This weekend is the Disney Marathon Weekend. I have run the 26.2 magical miles x’s 4. And last year I ran the inaugural Dopey Challenge – 4 straight days, 4 straight races – Thurs 5k, Fri 10k, Sat 13.1, Sun 26.2. For all those running any of the events this weekend, or thinking about running in the future, here’s my official guide.
BE SURE TO CLICK ON THE RECAP LINKS BELOW FOR TONS OF PICS/VIDS/INSIGHT!!!!
The 6 Dopey Challenge Medals.
1. The Expo!
Yup, that’s an expo.
The Expo is Huuuuuuge. It’s takes over three buildings at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. You pick up your race packets, you get to see famous expert speakers, and you shop. You can shop for miles. It can be pretty overwhelming, but luckily there is a bar on hand where you can relax with a cold one, if you so desire.
Our boy has run the Kids’ Race x’s 3. The races also take place at the ESPN sports complex. Distances depend on age and desire, from the 100 to a mile. And yes, parents can run with their kids. And yes, it can be pretty chaotic. The start times, corrals, etc. can AND DO change at the drop of a hat. My advice: Be early, be ready, be flexible. They are a lot of fun though, and it’s great to get kids involved in the marathon weekend.
To read my full in depth Kids’ Races recap, CLICK HERE NOW!
3. The 5k (or Day 1 of the Dopey Challenge)!
All smiles at the finish photo line!
The 5k takes place on Thursday at the parking lot of Epcot. The race itself basically takes you in and around the theme park. It’s actually kind of neat to be in the park before it’s open. They still have characters you can take pictures with, and tons of volunteers to cheer for you. And just like that, it’s over. A quick 3.1 miles through Epcot.
Don’t really need gloves in Florida heat, but ya know…
2014 was the also the inaugural 10k. I gotta say, this was probably the least exciting of all the races. Again, you start/end at Epcot, but the first 3 miles you are on the dark roads outside the park. There’s a little entertainment, but mostly it’s silent. The second 3 miles you do run through a resort before entering Epcot to the finish – that part is fun!
5. The Half Marathon (or Day 3 of Dopey & Day 1 of The Goofy Challenge)
Yes, I wore a child’s Snow White apron.
The half marathon again starts/ends at Epcot. The difference is here that you do an out and back from the park to Magic Kingdom and back. The highlight is running through Magic Kingdom (and thru Cinderella’s Castle), but in between the two parks, again you’re just running on roads. Of course, they do have people cheering, characters, entertainment, and there’s more to see (resorts, etc.). And this race can be a lot of fun.
To read my full in depth Half Marathon recap, CLICK HERE NOW!
6. The Marathon (or Day 4 of Dopey & Day 2 of Goofy)
Medals 6/6 (includes Dopey & Goofy bonus medals)
The marathon is the shining jewel of the whole weekend. The granddaddy. The big kahuna. And it’s my favorite as well. Over the course of 26.2 miles, you go through all the theme parks (Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios) as well as through several resorts and also a lap on the race car track and a jaunt through the ESPN sports complex (incl. a lap on the track & baseball stadium). There is excellent support along the course & tons of entertainment. This is Disney at it’s best. They pull out all the bells & whistles. Really a magical marathon.
Of course, Disney is a big draw. Not only for tourists, but for runners as well. I’m really happy that at the Disney races I’ve run, I’ve been able to meet-up with so many long lost (and new) friends. At the Dopey Challenge, I couldn’t believe how many old friends, fellow bloggers, etc. that I had the fortune to meet up with.
Of course, Orlando is a huge tourist destination. There’s tons to do and see there. Disney World has so much to offer. But so do others, such as Universal. So many rides, foods, drinks, good times.
To see my in depth recap of how we celebrated CLICK HERE NOW!
9. Finally, Be Thankful!
Anyone who runs, knows it takes a lot of support. Months and months of early morning miles can’t happen without the support of family, friends, social media pals, etc. This was not lost on me when I was Dopey last year. And so I made sure to thank everyone – from fellow runners to fellow bloggers to the fams.
So to all you who are running in any or all of the races this Disney Marathon Weekend, I wish you the bestest of luck! Whether you’re running or not, or just thinking about running this event in the future – hit me up with any questions you have! I’ll try to help! Soooooo……
Today’s Question: What Disney Marathon Weekend questions do you have for me?
Sorry I’ve been MIA recently…well, actually I wish I was in MIA as it would be a lot warmer than it is here in Texas this week. But I digress…
Yes, we also got that Arctic Blast that blasted much of the USA. It went from 80 degrees on Monday, to below freezing for the rest of the week. Let’s just say that my transition to cold running hasn’t been so pretty. I still ran each day, but I wasn’t loving it.
So cold that a snowflake formed on my shirt.
Now I know that it could be much worse, and it is much worse up North, but I feel Frozen. Ah well, I just need to let it go. (See what I did there)
Before the cold snap blasted our backsides, we were able to sneak in a season’s end party for the Landsharks. I guess we had a decent enough season because they renewed my coaching contract for next season.
We couldn’t get one picture all season with all eyes open.
And now for some other cold cool news. I’ve been named an ambassador for Ramblen! You can see my Ramblen profile HERE!!!
What is Ramblen? Basically they’re for folks who like to take their workout gear with them when they travel. It helps you find places to run, workout, etc. when visiting a city…or even finding new places in your own hometown. Pretty cool.
I like this because I always take my running shoes when I travel. Like in North Crackalaka…
Running in OBX, NC, USA.
Or in sunny Orlando…
Running at Disney World.
Or on the open sea…
Runnin during an Alaskan cruise.
I gotta tell you about that last photo. I need to write a post on it someday, but let me just say that the miles fly by when the views are like this…
Mountains & icebergs.
Or like this…
Mountains & glaciers.
I’ve been to Alaska a couple times. It.Is.Uhmaizing. I can’t even describe the views there. Maybe someday I’ll get to run a race there (that’s not on a cruise ship). We’ll see!
How bout you? Do you workout when you travel? Did you get arctic blasted? What’s the most amazing place you’ve seen?
I’ve done tons of races. From the 40 yard dash, all the way up to a full marathon.
Fire bad!
But I think we need to make a change. And so I totes wrote an original poem about how I’m going about it:
*I’m Starting With The Man In The Mirror. I’m Asking Him To Change His Ways. And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer. If You Wanna Make The World A Better Race Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change. Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na, Na Nah*
When I was training for the Disney Dopey Challenge I started wondering. That’s what happens when you run a lot of miles – you have time to think. I started wondering why only the ‘Marathon’ has a real name. As in, “I’m running a marathon.”
And a TBT race.
Now there’s also the half marathon. And that makes sense because it’s half the distance of a full marathon (coincidentally).
Doin work son.
But what about our other most common races? The 5k, the 10k, the 15k, the 10 miler, etc. Why don’t they have names? Why do we call them by their distances? Why don’t we call a marathon a “42.195k?”
Trailblazing.
Most of us know the story of the ancient Greek soldier who ran the first ‘marathon’ to relay the news of their victory in battle. Phidippides supposedly ran just about 26.2 miles to the plains of Marathon to tell the tale, then promptly died. So yes, that makes sense that we’d call it a marathon since there’s a story behind it.
But what about a 5k?
At a recent Relay Race – We’re totes synchronized.
I did some research and according to the experts at Wikipedia, it’s loosely based on a race from the ancient Olympics called a Dolichos. Which was about the same distance. Ok, then, let’s call a 5k a Dolichos. Deal?
Battle of the lobster backs.
What about a 10k? Well I couldn’t find crap about it’s history other than it first appeared in the Olympics in Stockholm in 1912.
Running a race with my sis.
Since we name the Marathon after the area it first happened, then maybe we should call the 10k a ‘Stockholm’?
I finished this race despite only having one leg.
But then what about the 5k? Do we call it a ‘half Stockholm’? Or is the 10k a ‘double Dolichos’? I think I like the latter better.
Running all the miles.
I still have more research to do about the other random distances, but I think we’re off to a good start. Until then, I’m getting ready for a Double Dolichos next week. Bring it!
How bout you? Any inside info as to why races are called what they’re called? Any ideas for new names? Anyone have a Dolichos coming up?
If you missed any of my recaps of the Dopey Challenge, you can see them here: 5k, 10k, 13.1, 26.2.
After we finished the Dopey Challenge, it was time to celebrate. I learned a few years back to book a few days AFTER a destination race to do the sightseeing (not before!).
It’s official – I’m Dopey and Goofy.
And props to the boy for putting up with being in Orland for 4 days without visiting a theme park! Now he was to get his long awaited reward!
He was all smiles by now (and stole my sister’s hat).
Immediately after the final race (26.2), which ended at Epcot, we went ahead into the park. They have a few fun rides there, though most of em aren’t all that exciting (the boy likes them though). A lot of people visit for the different countries (some like to drink around the world). There’s a pub there where we had a celebratory Guinness or two. Then we ate some tacos in Mexico. To be honest, after running four races through Epcot, I was ready for a change of scenery.
After four days of running through Epcot, it was time to wave goodbye.
The next day my mom, sis, the boy and I hit up the Magic Kingdom. It was fun to be there without having to run through it like we had in the previous days!
We chose an unique location for a photo. OK, everyone who visits takes the same snapshot.
Yes, we wore our Dopey medals – When else would we get a chance? It’s also a great conversation starter with other runners, and non runners alike. The amount of “Congrats!” we got was unbelievable…especially from the “cast members” (Disney employees).
On the Buzz Lightyear ride with the boy. It was very exciting (it’s always good to know where the cameras are).
I’ve always loved the Magic Kingdom. I’m constantly amazed by their attention to detail and cleanliness. And this visit, we got a rare treat. They are redesigning Fantasyland and as part of that the Beauty and the Beast portion has a new castle restaurant. It’s a 6 month wait for reservations, but we were able to snag one that day! LUCKY!
Just a couple o’ sad gargoyles outside the castle entrance.
And while you can have an adult bevie at other Disney parks, never ever could you at Magic Kingdom (unless you sneak it in, I suppose, like a teenager injecting vodka into oranges, and then eating the oranges in the park). But now at dinner service only, you can order a drinky poo. My sis and I had some wine.
We so fancy.
And remember the attention to detail I mentioned…even the napkins were folded like the Beast’s enchanted rose.
We had until the last petal fell off to find true love. Or until we finished eating at least.
The “real” rose.
We went ahead and made this our celebratory meal. Though I didn’t pig out on fatty food like we’re supposed to post big races. They had some wild Scottish salmon that I had to get.
I know I kind of ruined the presentation when I added the broccoli (that the boy didn’t want to eat).
I also actually had a desert. I never have dessert. No real sweet tooth in my mouth.
We like to hug before dessert.
After we ate, we had an audience with the host of our meal.
He was very gracious and has the most stunning blue eyes.
We spent the rest of the day riding rides (of course I had to go on Pirates of the Caribbean)!
Capt. Grif didn’t like the flash on my phone.
It was another great visit to Magic Kingdom!
The same castle as earlier, but at night.
The next day we hit up Universal Studios. I love their theme parks!!! No, they aren’t as clean, classy, and family oriented as Disney, but they have some really extreme and fun rides! This time around we hit up the new Simpsons Springfield.
We got a Duff beer at Moe’s Tavern!
But then I had a misunderstanding with the chief.
One of the coolest new rides was the Transformers one. And outside they had Bumblebee. This was an actual moving character, not a statue….
I guess that’s my “Transformers” pose.
And of course we had to stop by Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. I am a huuuge Parrothead, so this is always a must!
Booze in the blender…
The next day, we hit up one more park – Disney’s Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM). Again, it was fun to be there leisurely and not all sweaty like when we ran though it for the marathon.
Big wizard hat.
The highlight here was for the boy. He had been waiting a year to be chosen to fight Darth Vader at the Star Wars part of the park. This year he made it in got some light saber training from his Jedi master.
Like a choreographed dance they were.
Then he got to fight the dark lord himself!
Attack the dark side!
Then we took a ride on one of those things they rode in one of those movies.
Look out for that tree!
And we were able to meet up with the man mouse himself, Mickey!
He hadn’t had time to change out of his robe yet.
And thus concluded our Disney adventure. I must say we had a lot of fun and I tip my hat to them!
See what I did there?
So there it is!
How bout you? Do you plan vacations around races? Do you sight see before or after? What’s your fave Orlando attraction?
This is it. The last race of four on consecutive days. If you missed my recaps of the earlier races, you can see them here: 5k then 10k then 13.1 half marathon.
Now we have the 26.2 full marathon to complete the Goofy and Dopey Challenges. I had stuck to my plan of running personal worsts (PW) for the first three races. Now I wanted to go for it in the final race.
Ready to go 26.2 rounds with Mr. Mile.
My “A” goal was to break 4 hours (9:10 per mile). Considering my pace at shorter distances, I should be able to shatter 4 hours, but I have yet to do it. My “B” goal was to PR (PB). I would accomplish one of the two goals.
Traditional pre-race family photo.
We got a gift this day from the Weather Channel gods. The temps went from hot and humid the day before at the half, to chilly (and a little humid) for the full!!! It was in the 50’s (American) at the start!
With Sis on way to the corral!
Even thought it was chilly, I knew my body temp would warm up once we started running, so I wore light clothes – including a new Ohio University tech tee that the wife got me for Christmas!
Ain’t I purdy?
I also carried the GoPro camera with me. Looking back, it probably was a bad decision considering I was going for a PR. It definitely took energy and brain power (I don’t have much to spare) to use it throughout the course. But I decided to take it anyway, and I don’t really regret that. We did pass some cool attractions along the way.
Mid race selfie vision.
The edited down video is a bit blair-witchy, but I think it shows the race experience. It’s funny to watch how I go from cracking jokes and getting somewhat stable shots, to gradually having zero sense of humor nor the energy to hold my arm out straight! Haha!
The night before the full I spoke via phone with my “coach” – My good friend (and awesome endurance athlete) Rexy. We actually have history of sports at Disney World. In college, we were cheerleaders and competed in the National Championships there my senior year.
Rexy is 3rd from left in front. I’m 2nd from right in back.
Anyway, she gave me a pep talk and helped work out the race strategy. She said to stick to exactly 4 hr pace for the first half. Then evaluate how I felt and pick up the pace if I could for the next 7 miles. Then let it all hang out the last 6.2. She told me to leave it on the course, and that if I crash, it’s better to do so the last few miles knowing that at least I tried.
Peace homey.
Again, we had a 2am wake up call. And the race started at 5:30am. The course began and ended at Epcot. It immediately went from there to the Magic Kingdom.
26.2 magical miles. Click to enlarge.
The first few miles were a bit crowded. I wasn’t able to go my normal pace, and I had to do some weaving. By the time we got to Magic Kingdom, I knew from the clock that I was going too slow. But I also knew I had time to correct that. 5 Mile in 47:39 – 9:32 per mile.
Runnin Down Main St, USA!
We got into the park – which is the highlight for me. It’s still dark out, and the whole park is lit up. Main St. is lined with tons of cheering spectators. And Cinderella’s Castle is all lit up! We get to run right through the castle, which is neat. The MarathonFoto folks had some pictures of me at the castle, but they lost them. I had even stopped for the official Castle photo – like I took with my sis during the Half the day before…
They did NOT light up the castle for the half. I wish I had the pretty lit up one to share with y’all.
…But they lost that one too. Bummer. If they find them later, I will share. They did have these though…
Still in the park.
Feelin the love.
Feelin a little fuzzy in Magic Kingdom!
After we left the Magic Kingdom, we then headed past the Polynesian Resort and the golf course. There was a glow in the East and I knew the sun would be rising soon. The weather was still cool, and I felt GREAT! I was actually smiling and having a really good time. My pace was steadily fastening.
Suns comin up. Right on my forehead.
Then we headed into the Speedway – their race car track. We did the mile lap, and there were a ton of classic cars out. A childhood fave – Herbie the Love Bug – was there, but for some reason the characters from the movie Cars weren’t out this year. Where’s Lightning McQueen???
I think running on this race track is a pretty unique experience though – how many people get to do that? Again tho, the MarathonFoto folks couldn’t find my photos from that locale. Sorry dude.
(photo missing)
Then it was on toward Animal Kingdom. Still feeling great. Still picking up steam. 10 Mile in 1:32:49 – 9:17 per mile.
*Side note. My sis works at AK, so I happen to know a few other of the zoo keepers there. I was glad to see some of them at the entrance to the park. They were there to cheer for us, very cool!
Feelin fine.
AK also had some animals and characters out. And some marathoners would stop to ride the roller coaster, but I didn’t have time for that.
I’m ahead of the guy that thought he could fly.
Once we left the park, we reached the halfway point. I was almost EXACTLY at 4 hour pace. Right at 2:00:06 for 13.1 miles – 9:10 per mile. I had made up the time I lost due to the slow start.
B.O. check.
Now was time to reevaluate. I still felt good, so kept picking up the pace. We were on the way to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. There we got to run through the sports fields, along with a lap on the track where we had been before for the Kids Race.
Unidentified location.
The highlight here is getting to run a lap on the baseball field. This is where the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball do their spring training. It’s a really cool experience, especially with people in the stands cheering! It was in WWOS that I had my fastest mile, but that would soon change.
I already got to first base, now I’m going for home.
Looking back, I think all the energy I spent trying to make up the time took it’s toll. I started to feel it around this point. But at mile 20, I was still on pace to break 4 hours. 3:02:30 – 9:07 per mile.
An angel in the outfield.
From there we headed toward Hollywood Studios. Getting closer to home, but like they say, the real marathon starts at mile 20. I was really feeling it and took short walk breaks at the drink stations to grab a little powerade (and one port-a-potty stop to get rid of the old powerade).
The tower of terror ain’t got nothin on my towering form.
But then I felt doing that worked and I got a second wind! Awesome!!! But then at mile 21 I think I made a bad choice. Instead of continuing on with my new energy, I decided to stick to my recent pattern and grab a quick drink at the drink station. After that brief walk, I never recovered. I should’ve just kept running past it.
Putting on a brave face.
Also at this point, I think the cumulative miles from the previous 3 races started to kick in. My legs started to cramp. Every step I could feel my quads tense, and when I pulled over to try and stretch them, my hammies cramped into a giant ball. OUCH!
You lookin at me?
My pace slowed considerably as I tried to deal with the cramping. Kept running, but had to take a few walk breaks. Mostly at drink stations, but also on a hill or two. Speaking of which….
…This is supposed to be a flat course. It is decidedly not! Sure, it’s not super hilly, but it does have it’s fair share of long steady inclines and declines. Mostly from the bridges and overpasses we had to traverse.
That’s a big wizard hat. Where’s the wizard sleeve?
Anyway, at this point I could see my “A” goal slipping away. It was frustrating, and I felt like I was letting people down who I knew were following along with the auto text/facebook/twitter updates runDisney was sending of my splits. I also felt like I was wasting a great opportunity because of the weather and all the training I had put into it. But I couldn’t control the leg cramps. Maybe I wasn’t mentally tough enough to fight through it this time. Ahh, the stuff we think when we look back.
Goodbye Hollywood.
By now the sun was up and the parks were open, so there were lots of people there. I’m sure they were annoyed that they had to wait behind a rope for us to pass before they could get to the churro stand, but many of them still cheered, and I appreciated that. And I had made it through the Studios.
I almost wore the same outfit as that chick…that would’ve been embarrassing for her.
We then made our way to the Boardwalk Resort. I know that we’re close to finishing, as it borders Epcot. I was slowing even more, but still going.
Somewhere in Disney World.
Finally we enter Epcot. You’d think we’d be right at the finish, but get this – we still have 1.2 miles to go before getting to the parking lot finish. That’s how big those theme parks are!!!
The big spiky golf ball means we’re in Epcot.
Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament.
By now I knew my “A” goal was gone. And when I saw some characters with virtually line (queue), I decided to take the opportunity to stop for a photo – especially with DOPEY!!!!
I cannot explain the Dopey expression on my face, other than we were 47.6 miles into the Challenge.
Disney puts characters ALL along the course, but this is the first time I’ve ever stopped for a photo. Then I got a second one with one of my Asian wife’s fave movie characters – Mulan!
I want a funny pet dragon.
One of the highlights, right before you leave Epcot, hidden from the general public, is a gospel choir. When I ran past them, I turned to look at them and had one final big full body CRAMP! I stopped in my tracks and doubled over in pain. A race attendant asked if I needed the medics. I shook her off, sucked it up and ran toward the finish!
Waving to my fans.
About 100 meters to go and I see my boy! My sister’s roommate and her boyfriend graciously agreed to babysit him while we ran, and they made it just in time to the race to see me finish! That was the final boost I needed to finish strong!
Waving at the boy. Pretty cool pic!
Past the bleachers of cheering spectators, I ran to the finish, and high fived Donald Duck (why wouldn’t I?)…
That guy quacks me up.
His hands were downy soft.
And finished with a defiant fist pump!
I will punch you air, in your face’s mouth!
Yes, I was disappointed that I didn’t break 4 hours, but I still PR’d! I broke my previous personal best by 2+ minutes to finish at 4:07:47 – 9:28 per mile.
Yay for me!
They said there were somewhere between 25,000 – 30,000 people in the marathon. In the end, only around 19,000+ of them finished.
It’s too bad, I had a nice negative split going on until I bonked. But hey, at least I finished the challenge! Next time I run a Full Marathon however, I will NOT run 3 races in the days leading up to it!
Pace getting gradually faster…
…and then the wheels fell off.
After we crossed the line, I collected my Mickey medal for the full. Then on to the Goofy station to get that medal. Then finally to the Dopey station to get that medal.
Finally our blingy reward!
It’s funny, as soon as they put that medal on my neck, I felt real emotional. Instantaneously. I guess it finally kicked in all those months and months of training, all the early hours, all the miles and miles, all the preparation. But sadly, the Disney folks don’t let you stop and enjoy the moment. They.keep.you.moving. “You can’t stop here. You can’t stretch here. Keep walking. Keep moving.” If only I had the energy to tell them that I can’t walk right now. My legs are a ball of lactic buildup!
I’m screaming in triumph, or pain, either or.
Funny story after I collected the medals and walked past the medical tent, a medical person started screaming – the other medics all thought someone was really hurt, but it turns out she went to Ohio University too. You have no idea how many “Go Ohio!” and “Go ‘Cats” I got on the course. Such great support!
After a chat with her, I then retrieved my gear bag, which had the other medals ready for their photo op!
Finally, they are all got!
Later on after all our friends and family members finished, we wore our 6 medals into Epcot to cheer on the later finishers and to ride some rides and get some Guinness and grub. People commented that we sounded like robots with all the clinking that accompanied each step.
It really was kind of heavy. The weight we Dopes carry is indeed a heavy burden of joy.
So there it is: 48.6 miles done. It was a fun challenge, and I’m glad I did it. It’s always a treat to run through all the parks that we would visit as kids. And they do a good job of having characters and volunteers along the way to keep your spirits up! Also, I’m glad I followed my “coach’s” plan the best I could, and even though I crashed toward the end, at least I left it all on the course.
Rumors confirmed – I am dopey.
In the future I’m not sure if I’ll do it again. But I would like to do another full with this same training. I think if I put in the same mileage, but with only one race as the goal, then I can slap that timing clock around!
I will say this though, the thing I’m most proud of is that while I was doing the Dopey Challenge, and posting about it on Twitter and Instagram and such. That I had people message me that I had inspired them to get out and run themselves! That’s probably the best result of this whole thing!
Did I leave anything out? Any questions about the inaugural Dopey Challenge? You have any desire to do it? What’s up?
Day 2 of the inaugural Dopey Challenge was the inaugural Minnie Mouse 10k. Day 1 was the5k Family Fun Run. This race was warm and humid. And still early. Yet another 2 am wake up call for a 5:30 am start. It was also much more packed and energetic than the 5k. There were a lot more people this morning. A lot more buzz.
My best Mickey pose
For this race, I was again rockin’ an Ohio University shirt. My costume consisted of my over-sized Disney cartoon gloves, and my customized Mickey Mouse ears.
Sis, Mom, Me B4 da race.
To help keep the ears on, I wore the GoPro camera on my head with a head strap that held the hat in place. The only issue was that it was hard to tell if the camera was recording or not. The solution was to hold my hand in front of it to see if I saw the reflection of the red blinking light…or ask one of the volunteers if it was blinking.
Hitting record on the GoPro.
Same corral as the 5k —> A. The course once again started and ended in the Epcot parking lot. Truth be told, the first few miles were kind of boring. Actually, a lot boring. It immediately took us out on the roads that link the parks within Disney World. Dark. Quiet. Sure, there were a few attractions (characters, deejays, etc.) placed along this stretch, but not much.
The 10k is the RED line.
Plus, I got to see first hand the corral start separation that everyone was complaining about after day 1. I got to see it because the course started with about a mile out and back on the road. I kept watching the road on the way back looking for corral B. It never seemed to come. Not sure why they held them so long. There was plenty of room on the roads. As you can see from the highlights from my head mounted video camera:
Anyway, once the course finally got us into Epcot, it livened up. It also took us around the Boardwalk Resort. That was pretty cool too. It’s so weird being there so early in the morning, and I’m sure we woke up a few tourists staying in the hotels there, but it was eerily cool.
Running and waving and sweating. Talented.
The final stretch took us back through Epcot before finishing back at the parking lot near where we started.
Running and smiling.
Once again, I tried to take it easy. My last 10k I finished in 46:23. This one I came across in 1:04:28. Once again, I reached my goal of finishing with a personal worst (PW)!!! Mission “Take It Easy Races 1 Thru 3” successful so far!
I have weird running form.
Again, I ran the entire way, as I wanted to complete the Dopey Challenge by actually running all 4 races – no matter how slow I took the first few.
I really need to stop running like that.
Again, I was trying to relax, enjoy the run, and not exert myself too much. This was all in design to be able to have something in the tank for the 26.2 in just a couple days.
Moments before I pounced on Snow White.
At the finish, I decided to do something other than just run over it – so I did a little heel click hop!
Heel click wide shot.
Heel click close up.
The Minnie medal was pretty cool too. I do love getting new hardware! Bling Bling Race Bling!
Medal 2 of 6 got son!
And now we were done with 2/4 races. 9.3 miles down, 39.3 to go! The 39.3 is the Half and Full marathons back to back – they call that the Goofy Challenge. So all that’s left for me to get Dopey is to be Goofy.
Next up I’ll recap the Half Marathon. If you missed my recaps of the Expo and/or 5k, you can see them HERE and HERE respectively.
How bout you? How was your last 10k run or race? Ever run with a camera? Ever do anything special at a finish line?
Day 1 of 4 of the inaugural Dopey Challenge. This was the 5k Family Fun Run. It was chilly, but humid. I was there with my mom and sis. It was early. The 2 am alarm clock did not allow for much sleep – especially since I kept tossing and turning afraid we’d miss the alarm. I also couldn’t shut my mind off while struggling to figure out which outfit to wear for this race (a manly problem, I know).
Sis, mom, me. Before the race.
My goal for the first 3 races was to finish with a PW (personal worst). I wanted to save my legs for the finale of 26.2 miles in just a few days. To remind myself to take it easy, I had brought a few outfits to wear. You can’t take a race too seriously if you’re wearing something silly. I decided on an old Goofy hat that I own, along with giant Disney cartoon gloves. And of course, I had to represent my Ohio Bobcats!
The theme of the race was Pluto, but Goofy’s a dog too…isn’t he?
I also carried a GoPro video camera to capture some of the highlights. If you have a couple minutes, and don’t mind Blair Witch style cinematography, then you can watch the video here:
And while I wanted to get a PW, I still wanted to RUN all 4 races. I figured part of the Challenge is to actually run, and not walk. Save for a few photo ops. Not that I have anything against walk/runners, but for me personally, I wanted to complete what I took to be part of the challenge – running the races.
Yes, I started and finished the race before the sun came up.
The 5k started in the Epcot parking lot, and finished there too. Basically the course took us on a lap of the park.
The warm-up runs.
I was a tad disappointed with the lack of characters out. They’re were a few – but the line to get a pic with Dopey was insane!!! Luckily I got to meet up with him later on (stay tuned for that pic)!
Judging from the photos, I ran the whole race with my arms in the air…like I don’t have a care.
I was also a tad disappointed that they didn’t have all the Disney flair going on – Like lighting up the giant torches. This was done for a later race, however.
At the finish, next to a lady with a glorious lion mane of hair!
I was lucky to start in Corral A. From the peeps I talked to who were in the later corrals (through E), it took a long time before they got started. In fact, I talked to some who said people were finishing the race before they even started! Apparently the gap between corral starts were kind of lengthy.
Bird’s eye view of the finish. Hands still in the air.
In the end, I reached my goal of getting a PW by about 10 minutes – 35:26. Considering my last two 5k’s I finished right at 21:50, I’d say this result is a good job of taking it easy!!!
All smiles at the finish photo line!
Race 1 done, 3 more to come! 3.1 miles over, 45.5 to go! And a fun finisher’s medallion to boot!
Medal 1/6 gotten!
This race was over quick. Like I said, it was still dark out at the finish. And it was good to get the race jitters out of the way. It was weird to line up for a race that I wasn’t “racing”, but like I said – I had a plan and stuck to it!
So there you go, Dopey Challenge Race 1 Recap! Next up will be the race 2 recap – the inaugural Minnie Mouse 10k! If you missed my recap of the Expo, you can read it HERE.
How bout you? Ever ran a race that you didn’t “race”? What do you think of the Disney 5k? Holla at me!
Today is a rest day in my Disney Dopey Challenge Training. It’s really weird having a rest day in the middle of the week. It was tempting to go to the gym, but I’m going to stick to the schedule as I know what’s coming the next 4 days.
Anyway, I thought I’d give some tips today about running a race at Disney World. Whether you’re running this year, or at some point in the future, I hope this helps.
Me and my sis running this past year’s Disney Marathon. Yup, it starts way before sunup.
I’ve run the marathon 3 times, so I kind of know what to expect. First off, you must get there early. And by early, I mean like 2:00 am alarm clock early. They usually have to close some of the roads to stage the races, so if you don’t get there early, you could be stuck in traffic and risk missing the start. This is from their website…
“…there will be SIGNIFICANT DELAYS starting at 3:30 a.m. due to road closures…Roads begin to close as early as 11:00 p.m. on the evenings before the Half Marathon and Marathon. GPS devices or other sources will be inaccurate due to road closures.”
So yeah, when we drive to the start line, we get there by 3:00 am-ish. The races don’t start until 5:30 am, so you’ve got some time to chill. Luckily they have live music, characters, etc. to keep you entertained. Though it’s kind of surreal that early in the morning to see all that.
The boy and me and my sis before the 2013 Disney Marathon. It was early.
If you take a bus from a resort (like we did this past year), you have a little more wiggle time, but not much. And keep in mind that where they drop you off, you still have a considerable distance to walk to the staging area. More time on your feet = not what you really need.
Now, once you’re at the staging area, I recommend you stay there as long as you can. They will try to encourage you over and over to make your way to the corrals, but I prefer to lay there and chill.
Once time to go to the corral, know that you will be walking about a mile, shoulder to shoulder with people. From their website…
“You must be in your corral at the start line by 5:00 a.m. or you will not be allowed to start. Please note, it takes 20 minutes to walk from the Family Reunion area (Epcot® Wonder Lot) to the start line.”
If you’re not expecting that, it can be kind of disheartening. You’re already worried about saving your legs, and here they have you adding a mile to your race! But now that you know, I like to use this as my warm up. Take it easy on the walk, and try to get loose while doing so.
After the death march I like to do my dynamic warm up before getting into the corral. The port-a-potties are few at the corrals, so expect to go in the adjacent wooded areas! All they while they have entertainment going on. They do a sort of live morning show there where they have celebrities and such giving you encouragement – all broadcast on some big screens.
All that’s left is to start the race…
I jumped really high to take this photo. Or I stole it, can’t remember.
I can’t stress enough to get there early. Last year I got the chance to watch my mom run the Half Marathon. You wouldn’t believe how many runners were running everywhere to try and get to the start. We even set up at mile 4, and there were people trying to get on the monorail to get to the start while still getting dressed. It was crazy! So get there early folks!
Are you running any Disney races this year, or in the future? How early do you get to the start line for a race?
As many of you know, I’ve spent the past several months training for the Disney Dopey Challenge. It’s 4 straight days of racing. Thurs: 5k, Fri: 10k, Sat: 13.1, Sun: 26.2. I’ve been waiting patiently for them to release the course maps…they finally have!
**CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO SEE AN ENLARGED VERSION**
Here’s the 5k and 10k routes…
The warm-up runs.
The first few miles of the 10k ain’t all that exciting, but I’m glad that at least both races follow somewhat different routes (in the same area). I love variety in my running! I’m also happy that the start and finish are near each other. That way any spectators we have can at least see us twice!
Next up is the half marathon…
Half of the most magical place on Earth.
Basically a jaunt up to the Magic Kingdom and back from EPCOT. Only thing that concerns me is the round-a-bout at mile 10. I’ve been there before and it is a man made hill. It’s a swirly overpass of road, and it. is. very. angled. You can’t take two even steps because of the slant. I’ve had several friends get injured at that overpass. At least I know what to expect and can try to be safe there.
Finally is the main event, the full marathon…
26.2 magical miles. Or so they claim… 🙂
I really like this course. You get to see most of the main attractions of Disney World. I only wish there was a way they could mix in Downtown Disney.
As you can see, they take us through all 4 major parks – EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, & Hollywood Studios. In addition, we also get to do a lap on their race car track (1 mile around) and through their Boardwalk resort.
In between we pass by various other “attractions”. Running past the golf course is cool, but in years past running past the waste water management plant didn’t smell too pleasant. But I guess you gotta take the good with the not so good, right?
I also really like how that now have us going through the Sports Complex. There we get to run through the training soccer and football and baseball fields. We also get to do a lap on the track! And the highlight is running thru the baseball field where the Atlanta Braves do their spring training. Last year, that was coolio because there was a big crowd in the stands cheering for us (and they had cameras putting us on the big screen on the outfield wall).
It all ends up back at EPCOT. Which, if you look at the map, is over a mile in itself. That just goes to show you how big the parks actually are. I can say this from experience: there’s not much more deflating than entering the final park, thinking you’re almost done, then turning a corner and seeing the “mile 25 marker”. Ugh, another 1.2 to go, all in the same theme park!!!
But it’s all good. I’ve done the Disney Marathon 3 times now, and I know how the game is played. In the coming weeks I’ll offer my tips from experience for anyone else who happens to be running at Disney Marathon Weekend.
What about you? Do you obsess over course maps before a race, or do you care? Have you run at Disney? Any tips? What do you think of the courses?
Who put a cartoon character in charge of a major race?
OK, so I’ve been preparing myself the past couple months for the Dopey training. Yes, I’ve been training for my training. Good thing too, cause I just settled on which plan to follow and Hal Higdon is the winner! As you can see, week 1 requires you to be able to already run 13 miles at once. So you better have done some pre-training to be ready to do that.
Not too bad, right?
Honestly, it doesn’t seem too bad. Sure the back to back long runs will be tough, but they’re not as long as I thought they’d be. I may add a little extra mileage, but maybe I should be smart and stick to the schedule as made. After all, he’s the expert. I settled on this plan because I’ve heard a lot of good things from several runners about following his plans before for marathons. It’s worth a try. Though I’m sure no plan is perfect since this is the inaugural edition of the Dopey, so if nobody’s done it, then maybe nobody knows the best way to prepare for it. And maybe there is no best way to train. I’m sure there are several plans that good for different people. It’s not an exact science, after all.
True words. It takes a lot of work.
My only addition to his plan is I’ll continue on with my cross training during the week. I know he has some cross training days in there, but I currently do more than that and want to continue. I believe it is VITAL to cross train when doing distance running. Need to keep your body strong in order to run strong. So I’ll keep up with yoga, weight lifting, etc. Not sure if I’m going to play soccer this fall though – I’d hate to invest in running this Dopey only to get an injury playing soccer – may have to skip a season.
Anyway, the official kickoff for this program is September 9th, 2013. Just gotta make sure I’m ready to run 13 miles by the end of that week in addition to the other runs. Shouldn’t be a problem. I’m almost to that distance on my current long run and I’m basically running 5 days a week anyway. Here’s to hoping for a successful training season and a successful Dopey completion!!!
Piratebobcat 