The Villages Daily Sun

LAKE BUENA VISTA — Villager Beth Braun crossed the finish line at this weekend’s inaugural Twilight Zone Tower of Terror race at Walt Disney World with her two daughters, son-in-law and more than 4,000 runners from around the nation.

“My daughters keep pushing me to do events like this with them,” said the Village of Calumet Grove resident. “Every year on my birthday they give me a pair of running shoes. This year on my birthday, Oct. 15, sure enough I got a new pair of running shoes from them.”

Braun proudly wore those new running shoes Saturday night for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 6.5 kilometer race. Her daughters, 28-year-old Erica Sessions of Atlanta and 35-year-old Stephanie Simeone of the Washington D.C., area ran the longer 13K event. Braun’s son-in-law Nick Simeone joined her in the 6.5K race.

The 6.5K event began at Disney MGM Studios and wound through attractions such as Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat, before heading through Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex and then back to Disney-MGM Studios, with runners finishing at the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Many runners competed in Halloween costumes.

Braun, who moved to the Villages from the Atlanta area 2 1/2 years ago, has been doing a lot of training with her daughters during the past several years.

Twice the trio has completed the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk which covers 60 miles in three days. Braun is in training now for the Jacksonville Beach Half-Marathon which will be in February.

Braun said her daughters’ support has been crucial to her willingness to keep pushing the limits. The daughters give all the credit to their mother.

“She has really taken this seriously. And we love coming to the Villages and visiting and training with her. We are practically Villagers ourselves,” daughter Erica said.

In addition to her daughters, Braun credits the Mulberry Grove Recreation Center aerobics instructors for pushing her to stay fit.

“Those aerobics instructors show no mercy,” Braun joked.

This weekend’s race enjoyed the usual Disney flair as it was run under the night sky with actors and actresses playing insane mental patients along the course. A fireworks display served as the race’s starting gun. The familiar “Twilight Zone” theme music could be heard echoing at various points throughout the race.

Of course, Braun has a favorite “Twilight Zone” television episode — “The Eye of the Beholder” which originally aired in November 1960.

“It’s the one where the woman is having surgery to make her beautiful, but the doctors and nurses take off their masks at the end and they have snouts and pig faces,” Beth said.

The daughters remember when they were young and their mother first prompted them to watch a rerun of that “Twilight Zone” episode many years after it had originally aired.

“Of course, there were no VCRs back then so it was a big deal when that “Twilight Zone” episode came on TV again in syndication,” said daughter Stephanie. “I remember we sat there glued to the TV.”

The family also has a strong bond with Walt Disney World. In addition to being frequent Disney visitors, daughter Erica and her husband tied the knot there in 2005.

The weekend Disney event benefited the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Meta Minton is a managing editor with the Daily Sun and may be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9332 or by email at meta.minton@thevillagesmedia.com.