runDisney Dopey Challenge (5K, 10K, 1/2, Full)

So Disney World announced this new challenge last week – the appropriately named Dopey Challenge, cause that’s how you’ll feel doing it!  Here’s the breakdown: Thurs-5k (3.1 miles), Fri-10k (6.2 miles), Sat-1/2 marathon (13.1 miles), Sun- full marathon (26.2 miles).  Included in this is their original endurance challenge of running the half and fool marathons on consecutive days – which they call the Goofy Challenge.  Now when you complete the Goofy, in addition to the 1/2 Donald Duck and full Mickey Mouse medal, you also get a Goofy themed medal (coincidentally enough).  And if you know Disney, they go all out with their medal design and each year they change it up.  I also heard a rumor that the Goofy is having it’s 10 year anniversary, so that should be a special design too.

Medals dang near big as yo head!

For the 5k, you get a Tres Amigos finishers medallion (it’s like a regular medal, but made of rubber).  And for the new 10k you’ll get a Minnie Mouse medal, I hear.  And for completing all four races, you’ll get an innagural Dopey medal.  That’s in addition to the 5k, 10k, 1/2, full, and Goofy medals.  So you get 6 total medals!  You also get 6 shirts.  I believe the 5k is a cotton T, but the others are long sleeved tech tees.

I am tempted by this challenge.  Funny that I’ve never really had an inkling to do the Goofy, but I’m interested in the Dopey, which includes the Goofy.  I pretty sure the 5k is not timed, so could walk it if we wanted, but I think I’d want to complete the challenge by actually running all the races.  Tho there most likely won’t be any PR’s!  From what I hear, you’ve got to take it easy on the earlier races to save everything you can to finish the final race (the 26.2).

What I am not tempted by is the starting entry fee of 500 skrilla units!  And the price will go up as time passes!  Yowzy!  Add to that the cost of travel, and it would more than cover a year’s worth of races.  But I’ve been trying to rationalize it – you get 4 race entries, 6 shirts (5 of them tech), and 6 medals.  Still doesn’t quite add up, but I guess that’s the price you gotta pay to run with the mouse.

My standard Disney statue and castle photo op.

So anyway, I’m debating registering.  My only fear of hesitating is that their similar Disneyland Dumbo Challenge (10k and 1/2 marathon) sold out in less than one day.  Not sure if this one will too, but it adds pressure.  I’m sure it will be a magical four days of running, so this will be a tough call.

OH WAIT, I HAVE A SOLUTION!!!  Anyone out there want to sponsor me???  I’ll promote your gear/cause/business/company/family/product/etc. with all my powers…blog, “celebrity” friends, twitter, facebook, Instagram, and did I mention I’m a multi-Emmy award winning TV producer???  If anyone has any extra skrilla units hanging around, feel free to send em my way!  Haha, I’d love to be sponsored by something mundane, like “Running on behalf of John Doe’s 27th birthday”, or something of the like.  Think about it you and let me know and I’ll send you my Pay Pal account!

Have a great day everyone!

 

runDisney Kids Races (Part 1) #WDWMarathon

So as part of the Disney Marathon Weekend, they also had something for the kiddos.  And why wouldn’t they?  It’s Disney after all!  It’s also a small world after all (Now try getting that song out of your head!).

They had a few options depending on their age, and for our toddler Griffin, he was in the 100 yard dash.  I think we could’ve signed him up for the mile, but stuck with the shorter distance this time (he has done a 1 mile fun run before).  He ran the same race last year too, so we knew a little better what to expect…and it went well!

I can’t believe he has better form than I do. He also has better race photos.

The race takes place at their Wide World of Sports complex on their really nice track.  And being Disney, they go all out with a DJ spinnin tunage, a couple hosts/commentators, t-shirts, finishers medals, food and drink, personalized bibs, and even Mickey himself!  You can’t beat the price either – $10 entry fee!!!

Photo op with the mouse.

You even get to get their goody bags at the race expo.  I think the kids really liked the race and the whole experience made them feel like real runners (which they are!).

And they’re off! Most of them anyway.

Griffin actually warmed up for about 20 minutes before the race.  He also wanted “energy” in the form of my mom’s Power Bar Gel Blasts.  Speaking of energy, Griffin told me before the race that he would leave some of his on the track for me to use during my marathon.  I remembered that around mile 18 when we ran on the exact same track!  Definitely helped me to keep moving.  He was sure to remind me before the race to pick up some of the energy he left, and I did!

He’s leading the pack! I’m taking a shaky movie of it.

All the warming up and “energy” must’ve worked because Griffin won his race!  To be fair, he was only in one of three heats on our day and there were three days of kids races.  But still, he crushed it!  Nobody else was even close to him at the finish.

Breaking away from the pack. Note how I’m not even in the picture anymore.

I don’t think his feet ever touched the track.

Crossing the finish line, still floating.

My only instructions to him before the race were to run right down the middle of his lane and don’t stop till he gets to Mickey, who was at the finish line.  He did and did.  He was pleased with himself that he “beat all the other kids”.  But we had to have a good sport talk after we passed a girl who was crying cause she didn’t win and Grif told her, “I did.”
Hard to blame him though, he did really well and earned his second race medal!

Showing off his medal. He’s as serious around a camera as his pops is.

Funny thing is that after the race, he just kept running.  I didn’t want to chase him as I was conserving “energy” for my marathon, but at one point he had run almost a mile away from us.  I finally caught up to him and asked why he kept running.  He responded that he’s, “getting ready for my next race.”  Haha, good for him!

In part 2 of my review of the runDisney Kids Races, I’ll post the videos – wait until you see them!!!  They’re amazing, trust me!  So stay tuned!

In the meantime, I need to study Griffin’s photos to learn myself how to have better running form!  Peace out Internet!