ProphetPaul's Dopey Idea

Hello Liner Community! Many of you are already familiar with my story. I’m going on an epic first trip to WDW over Halloween with DW, DS5, DS3, DD1, and both sets of grandparents to celebrate DS3’s Cancer victory from last year. You can read the whole story here:

2019 May 1 – Part 5 – ADRs
2019 Feb 27 - Part 4 – The Grandparent Parlay
2019 Feb 4 - Part 3 – Plan 2.0
2019 Jan 17 - Part 2 – “Perfect” Plan(s)
2019 Jan 10 - Part 1 – Proposal
2019 Jan 4 - Paul’s Dream is Renewed
2018 Oct 11 - A Dream Delayed

It’s been a while since I’ve shared anything substantial about this trip (thanks to the “180-60 day dead zone”), but don’t worry, Part 6 - FP+ is coming in just a few weeks.

Today, I’m doing something different. I’ll begin with a personal story. My real name is Jordan. Soon after Carson’s (DS3) Cancer diagnosis last year, my older brother encouraged me to “run off” my stress and anger. I am tremendously grateful for his advice. Running helped to ease the pain I was carrying with me. It gave me future goals to focus on instead of reliving the past.

I had never run more than a few miles before, but I ran my first 5k in November and my first 10k in April. In the beginning, my biggest goal was to run the Wine & Dine two-course challenge at Disney World on the last two days of our big family trip. Then I found out that St Judes is one of the charity sponsors, and immediately joined their team. I committed to raising $2,000 for them. To my disbelief, we met this goal within 24 hours! So, I thought “Great! Let’s do it again!”



After mentioning the St Jude fundraiser at my office, I learned that one of my colleagues is a huge RunDisney fan, and almost as obsessed with WDW as me. We now talk about it every day, calling it our “Disney Break”, haha! He eventually planted the seed in my head to try the Dopey Challenge with him. This is a 5k, 10k, half, and full marathon (through all four WDW parks!) on four consecutive days. Sounds crazy… But then I discovered that Autism Speaks is a charity partner for the event, and I decided to go for it.

My brother’s DS6, Jonah, is on the autism spectrum, and I’m going to run the 48.6 miles in honor of him. I’m running “Four Jogs for Jonah”. Their journey has shown me some of the specific hardships faced by those affected by autism. It has also shown me how autism is poorly understood by many people, myself included. This is why I’m supporting Autism Speaks. I’ve joined their team and have committed to raising $2,000 for them as well.

So, why am I sharing this here? I want you all to join me! If I meet my fundraising goal, I will do a detailed live trip report all five days I’m in the World. I know how much you all like trip reports! If you think this is worth a few bucks, please consider supporting me here. You can also follow along on my website RunJordanRun.com.

Post script: So ironic - there was a similar charity-related post already today, thanks @bbailey1021. I really like her “bucket list fundraiser” concept, and I’m thinking about how I could do something similar for my trip. Stay tuned…

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For those of you who like to critique plans (or just look at them), I’ve copied my January itinerary below. This will almost certainly change depending on the SW:GE situation and what happens during my family’s Halloween trip.

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I live in Memphis, TN and see the great works St. Jude does everyday. Thanks for your efforts!

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Awesome Paul! I will donate when I get out of work!

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That’s so inspiring, Jordan.

Love the plan. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to do the live trip reports! You may be surprised at how fast time goes by each day at WDW, especially with the races. I don’t usually have time to time my waits for rides on the TP app when I’m there!

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Thanks @robin_brown_664876 !

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Dont look at much feed from trip reports, just the pics😀. My son, that is now 20 is also on the spectrum. It very difficult for people who can not see the “classic” symptoms to understand the difficulties. And then, when they are 18, they are adults. But not. Its difficult to navigate whats the best course of action. Theirs not an abundance of things for the “spectrum”. Different things for different kids. I will definately donate to ur cause. I hope ur sons living his best life.

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Thanks Doc!

DrR is my initials but i do love it when the mistake is made😁

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Great to run for charities but I would suggest looking a little more deeply into Autism Speaks. It has come under very heavy (and deserved, IMO) criticism from members of the autism community. An alternative would be ASAN, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
I do like the title of your runs. Best of luck.

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Yes I have seen some of the criticism. However, I think the organization’s purpose and goals are still worth supporting. And it is the only autism related charity partner for the event. Beyond the fundraising for Autism Speaks, I’m also conducting my own autism awareness campaign personally. So if nothing else, my Dopey Idea is to run a ridiculous amount for attention and use that to educate people about autism. Thanks for your support!

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Happy running and good luck!

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I’ve mentioned this several times, but I have a daughter on the spectrum. She is verbal, so most people can’t see it. She has meltdowns, her handwriting looks like a 3 year old, and it takes her a little longer to do and learn new things than it does most kids. But, she is also the sweetest kid you’ll ever meet. I do worry about her future, but I love that kid so much.

I need to get in shape so I can do this.

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My DS10mo is named Carson! What a brave boy you have with an awesome name! :sunglasses:

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