Sorry about being a little behind on this topic, but my weeks are pretty busy these days.
Anyway . . .
As posted by Lisa, please, please, please be sure to remember the difference between the elites and the elitest.
Your thread is similar to what I told my daughter one day during her high school years. During the summer I would play soccer in the evenings with the varsity men at our College, and I asked Lesley to come along. Her first reaction was, "I'm not nearly good enough to play with those guys." Well, true, but completely false (I was in my early 40's, and I wasn't up to their level any more either). I told Lesley that the guys all know she is a player, and to anyone who loves to play soccer, all players are respected, and all players are welcome on the pitch. Sure, there are enormous differences in ability and skill, but a player is a player. Young or old, male or female, and they are all welcome. She bucked up the courage to step onto the field with men and learned that sure, she wasn't nearly the player they were, but regardless of that, they welcomed her on the field, and treated her like any other player. In fact, one of our players ran right over her, and they both went down in a heap. When they both got up laughing I knew I had won this one. A player is a player. In my parenting career, that was one of the lessons that seemed to stick. If you work, try, and have the courage to step out there, the good folks are glad to have you. I cannot tell you the pride I felt being on the pitch, playing a game I love with the girl I adore, because she had the guts to try.
I've had the pleasure to run in a few events with elite runners, and it was a thrill. I'm sure they didn't worry about me, and I sure didn't worry about them, but we both did the training and ran the race. Perhaps my biggest thrill in running was an out and back 15K over 20 years ago which I finished sub-60 minutes. I was flying by my own internal clock, about 6:20 per mile, and I'll be damned if I wasn't at about mile 3.7 when the fast guys came back past me, at about mile 5.5. All I could think of was "WOW."
First, remember that the really, really fast runners will not be at Disney. Not enough $ and status. Second, remember that the vast majority of runners are folks like us. Third, remember that many, many of the runners will be doing this for the first time. I, for example, will do my first ever full marathon on January 8. Am I apprehensive? You bet. Am I worried about what people think of me? Absolutely not, as I'm facing the same training and race distance as the other runners. Am I glad to have a lot of folks like me out there? You bet again.
Anyone who make a smart *** comment is a fool. I'd be surprised if 1% of the runners in January, or at any other race are fools. The rest of us welcome anyone, and RESPECT ANYONE who has done the work to get to the starting line.
Finally, sorry about the length of my rant, remember that the race is the fun part. The training for weeks and months in advance is sometimes fun and sometimes a terrible strain, but the race is your reward. Enjoy every step of the race, because YOU DID THE WORK to get to the start.
11 tomorrow morning, and I wasn't at this point until early December last year. I can hardly wait for January 7 and 8.
Cheers to all.
Craig
Not a site I'd want to see...
This is the slowest pace I have ever gone, but the most rewarding. I was the team leader and walked with my mom, sis, dad, DH, BIL, and best friend (who I went with her to all her chemo treatments - she is only 37 - was 36 when she discovered her lump in her breast.) We laughed, talked, and took everything in the whole way. 
. I walked it in 60 min. Not fast enough to finish ahead of the sweepers but I have time to build up speed. I decided to start with week 3 long walk because I very seldom walk less than 3 miles when I decide to go out and actually do it.
