Run Eat Drink Podcast
Welcome to the Run Eat Drink Podcast! This is the podcast where we embark on exciting adventures, combining our love for running, delicious food, and tasty beverages. Whether you’re an elite runner aiming for victory or just starting your “Couch to 5K” journey, we’ve got something for you. Let’s dive into the three pillars of our show:
Accomplish (Run): Accomplishment is deeply personal. Are you eyeing a race series win, planning your next “run-cation,” or hoping to set a personal record in your next half-marathon? Each week, we feature fantastic destination races from around the country. Discover scenic courses, learn about the charities they support, and get inspired to lace up those running shoes. And when we’re not on the road, we share interviews, training tips, and insights from our own running journey.
Explore (Eat): Running and traveling go hand in hand. As we explore new places, we also explore local cuisine. We seek out hidden gems—the eateries that locals rave about. Bold flavors, interesting dishes, and passion for food—that’s what we’re after. After each race, join us as we wander the city streets, discovering post-race refueling spots. Whether it’s a gastropub, a food truck, or a cozy café, we’ve got dining options to satisfy your cravings.
Indulge (Drink): When the running is done, it’s time to unwind. We raise our glasses to celebrate our accomplishments. Local breweries, coffee shops, speakeasies, and watering holes—these are our destinations. From craft beers to artisanal cocktails, we explore the beverage scene. Cheers to a well-deserved drink after crossing the finish line!
Join us on this journey of accomplishment, exploration, and indulgence. Whether you’re a seasoned runner or a curious foodie, there’s a place for you at the Run Eat Drink Podcast.
Run Eat Drink Podcast
RED Episode 315 Sea World’s Rescue Run and The Whiskey in Orlando
RED Episode 315 Sea World’s Rescue Run and The Whiskey in Orlando
SHOUTOUTS
If you want a shout out for you or someone else you love on the show, email us at info@runeatdrink.net or call us and leave a message at 941-677-2733
RUN
Sea World’s Rescue Run 5K - How does it compare to other theme park 5ks? Aimee found out and we will let you know on this episode!
https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/Orlando/SeaWorldsRescueRun
EAT
The Whiskey’s menu is filled with burger delights and starters that can get the meal going or finish it off with a sweeter note, too!
https://www.downatthewhiskey.com/menu/
DRINK
The Whiskey’s crafted cocktails are incredible for the whiskey lover in your life!
https://www.downatthewhiskey.com/drinks/
THAT’S A WRAP!
Thank you for listening! Because of your support, we are in our ninth year of the podcast! Don’t forget to follow us and tell us where to find you next on our website, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Also, check out our store on the website and get some swag, thanks to Pure Creative Apparel. Thanks to www.PodcastMusic.com for providing the music for this episode, too!
Hi everyone. It's Mevka Flezgahi, the Boston Marathon, new York City Marathon champion and Olympic silver medalist, and you are listening to the Run Eat Drink podcast. Welcome to the Run Eat Drink podcast. We feature destination races from across the country and after the race, we take you on a tour of the best local food and beverage to celebrate. And after the race, we take you on a tour of the best local food and beverage to celebrate. So, whether you are an elite runner or a back of the packer like us, you'll know the best places to accomplish, explore and indulge on your next runcation.
Speaker 1:Hey, welcome to episode 315 of the Run Drink Podcast. I'm your host, amy, and flying solo. Today I've got a great show for you, including shout outs, a 5K and a place named after one of our favorite beverages we love whiskey. This week, we bring to you the SeaWorld Rescue Run 5K in Florida and the whiskey food and beverages in Orlando, florida. Yes, it is the summer, it is the time of training, not really the time of high volume miles and racing. We're bringing you some local goodness that we can drive to and possibly inspire you to make some whiskey based beverages of your own at home when you're kicking it back after a long run or a long work week on a Friday night. So that's what this week's show is all about. I know it's been a hot minute.
Speaker 1:I just want to give a shout out to our guest from last show, kevin Maroney, and he is from Siesta Key and he is from Siesta Key Rum Yum. I was going to say rum Yum, and I stopped myself for a minute and I said rum. It is yummy, rummy Rum Rum. Yes, you know what I mean. He was just such a pleasure to chat with via Zoom on the last show. It's a show that is near and dear to our hearts in the summertime because you hit so many of those national days around rum. You have National Rum Day, you have National Mojito Day, national Mai Tai Day. You just have this bevy of days that deserve the best rum. Kevin and the folks there at Siesta Key, they are just killing it. I am in love with the toasted coconut rum, the coffee rum and the Mai Tai that I got to taste when I went on the tour after I ran for the Turtles there in Siesta Key. That would be perfect runcation in the Siesta Key area to have that cap off a great race. That Siesta Key rum is just fabulous. Mai Tai Day is coming up at the end of August. I'm just saying you may want to pick some up at your local Lickl store, at your local Total Wine or ABC, or you can go on their website and find their ramen where it's located near you. Kevin, thank you for an amazing show on a spirit that we love.
Speaker 1:There are some other shout outs that we have this week Jessica Lynn O'Keefe and Eric Million. We have to say congratulations on your Bridge of the Gods half marathon. She sent us some clips of the vistas, the views, the stairs that you apparently have to do twice. We need to get them on the show. To recap, that, incidentally, was also a birthday celebration. So, jessica, fan of the show, founder and supporter of the Runny Drink podcast, a patron of ours, happy birthday back on August 1st. We hope you had a wonderful celebration. And on the topic of birthday shout outs, christina from the Metal Chasers, bill and Christina Craig. They do those virtual races supporting great causes and supporting coaching through Metal Chasers and it's just fabulous. Happy, belated birthday to both Jessica and Christina. 21st birthday, hope you had a wonderful time. Hope you had an amazing runcation or training, run or food and beverage, or all of the above. And if you want a shout out on the show for you or for someone you care about, it could be for a birthday, a run, a training run, a distance they have not conquered yet that they conquered and now you want to celebrate them, or it could be a shout out for an amazing accomplishment that's not running related or that is running related. Either way, if you want to shout out for and become Runcation Nation famous, we can make your friend or family member Runcation Nation famous. Email us at, you can write it out or attach a voice memo of 30 seconds to a minute and we can play it on the show and make your Runcation Nation famous. Now, if you want to do the recording, I would say the old school or old fashioned way, let's say you can leave us a message at 941-677-2733. So, once again, that's email us at info at runeatdrinknet or call and leave us a message at 941-677-2733.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk running. And yes, like I said at the top of the show, it is what? Hotter than the surface of the sun here in Florida, the humidity, the feels like temperatures. They're in the triple digits. I know that some of you are facing this dry heat, maybe in Arizona, maybe in Arizona, the deep humidity and thunderstorms of the summer that you have to train around. You really do have to train around that weather. You have to get up at oh dark ridiculous. Or wait until the sun goes down to get some temperature that is survivable for your long run. I don't know what tips or tricks you have making it through this hot, this humid heat in the midst of summer, but I know that some of you are very resourceful. One of our tricks is to run 5Ks for good causes or 10Ks for good causes, specifically theme parks. Now on this show we have done Disneyland races, we've done Walt Disney World races, but we've never done SeaWorld races. Yes, this is the first time on our show that we have featured a SeaWorld run and it's a rescue run, so it benefits a great cause the animals and their care at SeaWorld. And I wanted to do this one. I got up at oh Dark Ridiculous yes, I've used it twice now in the same episode oh Dark Ridiculous To drive up to Orlando on a Saturday in June to do the SeaWorld Rescue Run, which is a 5K within the park, and I wanted to see how it compared to a Disney run.
Speaker 1:Would there be DJs, cheer squads, music, how would the shade be? Are the attractions running? What is the comparison? How are the race announcers and size of the race? Because they've had it for several years. If you look on SeaWorld's website, they've had it for several years. If you look on SeaWorld's website, they've had it for a few years now and it's on run sign up. If you want to register for it next year, if you are going to be in the Orlando area taking a summer vacation and hitting the theme parks, you can also get a training run in Kick-ass medal. I'm going to say also get a training run in Kick-ass medal. I'm going to say For SeaWorld it was blue and green, like the blue and the green of the ocean. It's sparkly, it's silver, it's got some heft to it. It's as big as my hand. It might be as big as Dana's hand. The Run Sign Up website makes it so easy for race organizers.
Speaker 1:It took me about three hours to get there from our hometown in Cape Coral. I got there with five minutes to spare. The people doing the check-in process in the parking lot of SeaWorld were still there and I got to check in and I got my bib and I was maybe one of the last people to cross the start line, but it gave me a chance to see that there were not corrals per se. It's like a Jeff Galloway race in Atlanta when we had Barb's 5k and they said just line up in the front if you are a faster runner, and then if you're in middle of the pack, just go in the middle and then if you're going to be a walker or if you've got a stroller or a pet or a guide or service animal, towards the back. So that's the way it's set up. There was music, there was a race announcer, a very profesh race announcer.
Speaker 1:Now was it the team? If I'm doing a comparison between this SeaWorld run, I would like to say that SeaWorld is maybe run Disney light. I'll say it's Run Disney Lite very light. They are in the beginning stages. Could they build up to what Disney has, what Run Disney has during Wine and Dine Princess Springtime Marathon Weekend? Sure they could.
Speaker 1:This one was not. There were not thousands of runners. I would say there were runners lining up. When I arrived, parking was a breeze. We used the parking lot of the theme park and part of the parking lot was the race check-in and then we lined up adjacent to the parking lot, lined up adjacent to the parking lot and we were off and there were confetti and streamers that were green and blue and all of that. There was a race shirt as well, but it was not a tech shirt, it was a cotton white shirt with the rescue run logo on it. It could be good for a hot day, but not for a run because, as we know, cotton and long runs, especially in the summer.
Speaker 1:So the size of the race we've talked about the course was throughout the park. You got to see the coasters, you got to see the stadiums where SeaWorld would have different shows. They had an educational show for all of the participants after the kids' run was over, because there was a 5K and then the kids' run and they had discounts on park tickets the day of the run. That was great. They had different employees at different segments of the park with handheld stuffed or balloon animals. So there were sharks, there were dolphins, turtles, fish. It was so cute, their staff was so motivating and you could hear the music, because there are so many stadiums where shows go on throughout the park, in addition to the coasters and all the food and beverage fun that SeaWorld has to offer. But because you have the stadiums with speakers, the music was pumped in and playing the entirety of the 5K, self-contained in the park, not even in the parking lot. You had jams that were upbeat the entire way, even if you didn't have headphones in.
Speaker 1:I was the very last runner to finish. I walked the whole thing because I am combating this injury that just will not seem to go away my knee and my back and, like Dana and I have this 2025, we've been broken, but he's been broken since 2024. So I was the last runner, last runner, and what I loved is there was a woman with her guide dog, her emotional support dog, that was stopping to take pictures of the dog gorgeous German Shepherd. At some of the highlights of the course, like the entrance to some of the coasters or unique places where there might be character photo opportunities as a theme park guest, it was so fun and everybody was still out there. When I got a picture with a dolphin, which was so fun, and I got lots of applause by the volunteers and the SeaWorld team when I crossed the finish line. It was great. I enjoyed that morning so very much. There were wonderful people on the course who were just there to enjoy the atmosphere. Was it hot? Yes, did we get bananas and water as post-race snacks, in addition to the metal and the white cotton shirt? Yes, would I do it again? I think I would.
Speaker 1:It's a great little summer fun run, especially if you are vacationing in the Orlando area. Is it as big as a run Disney and just glammed up as a run Disney race? No, small and friendly races have their places. It's like when you run the turkey trot in your local town. You're not expecting run Disney. You got DJs up on huge rigs every so often, characters and videos of Disney movies. It had its own special charm and what I loved about it is they didn't cut anybody off the course. They let me finish, despite how many times I stopped to stretch my T-band. So they were friendly. It was great. Bananas and water at the finish, restrooms galore because it was in the park proper and it was just a fine family fun race and I would do it again.
Speaker 1:So the SeaWorld Rescue Run, the 2025 run, is still up on the run sign up website, but it has occurred every year. Look for the 2026 version If you're going to be in the Orlando area in June. It would be a great and different thing to do as a part of a family vacation at that time of year. Well done, seaworld. Cheers to you. Not beverage yet. So let's not say cheers, let's say all this running made me hungry, made me starving. So what did I do? Later on in the day, actually in the evening, I went to a place with a co-owner and founder of Pure Creative Apparel, pam Gonzalez. She supplies our race shirts. She supplies our podcast shirts. She's made specialty designs. She and Ariel have made specialty designs for us from Pure Creative Apparel. They're just fabulous people.
Speaker 1:I was in the Orlando area she lives there and picked me up from the hotel where I was staying by SeaWorld. She and I discovered together the whiskey. The whiskey for the first time I had never been there and it's not on. There's a bar, but then there's also a small space for live music. There's plenty of seating that is not at the bar but has the feel of a speakeasy but also a cozy atmosphere, as if you're coming in out of the cold weather to be by a fire atmosphere, as if you're coming in out of the cold weather to be by a fire. But trust me, there's plenty of AC there. Their game is whiskey. Their theme is whiskey, whiskey, this, whiskey, that.
Speaker 1:And so we started with whiskey chips. This is the description House cooked chips, chunky, smoked blue cheese sauce, blue cheese crumbles, citrus, marinated pork, balsamic glaze, diced tomatoes and scallions. The chips were crisp, the blue cheese gave it that funk, the balsamic glaze gave it sweetness and the pork was meaty and tender. The tomatoes and the scallions just gave it that element of freshness. You could get that perfect bite with all of that. Oh was so good and it's a great starter for a table to share. So we started with that.
Speaker 1:And then we went on to their burger list, and their burger list is they have a whiskey burger onto their burger list and their burger list is they have a whiskey burger. They have all sorts of different burgers for you to try. We just had one that caught our eye because it seemed unique. I hadn't seen a burger with a poached pear on it ever. It was a different twist on it ever it was a different twist we hadn't seen on a menu. It's called the salty pear on their burger list and they have a house patty arugula tomato, whiskey onions, a bourbon, poached pear, smoked applewood bacon, creamy brie sauce and garlic aioli. And we had it with a side of their onion rings. Their onion rings were crisp. You took a bite out of it and the onion didn't come out of the breading and it was just hearty and crisp and delicious.
Speaker 1:The burger, the bun held up to the burger. It was the house patty, cooked perfectly. The arugula added the pepperiness. The whiskey onions had a slight sweetness and a smokiness. The bourbon poached pear you have that kind of graininess of a pear but then it was soft and then you have the smokiness and crunchiness of the bacon and the brie added its own level of creaminess and then a slight hint of garlic from the aioli. Hello, my friend, my beautiful friend.
Speaker 1:This burger was amazing and let me just tell you that we had three courses, but the dessert was not from the dessert menu, it was another starter. It was called the S and S potatoes and it says sweet potato waffle fries. That's right, sweet potato waffle fries tossed in cinnamon sugar and drizzled with Amy's favorite caramel. You know that's a winner. Winner. A starter is a dessert for dinner. Yes, it was so good. The sweet potato fry had that element of sweetness and then the cinnamon sugar and they were crisp on the outside and the caramel was just perfect. Like you could just drag one of the sweet potato waffle fries through the caramel and it was just magical. It was like the best sweet potato souffle you would ever have at a holiday. Those kinds of flavors in waffle fries Just amazing. And these are only the whiskey chips, the salty pear burger and the S&S potatoes. That's just the tip of the iceberg as far as their menu goes Amazing, delicious. You should check out even more of their menu and we will link to it in the show notes.
Speaker 1:But that's not all we had there, because it's called the whiskey. So guess what their specialty is? Whiskey crafted cocktails. I had the whiskey old fashioned, which was the whiskey single barrel jack, orange bitters, rhubarb bitters, raw cane sugar, fresh orange and a Traverse City black cherry and rock candy stir. This old fashioned was great. It was smoky, but not too smoky. There was freshness and sweetness. If you like an old fashioned, you will like this old fashioned. But then we also had what's called the black apple. You could even have whiskey flights if you wanted to. They were great, great.
Speaker 1:We had what's called the black apple and they also have different team members that create new cocktails every so often that gets refreshed on their menu. But we had the Black Apple and that's Irish whiskey apple liqueur, fresh blackberry, lemon juice, simple syrup and cranberry juice. The fresh blackberries that were muddled there in the glass with the lemon juice, the tartness of the lemon juice and the sweetness of the simple syrup and the cranberry juice added an extra layer of that fruit tart flavor. It was dynamite. The whiskey old fashioned and the black apple were real winners and the rest of their beverage menu looked amazing and we were pleasantly enjoying some cocktails at the end with our amazing meal at the whiskey in Orlando, and we highly recommend it.
Speaker 1:I know that if Pam were here she would say two thumbs up. In fact, I think she and her family went to sit down at a table and had additional items from the menu. Maybe we'll have her on for a bonus for our patrons to talk about what they did have. Stay tuned for that In the meantime. That's a wrap for this weekend.
Speaker 1:I just want to take this time to say thank you to everybody who is a part of the Runcation Nation who has supported us in this very difficult year. We've had a year full of injury and really challenging times in our family. And thank you enough for the support and love that you give. If you wouldn't mind, give us a review on your podcast platform, wherever you are, that's how we get discovered, that's how we get served more often. Apple Podcasts is a big one, spotify is a big one, but anywhere you get your podcasts, if you could give us a rating review, we would surely appreciate it Again. That's a wrap. Thank you for joining us on your long run, your commute to work around the house, wherever you are. I'm your host, amy. Stay safe and well and we will accomplish, explore and indulge you really.
