Wow. I disappear for literally a week and all hell breaks loose at rD! I am glad they brought characters back out on the 10k course. I literally was stunned about the 5k change. And it does make a difference to this runDisney runner. To give you perspective, I've run 6 runDis half marathons, 3 10ks and 1 5k over the last 5 years. I'm currently signed up for 2 more halfs and a 5k. I give runDisney WAY too much of my discretionary funds but I've always felt it worth it.
Personally, I have only stopped 2x for characters during a half marathon. My first half I stopped at mile 10, once I felt really comfortable I would be able to finish. And it was a very short line. And worth it. My second half, I stopped twice, and regretted the first b/c I never did get going properly again. Both of those were during Wine & Dine races. I have not stopped for any characters during California halfs, or at Princess because I know I can't wait in lines that long and get my body going again for the duration of a half. But a 10k, or a 5k, I can run much faster and don't crash by doing so because it's a shorter course. This is all because I have taken the time to train and see what I can handle, which is my responsibility to do. If I end up not finishing (like I almost didn't finish my 2nd half), whether because I didn't leave enough time or because I felt sick after stopping momentum, that's on me.
Anyhow - I have been waiting to find out what's going on with Lightside so that I could register myself, DH and DS for the 5k (along with my half). If they aren't going to have characters, I really don't think that we will haul ourselves across the country. We MIGHT because DS really enjoyed just running in backstage
Disneyland and would do anything for a vacation to DL. But having the pictures of my family running the Avengers 5k last year was amazing. We stopped for 3 of the 4 stops, and I know we waited in significant lines and it was ridiculous in a way. But it was REALLY REALLY FUN. And I got to do something with my DS and my dad which I never thought we would do otherwise (run a race together).
And that brings me to my point. I give runDisney so much credit for helping people get off the couch and move. A LOT of people who would never have even thought of running. Myself included. For some it is just going to WDW. For some it's the medal. For some it's running backstage. But for many, it's the character photos they see online and of their friends. So for the sake of health benefits, I hope Disney keeps characters going forward! As many have said, there are so many ways they could improve the flow (more characters, different pace limits to encourage training, signs of upcoming characters, advance knowledge so people can plan which ones to stop at, guidance about pacing yourself properly if you plan to stop and considering limiting the number of your stops, etc). But taking them away entirely was just plain dumb.
Oh - one more thing. At Star Wars Lightside 10k 2016 there were storm troopers out that weren't an official character stop. They were behind a low iron fence and lots of people ran by taking selfies. At Avengers 5k 2016, Spidey was up on the train station (not really selfie but you could snap a pic while running by). Adding some of these non-interactive ones along with actual stops, would be fine with me.
. However, having the characters there is enough to keep me going and wondering who's next?
