Do people actually walk during 10k races?

stephk1981

DIS Veteran
Joined
Oct 11, 2013
DS10 and I signed up for the April 10k. We have only been spectators at the runDisney events. We have been ' training' but can't make it more than a 1.5 miles before we have to walk for a bit. DS worries we will be the only ones taking a walk break on such a short race. Will we be okay doing this?
 
DS10 and I signed up for the April 10k. We have only been spectators at the runDisney events. We have been ' training' but can't make it more than a 1.5 miles before we have to walk for a bit. DS worries we will be the only ones taking a walk break on such a short race. Will we be okay doing this?

The Galloway run/walk/run method is the officially endorsed racing method at RunDisney events. It does not matter what distance you do, you will see people both walking and running throughout the entirety of the race. You will not be out of place at all. Just make sure you are aware of the etiquette in transitioning between running and walking in order to protect and ensure that both you and those around you are safe while doing it.
 
The Galloway run/walk/run method is the officially endorsed racing method at RunDisney events. It does not matter what distance you do, you will see people both walking and running throughout the entirety of the race. You will not be out of place at all. Just make sure you are aware of the etiquette in transitioning between running and walking in order to protect and ensure that both you and those around you are safe while doing it.
Great to know! I have never heard of that, I will look it up to make sure we do run, walk transition safely. Thank you!
 
My wife and I did the two course Wine and Dine challenge last year. We wanted to save our legs for the half, so we walked the whole 10k. Didn't stop for any pictures, but got through the whole course in plenty of time.
 


There are a lot of people, of all ages and abilities, that walk at times during the 5k and 10k or even walk the whole race. It may limit your opportunities to stop for characters during the race, but you won’t feel out of place.
 


Walking is most common on 5k events where people are just getting started or overcoming something... like a physical limitation.

I’d think the intuitive order of ‘things to accomplish’ would be to finish running a 5k before walking a 10k. Having said that, there is no wrong answer and you’re way ahead of anyone on the couch. You most certainly won’t be alone in walking and I’d guarantee no one will judge you.

I will present the opposite situation for your consideration though. April is a long time away. If you keep up the training, you may find the 10k too short and wish you entered the half-marathon :P

I’m not a runner and only did a 5km in December 2018. By April 2019, I had finished the Disney Star Wars half-marathon. You’re way ahead of me if you’re training already. Aim high and don’t doubt you can do it.
 
Walking is most common on 5k events where people are just getting started or overcoming something... like a physical limitation.

This is simply not true. The Galloway philosophy of run/walk/run can be and is commonly applied to races of any distance. There are Galloway run clubs and training groups all over the country dedicated to run/walking for anything from 5ks to marathons. A large portion of ultra runners incorporate walking into their races. It’s a very popular strategy with adherents from a wide variety of ages, abilities and experiences.
 
This is simply not true. The Galloway philosophy of run/walk/run can be and is commonly applied to races of any distance.

Sorry... no disrespect intended. I am entered in the Dopey 2020 and know for a fact I will be walk/running the marathon. (I just didn’t know there was an official name for the strategy).

For my personal choice, I want want to be able to run the previous milestone event before moving to the next. So, I want to run/run the 5k before walk/running the 10k... and then run/run the 10k before walk/running the half-marathon. Maybe that just means I lack ambition. :P
 
Thanks everyone, so glad we will not be out of place! This is something that DS10 has been wanting to do...he has been waiting to turn 10 to be old enough for the 10k. He has been running with me in the mornings for the past few weeks, and made it up to 1.5 miles this past weekend! I have run the same 2 miles every morning for the past 20 years🤣. So he may pass me up before the race.
 
Walking is most common on 5k events where people are just getting started or overcoming something... like a physical limitation.

I’d think the intuitive order of ‘things to accomplish’ would be to finish running a 5k before walking a 10k. Having said that, there is no wrong answer and you’re way ahead of anyone on the couch. You most certainly won’t be alone in walking and I’d guarantee no one will judge you.

I will present the opposite situation for your consideration though. April is a long time away. If you keep up the training, you may find the 10k too short and wish you entered the half-marathon :P

I’m not a runner and only did a 5km in December 2018. By April 2019, I had finished the Disney Star Wars half-marathon. You’re way ahead of me if you’re training already. Aim high and don’t doubt you can do it.

I did precisely this. I made the Inaugural Minnie 10k my goal for PT when recovering from a bad car accident. I walked the entire thing because running isn't a physical option for me. I was slow, and found it a challenge to maintain the minimum pace, but I did it!
 
What is the time limit to finish a Disney 10K? I have replacement knees so I will need to walk the entire 10K.
 
Sorry... no disrespect intended. I am entered in the Dopey 2020 and know for a fact I will be walk/running the marathon. (I just didn’t know there was an official name for the strategy).

For my personal choice, I want want to be able to run the previous milestone event before moving to the next. So, I want to run/run the 5k before walk/running the 10k... and then run/run the 10k before walk/running the half-marathon. Maybe that just means I lack ambition. :P

If applied properly, the run/walk/run method can actually make you faster (to a point). I utilize r/w/r in all of my races, from 5Ks to ultras (the walk intervals get shorter and farther apart for the shorter races though). I love run/walk/run.
 
What is the time limit to finish a Disney 10K? I have replacement knees so I will need to walk the entire 10K.

Technically a 16mm pace from the last person to start in the last corral. So if you are in an earlier corral you have an extra hour buffer. Even if in the last corral, once you enter Epcot you are pretty much safe, as long as you keep moving.
 
Wait, so if you are a little slower than 16 minutes per mile, you think you can still finish and not be taken off the course? What do you think the absolute slowest would be? If we are at 15-16 minutes per mile, would we still be able to stop for a picture or two?
 
Wait, so if you are a little slower than 16 minutes per mile, you think you can still finish and not be taken off the course? What do you think the absolute slowest would be? If we are at 15-16 minutes per mile, would we still be able to stop for a picture or two?

They don't track the pace of individual runners for the 16 minute per mile requirement. There are a set of unofficial pacers called Balloon Ladies that are the last runners across the starting line. They run at 16 minutes per mile and provide a visual cue as to where the cutoff is. The official sweepers follow the Balloon Ladies and are the ones that actually pull runners off the course at designated locations. How much "extra" time you have above 16 minutes per mile depends on how far ahead of the Balloon Ladies you start.
 
Wait, so if you are a little slower than 16 minutes per mile, you think you can still finish and not be taken off the course? What do you think the absolute slowest would be? If we are at 15-16 minutes per mile, would we still be able to stop for a picture or two?

It would depend where you start. Last year for the Princess 10K I ended up walking a good majority of it (poor/essentially non-existent training mixed with extreme heat that morning). I did stop for a couple pictures and just some random photo ops in the park and ended up with a pace of over 18 minutes per mile. That being said, I started at the front of the second to last corral and because of that, I never saw the balloon ladies even with my slow pace.

So if you start the race next to the balloon ladies, you'll need to keep a 16 minute mile. If you do end up started in front of them, the amount of a buffer you have will depend upon how far ahead you are.
 
What everyone else said. My slowest Disney 10K was 2 hours and 40 minutes (due to many shenanigans). I started in A, so this gave me almost an hour extra cushion. Once you are in Epcot, the balloons can pass you and the sweepers (the actual sweepers, on the bikes) won't get you if you are still moving forward reasonably. You will know it if the balloons are coming and you are in a picture line. If you are very close to the front, get the pic and then hustle along. Otherwise, you can just drop out of the line when you see them coming.
 
Even if in the last corral, once you enter Epcot you are pretty much safe, as long as you keep moving.

I can vouch for this. I did the Star Wars 10k this past April. My first live race at Disney and I seriously misjudged the layout of the corrals. Ended up starting about 10 feet in front of the balloon ladies. Yikes! That was definitely NOT in my plan! I made up enough time for one picture at the beginning of the race but from then on it was a frantic race (literally) to stay ahead of the balloons. CMs were yelling at certain mile markers about being swept, waving their wands and saying things like "you have 45 seconds to get past me before joining the party bus" and similar things. I was legit terrified. This was my first 10k and I thought my goal of simply finishing was in jeopardy.

Then we hit Epcot. Balloon ladies were right next to me for the first bit. Then they passed me. (Side note - they are EXTREMELY encouraging as they go, coaching and cheering people on.) I panicked. Then I lost sight of them ahead of me and REALLY panicked. Then it hit me - the bus that follows them can't physically get into Epcot. I should be safe! So I kept moving. Crying a bit, grimacing a bit, but purposefully moving. The medical and security CMs on bikes that were bringing up the rear were far less encouraging than the balloon ladies. About as encouraging as the drill sergeants my brother tells stories about from boot camp. But they didn't make me stop (or any of the others that were behind me).

I wasn't the last one to finish. And I did finish. Running/walking the whole way.

Moral of the story: get yourself to Epcot and keep moving! (Also - line up in your corral early so you start further ahead of the balloon ladies!)
 

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