Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend

wdwjmp239

wdwjmp239

Well-Known Member
Simba's Mom said:
.... There's just one thing DH says that Galloway didn't prepare him for last year-getting up SO early 4 days in a row!
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If you live in Florida, then getting up early to go for a run is what you do down here during the summer. Tomorrow is my off-day, but on Wednesday, I plan to be on the road by 4:00am, with my runner's light, doing my 3 min run / 2 min walk (slight variation - if need be) for 30 to 45 minutes. My training right now is kind of a "pre-training" to get the body used to running and to work on fine tuning my running form. I don't start the actual "training" with long runs and "miracle miles" until the first week of August. So, I took Galloway's method and rolled into it a training program a friend of mine used for his first marathon (it was a local community marathon) a couple of years ago that worked for him. From time to time, I'll catch him on the roads early in the morning and depending on how good we feel, we'll sprint up the road to the local 7-11 - last one buys the winner a cup of coffee. :)
 
dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
ntn_haqqer said:
I've been reading about the "balloon ladies" (pacers) and the "bicycle riders" (official pacers?) and from what I understand that if you fall behind the balloon ladies, you're in danger of getting swept off the course. Now, where I get foggy is where do the bicycle riders (official pacers?) come in? Do you have to keep a pace ahead of them? That would be pretty challenging to do for a new runner (namely me) to stay ahead of a guy on a bike. I'm hoping those who ran the marathon last year could shed some light on the bicycle folks. Thank you! :)
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So they serve two somewhat similar, yet slightly different purposes. The balloon ladies start off as the last people across the start line, and move at a 16min pace. So as long as you stay ahead of them, you should in theory be able to finish the race. The bicycle riders are the sweep line. They will also travel at a similar pace, but at certain points on course, and anyone behind them will be removed from the course and loaded onto buses. I don't know where exactly they will sweep, but lets say miles 5, 10, 15, 20 (making these up) you need to be in front of the bicycle riders when they hit those mile markers. They will usually tell you "You need to get in front of me before I hit that marker" type stuff as they don't want to sweep you. If you aren't, onto the "Parade Bus" you go. Now after that last sweep point, they will usually let you finish the course, even if you drop below the 16min/mile pace. However, if you fall behind the balloon ladies, you aren't making the required pace so runDisney may not give you a medal, or say you were an official finisher. Hopefully that helps.
 
dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
ForeverAnna said:
At the Tinkerbell half in May I was swept between miles 9 and 10 and got a medal anyway.
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Which is a point of contention that comes up many times on running boards. runDisney is one of (if not the only) event I know that will sweep someone from the course, but still give them finishers medals. They may elect to stop that practice at any time, and in the past have chosen to not mail/issue finishers certificates some times. Best bet is to train to meet the pacing requirements.
 
wdwjmp239

wdwjmp239

Well-Known Member
dreamfinder said:
So they serve two somewhat similar, yet slightly different purposes. The balloon ladies start off as the last people across the start line, and move at a 16min pace. So as long as you stay ahead of them, you should in theory be able to finish the race. The bicycle riders are the sweep line. They will also travel at a similar pace, but at certain points on course, and anyone behind them will be removed from the course and loaded onto buses.... However, if you fall behind the balloon ladies, you aren't making the required pace so runDisney may not give you a medal, or say you were an official finisher. Hopefully that helps.
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That does help Dreamfinder! Thank you very much for the information! I ran a 5K in Naples, Florida on July 4th along side a bicycle pacer for the last mile. I was able to ask him what his pace was and he was averaging around a 15:00 minute mile. The training I'm doing is trying to stay in the neighborhood of 12-15 minutes so there's no problem. Some friends of mine who run still don't get the fact why I would just jump into a marathon. They keep telling me I should start with the 5Ks and then progressively work up towards the marathon length. In the safe and sane world, this would be ideal. In my world, I figure go big or go home! The way I see it is this - if I get 10 miles into this thing and get swept, then that's 10 more miles than the person still sitting in front of the TV. Plus, I told my sister-in-law I'd run it with her. Truth be told, I'm pretty excited about it, but nervous at the same time. I figure this - just get out there and have fun. :)
 
Flippin'Flounder

Flippin'Flounder

Well-Known Member
ntn_haqqer said:
That does help Dreamfinder! Thank you very much for the information! I ran a 5K in Naples, Florida on July 4th along side a bicycle pacer for the last mile. I was able to ask him what his pace was and he was averaging around a 15:00 minute mile. The training I'm doing is trying to stay in the neighborhood of 12-15 minutes so there's no problem. Some friends of mine who run still don't get the fact why I would just jump into a marathon. They keep telling me I should start with the 5Ks and then progressively work up towards the marathon length. In the safe and sane world, this would be ideal. In my world, I figure go big or go home! The way I see it is this - if I get 10 miles into this thing and get swept, then that's 10 more miles than the person still sitting in front of the TV. Plus, I told my sister-in-law I'd run it with her. Truth be told, I'm pretty excited about it, but nervous at the same time. I figure this - just get out there and have fun. :)
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As long as your having fun, there's no reason not to!
 
wdwjmp239

wdwjmp239

Well-Known Member
CanadianGordon said:
Preparing for my first marathon with RunDisney in a few years (I'm realistic here) and it's wonderful to see the mentality that everyone has. As long as you attempt to do it and have fun while doing it, you're miles above anyone sitting at home. ;)
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In a few years? What's the reason? I decided I'd do the WDW Marathon with my sister-in-law when they opened the early registration. It was kind of spontaneous. I just figured that if I don't do this now, then I will never do it. If there's still spots available - register! If it's a logistics problem like you don't live in Florida and within a couple of hours of Disney, then give the marathon a crack in 2018! Hell...if you start training now you'll be ready to go! I started training for the 2017 WDW Marathon in March 2016. I'm still running, too! I'm just now starting to break the 10-12 mile mark using a walk/run training method by Jeff Galloway.

As a matter of fact, as hot & humid it is in Florida right now - I just got back from a quick 3 miler ("recovery run"). I'm just hoping that when January rolls around, all the summer training I'm doing will show in the winter when I'm looking to run just to get back indoors because I'm sure it will be "cold" (cold to Florida residents) when the marathon starts early in the morning. :)
 
CanadianGordon

CanadianGordon

Well-Known Member
ntn_haqqer said:
In a few years? What's the reason? I decided I'd do the WDW Marathon with my sister-in-law when they opened the early registration. It was kind of spontaneous. I just figured that if I don't do this now, then I will never do it. If there's still spots available - register! If it's a logistics problem like you don't live in Florida and within a couple of hours of Disney, then give the marathon a crack in 2018! Hell...if you start training now you'll be ready to go! I started training for the 2017 WDW Marathon in March 2016. I'm still running, too! I'm just now starting to break the 10-12 mile mark using a walk/run training method by Jeff Galloway.

As a matter of fact, as hot & humid it is in Florida right now - I just got back from a quick 3 miler ("recovery run"). I'm just hoping that when January rolls around, all the summer training I'm doing will show in the winter when I'm looking to run just to get back indoors because I'm sure it will be "cold" (cold to Florida residents) when the marathon starts early in the morning. :)
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It's money mostly.. Want to save up for it so we can really enjoy ourselves.
 
dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
Dopey Challenge sold out

  • Dopey Challenge - Sold Out 8/15/2016
  • Goofy Race and a Half Challenge
  • Marathon
  • Half Marathon - Sold Out 4/27/2016
  • 10k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
  • 5k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
  • Kids Races
  • Castaway Cay Challenge
  • Runners World VIP
 
dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
So while checking the race status, I noticed that they now have an option for #racedirectorchallenge on the Goofy and the half. Both require a password to register for them. I'm kinda curious if this is something where the race director is challenging other race directors? Or if they are challenging runners. Can't find anything out about it, so it's probably a private thing.
 
dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
Dopey reopened.

  • Dopey Challenge
  • Goofy Race and a Half Challenge
  • Marathon
  • Half Marathon - Sold Out 4/27/2016
  • 10k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
  • 5k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
  • Kids Races
  • Castaway Cay Challenge
  • Runners World VIP
 
Skippy

Skippy

Well-Known Member
Correction: Goofy + Full Marathon have been fluctuating between available / unavailable for the last hour.
  • Dopey Challenge
  • Goofy Race and a Half Challenge -
  • Marathon -
  • Half Marathon Sold Out 4/27/2016
  • 10k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
  • 5k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
  • Kids Races
  • Castaway Cay Challenge
  • Runners World VIP
 
Last edited:
dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
  • Dopey Challenge (Sold Out 8/15/2016 Reopened 8/30/2016)
  • Goofy Race and a Half Challenge - Sold Out 9/1/2016
  • Marathon
  • Half Marathon - Sold Out 4/27/2016
  • 10k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
  • 5k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
  • Kids Races
  • Castaway Cay Challenge
  • Runners World VIP
The #racedirectorchallenge option has also disappeared within the last hour or so.
 
dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
  • Dopey Challenge (Sold Out 8/15/2016 Reopened 8/30/2016)
  • Goofy Race and a Half Challenge (Sold Out & Reopened 9/1/2016)
  • Marathon
  • Half Marathon - Sold Out 4/27/2016
  • 10k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
  • 5k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
  • Kids Races
  • Castaway Cay Challenge
  • Runners World VIP
Goofy reappeared this afternoon, along with the #racedirectorchallenge. Someone is just messing with me.
 

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