F1 drivers by nature are adrenaline junkies, who often take part in adventure holidays to maintain fitness and to compensate for the buzz they get from racing. Marc Webber is a cycling enthusiast who regularly takes part in competitions and Jenson Button is a Triathlon competitor when not racing his McLaren. However, for Grand Prix veteran Rubens Barrichello, his training regime at Florida‘s theme parks is a little different to his colleagues’ endeavours.
The Brazilian loves theme parks and has regularly visited Orlando Disney World for over 25 years.
The low profile that Formula 1 has in the USA means that he and his family can wander around practically unnoticed, despite it being the world’s busiest theme park. (It saw an estimated 17 million visitors through its doors last year.)
“It’s very peaceful and my kids enjoy it so much,” he told ESPN.
Barrichello also found a way to combine his love of theme parks and maintaining his training regime by taking part in a half-marathon at Disney World. The event took place in January last year with the route stretching from Epcot, the Disney science theme park, to the Magic Kingdom. It was Barrichello’s first half-marathon and he eventually finished 1,671st out of 17,143 runners.
“I did it for pleasure and fitness,” he said.
The event was actually hampered by snow and rain – not the kind of weather you’d usually associate with a holiday in Orlando – making it hard for all the competitors. However, this year Barrichello was able to take part again, improving by finishing in 1, 208th place.
