Poor Unfortunate Soles: A 2013 Marathon Weekend (5K, Half and Full Marathon) Trip Report!

Another Marathon Weekend at Disney has come to a close. Let me tell you about it!

The cast includes me (Shannon, 28), my husband Will (27), my brother Craig (aka Princess Craiggy, 26), my mom, Kriss, my aunt Laurie, and my mom’s childhood best friend Barb. I got no photo of all 6 of us, and in fact have no photos at all of my mom, aunt or Barb (not my choice). Le sigh.

Anyhoo, as the title of this report suggests, this year I participated in the 5K, half marathon and full marathon (unofficially known as the Dopey Challenge) during Disney’s Marathon Weekend. Originally this trip was strictly for the Goofy Challenge (the half and full), but the idea of the 5K had been in the back of my mind for a while...eventually I pulled the trigger and signed up in August.

In my previous race reports (for the 2011 Princess Half and the 2012 WDW Full) I rambled on quite a bit about training. This time around I’m going to restrain myself. I actually did document my training on a different message board (not sure why I didn’t do it here…I guess I wanted it to be somewhere where I felt more “anonymous.” I’m weird), so if anyone is interested in reading about that, shoot me a PM and I’ll send you the link. Or if anyone wants the Cliff’s Notes version I can post that here too. I will say that I am extremely Type A and was very, very diligent when it came to preparing for these races. I should also warn you that you won’t find any speedy fast times here, but if you’re looking for a somewhat detailed play-by-play of all 3 races with lots of character pictures, you’ve come to the right place.

4 parks. 3 races. 42.4 miles. Let’s do this!

 

[Ariel484]

A Disney vocalist sang the National Anthem and the main mice were called up to the stage to help start the race:

The wheelchair racer was sent off first, and Corral A was let out of their pen and instructed to head to the start. It was similar to rope drop procedures I think – volunteers rolled out tape and slowly walked people to the starting line.

And now this becomes a multimedia experience…below is a crappy video of Corral A’s start.

3 2 1 GOOOO!



One of the advantages of coming to a race solo is that it’s easier to creep up to the front of the corral So much so that by the time Corral B was led to the starting line, I was right up front!

It was time for Corral B to start running 7 minutes after Corral A…3 2 1 GOOO! (Sorry, no idea how to flip this thing.)



The entire first mile was through more parking lots…I remember being surprised to see a decent amount of spectators here. The funniest part was listening to parents that were running with their younger children: I literally heard 5-6 parents telling their kiddos to “slow down!” in that first mile because the kids were just sprinting right out of the gate. I made every effort to keep the pace nice and relaxed. At some point we passed Chip & Dale (huge line and they weren’t wearing special costumes) and found the first mile marker near an entrance to a Cast Member parking lot.

Blurry picture of the backside of Test Track…the first water stop was somewhere around here but I passed it up.

 

[Ariel484]

And then we were in World Showcase, in between Mexico and Norway!

Right away I spotted Norwegian Daisy! She looked so adorable, but her line was GIGANTIC. I was sad to pass her up.

I continued on through my world tour and came up to another HUGE line, but decided to wait in this one…I knew I was approaching the halfway point and at this rate I was going to come out of this thing without any pictures. BOO!

Waiting in line…

The line…it goes all the way up to the red and white sign (I think it's for funnel cakes?). You can make out the shoe reflectors of all the people who were waiting. ALL of the character lines were like this.

While waiting, I took a moment to sort of focus on the weather. The temperature wasn’t bad, but it was HUMID – I was totally drenched in sweat after just 1.5 miles of easy running. Hydration was definitely going to be a priority leading up to the half and full marathons. I checked the temperature on my phone later and when I finished it was in the low-mid 60s with 97% humidity.

Still waiting…

I have the data from my Garmin watch, so I can say for sure that I waited in this line for 7-8 minutes…most definitely the longest I’d waited for a character picture during a Disney race. And this is what I came out with…

GHOSTFACE!

HAHAHA. I’m still trying to decide whether it was worth the wait.

Anyway, after that I continued my trek through the World Showcase. I passed by Pluto wearing a kicky little beret in France…I sort of wish I’d stopped for this one instead of the Goof, but again, HUGE line.

We briefly exited the park at the International Gateway…oh yeah, we’re running a race!

That’s almost a 22-minute mile!

 

[Ariel484]

After leaving the park we were briefly in a Cast Member-only area (which also had the second water stop – I passed this one up too) and then back in the park in between Canada and the UK. Lumberjack Donald was out for pictures…again, his line was gigantic and I passed him up.

I have to say, I was pretty bummed about the character lines at this point! Clearly the 5K runners were taking a much more relaxed approach compared to the longer races I’ve run (hey, so was I!), where the photos don’t seem to be as big a priority for everyone.

We left the World Showcase and I decided that I needed to come out of this thing with at least SOME pictures of myself…so here I am!

Lots of nice volunteers/CMs were taking pictures in this area.

Euuuwwwww sweaty

We wound our way through Future World and I was beginning to recognize this portion of the course from the other races I’ve run at Disney (the last 0.5 miles or so are similar). Almost there!

We left the park and found Mile Marker 3!

The finish!

 

[Ariel484]

The finisher medallion I originally got had some weird spots on it (green/purple spots in Daisy’s eyes, among other places) so I decided to be difficult and trade it in for a different one.

Ooh yay!

I think my time was just under 50 minutes or something? Eh, like I really care. Whatever it was, it was definitely my slowest-ever 5K.

And here are some close-up shots of the finisher medallion (which is rubber, unlike the finisher medals for the longer races/Expedition Everest 5K) that I took later that day:

Super adorable…love it.

So after the race I came through the finisher chute and spotted Dennis Marsico, the runDisney TV host! I asked for a quick picture, and he seemed quite flattered.

Dude…I want to steal your job. Just an FYI.

The 5K finishes in the same area as the longer races, so they’ve got the med tent, the information tent, merchandise tent…and THIS.

I’ll see YOU on Sunday, Goofy tent! At least I hope I will!

I quickly made my way through all of the people and headed to the bus area…

There was a bus waiting for me, so I hopped on and looked through my post-race refreshments (which I’d picked up right after the Dennis picture). There’s the usual bottled water/Powerade/bananas…but now they give out boxes of food instead of granola bars and muffins like in past years.

Inside the box…I’m sure this is just free stuff from sponsors, but it was such an odd assortment for post-race food. Dark chocolate and cheese spread? Hmm. The crackers were good though.

So there you have it! My first-ever 5K at Disney.

 

[Ariel484]

2013 Walt Disney World Family Fun Run 5K - Final Thoughts

1. Like I said earlier, I think this is a GREAT race for newer runners. I read a lot about people who want to do a race at Disney (or anywhere really) but aren't sure they can do a half or full marathon - CHECK OUT THE 5K! It's really fun, low-pressure (no sweepers or official timing), less distance, it's much cheaper than the longer races, and you still get the full Disney race experience.

2. Along those lines, this is a great race for KIDS! There were lots of families running this race, which I thought was really neat. I could see myself doing this with a kiddo sometime in the future.

3. However, despite the fact that this race is cheaper than the other two, I keep going back and forth over whether I think it's overpriced. I think that the entry fees for the half and full marathon are in line with what other big races cost (New York, Marine Corps Marathon, Chicago, etc.)...but $55 for a 5K is easily twice as much as I've ever paid for a 5K race. Then again part of that is paying for the experience of running through a Disney park, and they did have refreshments afterward, lots of porta-potties, good transportation, and the finisher medallion, which is rare for a 5K (this was my 7th 5K and the only one where I got a finisher medal/medallion at the end). So I'm still not sure what I think about the entry fee.

4. If you do a 5K at Disney, be prepared for LONG character lines. There were 5 character stops, and all of the lines looked to be just as long as the one line I stood in...so if you're really dedicated that's 40 minutes just standing in lines.

5. There are official photographers along the race course, and participants get an email after the race with a link to purchase their photos. A single image download is $30 (!!) and a download of all of the images starts at $70...no video. I didn't buy mine.

Overall I really liked this race! A big draw for me was the finisher medallion, which I really love, but I think the only way I'll do the 5K again is if I'm not alone...it just makes these Disney races much more fun to run them with someone else!

 

[MKCP 1985]

Good to know that if you are ever in a real time pinch you can pick up your bib at least at the race. I couldn't believe the wait times for characters! Thanks for the report - looks like the 5K has undergone significant changes in the past couple of years.

Fun photo with the big Goof!

 

[Katherine]

Thanks Katherine! I like reading other reports too! Do you think you'll go Dopey again?

Probably, I've started walking the 5k's with my parents so it's nice that we can do it all together and I really enjoyed going Goofy so I'm fully engaged in marathon weekend now! Really enjoying your report so far! I was back in corral D so it's cool to see that they had WS all lit up for the earlier runners. The sun was already coming up when we made our way onto the promenade. I agree about the character lines. I think this is going to be the first race I sign up for so that I can be in A corral and then hopefully beat the lines.

 

[Ariel484]

Good to know that if you are ever in a real time pinch you can pick up your bib at least at the race. I couldn't believe the wait times for characters! Thanks for the report - looks like the 5K has undergone significant changes in the past couple of years.

Fun photo with the big Goof!

Hi Doug! Yes, I think the corrals are new for the 5Ks...in past races I've heard that people just lined up according to their expected paces. Is that right? The wait times for the characters were nuts! I like the Goofy photo too, but I wish the flash wasn't quite so blinding...oh well, if I really wanted to I could bite the bullet and buy the photos from the official photographers for the low, low price of $30! I don't see that happening though.

Probably, I've started walking the 5k's with my parents so it's nice that we can do it all together and I really enjoyed going Goofy so I'm fully engaged in marathon weekend now! Really enjoying your report so far! I was back in corral D so it's cool to see that they had WS all lit up for the earlier runners. The sun was already coming up when we made our way onto the promenade. I agree about the character lines. I think this is going to be the first race I sign up for so that I can be in A corral and then hopefully beat the lines.

My mom was bummed to hear about that 5K afterward...I think she would have been interested in walking it just like you and your parents. I think you've got the right idea with signing up early to get better corral placement. We didn't submit times or anything, so that's got to be how they did it (based on when people signed up)...I think??

 

[MKCP 1985]

Thanks for the detailed report, too. Whenever I am asked about Disney races by a first timer, I point them to these forums.

It is a lot of work to get all the photos and reconstruct the events of race weekend - I know!

Looking forward to your Goofy exploits - I was really jealous of you Disney marathon runners this year!

 

[TakeMeThere81]

2. Along those lines, this is a great race for KIDS! There were lots of families running this race, which I thought was really neat. I could see myself doing this with a kiddo sometime in the future.

Great to hear! I have never signed my kids up for the races I sign up because figuring out travel plans for myself is usually complicated enough, without picking up extra race bibs, etc. But I think it would be a great experience for the whole family. I will definitely keep it in mind for the next time the opportunity presents itself.

 

[TakeMeThere81]

Looking forward to your Goofy exploits - I was really jealous of you Disney marathon runners this year!

Me too!!

 

[Kristia]

Wow! Those lines ARE crazy! You weren't kidding! We waited about that long for the Pirates during the half marathon. Seemed like most character lines were longer this year than they have been in years past. Love the pics from WS during the early morning. I hope they put that part back into the marathon. Awww...Pluto in a beret! Love it!

 

[disneyny]

I LOVED your report so far and remember reading one of your previous running reports. I have so been wanting to start running and only because I want to do a Disney 5K!!

 

[Ariel484]

Thanks for the detailed report, too. Whenever I am asked about Disney races by a first timer, I point them to these forums.

It is a lot of work to get all the photos and reconstruct the events of race weekend - I know!

Looking forward to your Goofy exploits - I was really jealous of you Disney marathon runners this year!

It is a lot of work, you're right about that...but I like having it all written down.

Great to hear! I have never signed my kids up for the races I sign up because figuring out travel plans for myself is usually complicated enough, without picking up extra race bibs, etc. But I think it would be a great experience for the whole family. I will definitely keep it in mind for the next time the opportunity presents itself.

There were kids of all ages there...the youngest I saw were maybe 8 years old, and I also saw some younger teenagers. I bet your kiddos would love it!

Wow! Those lines ARE crazy! You weren't kidding! We waited about that long for the Pirates during the half marathon. Seemed like most character lines were longer this year than they have been in years past. Love the pics from WS during the early morning. I hope they put that part back into the marathon. Awww...Pluto in a beret! Love it!

I'm disappointed that I came out of the 5K with only one picture. But it seriously would have added, like, 30 minutes to my time! I agree with you, most of the character lines were longer...in the past I don't think I've waited more than 5 minutes and this year I was definitely in longer lines more than once. But maybe this year they just had some better characters.

I LOVED your report so far and remember reading one of your previous running reports. I have so been wanting to start running and only because I want to do a Disney 5K!!

Thanks! A 5K is a great goal, and doing one at Disney is even better. May I suggest Couch-to-5K to get you started with running? It's a great plan for beginners...it's the one I used when I first started out. And make sure to get yourself a good pair of running shoes...a running store can help you figure out what shoes are right for you. Good luck!

 

[Ariel484]

I was on the bus at about 7:45 and back at the Grand by 8. I checked in with Will, took a shower, jotted down some notes about the race and (overshare! ) laid out my 5K clothes to dry out. I felt very, VERY bad for the mousekeeper that had to deal with our room that weekend…we made sure to tip well. My last task before heading out to breakfast was to check my stuff for the half marathon the next morning. From one race to the other!

At about 9:45 I headed out to the monorail station…TTFN, awesome room!

You really can’t beat the convenience of only having to go ONE monorail stop to get to the Magic Kingdom…awesome.

From here I headed down to the boat docks to catch a ride to the Wilderness Lodge! I love taking the little boats at Disney…so relaxing!

 

[Ariel484]

Once we stopped at the Lodge (10ish?) I headed straight for Roaring Forks…NOM!

It has fruit on it, so it must be healthy!

Yummmmm. SO good. Does it get any better than sitting outside at the Wilderness Lodge on a beautiful day eating specialty Mickey waffles (and drinking tons of water – hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!)? I think not. Too bad Will wasn’t there to enjoy it as well.

By now I was texting back and forth with my mom a bit – she, my brother and aunt were en route from Jacksonville and were due to arrive at about noon, so I had an awkward amount of time to kill.

Gotta love being able to just pop into the Magic Kingdom for an hour or so at will!

 

[Ariel484]

Since we were meeting at the Grand anyway I figured a slow, relaxed journey up and down Main Street was the perfect way to close out my morning. My first stop was to meet the big guy himself.

Now, last year my one and only to-do after the marathon was to get a picture with Mickey. I’d heard great stories of character interactions with runners after races, and let me tell you, in 2012 dude was NOT pumped to see my marathon medal. But this year he totally made up for it! I was wearing my 5K shirt, and as soon as Mickey saw me he jumped up and down, clapping and pumping his fists. He made a running gesture to me and a motion like he was clicking a camera to the CM/photopass. And here’s what we got! Yay!

Ta-daaa!

After meeting the mouse, I headed out to Main Street and got caught up in Move It, Shake It…etc. etc.

And I just kind of slowly headed up and down Main Street…browsed the shops a bit and stared at the castle (because that’s what you do in the Magic Kingdom), briefly wondered if the castle's Christmas lights were still up (it looked like they were), and then headed back out.

This is basically how my (very limited) park time was on this trip. Small chunks here and there...definitely a BIG downside of these race weekends.

 

[dreamfinder]

Hi Doug! Yes, I think the corrals are new for the 5Ks...in past races I've heard that people just lined up according to their expected paces. Is that right? The wait times for the characters were nuts! I like the Goofy photo too, but I wish the flash wasn't quite so blinding...oh well, if I really wanted to I could bite the bullet and buy the photos from the official photographers for the low, low price of $30! I don't see that happening though.

My mom was bummed to hear about that 5K afterward...I think she would have been interested in walking it just like you and your parents. I think you've got the right idea with signing up early to get better corral placement. We didn't submit times or anything, so that's got to be how they did it (based on when people signed up)...I think??

The corrals were pretty much a new thing. They used to just have signs in the start corral, with your estimated pace, and people would self line up. Seemed to work fairly well to me. Princess 5k 2 years ago, there were maybe a dozen people who seeded themselves in the 21 mins or faster section, with about 30 yards til the line of people in the next group. At the marathon 5k last year they had the self seeding signs, but then also asked people to stay out of the corral completely til they called each group. And then this year, the corrals definitely seemed assigned by bib number. And in the past, bib number seemed assigned by date of registration. Years I signed up early I got numbers in the 200's, years I waited longer, 7-8,000.

When the corrals were based on self seeding, the character lines seemed to go much faster. Not sure if it was because the runners were up front, and the walkers in the back, but the lines definitely went faster, in both the races I ran at my pace, and the races I ran with my wife at her pace.

 

[disneyny]

Thanks! A 5K is a great goal, and doing one at Disney is even better. May I suggest Couch-to-5K to get you started with running? It's a great plan for beginners...it's the one I used when I first started out. And make sure to get yourself a good pair of running shoes...a running store can help you figure out what shoes are right for you. Good luck![/quote]

Thanks- I have looked up the Couch to 5K previously thanks to someone on these boards but have never really got started. Glad to know it worked for you. I def. need to get some new running shoes- loved the Mickey NB ones in your report. I am also glad to know you liked the Grand Floridian. I have never been sure if it would be too stuffy for me. I may have to try it once they have the DVC built. And lastly how did I not know they had chocolate chip waffles at Roaring Forks! I don't think they had them when I was there.

 

[Ariel484]

The corrals were pretty much a new thing. They used to just have signs in the start corral, with your estimated pace, and people would self line up. Seemed to work fairly well to me. Princess 5k 2 years ago, there were maybe a dozen people who seeded themselves in the 21 mins or faster section, with about 30 yards til the line of people in the next group. At the marathon 5k last year they had the self seeding signs, but then also asked people to stay out of the corral completely til they called each group. And then this year, the corrals definitely seemed assigned by bib number. And in the past, bib number seemed assigned by date of registration. Years I signed up early I got numbers in the 200's, years I waited longer, 7-8,000.

When the corrals were based on self seeding, the character lines seemed to go much faster. Not sure if it was because the runners were up front, and the walkers in the back, but the lines definitely went faster, in both the races I ran at my pace, and the races I ran with my wife at her pace.

That very well could have contributed to the longer lines. What did you think of them having corrals this year? I thought it was kind of dumb to do it just based off of when people signed up.

Thanks- I have looked up the Couch to 5K previously thanks to someone on these boards but have never really got started. Glad to know it worked for you. I def. need to get some new running shoes- loved the Mickey NB ones in your report. I am also glad to know you liked the Grand Floridian. I have never been sure if it would be too stuffy for me. I may have to try it once they have the DVC built. And lastly how did I not know they had chocolate chip waffles at Roaring Forks! I don't think they had them when I was there.

I like the New Balance ones too, but they are EXTREMELY limited edition and they aren't my normal running shoe, so I was probably never going to get them anyway. I know a lot of people think the Grand Floridian is stuffy, but we've never felt that way. All of the Cast Members were extremely nice and welcoming...we felt very comfortable the entire time. And yeah...SPECIAL MICKEY WAFFLES. I'm definitely going to try the chocolate ones on our next trip! Yum!