What to expect at my first 5K?

[Jkpark]

We are doing the Star Wars 5K in January and I'm wondering what to expect. How many people run it? How crowded does it feel? Do people run/walk? How many characters are out for photos and how long does that take? Wondering what pace to set for myself so I have time to enjoy the race and meet characters along the way. How strict are they sweeping? I assume strict so they can clear the parks for opening? Do I bring my own water or is there water along the way? Yes - total newbie here. What happens if you are swept? Where do they take you? What do you miss out on? It's only 5K and starts early but how big of a breakfast do you eat so you have energy but aren't running on a full stomach. Any other advice you can share I'm just not thinking of?

Thanks!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Lots of people will run/walk or even just walk.
Your training should include figuring out what and how to eat so you are ok and not overly full.

 

[Jkpark]

If people are just walking, is it still easy to meet characters and not get swept?

 

[bumbershoot]

I am the wrong person to ask that one. I'm too slow as it is (compared to what I want), and not interested in characters, so I don't stop for them.

 

[goofeygirl]

I am signed up for that race too. If its anything like the 5k in Disney World this January than you can walk pretty slow.

Last year I walked it with my father...SSSLLLLOOOOWWWW... I mean, like a tourist strolling along slow. There were still many many others behind us going even slower.

Photo ops were aplenty. Lines for photo ops were LONG.

I hear there are 'balloon ladies' in the 5k ... if these balloon ladies (literally ladies carrying helium balloons) pass you then you get swept. So always keep the balloons behind you.

If you are doing this race than also consider wearing a costume. That's just me but Disney is one of the rare races where you can go all out crazy in the costume department.

I am thinking of C3po or Yoda or Luke carrying Yoda on his back. Something weird anyway.

 

[Jkpark]

Thanks for this! I probably need to go walk a 5K and see what pace I walk at compared to 16 min/mile. We want to do costumes so will want some unique character photos if we can manage without getting too far behind. Hoping I can jog/walk with an occasional run and have time for characters.

Is it crowded like walking out of the park after fireworks, or does it feel like you have the place to yourself?

 

[goofeygirl]

Thanks for this! I probably need to go walk a 5K and see what pace I walk at compared to 16 min/mile. We want to do costumes so will want some unique character photos if we can manage without getting too far behind. Hoping I can jog/walk with an occasional run and have time for characters.

Is it crowded like walking out of the park after fireworks, or does it feel like you have the place to yourself?

If it is like the 5k in D.W. then its crowded, depending on what coral you are assigned. I was assigned B this year so it wasn't so bad. The year I walked it with my father , we were assigned to whatever the next to last coral was. It was very crowded. It was basically walking around Epcot center and taking photos (btw don't forget your own camera, they usually have professional photographers at these events too).

I know nothing at all of D.L. as I have never been there before. I have no idea how big it is or the cap on how many runners there are. I will assume it would be fairly close to D.W. maybe.

If you have never run a Disney race before and have no time to submit you will likely be assigned the last few corals. How many corals there are will depend on how many runners. The further back in the corals you are, the more crowded it is and the closer you are to the 'balloon ladies'.

You will likely have to arrive real early (D.W. does) to ensure everyone is in their correct coral before the start. So even though its a 5k that starts at 630 am your day will actually start hours before that. The race may start at 630 but you may not cross the start line for a while later...depending on your coral assignment and how many runners there are.

In the 5k I carried my own big ole clunky camera with changeable lenses. I was taking photos of everyone, not just us, but others in costumes. I would ask before I took a photo if I could and no one had a problem with it. It was fun to show people later all the creative ideas in costuming.

I am guessing this will be organized like Orlando.

Yes, you should walk a 5k and get an idea of where you are right now. Then you will have time to build up speed. If you do that you will have enough time to hopefully take photos with characters.

This should be fun because its star wars and I am geek about that.

 

[ANIM8R]

We are doing the Star Wars 5K in January and I'm wondering what to expect. How many people run it? How crowded does it feel? Do people run/walk? How many characters are out for photos and how long does that take? Wondering what pace to set for myself so I have time to enjoy the race and meet characters along the way. How strict are they sweeping? I assume strict so they can clear the parks for opening? Do I bring my own water or is there water along the way? Yes - total newbie here. What happens if you are swept? Where do they take you? What do you miss out on? It's only 5K and starts early but how big of a breakfast do you eat so you have energy but aren't running on a full stomach. Any other advice you can share I'm just not thinking of?

Thanks!!

What can you expect? Expect to have a good time and lots of fun!

You'll go to your corral and mingle with thousands of your closest friends. Sure, there'll be some people there that are a little grumpy either because of the early morning or the crowd but that's the exception, not the rule - the Disney events seem to have higher spirits than most others.

Many people run/walk. Some even walk only. You're going through the park so, yes, it can be crowded at times...something you'd never expect at a Disney park, right?

All-in-all people are cordial and pleasant.

If I remember correctly, there are two water stations.

Personally, my pre-event meal consists of peanut butter crackers and/or a NuGo bar (love those!). But everybody is different. I'm sure there's people out there that range from having nothing to having eggs, ham, and more. In the next month, "practice" eating before going out on your training run/walk and get a feel for what works for you and what doesn't. That's not something you really want to guess at on event day!

Sometimes the character lines are long but 99% of the time, people "know the drill"...meaning they have their cameras ready, the jump in next to the character then move along. In-and-out in a matter of seconds - so, the photo lines move rather quickly.

As far as pace, it depends on the number and length of photo stops you partake. More stops obviously requires a quicker overall pace (when running/walking).
Don't fret too much about getting swept at the 5K. If you've been training/preparing/exercising, you'll be fine. Just enjoy!

 

[Jkpark]

Thanks for the responses. We will train so sounds like we will be fine. We are in it for the fun, not setting any records over here.

What happens after the race? How quickly do they usher you from the parks? Do people go eat, nap, just sit down for a while? Will people still be in their race attire in the parks during the day? I think that would be fun!

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Thanks for the responses. We will train so sounds like we will be fine. We are in it for the fun, not setting any records over here.

What happens after the race? How quickly do they usher you from the parks? Do people go eat, nap, just sit down for a while? Will people still be in their race attire in the parks during the day? I think that would be fun!

The finish line is typically outside the parks.

With regard to maintaining a 16 m/m pace, it is clear that this is expected of all participants. But as others have reported, it is not common to be swept from the 5K.

But you should also be aware that the length of the course gives you less cushion before you will find yourself behind the minimum pace. For example, when running a half marathon at a 15 m/m pace, you would have at least 13 minutes for photo stops and bathroom breaks without risk of being below the minimum pace. If running a 5k at the same pace, you only have about 3 minutes. I think that this is one of the reasons that so many people were swept during the Tink 10K in January: they didn't do the math.

Enjoy the experience, even if you can't stop for character photos. I know I did at the Tink 10K. Oh, and you might as well start saving for the next race; they are pretty addictive. -- Suzanne

 

[MdmMim]

And the BEST part? The way you'll feel when you cross that finish line!
Your first 5K will be so exciting!!! A great feeling of accomplishment and pride!

 

[bumbershoot]

What happens after the race? How quickly do they usher you from the parks? Do people go eat, nap, just sit down for a while? Will people still be in their race attire in the parks during the day? I think that would be fun!

I personally would want to clean up. Only thing I want to wear in a park after a run is clean clothes and my medal!

And for TOT last year I wore my medal to the parks for 4 days. 4th day I started feeling silly and only put it on for the actual Tower of Terror ride at DHS, and as I was walking out (was going to take it off) I saw a guy wearing his. We stopped and talked, and swore to keep our medals on for the whole day. I did and it was still awesome.

So wear that medal for *at least* race day, if not longer!

 

[RnbwSktles]

I personally would want to clean up. Only thing I want to wear in a park after a run is clean clothes and my medal!

And for TOT last year I wore my medal to the parks for 4 days. 4th day I started feeling silly and only put it on for the actual Tower of Terror ride at DHS, and as I was walking out (was going to take it off) I saw a guy wearing his. We stopped and talked, and swore to keep our medals on for the whole day. I did and it was still awesome.

So wear that medal for *at least* race day, if not longer!

I felt the same way after marathon weekend this year. I stayed for the whole week after the race, but only made it to Tues or Wed wearing the medal before I just stuck it in my bag. Most of the runners had gone home by then and I just felt silly.

 

[bumbershoot]

I felt the same way after marathon weekend this year. I stayed for the whole week after the race, but only made it to Tues or Wed wearing the medal before I just stuck it in my bag. Most of the runners had gone home by then and I just felt silly.

Because DS and I got so sick before and during that weekend, we never got a chance to wear our medals. There's a strong chance I'll be wearing this year's Half medal along with next year's, the day of the half and full. Not that I'm doing the full but you know what I mean. I'll be encouraging my son to wear his 5k medal from last year, too. Even if it's weird to others, it was a big glaring empty spot for us last year!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

The finish line is typically outside the parks.

With regard to maintaining a 16 m/m pace, it is clear that this is expected of all participants. But as others have reported, it is not common to be swept from the 5K.

But you should also be aware that the length of the course gives you less cushion before you will find yourself behind the minimum pace. For example, when running a half marathon at a 15 m/m pace, you would have at least 13 minutes for photo stops and bathroom breaks without risk of being below the minimum pace. If running a 5k at the same pace, you only have about 3 minutes. I think that this is one of the reasons that so many people were swept during the Tink 10K in January: they didn't do the math.

I really appreciate this. I'm doing the Rebel Challenge in January. I already know that I can finish a 1/2 complete with some character stops since I've done 3 of those already with my slowest time being 3:12, but I've never incorporated a second race weekend event into it. Based on what you've said, I may well reserve character stops for the 1/2. I would hate to get swept from the 10K and fail in the Rebel Challenge because I got in line for a picture with Jedi Mickey, even if he is wearing his Jedi robes.