All photos by www.photorun.net: Winning his third straight Walt Disney World Marathon, energetic Adriano Bastos jumped for joy.

In what has almost become a Disney tradition, Brazilian Adriano Bastos ran away with his fourth Walt Disney World Marathon title, becoming the first runner ever in the event's 14-year history to win four races and sweep three in a row. Bastos, 28, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, posted a time of 2:19:24, nearly 13 minutes faster than his closest competitor.

In the women's field, Gabriela Trana of Costa Rica, running her first marathon ever, pulled away down the stretch to win the women's title. She crossed the finish line at 2:57:03, just ahead of Christa Benton of St. Petersburg, FL (2:57:25) and Elizabete Cruz of Sao Paulo, Brazil (2:59:38).

In the wheelchair division, Renzo Martinez of Boca Raton, FL, streaked to a third consecutive victory with a time of 2:24:34, followed by Rick Thigpen of Murfreesboro, TN, at 2:58:55.

Also, Mary Peters, of St. Augustine, FL, became the 100,000th finisher in the event's history, finishing with a time of 4:50:19. As Peters crossed the finish line, race officials surprised her with a special award ceremony, replete with confetti and celebratory music. She was presented a unique, oversized marathon medal and commemorative Mickey Mouse Ears. In addition, Peters was awarded a complete 2008 Disney Marathon vacation package, including airfare, accommodations at a Disney hotel, meals, Disney theme park tickets, a VIP party and entry into both the 2008 Walt Disney World Half Marathon and 2008 Walt Disney World Marathon races.

Like last year, Bastos was virtually unchallenged over the 26.2- mile course through all four Disney theme parks, grabbing the lead at the start and never relinquishing it. Matthew Dobson, the West Florida University head track coach in Pensacola, FL, was a distant second (2:32:22), followed by Roy Vargas of Costa Rica (2:33:42).

"I love coming to Disney and feel like I am almost a Disney character myself," Bastos said through his interpreter. "It's a special feeling knowing that no one else has won this race so many times," Bastos added. "I love Disney and I love running in this event."

Gabriela Trana (photo), 26, provided the most dramatic finish of the day, bolting from fourth place in the final four miles to challenge for the lead. With less than a mile to go, she overtook Benton to claim the title.

"I ran really hard at the end," said Trana, whose victory has inspired her to go after a spot on the Costa Rican team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. "It was so good to win because it was my first marathon and because it was so much fun running through the different Disney (theme) parks and seeing everything like Cinderella's castle."

A record 32,000 runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes registered for the 2007 Walt Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon. Both events are among the 10 largest fields at their distance in the country.

For the second time in the event's history, the marathon weekend included a "Goofy's Race-and-a-Half Challenge" for participants who competed in both races and the overall 39.3 miles across Walt Disney World Resort during the two days. The runners who accomplished this impressive physical challenge received a special Goofy Medal in addition to the Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse medals, which are awarded to half marathon and marathon finishers, respectively.

The 2008 event will mark its 15th anniversary and again consist of a split-day format with the Walt Disney World Half Marathon scheduled for January 12, 2008 and the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 13, 2008.

Registration for both races opened January 8, 2007.

For more information, to register for the 2008 Walt Disney World Marathon or Half Marathon and to view complete searchable race results for the 2007 events, see disneyworldmarathon.com.

Read about the Walt Disney World Half Marathon and see photos.

Read the "Economics 101" column ("ATF Newswire") by Larry Eder of the Running Network to learn more about money and long distance running.

Photo below: No flying squirrels were spotted crashing onto the sidewalk. But friendly chipmunks, like the Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers duo, brought back cherished childhood memories for Matthew Lavine (33) of Crystal Lake, IL who placed 14th among men in 2:47:37.

Top Finishers in the 2007 Walt Disney World Marathon

Men
Place	Name	        Hometown	       Age	Chip   Clock Time Pace	
1	ADRIANO BASTOS	SAO PAULO, Brazil	28	2:19:24	 2:19:24  5:19	
2	MATTHEW DOBSON	JAY  FL	                37	2:32:22	 2:32:23  5:48	
3	ROY VARGAS	Costa Rica		27	2:33:42	 2:33:43  5:51	
4	SEAN MOORE	SALINE	MI	        23	2:39:27	 2:39:29  6:04	
5	STUART MCLAY	El Salvador		43	2:41:20	 2:41:21  6:09	
6	LANCE JONES	DETROIT	MI	        21	2:41:31	 2:41:32  6:09	
7	ADAM SIEPIOLA	BELLEROSE  NY	        27	2:43:15	 2:43:16  6:13	
8	KEVIN LYONS	PALM HARBOR  FL	        21	2:43:30	 2:43:30  6:14	
9	DAVID GLOVER	RESTON	VA	        35	2:46:09	 2:46:13  6:20	
10	JOHN MCMAHON	BUFFALO	 NY	        40	2:46:13	 2:46:14  6:20	


Women
1	GABRIELA TRANA	Costa Rica		26	2:57:03	 2:57:04  6:45	
2	CHRISTA BENTON	ST PETERSBURG  FL	22	2:57:25	 2:57:26  6:46	
3	ELIZABETE CRUZ 	SAO PAULO, Brazil	34	2:59:38	 2:59:38  6:51	
4	RACHEL CHAMBERS	SARASOTA  FL	        34	3:05:21	 3:05:23  7:04	
5	HARMONY HOLLAND	BRADENTON  FL	        36	3:05:59	 3:06:01  7:05	
6	BRENDA WILSON	STUART	FL	        49	3:06:14	 3:06:14  7:06	
7	DONNA PHILIPPOT	MINNEAPOLIS  MN	        38	3:09:06	 3:09:27  7:12	
8	MICHELLE ELLINGSON  OMAHA  NE	        25	3:09:08	 3:09:25  7:12	
9	JENNIFER HANLEY-PINTO JACKSONVILLE  FL	29	3:09:56	 3:09:57  7:14	
10	STEPHANIE MILLER  OCALA	FL	        27	3:15:56	 3:16:08  7:28	

See our coverage of the Walt Disney World Half Marathon.

Look for full coverage of the 2007 Walt Disney World Marathon & Half Marathon in the March/April 2007 Washington Running Report.