Marathon Weekend 2023
- Thread starter FFigawi
- Start date
PrincessV
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
Good Saturday morning! As always happens, I haven’t had any time to check in, but I’m caught up now and it sounds like all are having a pretty good race weekend so far… yay!
I got to the expo around 2:30 Thurs and had no lines for bib or “free” shirts. I was already tired and aggravated by an unpleasant journey across I4 and just wanted to get grocery shopping done and be settled in my room, so I didn’t even go into the merch building.
The 10K was one of the best shorter distance WDW races I’ve experienced! Started at the very back of B and pulled a 2:15:xx finish time lol! Stopped for plenty of pics, but could not with that Mickey & Minnie line. Was very pleasantly surprised with how not overly crowded and congested my race was from start to finish. It certainly wasn’t empty, to be sure, but I can’t think of any time where it was completely bogged down with bodies. And I finished only a few minutes before the balloon ladies, so I think I experienced most of the pace spectrum lol!
My Floridian self wore full length tights (not thermal ones though), a thermal tech long sleeve under a cotton tee, knit beanie hat, and knit gloves. Gloves came off around mile 3, and I wished I hadn’t ditched them when I walked back to my car later. BRRRRRRRR! No my.ar at the finish?! Not cool. Pre-race I had on throwaway sweatpants and a Mylar. Other than walking back to my car after finishing, I was comfortable. Noticed the smaller bottles of water at the finish, and hey - the medal was MUCH lighter in weight than years past! I actually wore it all day without neck pain!
I had no pain going into the race, which seemed too good to be true, and it was: by the end, an IT band was acting up and my hands and ankles were pretty cranky. My body HATES cold these days. I walked some around EP in the afternoon, slowly and with plenty of stops to sit, and the heat of the sun was so helpful! My feet hurt by the end of the day, but in a normal way, and the rest of me felt better, especially after a hot bath and an Aleve.
No idea what to expect tomorrow. I saw that rD has yellow flagged it, but I’m looking at the hourly forecast and worrying that it’s going to be chilly enough to trigger my joint and muscle pain - what a weird dichotomy!
I hope all those who ran/are running the half today had/are having a great race!
I got to the expo around 2:30 Thurs and had no lines for bib or “free” shirts. I was already tired and aggravated by an unpleasant journey across I4 and just wanted to get grocery shopping done and be settled in my room, so I didn’t even go into the merch building.
The 10K was one of the best shorter distance WDW races I’ve experienced! Started at the very back of B and pulled a 2:15:xx finish time lol! Stopped for plenty of pics, but could not with that Mickey & Minnie line. Was very pleasantly surprised with how not overly crowded and congested my race was from start to finish. It certainly wasn’t empty, to be sure, but I can’t think of any time where it was completely bogged down with bodies. And I finished only a few minutes before the balloon ladies, so I think I experienced most of the pace spectrum lol!
My Floridian self wore full length tights (not thermal ones though), a thermal tech long sleeve under a cotton tee, knit beanie hat, and knit gloves. Gloves came off around mile 3, and I wished I hadn’t ditched them when I walked back to my car later. BRRRRRRRR! No my.ar at the finish?! Not cool. Pre-race I had on throwaway sweatpants and a Mylar. Other than walking back to my car after finishing, I was comfortable. Noticed the smaller bottles of water at the finish, and hey - the medal was MUCH lighter in weight than years past! I actually wore it all day without neck pain!
I had no pain going into the race, which seemed too good to be true, and it was: by the end, an IT band was acting up and my hands and ankles were pretty cranky. My body HATES cold these days. I walked some around EP in the afternoon, slowly and with plenty of stops to sit, and the heat of the sun was so helpful! My feet hurt by the end of the day, but in a normal way, and the rest of me felt better, especially after a hot bath and an Aleve.
No idea what to expect tomorrow. I saw that rD has yellow flagged it, but I’m looking at the hourly forecast and worrying that it’s going to be chilly enough to trigger my joint and muscle pain - what a weird dichotomy!
I hope all those who ran/are running the half today had/are having a great race!
camaker
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing
- Joined
- May 8, 2015
Can I just vent how much I hate the park reservation system? Back in October/November today seemed like a good AK day. After the reality of 3 races and needing to nurse things a bit, I'd really rather keep it closer and smaller and do DHS for a quick lunch and back to the resort. The system won't let me modify my reservation to do that. I can't even hop into DHS after 2p unless I've entered AK already, either. Very frustrating.
PrincessV
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
Agreed, but don’t give up:
1. Try again later - I’ve found things to open up frequently this way.
2. If you’re at a WDW resort, hit up the Concierge - they’ve been able to help me with this once or twice.
gosalyn_mallard
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2017
Oh that stinks! What happened? Just lots of traffic?
RunWI1265
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 7, 2020
I applaud whoever hopped on teacups today. I hesitated to think if I should and thought…I don’t like spinning on a normal day why am I even considering it on a day it is very important I do not get sick 
They seemed to be emphasizing tomorrows weather quite a bit. I see the humidity will be high. Is that the concern? The temperature will rise quickly but that starting from low 50’s. So it’s not hot getting very hot. More like chilly to warm. Maybe I’m wrong.
They seemed to be emphasizing tomorrows weather quite a bit. I see the humidity will be high. Is that the concern? The temperature will rise quickly but that starting from low 50’s. So it’s not hot getting very hot. More like chilly to warm. Maybe I’m wrong.
MissLiss279
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2015
I have returned RunDisney merch to Resort gift shops in past years with no push back. If it is official Disney merch, you should be able to return it to any Disney shop.
I have too, but I’d read in a group (maybe not this one) that people were having difficulty with it this year. I just asked at the counter and initially the answer was no, but after discussing what the receipt/barcodes looked like (I didn’t have it on me) she thought she probably could take them back.
Poohverine
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2022
Honestly thought the exact same with the tea cups. I hate spinning rides to begin with, and the slog to get back to Epcot was already going to be hard enough to begin with.I applaud whoever hopped on teacups today. I hesitated to think if I should and thought…I don’t like spinning on a normal day why am I even considering it on a day it is very important I do not get sick
They seemed to be emphasizing tomorrows weather quite a bit. I see the humidity will be high. Is that the concern? The temperature will rise quickly but that starting from low 50’s. So it’s not hot getting very hot. More like chilly to warm. Maybe I’m wrong.
Also, I felt like I was freezing almost the entire race! I’m originally from Michigan so I’m used to cold weather, but Florida cold hits differently…
Novatrix
Dreamfinder-in-Training
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2017
And now they're gone. No clue what time they got there.
1GoldenSun
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2017
Congratulations to everyone with races already under their belts!
I failed to get a spot for Dopey and am just running the marathon. This turned out to be a very good thing because I've experienced some health issues this year and my doctor advised me not to attempt to run a marathon right now. I'm still going to run at least some of it--I'm thinking about getting to the castle (I'm fairly sure I can do that no problem) or maybe even halfway. My question is--where is a good "drop-out" point? I almost definitely won't be injured or even completely out of steam, so I could walk to...wherever is convenient. If I drop out at the castle could I walk to the entrance and take the monorail to Epcot? I don't want the medal if I don't finish, and I don't care for the snack box, haha, but I'll need to pick up my checked bag with my Oofas. Would this work or do I need to take one of those buses that are there to take dropouts to the finish? Or, suppose I decide not to check a bag and make it to AK and am ready to quit there--could I just wander off the course and take off my bib and be done with it, or is that not allowed?
Also, I've only run a marathon once before, and I think my mind has blocked out the memory of the morning. What time are you all planning on trying to arrive tomorrow? I'm at OKW; what time would you suggest I be at the Hospitality House waiting for the bus?
Thanks everyone! I've been enjoying supporting the other runners so much this year, without the stress of worrying about my own run coming up on Sunday (I really am just in it for fun this year). But I hope to get these medical issues under control soon and start training in earnest so I can be out there for Dopey with you next year!
I failed to get a spot for Dopey and am just running the marathon. This turned out to be a very good thing because I've experienced some health issues this year and my doctor advised me not to attempt to run a marathon right now. I'm still going to run at least some of it--I'm thinking about getting to the castle (I'm fairly sure I can do that no problem) or maybe even halfway. My question is--where is a good "drop-out" point? I almost definitely won't be injured or even completely out of steam, so I could walk to...wherever is convenient. If I drop out at the castle could I walk to the entrance and take the monorail to Epcot? I don't want the medal if I don't finish, and I don't care for the snack box, haha, but I'll need to pick up my checked bag with my Oofas. Would this work or do I need to take one of those buses that are there to take dropouts to the finish? Or, suppose I decide not to check a bag and make it to AK and am ready to quit there--could I just wander off the course and take off my bib and be done with it, or is that not allowed?
Also, I've only run a marathon once before, and I think my mind has blocked out the memory of the morning. What time are you all planning on trying to arrive tomorrow? I'm at OKW; what time would you suggest I be at the Hospitality House waiting for the bus?
Thanks everyone! I've been enjoying supporting the other runners so much this year, without the stress of worrying about my own run coming up on Sunday (I really am just in it for fun this year). But I hope to get these medical issues under control soon and start training in earnest so I can be out there for Dopey with you next year!
Livelovedance
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2015
Quick question for the pros. I lost my goodr sunglasses somewhere prerace or the very beginning of the race. I’ll definitely need a replacement for tomorrow. Should I go back to the expo, or try Disney Springs? I have a car if that makes any difference.
Mr_Incr3dible
50 miles at 55!
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2021
Disney seems to be working overtime these days to tick off its paying customers. I just booked Park passes for the wife and myself at Epcot next month and found out about the dynamic pricing they have initiated. Just more middle finger from the mouse…
Mr_Incr3dible
50 miles at 55!
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2021
Hate to hear about the sunglasses, and not sure where is the best place to get any. Maybe a cheap pair at one of the gas stations near D Springs. But I always go to the ZZ Top route of Cheap Sunglasses. If I’m anywhere that they are handing out free promotional sunglasses, I grab a pair or two and use those for races, so that if I lose them, no issue.
camaker
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing
- Joined
- May 8, 2015
Thank you so much @PrincessV! The concierge at CBR was able to switch my park reservation up with no problem! On the Skyliner to DHS for an early lunch now!
Disneyhanna
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2017
I froze today! Legs and core were fine in lightweight short sleeves and bike shorts but my forearms and hands especially were ice cold. To the point where I wanted to walk the rest but didn’t because I would be even colder. It was the worst from 8-10 I truly didn’t know how I got through that part. Then the sun came out and by 11 I was okay again. Thankfully they had Mylar. I had hand warmers and ditched them at mile 2, big mistake. It seemed to get colder halfway through the race for me.
Started in the middle of B at around 5:08 and the first few lines (Esmeralda, Sally, Beast, etc) were a bit long (50+ people I’d guess 6-7 minutes) but they got much shorter, a few minutes or less, and by the time I got back to Epcot the characters had maybe lines of 5 people. I ran maybe an 11 minute pace between photos or a bit slower and that seemed to be enough to beat the lines.
I really enjoyed nothing about the course except MK. So tomorrow could be rough
Edit: and I am from MN so I really thought 45-50 would be perfect lol
Started in the middle of B at around 5:08 and the first few lines (Esmeralda, Sally, Beast, etc) were a bit long (50+ people I’d guess 6-7 minutes) but they got much shorter, a few minutes or less, and by the time I got back to Epcot the characters had maybe lines of 5 people. I ran maybe an 11 minute pace between photos or a bit slower and that seemed to be enough to beat the lines.
I really enjoyed nothing about the course except MK. So tomorrow could be rough
Edit: and I am from MN so I really thought 45-50 would be perfect lol
Last edited:
Z-Knight
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 3, 2015
Yeah, I was frozen from start to finish and it got worse with every mile until sunrise. I decided to walk this but basically try to do it under 3 hours... Well, that required running a bit of it and I did that for first 3 miles and hence I got wet from sweat. That made the last miles worse cause I was wet and walking slow... I tried running intermittently to warm up, but it didn't help too much and so I was just cold the entire race.
Oh and I had layers on and still cold... I had t-shirt, arm sleeves, long sleeve shirt, and then my Dopey Hockey Sweater... Didn't help. Lol
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2014
I had been a bit worried about monorail timing coming from CR this AM just in case Disney went cheap and was only running minimal trains on each line, but it looked to me they had really loaded both lines up with plenty of monorails so hardly any wait for each and a pretty efficient overall trip.
From my time stamps, left room at 3:08, on resort monorail at 3:13, on Epcot monorail 3:23, down the ramps and in that area in front of the park tapstyles where you can take a good selfie with SSE in the background at 3:36. That works in my book.
I could have taken the monorail back when done and wish I had, I took the bus as I didn’t really want to walk all the way back to the monorail station but the bus got slowed by a lot of residual traffic impacts and ended up taking around 40 mins. If ever in similar timing circumstances again I will opt for monorail.
Fun race (if not maybe a little boring course?) but that turn down Main Street is always all the feels and the spectator crowd was pretty darn electric when I went through. Major shout out to those folks.
Super dark section back on Floridian Way was kind of odd, glad that asphalt is new/smooth because I couldn’t really see. Someone near me even pulled out their phone light.
From my time stamps, left room at 3:08, on resort monorail at 3:13, on Epcot monorail 3:23, down the ramps and in that area in front of the park tapstyles where you can take a good selfie with SSE in the background at 3:36. That works in my book.
I could have taken the monorail back when done and wish I had, I took the bus as I didn’t really want to walk all the way back to the monorail station but the bus got slowed by a lot of residual traffic impacts and ended up taking around 40 mins. If ever in similar timing circumstances again I will opt for monorail.
Fun race (if not maybe a little boring course?) but that turn down Main Street is always all the feels and the spectator crowd was pretty darn electric when I went through. Major shout out to those folks.
Super dark section back on Floridian Way was kind of odd, glad that asphalt is new/smooth because I couldn’t really see. Someone near me even pulled out their phone light.
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