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!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Geez Shannon at this rate you will have your TR done before mine... and I've been back for 3 months!! lol

I wish they had the vinylmations at the ToT race. I so would have gotten one. I got a couple pint glasses. That's it. By the time I got to the expo they didn't have many shirts left

Love the shirts from the race though!! The unisex one I have is a medium and it's HUGE on me!! I'd love to have a long sleeved one!

My aunt was down at the race running the Goofy. I'll look for her in the back of your pics!! I'm surprised she did both races considering a couple weeks ago she ran what they call the Savage 7 which is 7 marathons in 7 days... eek!! I could never do that!!! lol

Can't wait to read more!!

 

[Kristia]

Shorts worked out well so it was worth the trip back. I ended up buying two different pairs and wore one set on the half day and then decided to wear my looser non-compression capris on marathon day. Even with the heat the looser ones were fine for the marathon.

 

[Kristia]

My aunt was down at the race running the Goofy. I'll look for her in the back of your pics!! I'm surprised she did both races considering a couple weeks ago she ran what they call the Savage 7 which is 7 marathons in 7 days... eek!! I could never do that!!! lol

Can't wait to read more!!

That is just CRAZY!

 

[joanna71985]

Enjoying the TR! I hope to run a marathon someday

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

That is just CRAZY!

That's what... 180 miles?? It definitely IS crazy!!! lol

 

[diddy_mouse]

Okay, this was definitely the motivation I needed to get back on the treadmill. Thanks, Shannon!!

Kudos to you for hitting the 5K, 1/2, and Full! That's awesome!

Looking forward to reading more.

 

[sam_disney]

i love the bag you picked!!!

 

[rani8600]

Sorry to hear about the not so magical expo experience. I have found that when and if they give the discounts can be spotty sometimes depending on how long the CM has been working with Disney. I have learned from past experiences to ask for everything everywhere we go Visa, DVC, AP and even AAA(yes, some locations give AAA discounts). Conversation usually goes something like this:

Me: To you discount for Disney visa?
CM: No.
Me: Hmm, ok… how about DVC?
CM: Nope.
ME: AP?

I can’t wait to hear about your races! I’m not sure that I would be able to do the early wake up three days in a row, let alone run all those miles

PS...that bag is beyond cute, totally jealous

 

[tiaragirl]

Awesome TR so far, Shannon!

Hopefully after your busy first day, things are looking up! I can't wait to hear about all your other arrivals and pictures of the races!

PS: ADORE your Dooney!

 

[Ariel484]

shannon - i really like the half yellow tech shirt!, and giving the motivstion to se what it looks like for next year!.... , Most tech shirts i get from races i do tend to wear more than other , just bc i like the design... and what not..

I like it too! Last year the shirts were different colors (blue for the half, red for the full and grey for Goofy) so I appreciate that they are a little different each year.

Geez Shannon at this rate you will have your TR done before mine... and I've been back for 3 months!! lol

It's a RACE! Who will finish first??

I wish they had the vinylmations at the ToT race. I so would have gotten one. I got a couple pint glasses. That's it. By the time I got to the expo they didn't have many shirts left

I think the Vinylmations were new for marathon weekend, so maybe they will start having them at all of the races...obviously that doesn't help you for ToT though. I'm sorry you missed out on the shirts...I don't understand why runDisney can't set something up so that people can order some of this stuff when they get home.

Love the shirts from the race though!! The unisex one I have is a medium and it's HUGE on me!! I'd love to have a long sleeved one!

I love the race shirts too! I think Disney always does a great job with these. My shirt from last year is a medium, and yeah, it's gigantic!

My aunt was down at the race running the Goofy. I'll look for her in the back of your pics!! I'm surprised she did both races considering a couple weeks ago she ran what they call the Savage 7 which is 7 marathons in 7 days... eek!! I could never do that!!! lol

Can't wait to read more!!

Um, your aunt is awesome. Wow!

Shorts worked out well so it was worth the trip back. I ended up buying two different pairs and wore one set on the half day and then decided to wear my looser non-compression capris on marathon day. Even with the heat the looser ones were fine for the marathon.

Oh good. I saw quite a few people wearing PANTS during the marathon - pants! And cotton ones at that! I don't know how they made it out alive. You going back to get shorts definitely sounds like the right call.

Enjoying the TR! I hope to run a marathon someday

Hi Joanna! I hope you get to do one!

Okay, this was definitely the motivation I needed to get back on the treadmill. Thanks, Shannon!!

Kudos to you for hitting the 5K, 1/2, and Full! That's awesome!

Looking forward to reading more.

Erin!! Glad you're here!
I'm glad I did all 3 races once...still undecided as to whether I'll do it again.

i love the bag you picked!!!

Thanks! The patterns were the same for all but it was all about the "placement" of the Mickeys, ya know? Placement is key.

Sorry to hear about the not so magical expo experience. I have found that when and if they give the discounts can be spotty sometimes depending on how long the CM has been working with Disney. I have learned from past experiences to ask for everything everywhere we go Visa, DVC, AP and even AAA(yes, some locations give AAA discounts). Conversation usually goes something like this:

Me: To you discount for Disney visa?
CM: No.
Me: Hmm, ok… how about DVC?
CM: Nope.
ME: AP?

I can’t wait to hear about your races! I’m not sure that I would be able to do the early wake up three days in a row, let alone run all those miles

PS...that bag is beyond cute, totally jealous

LOL...I definitely have that same conversation with CMs, though I just ask about APs and Disney Visa (always forget about AAA). I'm sure I wasn't supposed to get the discount with the AP voucher, but she actually slid it through the register so...? Who knows.

Awesome TR so far, Shannon!

Hopefully after your busy first day, things are looking up! I can't wait to hear about all your other arrivals and pictures of the races!

PS: ADORE your Dooney!

Thanks Kenzie! Yeah, first day wasn't so hot but it did get better! And the Dooney...isn't she pretty? I have a total girl-crush on her.

 

[Tiggerish]

You write so expressively, Shannon--I just finished reading about your expo/DtD experience and I am completely wound up, as if it had happened to me!

Glad to see I got on board here before you got too far, looking forward to the rest of what's sure to be a fabulous report. You are a wild woman running all three races!! Sadly, I turned into a lump after the happy haunted 5K I ran last September, but I've been thinking about buying a treadmill so I can get back to it even before spring gets here...I've got another September 5K to get ready for!

 

[dopeylover]

You're a great writer, first of all! Very funny, informative, and enjoyable! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Ariel484]

You write so expressively, Shannon--I just finished reading about your expo/DtD experience and I am completely wound up, as if it had happened to me!

Glad to see I got on board here before you got too far, looking forward to the rest of what's sure to be a fabulous report. You are a wild woman running all three races!! Sadly, I turned into a lump after the happy haunted 5K I ran last September, but I've been thinking about buying a treadmill so I can get back to it even before spring gets here...I've got another September 5K to get ready for!

Hi Siobhan!! Eep, didn't mean to get you wound up with my harrowing DtD/Expo tails!

I hope it ends up being a good report...if nothing else it will be LONG, I think! I'm sort of thinking about buying a treadmill too...check out this site that @JillC LI recommended to me: http://www.treadmilldoctor.com/
Very thorough and lots of reviews!

And YEAH YOU HAVE ANOTHER 5K TO GET READY FOR!! Yay girls cruise!!

You're a great writer, first of all! Very funny, informative, and enjoyable! Can't wait to hear more!

Thanks so much, and thanks for reading so far!

 

[Ariel484]

After my loooooong morning/afternoon I arrived at my resort ready to check in at about 4:45PM.

ETA: I went back and edited this section because I realized I didn't explain it quite right originally.
Originally we’d been booked to stay at the Polynesian, which both Will and I were super excited about. After we booked we waited for a discount to come out, and when it was released we were disappointed to find that the only discounted rooms at the Polynesian were themepark-view rooms. Don't get me wrong, it was mighty tempting to book one of those, but they were even more expensive than the orignal room we had booked. So we asked about a few other places and ended up at…

The Grand Floridian!

The room at the Grand Floridian (another resort we wanted to stay at) ended up cheaper than any options we had at the Poly, so it was a no-brainer. The CM that checked me in, Nathan, was AWESOME. He was so nice and seemed genuinely interested in my race plans (or at least he did a good job acting like he was interested). We chatted for a good 10 minutes and he told me a little bit about the races he's run at Disney (the Wine & Dine - definitely on my to-do list, and the Royal Family 5K, which is held during the Princess Half Marathon Weekend). As I walked away with my room key in hand I heard someone behind me saying “Mrs. Ariel484! Mrs. Ariel484!” It was Nathan running clear across the lobby to make sure I had a printout of the transportation schedule for the race. So nice!

Now, before I go any further, I do have one complaint about the Grand Floridian construction that was going on. There was the DVC stuff of course (which looked ugly, but I knew about it going in and it didn’t bother me from a noise point of view) and the construction on the courtyard pool, which I also knew about because the Grand had sent us a letter about it 6 weeks or so before the trip began. So when I checked in I asked Nathan if we had access to a hot tub, since I thought that would be great for after the races. He said no, and the only options were for us to either use the hot tub at the Contemporary (no hot tub at the Poly, of course - kind of nuts for a deluxe resort, I think) or buy a $25 all-day pass to use the hot tub at the spa in the Grand Floridian. I didn’t make a thing of it (and truly I am not sure we would have even had time to use a hot tub anyway), but honestly I find it pretty unacceptable that they’d charge guests for a pass to use the hot tub. We were staying on a discount, but it’s not like we still weren’t paying a decent amount each night for our room. Seems like the $25 pass could be waived for guests since the regular hot tub wasn’t available. But – SPOILER ALERT – that’s really the only complaint I have about the Grand Floridian.

Anyway, I headed back through the courtyard and to our building for the trip, Conch Key. A CM was toucing up the landscaping near the building and greeted me very warmly as I made my way inside. This building is in a great location – right on the lake near Narcoossee’s and the boat dock. Very quiet and lovely. We’d paid for a garden-view room – the cheapest room one can get at the Grand Floridian – but Nathan had mentioned that we were in a “deluxe” room on the 5th floor of the building. It sounded like we’d gotten some sort of upgrade!

Right before I got into the room, a mousekeeper stopped by and asked if I wanted the room cleaned that evening. I told her no thanks and that I’d just checked in. She welcome me and gave me some chocolates…awesome!

 

[Ariel484]

And here’s the room!

Looking in with my back to the door:

Sink area…we’ve been renting points on our last few trips and it was nice to have the double sinks again:

COFFEE MAKER…very important:

One of the great perks of being on the 5th floor…vaulted ceiling!

You can see in the picture below that my suitcase had magically appeared in my room and was waiting for me!

And this, I believe, is what makes this deluxe room “deluxe”…an extra seating area:

A second TV in the cabinet:

I just couldn’t believe how HUGE this room was…in fact it was so big I was afraid we’d lose stuff in there. Now, one thing you’ll notice about the room – there's no balcony. I would guess this would be a problem for some people, but we didn’t miss it...though I bet it would have been nice to sit out there in the morning/evenings and just take in the view.

Speaking of the view…we had a lot to look at. Here’s the view sort of to the right. Ugly construction!

We didn’t hear any noise from this whatsoever, so that was a relief.

And now, looking to the left…

Wow. Was not expecting that! If you look all the way to the left in the above picture, you can see the path to the boat dock. The boat ran to the Magic Kingdom, then to the Grand Floridian, then the Polynesian. We used the boat a lot since it was super convenient to our room and we like taking boats at Disney. Plus, we had 4 (!) ADRs at the Polynesian. So it was great.

I have to say, this was probably the best room we’ve had at Disney in terms of the room itself and its location. The bar has been set very high!

 

[skeletor1990]

Seriously, love the title. So clever! I'm very excited to read the rest of your report as I just cannot fathom running that much in one weekend. I am already impressed and you haven't even posted that part yet

Also, I love the pattern of your Dooney! I am usually very conflicted about the other patterns because I have a hard time picturing myself carrying one around daily, but I really like your limited-edition one. Very classy.

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

LOVING IT SO FAR! I can totally see why you would be a little bit razzled with all of the running around and things you needed to accomplish on the first day! But I'm glad that you calmed down because like you said, you were in Disney World! Haha Love the TR title, very clever! Can't wait to read more! I'm hooked!

 

[dreamfinder]

I think the Vinylmations were new for marathon weekend, so maybe they will start having them at all of the races...obviously that doesn't help you for ToT though. I'm sorry you missed out on the shirts...I don't understand why runDisney can't set something up so that people can order some of this stuff when they get home.

They have actually been doing race vinyls for a few years now. I believe the first was for the 2010. They had typically done 3" for the half and full, with a 9" for the Goofy. And they did 2010, 2011 3" for the DLR 1/2. But nothing at DLR this past year. However, I think this release was a bit of a cop out. Since the vinyls had started selling a bit less each year (you could often get them for half price on disneystore.com) they seem to just be releasing the 1 Mickey vinyl for all 2013 running events. If you look at Mickey and the box, I don't believe there is anything on it that is specific for the marathon weekend. They have confirmed that they will be selling the same "medals" for the Tinkerbell and the Princess 1/2s see here -> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...rchandise-for-rundisney-events-in-early-2013/ So it sounds like they may also make "medals" for the W&D and ToT races as well. Not to steal your TR, but you could end up with a Mickey vinyl with a neck full of bling by the end of the year.....

 

[LindsayLoves]

Your room is to die for... that is so much space and I love the little alcove seating area.

Also, from the pre-sale photos of the Dooney I didn't love the pattern but now that I have a good look at it thanks to your picture I really like it.

 

[dreamfinder]

Also, from the pre-sale photos of the Dooney I didn't love the pattern but now that I have a good look at it thanks to your picture I really like it.

Not to kill your wallet, but that same link I posted earlier about the vinyls also shows the patterns for the Tinkerbell and Princess bags....