SCHERERVILLE | Her husband and mom knew, but as Betsy McCabe crossed the finish line at the Walt Disney World Marathon, she had no clue she was one of the fastest in the crowd of thousands.
Every stride was tracked by a chip on her shoe, feeding statistics to a Web site. Back in Indiana, her mom followed her progress online and called Betsy's husband, Jeff McCabe, to report that Betsy was one of the female leaders.
When she crossed the finish line, her husband congratulated her and told her she was the 13th woman to finish the race.
"I said, 'No way!'" Betsy McCabe recalled.
The 31-year-old Schererville resident didn't envision where she'd place; her only goal was to finish the Jan. 10 marathon in three hours and 10 minutes.
After three hours and 15 minutes, she was done. Behind her were more than 16,500 people. She placed 205th overall and 13th out of the 8,154 female runners, according to active.com, which posted the results.
She was injured while she trained and during the marathon, Jeff McCabe said.
"She had tendonitis in three parts on her foot, causing pain in her calf and whole leg," he said.
Betsy McCabe, a math teacher and cross-country coach at Homewood-Flossmoor High School, has been running since she was a student at Grimmer Middle School 20 years ago.
With a few Chicago marathons under her belt, she thought it would be fun to run the Disney marathon.
The race started at 5:30 a.m., but participants had to be there by 4. Florida, known for its typically warm weather, was at the height of freezing conditions. Runners began the marathon in 27-degree weather, McCabe said.
"It was really cold which, in the end, helped me, because I've been training in the cold," she said.
The route took her through Epcot Center, up to the Magic Kingdom, then through the Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios before finishing back at Epcot.
Along the route, a lounge singer crooned and a piano man played carnival tunes. Disney characters stood in support.
"I high-fived Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse," McCabe said.
When she ran past her husband, a group of bystanders he befriended joined in applause.
"I heard him say, 'There's my wife!' and everyone cheered," she said. "He's my biggest supporter."
After all, he stood for three hours in 30-degree weather, she said.
