It’s hard to imagine this guy was joyful just because his journey involved the happiest places on Earth.
Had to be something to do with endorphins – a runner’s high and all that.
But there’s no discounting the tremendous accomplishment Don Muchow of Plano, Texas, achieved by hitting the road – on foot – and completing a Disneyland-to-Disney World trek to raise awareness for Type 1 diabetes.
He finished on Monday in Orlando, Fla., capping a 2,845 mile run from Anaheim, Calif.
Muchow, a 59-year-old ultrarunner, Ironman and Type 1 diabetic, ran about 32 miles a day, with a break every 10 days.
He had to pause his attempt last year.
In February 2020, he began his “Mouse2Mouse” challenge but stopped at 1,260 miles in Tarzan, Tex. on March 22 as the COVID pandemic expanded, according to the Orange County Register.
Muchow began again in Tarzan on Sept. 24, 2020, stopped a month later in Texarkana and resumed on March 2, 2021.
Monday’s welcoming committee included Disney cast members and guests.
“It felt surreal. I’ve spent so long trying to get there, and suddenly, it was done,” he told Fox News. “It’s only starting to sink in.”
So what did he do after that? He kept running, satisfying an urge to see the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. He reached the goal in Melbourne, Fla., on Wednesday.
Muchow, diagnosed Type 1 in 1972, takes daily insulin shots and uses a Tandem insulin pump and Dexcom continuous glucose monitor.
And his favorite Disney attraction?
“We love ‘It’s a Small World,’” he said in a Fox News story. “It reminds me of the Type 1 diabetes community. I’m connected to Type 1’s all over the world and we all support each other. It truly is a small world.”
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