Yahoo!’s Jodie Kahn will be leading the first balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

So, what does it take to navigate a 77-foot-long, 430-pound Spiderman balloon through the streets of New York while millions of people are watching on live television?

Jodie, who is director of platform business strategy for Yahoo’s Right Media, is about to find out.

Although this will be Jodie’s 8th year participating in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, it will be her first as a captain of a big, new balloon. And she’ll be guiding the first balloon of the day, no less.

Jodie, who reports that you need good running shoes, muscles, a sense of humor and a bit of technical training to take on the volunteer job, gave us a behind-the-scenes peek at the preparations for the big event.

While the rest of us will have to tune in to NBC or CBS at 9 a.m. Thursday morning to cheer Jodie on, her New York Yahoo colleagues will have prime seats for the festivities.  For the first time in its 83-year history, the parade will pass by the Yahoo! building!

Good luck to Jodie–and Happy Thanksgiving from Yahoo!