'The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend'

[fmingo36]

Let's start working on that story girlfriend! I'm thinking a RunDisney Video Montage....

PS - Fairly sure your glow stick gave me super human Tron powers and pulled me through the race.

Can't wait to catch up with you guys next race and to hear your thoughts on this race!

Go-Go-Gadget-GLOWSTICKS!

 

[wilkeliza]

We did Agent P. It was taking a while, so we stopped mid way through.

Oh yeah it takes 25-30 minutes just to play one mission. If you went yesterday it took extra long because everyone and their mother was at EPCOT and since we use the same network as guests it can get rather slow unfortunately.

 

[joel_maxwell]

They tell you in advance you may be swept or not allowed to finish if you don't maintain that 16:00 pace but while it is enforced, it is not strictly enforced. If a person does not cross the finish line, they do not get a finisher medal. At least that has been protocol in the past.

When I finished around 1:28:00, I still havent looked at an official time, there were 2 or 3 guys and gals that looked liked they weighed maybe 250 to 300 (and not in true running shape) walking between the finish and the medical tent (right passed the refreshments) with medals on and loads of running gear. They really werent sweating. I was soaked! Im not implying that they couldnt have run a 9 minute or faster mile over 10, but they were right there walking with me, and I had never seen them on the course. I will admit that I find it hard to believe they finished in that time. I guess everyone gets a medal these days.

I didn't deal well with the heat...we finished in 2:16. I could never breathe decently. Then I started dealing with nipple chafing....something I've never dealt with. I think I was really dehydrated by the time I was done. I was pouring sweat faster than I was replenishing.

It was great meeting everyone, and telling Joel how his words stuck in my head during my last race.

The course was very narrow in places....and didn't seem to be built to handle the middle of the pack coming through.

I also hate Osceola Blvd.

I took it as you didnt like what I said. LOL

I was dyinggggg. But, finished in 2:25. Saw you guys run by me! Also, could not really fully extend either of my legs today, lol. Some pretty intense soreness behind my knees. :-( Oh well, though! I finished!

It was nice meeting you both!

It was more humid than I expected. I was surprisingly sore too. More so were I cramped up.

 

[Texas84]

First of all, I hate that I didn't make the meet & greet in time. No excuse, I'm a loser. I thought the buses were plentiful and well-organized but we just didn't plan it right. I was looking for names in Corral B but I didn't see anyone. Brandi and I were wearing bellcaps. That thing was off my head after 1 mile.

Brandi was coughing the entire trip and I tried to talk her into not running, but she insisted. I could tell her energy was good. Just bad congestion. About mile 4 she couldn't breathe and she had to quit. I walked her to the next first aid tent and she had to wait for the race to end. They dropped her and a few others off before the finish, and, yes, they all got medals. She tried to refuse it but the volunteer insisted.

So I tried to make up time and was able to end up with a 2:10 according to my Garmin. I haven't looked at the official yet. I thought I was going to pass out myself at mile 7. My phone was in my pocket and it almost got destroyed by sweat. It was pouring off of me. I have the phone sitting in a cup of rice right now to get rid of the remaining moisture. The display looks like puffy clouds. But it works! The rice is doing the job.

I heard a lot of runners complaining about how boring this one was but come on! It's Disney! Would you rather run 10 miles through your neighborhood? OK, the hairpin from hell? Disney, you can do better. I thought the short trail fun was kind of fun. A little creepy with spanish moss hanging from the tree cover and a pirates skeleton theme. Cool. Perked me up a bit. Running through WWoS was fun for me because I've really never been through there. The rubber track was GREAT! The baseball stadium big screen with people running out of the elevator was hilarious. As was the guy with the sign that said, "Worst parade ever."

A question, Disney Y U hide finish line? The Garmin hit 10 miles and no finish in sight. Then you turn the corner and there it is. Someone behind me yelled, "THANK GOD!" I skipped everything at the finish (except for the bling) because I thought Brandi would be there. I didn't know she was still waiting at the first aid tent until I got a text. But by the time I got changed she was there for bag pickup. I thought THAT was well-done. Walking on stage was fun. I waited in line at a nearby bathroom to change. Yeah, the changing tent, I don't think so. Someone said. can't you poke a hole in the roof so the steam can escape? I'll stop there.

We left the party about 0330 and did F&W the next afternoon. Great time. Hit MK for a bit Monday then got back late Monday night. Can't wait until W&D next month. I hope we get another chance to meet some of you.

 

[fmingo36]

First of all, I hate that I didn't make the meet & greet in time. No excuse, I'm a loser. I thought the buses were plentiful and well-organized but we just didn't plan it right. I was looking for names in Corral B but I didn't see anyone. Brandi and I were wearing bellcaps. That thing was off my head after 1 mile.

Brandi was coughing the entire trip and I tried to talk her into not running, but she insisted. I could tell her energy was good. Just bad congestion. About mile 4 she couldn't breathe and she had to quit. I walked her to the next first aid tent and she had to wait for the race to end. They dropped her and a few others off before the finish, and, yes, they all got medals. She tried to refuse it but the volunteer insisted.

So I tried to make up time and was able to end up with a 2:10 according to my Garmin. I haven't looked at the official yet. I thought I was going to pass out myself at mile 7. My phone was in my pocket and it almost got destroyed by sweat. It was pouring off of me. I have the phone sitting in a cup of rice right now to get rid of the remaining moisture. The display looks like puffy clouds. But it works! The rice is doing the job.

I heard a lot of runners complaining about how boring this one was but come on! It's Disney! Would you rather run 10 miles through your neighborhood? OK, the hairpin from hell? Disney, you can do better. I thought the short trail fun was kind of fun. A little creepy with spanish moss hanging from the tree cover and a pirates skeleton theme. Cool. Perked me up a bit. Running through WWoS was fun for me because I've really never been through there. The rubber track was GREAT! The baseball stadium big screen with people running out of the elevator was hilarious. As was the guy with the sign that said, "Worst parade ever."

A question, Disney Y U hide finish line? The Garmin hit 10 miles and no finish in sight. Then you turn the corner and there it is. Someone behind me yelled, "THANK GOD!" I skipped everything at the finish (except for the bling) because I thought Brandi would be there. I didn't know she was still waiting at the first aid tent until I got a text. But by the time I got changed she was there for bag pickup. I thought THAT was well-done. Walking on stage was fun. I waited in line at a nearby bathroom to change. Yeah, the changing tent, I don't think so. Someone said. can't you poke a hole in the roof so the steam can escape? I'll stop there.

We left the party about 0330 and did F&W the next afternoon. Great time. Hit MK for a bit Monday then got back late Monday night. Can't wait until W&D next month. I hope we get another chance to meet some of you.

Sorry you didn't make it to the M&G.
Everytime I saw a guy with the name Mark on his bib in Corral B, I would ask "Are you on the WDWMagic board?"

 

[Texas84]

Also congrats to all the other WDWMagic people who finished. I hope to meet some of you tomorrow at EPCOT while I'm working Agent P.

Did you work Sunday? We did Japan Sunday afternoon. That was a blast! Our station was near USA, I think? Yeah, we were drinking a bit.

 

[Texas84]

Sorry you didn't make it to the M&G.
Everytime I saw a guy with the name Mark on his bib in Corral B, I would ask "Are you on the WDWMagic board?"

Aw, now I really feel bad

 

[wilkeliza]

Did you work Sunday? We did Japan Sunday afternoon. That was a blast! Our station was near USA, I think? Yeah, we were drinking a bit.

No I smartly took Sunday off to recover. My coworker who ran the 10 miler and did work Sunday was so sore he barely made it through the day. I just started feeling normal again today.

 

[Hannah1284]

27 seconds above pace is fine. Seeing how humid everyone says it was I'm glad to hear they were lenient on the pace in this situation. It is safer to let people rest and get hydrated then have them get injured trying to earn a medal. I know I'm contradicting what I said above, I just view this as one of those gray areas where there really isn't a good way to draw the line.

I ran Nike San Fran last year and they were incredibly lenient on that one as well. The only thing they seem to care about is being able to open roads back up. Otherwise, if you finish you get the medal. I go back and forth with the ppl who get swept and still get the medal b/c I busted my butt to get to that finish line, regardless of my pace time. But having done that the medal means something to me, so I guess the ppl who don't or (like me) don't make pace time, we have to live with that in our own heads. I know I would've been prouder had I made time, but I am proud to have been there at all.

Next time I'm taking my own drink and some chews or something to replenish. After we finished I burst into tears for no reason, but looking back I think I was low on something. The fruit-full in the box was really good and made me feel loads better. I'll prob stash some pins somewhere too...would've helped to drain the blisters right away so I could walk and ride rides!

 

[joel_maxwell]

Sorry you didn't make it to the M&G.
Everytime I saw a guy with the name Mark on his bib in Corral B, I would ask "Are you on the WDWMagic board? *arms in the air*"

Remember the, "Heeeeey, WDWMAGIC meet n greet?" "Ummm, where do we go for the race?"....."Ok, whatchu wanna do is follow this path...."

I ran Nike San Fran last year and they were incredibly lenient on that one as well. The only thing they seem to care about is being able to open roads back up. Otherwise, if you finish you get the medal. I go back and forth with the ppl who get swept and still get the medal b/c I busted my butt to get to that finish line, regardless of my pace time. But having done that the medal means something to me, so I guess the ppl who don't or (like me) don't make pace time, we have to live with that in our own heads. I know I would've been prouder had I made time, but I am proud to have been there at all.

Next time I'm taking my own drink and some chews or something to replenish. After we finished I burst into tears for no reason, but looking back I think I was low on something. The fruit-full in the box was really good and made me feel loads better. I'll prob stash some pins somewhere too...would've helped to drain the blisters right away so I could walk and ride rides!

Im ok with being a little lenient on the time restrictions in heat and humidity weather. It isnt worth risking someone getting hurt. But Ill say this, Im not sure I like the fact that if you have to drop out or cant finish you still get a medal. I know this is a debatable argument and everyone has their argument, I just think it takes away from the actual finishers (from the guy/gal who win it, to the person pushing a 16:00 pace for 10 miles). It cheapens it for them I think.

Lastly, I would advise anyone running more than a 5k in these conditions to NEVER rely on the events water stations. You should take fluids every so many minutes (according to your body) and you cant rely on a event station. I made that mistake only once. Glad you made it through and hopefully next time you will take your own fluids, it will make all the difference.

Ill post my report and thoughts tomorrow. Night folks!

 

[Fievel]

I took it as you didnt like what I said. LOL.

Ha- not at all...I meant to convey that it helped drive me. At the time, I was cursing you a bit, but I knew you were right, and looking for an excuse to stop when I dont have to. It was the same thing the day Nick did his 100...I did 16 miles that day, and I knew I was only doing a fraction what others were doing at the same time.

We drive each other. I love that. I'll have a full race report from us when I return home tomorrow night.

 

[wilkeliza]

Just wondering I was checking active.com for the race results and it appears my bib number now has someone else's name on it and when I search my name it comes up with my information but not the correct bib number. Also active will not let me claim my results because to them it says "the names don't match".

Is anyone else having this problem?

 

[joel_maxwell]

Ha- not at all...I meant to convey that it helped drive me. At the time, I was cursing you a bit, but I knew you were right, and looking for an excuse to stop when I dont have to. It was the same thing the day Nick did his 100...I did 16 miles that day, and I knew I was only doing a fraction what others were doing at the same time.

We drive each other. I love that. I'll have a full race report from us when I return home tomorrow night.

Ok cool. You mentioned this all right before we parted and we were all trying to figure out which way to walk towards the horrid DJ. I didnt get a chance to inquire back.

Just wondering I was checking active.com for the race results and it appears my bib number now has someone else's name on it and when I search my name it comes up with my information but not the correct bib number. Also active will not let me claim my results because to them it says "the names don't match".

Is anyone else having this problem?

Yes. I looked last night, saw that it was messed up and figured Id look for a different results site today. So you are telling me that a Disney results feed pushed through active.com is messed up? Shocker. For as big as a company Disney and runDisnay are, I have seen local 5K's with $20 entry fees have better results pages then this. Not complaining, it is the honest truth and that is sad.

 

[wdwmagic]

Congrats on your runs guys!

How was the course? For those of you who have done the other WDW races, how did it compare?

 

[joel_maxwell]

Congrats on your runs guys!

How was the course? For those of you who have done the other WDW races, how did it compare?

Thanks Steve. It wasnt as good as the W&D, but we lacked 3 miles in this event, so we couldnt go into AK. We had a lot of Osceola Parkway. It is what it is Steve, we knew signing up the course, or roughly the course. Read below for more.

 

[joel_maxwell]

As for me, I ran it in 1:28:45. Total distance 10.19 miles. Not bad considering. We all know why you get that extra distance and I have seen worse. Pace was about 8:45 seconds slower than I wanted. About mile 4 I knew I wasnt going to achieve 1:20:00. Uncharacteristic of me, I was fighting a low side stitch after mile 2 and around mile 4, my right hamstring was cramping up. I traveled that day and drank a liter of water on the plane to stay hydrated and never had to P afterwards. That was a little alarming of how dehydrating flying is.

I loved the MnG. I know it was 300 yards or so from the main action, but worth it. I couldnt think over by the corrals and it turned out to be SO much more crowded then I expected. That is a good thing. I loved meeting all my fellow runners. I got to the MnG location about 7:25 and heard a huge, "Jooooeeellll" from Coryna. Thanks to all that showed up. It really means a lot that we wanted to put faces to names and swap a few stories. To those that couldnt make it, I hate that you didnt and we will try again one day.

Once the MnG was over, the crew walked back and Coryna and Chris just hung out and talked for a bit. I reported to my corral and was dead tired. I tried to get myself hyped up, but I was drained. I knew it was going to be a tough night.

Once we got to the main gate when Corral A emptied, it was 30 more minutes of hanging out. Once the gun went off, here again, I was AMAZED at how many people either A) checked up and started walking right out of the gate and B) got 1 mile into it and had to walk causing huge traffic problems. It really is frustrating when people get themselves into a higher corral when they shouldnt be. They are in place for a reason. Im not trying to be an elitist since Im a little faster then these people, but when a crew of 2-3 people are walking or running a 16:00 pace in a corral that is between a 6-9 min pace, it causes problems.

I enjoyed the event. I was just tired mentally and the physical state was giving me fits. I started out at a 8-8:15 pace and when i couldnt shake the cramps at 4-5, I shut it down to a cruising 8:45 to 9 and just enjoyed the sites. I reminded myself that as of June 1, I claimed that I was there in celebration of overcoming a 2-3 month injury and I was happy to run the entire event, no pain. I didnt stop for any character stops, but they werent as plentiful as i had thought they would be.

I was so tired after the event, I knew I had 2 days left in the parks so i called it and headed back to the resort. A 6am wake up call was coming to make MK rope drop with Sam.

Good Things
- Porto potties in the corrals. The lines for the exterior potties were 30-40 deep a piece. No lie.
- Water tables in the corrals. I didnt need any, but thanks for those runners who dont take fluids.
- Having the crowd up by the start. I saw a lot of family members waving at their runners.
- The trail portion going to WWoS. Neat.
- The stadium portion.
- The volunteers. All were great and very cheerful and helpful.
- I know the bus thing seemed odd at the time, but looking back, then dropping us off like they did, 200 yards away and getting a lot of buses in there before a mass drop was safe and spread things out. The inaugural W&D was a CF. You got dumped out right on top of everything like bag drop.

Things to Work On
- The wait time once you left the corral and sat again at the start line. You had space to stay loose at the corral, but not at the start line.
- Please enforce Corral placement when people sign up. I gave a proof of time, how did these people not have too.
- This is a personal one, since i know Im in the minority and that is fine, but I loathe the DJ's they pick for these events. They suck IMHO. Blaring Rihanna and Beyonce just makes me want to puke. There is just some more music that isnt SOOOOO top 20 mainstream that gets run into the ground.
- Lastly, runDisney, you got to fix your communication problems. How hard is it to send emails to people to inform them of things that i had to find in this forum.

 

[wilkeliza]

.
Yes. I looked last night, saw that it was messed up and figured Id look for a different results site today. So you are telling me that a Disney results feed pushed through active.com is messed up? Shocker. For as big as a company Disney and runDisnay are, I have seen local 5K's with $20 entry fees have better results pages then this. Not complaining, it is the honest truth and that is sad.

Is there a different results site that we can use? I'd really like to make sure mine are the correct results and log them somehow.

 

[joel_maxwell]

Now... what you have all been waiting for.

JAZZ HANDS for Nick. What an awesome MnG and awesome people.

This all star of a woman!

This devilish of a woman.

Our Bling with Pin.

The Bling glowing.

 

[joel_maxwell]

Is there a different results site that we can use? I'd really like to make sure mine are the correct results and log them somehow.

I dont see one. Really frustrating. I have had local 5K sites break you down into results, placing in age and gender. The filters on active wont even work for me. Pathetic.

 

[wilkeliza]

Things to Work On
- The wait time once you left the corral and sat again at the start line. You had space to stay loose at the corral, but not at the start line.
- Please enforce Corral placement when people sign up. I gave a proof of time, how did these people not have too.
- This is a personal one, since i know Im in the minority and that is fine, but I loathe the DJ's they pick for these events. They suck IMHO. Blaring Rihanna and Beyonce just makes me want to puke. There is just some more music that isnt SOOOOO top 20 mainstream that gets run into the ground.
- Lastly, runDisney, you got to fix your communication problems. How hard is it to send emails to people to inform them of things that i had to find in this forum.

On your first comment I agree. I have friend who have never run a race in their entire life let alone a 10 miler who were in Corral B. The even told me they lied about their time and put the fastest finish you could with out having to submit proof. I was happy being in Corral D as I just made sure I was towards the front and never let myself slip further than half way back. I think I finished all of 5 minutes behind my friends even though I had a 10 minute start delay from them.

The DJs are the worst. They use the same ones for our housing activities and they only have 1 mix. The mix isn't that great and they aren't even real DJs. They have no clue how to actually mix and their set lists aren't great to begin with. You can pay some good music that didn't just come out with in the last few months.

The communication was awful. I agree.

Only thing I would like to add is I had an issue with medical. I cut open my toe again and asked where to go so I could get it checked out after the finish. I smartly wrapped it with some gauze and tape before the race just in case but I wanted to get it cleaned and checked out at the finish. I had to sit on a cooler of ice which I had to get up and down from several times when people needed ice and then when the lady who was helping me came back she simply goes oh its your foot and put two bandaids on it (no cleaning it whatsoever) and tells me have fun at the party. I asked how to take care of it and she didn't say anything. Also when I asked for ice she didn't want to wrap in for me and told me to just stick it in my running shorts. So when I changed I couldn't use the ice any more because I couldn't put it in my regular shorts. I know these medical tents aren't full on doctors or anything but the quickness of the treatment seemed like they just didn't care. I felt so bad for the guy next to me who was really sick who they just had sitting in a chair hoping he wouldn't throw up or pass out.

I also saw several people at WWoS being taken by ambulance. On the next event it may be smart to have medical out by parking for those who think they can make it home but then realize there is something wrong. I'm sure a lot of people just needed food or fluids and could have benefited from talking to a medical professional before having to call an ambulance.