when you find somebody that you love working with I mean every, you know the the it's just magical. You just oh I've said this, john, about you and Chris, and I've done it with Chris so many times that was just so great when we worked uniquely, other races and the way we work together, that kind of magic when that happens, that's a great team. That's what you want. So, anyway, catherine and I are there and we've done the prelude, we've done a few hand interviews, we've thrown in there from the other day. And you know, now the race is about to get started and the gun goes off and the screen goes dark. And when I say this, this is a live on tape broadcast the screen goes dark. Now the audience is not yet seeing this production, but we are and we're, you know we're.

Speaker 3: 1:00:13

what are we going to do? They can't start over. I mean, the cameras are rolling, just things aren't happening. So, and they were actually capturing the film. We just couldn't see it. We couldn't see the broadcast, but they were capturing it from the lead vehicle. So we looked at each other and we just started making it up. We said, all right, they're underway and the first 400 meters it looks like so-and-so is pulled ahead, but it's a large pack because they gotta go through a couple of hills and it'll sort itself out, but probably not for the first three or 400, until about three quarters of mile into the race. So we just made it up. Here's, oh, coming up on the side, is you know, so-and-so. We just made it up.

Speaker 1: 1:01:04

And it's it's part and parcel of what you, if you are live performing, live doing anything, and there's that. It reminds me of that great story that Ronald Reagan used to tell it and many people believe he actually heard it from somebody else, maybe about doing a baseball broadcast and the tape went down. They were getting like a ticker tape and it went down.

Speaker 1: 1:01:23

So he just has guys fouling off ball after fouling off a baseball, hoping it'll come back. And I do. I wanna insert because I'm known for my history moments, but I do wanna insert a little history. When you said you can't have them started over, it is a little known piece of history, that Super Bowl one, which was not a big deal, if you can believe it back then the second half kickoff was done twice because both networks, nbc and CBS, were covering the game and one of them was not back from commercial when they got the okay to kick the ball. So they kicked it off and they had to blow it dead and kick it off a second time. Not sure they do that today. I didn't know that, yeah yeah, Johnny's history moment.

Speaker 2: 1:02:03

Not sure they did that today but let's what's that? It's Johnny's history moment.

Speaker 1: 1:02:06

It's Johnny's history moment just-.

Speaker 3: 1:02:09

I like that because I think that's being extemporaneous in those moments and it comes with experience and we all would grant that. We, you know any, the two of you this is like rolling off a lot. You would just, it would be easy, you'd have a moment, but you'd pass through that moment very quickly and you'd be on to the game. And I think we've also seen that at the finish line of the Walt Disney World, whether it's the marathon, the 5K or the half or the 10K, where something goes wrong. Somebody is having something happen and we as announcers are trained. We've seen the difference where it doesn't happen correctly, at other people's events, where there's a medical emergency let's just use that as a horrible example. But it's a medical emergency. Our job is not to talk about the medical emergency. Our job is to take the audience that's there, whoever can hear us, and point them in another direction, somehow to efficiently point them, and do it in such a way that, no matter who's screaming or yelling, we are the con voice in the room. And you know, that's part, I think, of what in big events, especially at Disney, where you have thousands of people debuting I mean, this could be their very first time and, as we all know, if there's let's make a number 25,000 runners, there's highly likely to be 24,482 really good stories. Any one of them could tell a story, any one of them.

Speaker 3: 1:04:09

And I think about running in races and in marathons. And I was pretty much a failure as a marathoner. I mean, I had a couple of moments, but what I did learn in training and racing marathons was you. Your mind is filled with emotion and you know I don't know who said it first but you've got to get those butterflies to fly in formation. You know you're so nervous and anxious and any runner out there when I go out I'm deviating slightly. When I go out to run on a training run these days I'm running as hard as I probably can within my capacity to run.

Speaker 3: 1:04:59

And Bill Rogers is the one who won this race, who was often a guest of ours on. You know, a great guy One Boston. For those who don't know, he won the Boston Marathon four times. He won the New York City Marathon four times. He won the Cherry Blossom 10 mile in DC four times. Nobody does that and I have a fun story about him. We have time, but anyway. But the point was he told me he said you know, yeah, I ran to 12 today, but think of those runners that are going to be out there twice as long. They're working just as hard as I did, except for a longer period. I don't know how they do it. And he was absolutely serious and I totally get it now because I'll go out and do three to five miles and I'm so glad it's over. It wasn't that long ago. It was a blink of an eye 15 years ago where I could go out and run 15 miles and that was okay.

Speaker 1: 1:06:02

And you know what's for dinner.

Speaker 3: 1:06:04

If I did that now, I'd need to find the bed. I need to go take a nap, a long one. So Bill Rogers taught me that. I remembered that and I think all three of us remember this. When we're talking about these athletes passing in front of us, either at the start line, what you guys get to do, I'm often shipped off to the finish.

Speaker 2: 1:06:26

And I used to be shipped with you. As I've said before in this podcast, people don't realize you and I were shipped together. And yeah, that's true and so we take an hour and a half long break while John was up there doing all the hard work it's actually easier to be shipped to the finish. You get a nice break.

Speaker 3: 1:06:43

Two, one, yeah, anyway. So, but every one of those people and you may be listening and you may be one of those people and maybe you're gonna be running your first marathon. Well, you are a ran at Disney, or your first half, or your first 5K or 10K and you're hearing us talking. Now, I guarantee you, you probably didn't know how we felt about you at that moment. We cared, we knew how you felt, we wanted you to know that we felt that way and we wanted that care to come out of us and make you feel a little bit better, because we knew how terrified you might be, or nervous, or going through the checklist of what should have put up, I just trained a little hard.

Speaker 2: 1:07:35

If I'd just done this, if I'd just done that, you know we'd been there, done it, yeah, and we know you've done it and what you guys just heard there from Kri is exactly part of we said he helped train us, like he helped us see that he helped us learn that because I had not run marathons until several years after I started announcing Disney and that kind of changed how I announced. But learning from Kri and the other thing that I do always give Kri credit for and I don't know recently oh, this was in San Antonio a couple weeks ago was it was no excuse weather, it was. You know, kri has this phrase we're today's weather and it's. If you are a runner and you've run enough races, you know that's true, you don't get those days a lot.

Speaker 3: 1:08:16

Boy, when you get them, you know.

Speaker 2: 1:08:18

but let's talk a little bit about run training. You mentioned a name before and then you mentioned you were a marathoner, jeff Galloway, a name that most people listening to this know. Tell us about how you got to know him, and was he really always always so nice?

Speaker 3: 1:08:34

Oh my gosh, this is. I've embarrassed Jeff in interviews early on in the clinic series and he was almost angry. He doesn't get angry but he gets close to being angry and very deflective. But in 1975, I had been smoking for seven years after college, because unless you're going to the Olympics, why bother? They gave you free cigarettes in Vietnam, so I'm gonna smoke them. You know I'm gonna probably die tomorrow, so what the hell?

Speaker 3: 1:09:05

And so when I got into Atlanta after I'd gotten out and I was finished up my graduate degree from Southern Cal, I belonged to a little tennis racquetball club in Atlanta and I was in a completely different career area. We wouldn't even have to talk about it. It helped my career later on. Anyway, a guy in the club said, hey, I told him. I said, man, I need my running shoes and we called them training flats back then. My flats, they're not good they're. And they said, well, what are you running at? And I said, well, they're. And we used to say aridas, the Adidas, they're Adidas running flats. Where'd you get them? I said, oh, they were the shoes that I was given in my senior year at VMI. What, they're old, those shoes are old. He said, I know, I went out and tried to do 440 repeats that's for those of you who don't know that's now a 400 meter track, you know but and it didn't go well.

Speaker 3: 1:10:12

So he said you should go down. There's a new running store in Ansley Mall here in Atlanta. I went what's a running store? I mean, I swear to God it was a God link. So I went down to Fidipides, had to learn how to say it, and I went in and there are Bob Varsha, and you can look him up. He looks a bit different. I think he was second at third at Boston. He's an amazing athlete. There was Benji Durden I mean, look him up. He was on the 80 Olympic team. Obviously. Jeff Galloway, leif Bidler, all these, I mean super athletes.

Speaker 3: 1:10:55

Now, fortunately, I didn't know that because I'd been out of running since college. I didn't what do I care? And so a guy comes up to me and said what do you need? I said a pair of running flats. He said, well, we call them running shoes. I went oh, okay, and I? He said well, what do you want to spend? I said I've never bought a pair before, so I don't want to spend a lot. He said, well, we've got these Nike Road Ruckers. They're $19.99. And I went good, I'll take them. So do you want to put them on and check them out? I said, well, if it's the right size now, I don't need to. And he said, well, you look like you're a runner. And I said, well, I was once a runner and I had to get into it. And it was Jeff Galloway.

Speaker 3: 1:11:47

And I said, well, back then we always wanted to know where somebody went to school. So where'd you go to school? He said Westland. I said Westland, wow, that's cool.

Speaker 3: 1:11:59

Ambi Burfoot. I competed against him in high school and at Staples High School we went to the state meet and I think he was second. Ambi always insists he was first. I looked it up, I'm pretty sure he was second. But anyway, and it was really hot day, but it was run up at Westland, that was where the state meet was. So anyway, jeff said I went to Westland and I said, well, that's cool. And I said so, did you run at Westland? Of course I didn't know. He was on the frigging Olympic team in 72. And we got to that. He was so kind, he just sort of. Well, actually, I'm pretty lucky I ended up on the Olympic team. Oh God, I don't think I'd met. I don't think I'd met except Olin Cassell at an AAU meet back in Connecticut in the early 60s, the Olympic.

Speaker 3: 1:12:58

I went, oh, and so he said, well, what are you doing to train? I went I'm trying to remember some of my college workouts and he goes no, no, yeah, let me. He said I tell you what. I'd be happy to coach you. I said, really Great. And he said, well, you know, how fast did you run in college? I said, well, you know, basically 1448 for three miles. We didn't do the 5,000 back then. And you know, but a coach, I was a captain of the team, but they he just used, he didn't like me very much, so he'd put me in a lot of different races just to get points. So I'd run the 880, the mile, the three mile, whatever it was. Steeple hated that race. And so he said, well, training is going to be different.

Speaker 3: 1:13:51

And now you got to know that back then Jeff was good. I mean really good, I mean so good that you know, even Peach Creek won that. You know, he was like the champ and but he was so nice. It was weird, you know, because most athletes I'd met weren't, they were just kind of arrogant. You know, if you're good, you're arrogant. Anyway, fast forward he would. I would call him.

Speaker 3: 1:14:23

I was traveling through the Southeast lecturing on career planning and resume writing and all that other stuff and to military, separating military junior officers and I would call in long distance for those you don't know. Back in those days you would have to pay extra to call somebody if they were outside your local area code kind of thing. And I would call him and we would chat for 20 minutes and he would give me my next workouts and I'd dutifully go do them and you know it worked. He was a good coach. I got better, I got into races and joined the Atlanta Track Club and all of that and I got so enamored with going down to fidipities.

Speaker 3: 1:15:13

And those of you that don't know, there's a book by John Parker called Once a Runner and he was part of the Florida Track Club and Jeff and Frank Shorter and Jack Bachelor and all those guys were a part of the Florida Track Club and you know, and this guy Parker wrote a book called Once a Runner. One day I went down to see Jeff and he said hey, you want to go to lunch with me and John Parker. I said who's he? He said he's on the Florida Track Club with me. I said, well, that's cool. Yeah, let's do it. So there was a pizza shop like two doors down and John Parker brought his galleys with him. And I know, for those who don't know that, and I remember Jeff having the galleys of his first running book on my dining room table here in Colorado back in the late 70s you would get the galleys from the publisher and you would correct them and give them back to them.

Speaker 3: 1:16:10

Anyway, and these guys are talking about stuff that was mythical. This was mythology of running that I mean why am I even sitting here? Why I'm not worthy to be here. And I learned so much from that. Well, that was Jeff, and all I wanted to do after that was own a running store and I had a career that I was making so much more money I made for the next 20 years, but I didn't care. I wanted a running store and I just built a house at the age of 26,. You know, I had a house built. I mean I would live in large and I said where can I go? I want to be in. How about up in Marietta? I'd like to put a the deputies in Marietta. We're fresh out of territory here in Georgia and I went well, where can I go? I said, how about Denver? I said, oh, I've never skied out there. Yeah, okay, well, let's do Denver, that's great, I'll fly out and look around. I swear to God.

Speaker 1: 1:17:21

Wow.

Speaker 3: 1:17:22

Sort of told my first wife. There's a reason I say first wife, because that was the end of that and I don't blame her a bit. I had gone off the track. You know, to follow my dream Wasn't her dream. She was nice about it, but anyway. So and I moved to Colorado and opened up a damn running store the deputies.

Speaker 1: 1:17:46

That's amazing. I did not. All those years and you and I spending a lot of time talking about the battle of Cold Harbor and Normandy and I never knew. That is absolutely remarkable and we're going to have to do a two-parter with you at some point. Cree, because I want to talk at some point about the exponential growth of running and how, you know, we changed what we did at Disney because it stopped being just a few elites and became like a destination running events, which one of the fastest growing things. But we don't want to keep it all day and again. I've got to pick out my New Year's Eve costume Shouldn't say costumes. See, I'm in my head.

Speaker 3: 1:18:27

I'll say it again, she'll help you out.

Speaker 1: 1:18:29

Yeah, it's in my head, but I do want to ask you, now that you have announced and this will come out after the weekend it'll come out sometime in January, would be my guess Is there anything you want to do or remember? Once you're when your last Disney weekend is over? Do you want to just curse me out in front of everybody when you had to like give me any sort of information? Do you know? Is there, is there anything you really would like to do to commemorate that last marathon weekend?

Speaker 3: 1:19:00

Well, I hope that I tend to be a sentimental guy and I hope I don't cry. You know, I don't know. I actually don't have any. I just want to close that book. You know, it's kind of like when I was doing the radio broadcast for ABC Sports at the Olympics in Sydney. I remember being out on a run and I said to myself you've reached the highest part of this particular mountain you'll ever reach, so enjoy the ride, enjoy it, don't regret it, not going to change anything, just do a good job and then that's the way it will be. It's curious when you reach these points Now, not every person is like that.

Speaker 3: 1:20:02

When I was listening to John Anderson it's just a great interview. Geez, that was a great interview. I don't know him but I'd love to meet him someday. That interview, how he talked about and like my philosophy, just say yes when they call you or ask you, can you yes, you don't even know what it is, don't know how much money you're going to get paid. Just say yes, because there were so many times where I could have said let me think about it and that ship sails real quick. I thought that, of all your podcasts, I mean Ferrer is always interesting. He's so amazing. I'm just learning more and more about that will be my regret that working with you guys and with him and having that chance with John Fielen over those years, I don't have any regrets. I don't know that I want to do anything special. If I do bring out a spray can or something hit me, but no, I don't have any more grandchildren put up on the stage to do that.

Speaker 1: 1:21:16

I love to spray paint your name on the backdrop and just do a mic drop and walk away.

Speaker 3: 1:21:20

That's it people.

Speaker 1: 1:21:21

I'm out of here, kiss my butt in the county square. I'm going back to Colorado. I absolutely love that. Again, thank you for saying that too, because we try to reiterate this on the pod from time to time, coming from a performing background that just say yes thing. We all have imposter syndrome at some point. We all have that moment where we go. Could I even do this? Just say yes and figure it out. The worst thing you can do is trip up a little bit and we've all done it and then it's all about you getting up again. All right, so we got to get to the end of this. So a question we ask everybody and as a veteran listener and thank you, greg, for listening, please rate us if you have not done so on whatever you're chosen, podcasting is when you get to a hard place in a race or a workout, what do you do to motivate yourself to keep going?

Speaker 3: 1:22:12

Well, that's an inviting question. First of all, I think any one of us that have ever run an endurance race it's different if you're running the 880 back. When I ran it you just went out hard and then hard as you could in the first lap and then you coach told you to pick it up in the second lap. Horrible distance. It's a horrible distance to try to run. It's terrible. But in that first four or five minutes of running in any distance race, you question why am I out here? This is a disaster. I feel horrible. I can't. I made a huge mistake. This is the worst place I can be. Every runner that's listening. You have to know that 90% of all runners feel that way it's. You've got to get the rust out of the pipes. And once the rust out of the pipes, it's good. But then you come to the third part of the race. Whatever the race is In the 880, it might be from 440 to the next 200 meters, switching distances, metrics anyway.

Speaker 3: 1:23:33

Or in the marathon it's very often between 17 and 21 miles. Everybody has a classic differential on that, but I know for me I began to say, oh my god, I may not be able to finish, or I think I feel a cramp, I feel something's wrong, something's hurting, it's my hamster. Oh no, oh no. And you question your mortality in that third part of the race. And you get through it Because if you've done it more than once, you know this is going to happen and you know you're going to be able to fight through it Because you had a goal. You stood on that as John Bingham, the classic penguin. You know, we all knew him and loved him.

Speaker 3: 1:24:27

And he retired smartly at the age of 65, I think, or something we all know. Getting to the start line is the hardest thing you do, and when you ran your 5K, john, I wish I'd been there so just to see how casually you approach the start line on the exterior and inside. I'd get terrible, and I think a lot of runners think this way that they go oh my God, what if I come in last and John Bingham had the incredible intelligence to speak to that? It's OK, it's absolutely OK. Just beat the balloon, ladies, you know, or whatever it was Anyway. So I think that's how I overcame it. I set a goal, I got to the start line. By God, I'm going to get to the finish line, come hell or high water, I'm going to get there.

Speaker 2: 1:25:27

I love it so inspiring. And it's just we're really going to miss you, kree, because you do bring such an air of experience and knowledge and passion and you make us, you know, better announcers. So we're so lucky to have had you and I think this is will be your 30th. You will be capping off 30 years of Disney Marathon. So, john, will you and I make it longer than Kree?

Speaker 1: 1:25:47

Oh yeah, I'll tell you another decade, because you're much.

Speaker 2: 1:25:49

You're both much younger. We'll have to see. You know I start so late. I hope that I make it past you, kree, but we, as you know, as we've said, we actually never know. All right, kree, this question, I think, is going to be hard for you to pick one or to articulate, because these are the moments that are. Sometimes they get us, you know, in the gut and the heart and the goosebumps. But if you have an inspiring moment from all the races you've been at, whether you were racing, commentating, announcing do you have a most inspiring moment you've seen at a race?

Speaker 3: 1:26:20

I have hundreds, thousands probably. However, I'm going to take it out of that and into spectating. There was a moment in Rio in 2016, and it was the 5,000 finals for the women, and they were probably roughly halfway through the race, maybe a little more, maybe close to two miles or something. And, as you know, in the Olympics, particularly in the finals, it's usually very tactical Pay slows, tight pack. You're worrying about keeping position and not getting spiked, and if anybody's ever been spiked in a race, I have high school in the Penn Relays. That's another story, anyway.

Speaker 3: 1:27:09

So Dagestino from the United States and a few other athletes stumbled, and whether Dagestino's tripped the New Zealand woman, I think I forgot her name, but I'll go with Kilburn. That's not right, but it's Kilburn or something, it doesn't matter. They both she went down, the New Zealander went down. Maybe one of those athletes had a medalist chance at that moment, because the pack was so tight it was going to be a sit and kick kind of thing. Dagestino, though, I think, went to Dartmouth. I could be wrong, but anyway, she stopped and went and told the athlete from New Zealand you can do this, don't give up, you can do this. She helped her feet and ran with her and eventually that New Zealand athlete moved ahead in that final 2000 meters and Dagestino, who had actually gotten injured, I think her knee or something she pulled something so she was limping visibly. That New Zealander came back and ran with her to the said you can do it. Nothing. Nothing compares to that.

Speaker 3: 1:28:41

If you've never watched the video, I'm sure you can Google it. I wish I could remember the other woman's name from New Zealand. And both of them later were asked did you have any idea that this would become a sensational Olympic moment? And both of said no, I wanted to help the other athlete. Any kid that watches that it is a teaching moment.

Speaker 3: 1:29:09

And so that is the moment that resonates with me, the interviews I've done at the finish line, the interviews with cancer survivors, leukemia and lymphoma society. I just I have to do everything in my power to hold it together, because I've been there, I've been in leukemia, but I mean, once you're in treatment and then they go and run a marathon. Who are these people?

Speaker 2: 1:29:39

They're amazing. I mean, if we could put it back on you, kari, I think, if we talk about, one of the most inspiring things that has never dawned on me is you announcing through your cancer treatment, and it was that speaker series. You had to be there, you wanted to be there, you wanted to be at the race and we don't need to go into the, we joke about them now, but the funny stories from that but you wanted to be there and you were in the middle of treatment, but you wanted to be there.

Speaker 3: 1:30:05

And you guys, and listen you guys. First of all, disney was kind enough to bring me back and I knew, and later, my doctors. You have doctors not just one, you have many doctors when you're going through treatment and I still had two more chemo sessions to go and it was stage four. So you know I I needed motivation and when Disney said, yes, we'll bring you in, I had something to look forward to. I wasn't in there 25th to 20.

Speaker 2: 1:30:42

I think it was 20, because you and I did the MCs.

Speaker 3: 1:30:46

We used to have these fancy parties, you and I were up on stage and I was in a tux and you look gorgeous, as you always did.

Speaker 3: 1:30:54

That's one of the first times I met Weston actually, oh my God, and so then I would go backstage and sit down and they bring me water and a warm. I mean it was, it was surreal. And I can remember going with you guys to the stage at the finish line and I think it was John, or you said, go sit in the car and get warm. I mean, it wasn't a request, it was an order Go, now Go. I will never forget that.

Speaker 1: 1:31:27

Yeah, it was. It was inspiring for all of us because I know when we, when we found out that you had cancer and you know we're all close friends and it was it's always devastating when you hear that about the friend. And then the fact that you stepped up and did that. You know we can all be funny on a weekend and come out in the morning at one o'clock and go oh for God's sake, why would I do this? Well, we were. We were disabused of any ability to do that that entire weekend. I couldn't complain. But I'm sure somebody took advantage of my goodwill and made me do a heck of a lot more work that weekend because I couldn't say no.

Speaker 1: 1:31:59

But hey, listen, you've announced it, obviously you're going to, you're going to wrap up your Disney announcing career, but any other races in 2024 and where people might be able to run into you.

Speaker 3: 1:32:09

I'll definitely be at the Cherry Blossom 10 mile. I've done that for the past 25 years, I believe, and before that, I mean, I probably announced that I got fired there once early on in my career and they brought me back finally, and then I've done for the last 25 years.

Speaker 1: 1:32:25

That's very Washington DC. That's very Washington DC, my hometown, where you go away and all of a sudden you come back. I mean you just look at everyone's Nixon, just look at it.

Speaker 3: 1:32:34

There you go, but I'll be there in early April and then I'll be at the Brooklyn Half Marathon Steve Lastos and his crew, and that's really fun because it's different, it's Brooklyn Wow, this is really cool. And be there toward the end of April and they'll. It's safe to say it now, but because John Pelkey turned me down for announcing and then before that, carissa turned me down, I mean, you guys turned me down on my own race where I'm the race director.

Speaker 2: 1:33:06

So because we're both on Disney Cruises and it's my final year as race director.

Speaker 3: 1:33:13

I will retire from that after May unless they fire move beforehand. That could happen, but I don't think Andrew Doughty will do that. I hope not Anyway. But I couldn't find and now I'm going to hear from a lot of announcers that you should have asked me. But I didn't, because I told Lonnie Summers, who's the heir apparent, the new race director, that I always was in the lead vehicle. I'd get up at two or three in the morning, not go and check all around city park and Denver to make sure the security's in place. I did race director stuff and I made him go with me this past May to do that so he learned and then I had him go with me in the lead vehicle so he would experience that. Now he's an experienced race director. He has his own company, house Sports. He's fabulous, he's successful. But you know this is my baby.

Speaker 3: 1:34:09

You know I helped create this race and so I said to Andrea I'll tell you what, as a parting shot, let me announce, you know, let me come back from that vehicle, check on the security and then let me come up on stage and I'll announce it and do the finish and get me somebody from the local TV sponsor from Nine News and Pratvila woman. I always think there should be young, old, male, female, that's. I've always said that and I'll work with that that talented person and she said you really do that. I said I'd it but yes, I'm going to do it. I said because I couldn't have John back, I couldn't have Carissa. I thought they would make the future great team but they've turned it down. I don't know what Andrew Dowdy will do about that. You know that may have been a one, I know, I know we may pay for that.

Speaker 3: 1:35:13

Yeah that's what I plan to do. And then I always unless they kick me out I always do the start line at our Turkey Trap with I don't know 12, 14,000 people and and I love Quad Cities Marathon. There is one event I will not name that I'll never go back as long as that person's directing it.

Speaker 1: 1:35:37

Oh gosh, that's. That's what we're going to do Once we come to the end of this podcast run. We're going to just do interviews about all of the stuff that we couldn't say on here and all the people that have pissed us off over the years, and then we'll just release it as the great and the greatest hits. And here's your, here's your extra cut. Well, listen.

Speaker 2: 1:35:53

I could drop an Easter egg from an old episode that would point where I said something that I said I couldn't say about the same city he's talking about, but they're different races. But I won't drop that Easter egg, but it's there.

Speaker 3: 1:36:06

I would just like to say I expect to do three or four or five races. No rock and rolls, they know they. They retired me last year unceremoniously on my stat. But this is the business we're in, these people that want to be new announcers and MCs Good luck, it is. It is not the sweet parade that you think it is it is. It is a rough road to hope.

Speaker 1: 1:36:31

It's great work, but like all performing jobs I mean, it's like being head coach of a sports team. It's like you're one day closer to being fired the next day. So you have to remember that. By the way, my wife would have ended our marriage if I'd have, if I'd have announced Colfax and not the Mediterranean cruise that. I'm working.

Speaker 3: 1:36:49

Both of you have such legit.

Speaker 1: 1:36:51

I know, I know I feel horrible.

Speaker 3: 1:36:53

Please tell Andrea, we do, I would love to.

Speaker 1: 1:36:55

I would love to do her race. I would love to go from Denver, if she'll at least think about it. Well, listen, kree, this has been great. It's so good to see it. We'll be seeing you. You'll be flying in in about 72 hours here to lovely Central Florida for your. For your final.

Speaker 3: 1:37:17

Maybe just pay this four seats left.

Speaker 1: 1:37:19

All right, okay, well, good luck. I crossed my fingers for you. That never, that never works out very well for me.

Speaker 3: 1:37:25

You didn't mention in this that I'm getting married in February in Kenya.

Speaker 2: 1:37:30

I know that was on the list, but we ran out of time, but you will be getting married in Kenya to the lovely Renee Hamilton, who has been by your side for many years. I will be there to take part in these amazing nuptials. Well, thank you again, kree. This was fabulous and we will. We'll see you real soon, and then after that, we hope that we still see you real soon.

Speaker 3: 1:37:50

All right guys, thank you. It's a pleasure being on the podcast Three two one. Go, go, go Go.