Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend 2023 (Nov. 2-5, 2023)

[Dopey 2020]

What are everyone's thoughts on driving and parking at Epcot vs. taking the resort shuttle? I'll be staying at OKW, but I will have my car too. Is it much easier and quicker to drive, or more of a hassle?

Everyone of course has different ideas of easy or worth it so I can only tell you my personal experience. Started running Disney in 2016 and as someone from far away with no knowledge of the roads and no car I was team bus, only had one driver get lost out of about 40 races and still got there with plenty of time. Sometimes the waits at the end these days are excessive, I’ve waited 45 minutes on a bus before leaving.

The past couple years (post Covid) I’ve done multiple races over 6 race weekends and have been team drive with either my car or a rental. I don’t plan on ever going back. It is much nicer to be on your own schedule. Having a car on a wet cold morning to wait in, walking back and knowing you don’t have to wait, etc. With Apple Maps/car play navigating road closures is a breeze. The traffic getting there in the AM has been flowing smoothly and the parking is some of the nicest organization I’ve ever seen to move that many vehicles non stop. I would suggest still going before any road closures, I can’t speak to what would happen at that point.
For comparison I have driven from AKV, BWV, Wilderness, and Bay Lake.

 

[DianaMB333]

For those that are familiar with the roads and parking for the event… what would be the suggested route/parking lot to look for?

I’ll be at Grand Floridian and I have a car rental because I want to be really early to get photos with characters before the races (my main interest is Encanto) and don't want to rely on the buses for it

Thanks!

 

[Bree]

For those that are familiar with the roads and parking for the event… what would be the suggested route/parking lot to look for?

I’ll be at Grand Floridian and I have a car rental because I want to be really early to get photos with characters before the races (my main interest is Encanto) and don't want to rely on the buses for it

Thanks!

It’s Floridian way to World Drive and then take the Epcot exit. Easy peasy. Just put Epcot in your GPS. You park in the regular Epcot parking lot.

 

[Dopey 2020]

For those that are familiar with the roads and parking for the event… what would be the suggested route/parking lot to look for?

I’ll be at Grand Floridian and I have a car rental because I want to be really early to get photos with characters before the races (my main interest is Encanto) and don't want to rely on the buses for it

Thanks!

I’ll be driving from wilderness so similar, just across the way. Only one way into EPCOT, very easy North World to Epcot Center

Edit @Bree beat me to it

 

[Bree]

I was checking bus transportation times for my husband to possibly meet up with us after the races. Didn’t parking used to be free before 7am?



It doesn’t impact Disney resort guests and AP. We get to park for free.

 

[PrincessV]

What are everyone's thoughts on driving and parking at Epcot vs. taking the resort shuttle? I'll be staying at OKW, but I will have my car too. Is it much easier and quicker to drive, or more of a hassle?

I’ve been driving to all WDW races forever - it’s very easy and quick! Just leave early (see below) and you own’t encounter any issues.

Our group is debating on what time to leave to make it to our corral. We are staying offsite, typically a 15 minute drive. Thoughts? I think we left the house at 3:15 last year. I felt it was ok, but others thought it was too early.

I do not like the stress of being late, so I always give myself a solid buffer: if I’;m at a WDW resort, I aim to be out the door within 15-20 minutes after resort race buses start running, so if race buses start at 3, I’m walking to my car by 3:20. If I’m offsite, I add however much time is needed to get to WDW to that - so for a resort 15 mins away, I’d want to be leaving at 3. I don’t run into any traffic jams that way, and have ample time to walk up to the EP entrance, get through security, and make the trek to the start area, plus time for potty stops, a warm-up, etc. Others I know leave later and are fine with possibly needing to rush a bit more. I always have friends who left later and wound up having to sprint from their cars to the last corral to start.

For those that are familiar with the roads and parking for the event… what would be the suggested route/parking lot to look for?

I’ll be at Grand Floridian and I have a car rental because I want to be really early to get photos with characters before the races (my main interest is Encanto) and don't want to rely on the buses for it

Thanks!

Just follow the signs to EP - it’ll be an exit on your right off World Dr, which is the only way to go from GF.

I was checking bus transportation times for my husband to possibly meet up with us after the races. Didn’t parking used to be free before 7am?

View attachment 803364

It doesn’t impact Disney resort guests and AP. We get to park for free.

Uh, YES, it was definitely before 7am before. Wow.

 

[Outonarun]

I am confused by the pace group information and hope that @DopeyBadger or someone else might be able to help. Chris Twiggs is in the lead pace group with a finish time of 1:45 and a pace of 8:00 and a ratio of 4:00/30. However, wouldn't one only get a 1:45 at a 8:00/mile pace if you're running without walk breaks? Unless my math is wrong, a 4:00/30 at a 8 min/mile pace should finish in 1:58. If I am wrong, please help me understand the math.

I ran with the 8:00 min/mile group for the last Star Wars half marathon - we ran 4 minutes at a 7:30 min/mile pace, and walked briskly for 30 seconds.

 

[kps7795]

I ran with the 8:00 min/mile group for the last Star Wars half marathon - we ran 4 minutes at a 7:30 min/mile pace, and walked briskly for 30 seconds.

Having run with the 8:00 min/mile group, would you rather run with this approach or run continuously at a 8:00 min/mile pace? Obviously, this is a personal preference. But, I'm curious about your experience and how that might have influenced your thoughts regarding run-walk.

 

[Dopey 2020]

Having run with the 8:00 min/mile group, would you rather run with this approach or run continuously at a 8:00 min/mile pace? Obviously, this is a personal preference. But, I'm curious about your experience and how that might have influenced your thoughts regarding run-walk.

I can tell you from my experience that I use run/walk anytime I want to go faster. I can run a 2 hour half but can run walk 1:39. I actually train a lot at continuous pace to improve endurance but for some reason can’t maintain as fast a pace as I can by taking breaks. I actually stopped following the 1:45 pacers not because they were too fast but because I run faster for 3 minutes then walk. Funny you bring this up now as I’m actually thinking about going back to 2:30 and basically doing a series of sprints. No matter how much I run I can’t seem to get quicker than by using short bursts of speed followed by a break.
No matter what the intervals I can say I feel much better after an intervals run as far as soreness both immediately and the following day.
I would go ahead and follow them for a couple miles and see how you feel, that’s how I discovered that it works for me. Either way, have a great race weekend!

 

[Outonarun]

Having run with the 8:00 min/mile group, would you rather run with this approach or run continuously at a 8:00 min/mile pace? Obviously, this is a personal preference. But, I'm curious about your experience and how that might have influenced your thoughts regarding run-walk.

I prefer continuous running. For that race, I had not trained for a 7:30 pace, nor to use the run-walk method. I was planning on an easy run, and then decided to jump in with the pace group last minute, just to try it out.

After mile 6, I definitely noticed, and was challenged by, the 7:30 pace leg turnover. I would recommend that anyone interested in running with a Galloway pace group incorporate training at the run pace of the pace group.

 

[goofyfan6698]

It's been a while since I've done a runDisney race (pre-covid). We are staying at the Poly. Is it necessary to be on the bus @ 3 AM?

 

[1lilspark]

It's been a while since I've done a runDisney race (pre-covid). We are staying at the Poly. Is it necessary to be on the bus @ 3 AM?

If you want to be able to meet pre race characters yes
Last year for the 5k we got to bus area at Pop around 2:50 boarded the 2nd bus five minutes later got to Epcot 3:15 and by the time we made the walk towards the staging area (with a real restroom stop at Epcot’s entrance) it was 3:35 and the line closed up for Miguel maybe a dozen parties after us and all other lines were also capped

During springtime at music the first busses were pulling out closer to 230-245 idk if it was a fluke or not but we plan to be in the lobby by 2:15/2:30

 

[nekonekoneko]

I was checking bus transportation times for my husband to possibly meet up with us after the races. Didn’t parking used to be free before 7am?

View attachment 803364

It doesn’t impact Disney resort guests and AP. We get to park for free.

I stayed off-site for MW this past January, so I took full advantage of the free parking in Epcot

 

[Dopey 2020]

Just got my email that event guide is live, sometimes I feel very behind the times

 

[Dopey 2020]

This seems new, I like it

 

[jmasgat]

This seems new, I like it
View attachment 803556

It will all be great……until the first person whose bus gets lost and shows up and their corral is closed. The poor volunteers. They may get more flak. And yes it is the runner’s responsibility to follow the timing.

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

I am very much a "get in the corral at the last possible minute so I can sleep in a bit" kind of runner at runDisney so the corral closure times is super helpful.

 

[Bree]

It’s about time they published something about corrals closing early. Corrals closing early is not new, but it that information was never made public. Hopefully this will help alleviate the late arrivals to the corrals shoving their way through a sea of runners to get to the front.

I am curious to how corral E will be handled for the half

 

[GuinnessRunner]

I am curious to how corral E will be handled for the half

Isn't that a typo? Suspect they meant it will open at 4:00 and stay open until last runner crosses.

 

[sandam1]

What are everyone's thoughts on driving and parking at Epcot vs. taking the resort shuttle? I'll be staying at OKW, but I will have my car too. Is it much easier and quicker to drive, or more of a hassle?

I am the queen of the catastrophic Disney transportation failure so I will always, always, ALWAYS drive myself. That way I 1) have control over my own schedule, 2) have a warm/cool/dry/comfy place to kill some time before heading out (I always get there super early, just in case), and 3) can bring all of the gear that I need - or think that I might need - for before, during and after the race.

Parking is super easy and efficient. Disney has flashing road signs once you get close to Epcot with directions, but I've found Google maps to be just as good and, in my experience, they also adapt the directions for the known race-related road closures, which is helpful.