Vacation Recap pt. 1: Racing the Sun
Well hello! So we just got back from a family trip to Disney World. The main reason for this trip at this time was to finish a challenge I started in January with the Disneyland Half Marathon. I’m going to separate the trip recap into two parts: the races and the family time. So if you only have interest in the latter, stay tuned! Anyway, onto the running. This is a long one, so buckle up.
The Challenge
In order to complete the Coast to Coast Challenge, you either complete a Disneyland half marathon, and one of the long races in Walt Disney World. I opted for the Springtime Surprise, because I figured a 10 mile race was easier than a half marathon. However, I then signed up for Stitch’s Ohana Challenge, which has one running the 5k, 10k, and 10 miler all in the same race weekend (one race per day: 5k Friday, 10k Saturday, 10 miler Sunday). Can’t make it too easy, right?
Infamously, runDisney races all kick off at 5am. The three in question this weekend started and ended at the Epcot parking lot, which while not far from our resort (plus Disney operates shuttles between all the resorts and the starting area) required getting up pretty early. I was up around 2:15am each morning, to fuel, hydrate, etc. before catching a bus around 3. The hardest part of this to get ready for was the prospect of doing this three days in a row, with a day in the park after.
Then came the weather forecast.
For the three race days, the highs were in the mid- to upper-90s, and lows in the upper-60s. And some potent, Florida-in-the-spring humidity. Baltimore certainly gets hot and muggy in the depths of summer, but at least you sort of build up to it over the course of the warm months.
With these two things in mind, I knew I needed to take these races easier than I might normally. Thanks to my solid showing in the 2022 Baltimore Running Festival half marathon still counting for proof of time, I got placed in Corral A for all three races, affording me some room to take a chiller pace and stop for characters without coming in with times I would be upset about because I’m neurotic like that.
Race #1: Neverland 5k
This was the only race I “dressed up” for, and even saying I did that is a stretch. I wasn’t on theme, and it was barely different than I’d go out for a run normally. I wore a Hawaiian shirt that looked tiki-room themed, which would have been better for the 10k in retrospect. Oh well.
The course was apparently typical for a Disney 5k. It looked about like I remember the Star Wars 5k that Von and I did back in 2018. (the Star Wars race weekends became the Springtime Surprise, so this was the anniversary of my first runDisney race, which was also my first race. Neat!) Into Epcot, around World Showcase, through World Discovery (née Future World) and back out to the parking lot.
Naturally, I went out way too fast. There were almost no characters that first mile, so I came in at 7:46. After that there were a few characters, so I took the opportunity to wait in line and get my picture with them.
The character lines were surprisingly long, at least to me; when I ran the Walt Disney World half marathon in January 2023, I found the lines fairly short, but then again, people were probably doing the same thing I was here: running hard between stops. Per Strava, my moving time vs. total time was 25:16 vs. 31:36.
The race was fun and fast. To brag, by the time I got back to the finish area, corral D hadn’t completely started the race yet. I was tired, but felt ok. I hung around for a couple of post-race character photos, then headed back to the resort.
Race #2: Adventure Is Out There 10k
Day 2, we’re back in the Epcot parking lot well before sunrise. I’m feeling pretty good, I told myself there was no need to go wild. I normally would have a hand bottle for water on a 10k, but opted to rely on the on-course water stops: there were 3 out there, which seemed like enough.
The costumes for these races are amazing. I’m in awe that people not only come up with great outfits, but also run in them, many of them coming in with some truly impressive times. There was a person in my corral who every day had a different, elaborate Star Wars uniform: for the 5k, it was a full Stormtrooper pilot’s suit; the 10k she was a rebel on Endor; and for the 10 miler, the Mandalorian.
The course for this hit the road outside Epcot before coming into the park’s backstage, through World Discovery and part of the World Showcase before a loop around the Boardwalk/Yacht Club/Beach Club lake, then back into Epcot to finish the World Showcase loop, exiting the park by Guardians of the Galaxy before finishing in the parking lot. One of the joys of these races versus running in Baltimore in they’re almost entirely flat.
I started out this one too fast again, but was slowed by a long line to get a picture with Mirabel and Bruno from Encanto. So I slowed it down for the first couple of miles, and then my splits look more aggressive. I somewhat regretted my water strategy, feeling pretty run down by the end.
One of the joys of running these races is, if you’re into this sort of thing, the variety of characters you’ll see and get to grab a picture with on the course; most of these you rarely if ever see in the parks. The 10k featured Star-Lord and Gamora, Lewis from Meet the Robinsons, Little John, Chip and Dale in their Rescue Rangers clothes, Judy and Nick from Zootopia, and others.
Race #3: Hakuna Matata 10 Miler
Oh boy was I exhausted going into this race. I was on the bus over thinking “I could sleep here.” The weather felt particularly hot and humid this morning, which didn’t help matters. My plan all along had been to bring my CamelBak for the 10 miler, and I was thankful I had it after the previous day’s race. Even with it, I figured I’d make use of the on-course water or even, ugh, Powerade.
Another note about the costumes, shout out to the guy that started near me who had spent over 4 hours getting his torso covered in an elaborate henna-like tattoo of the Animal Kingdom Tree of Life, and ran with a headpiece of the top of said tree. It ruled.
The 10 miler course took us through the World Showcase starting in Mexico, around the loop to exit backstage near England. From there, we ran down the Boardwalk toward Hollywood Studios. Entered Hollywood and came up the main strip, turning to go by Muppet Plaza, through Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land, before heading to Sunset Blvd and passing Tower of Terror before going backstage and exiting the park. From there, it was 4 miles on highways and roads, which was where things really got tough.
Around the 5k mark I could already tell I needed to dial it back if I wanted to make it through this race. The combination of feeling so drained going in, plus the weather, was making it even more difficult than I’d anticipated. Around mile 5, I consciously made and effort to shoot for a 9:30/mi pace between characters, which felt sustainable after a Huma gel at mile 4.
Mile 9 took us back into the Epcot area, and after a quick run through World Discovery, we popped back into the backstage to exit the park and finish the race. This time, I had a cheer crew for me: Von, her cousin, and the lad were waiting at the finish line for me, which was a nice little booster at the end of a tough race. My time on this ended up being 1:42, which is 8 minutes faster than my half marathon PR. Obviously different races, but still.
Interestingly, the lines for the characters were incredibly short to nonexistent. Part of my strategy was going to be “stop for everything to get a short break,” thinking that standing behind a couple of people in a line would give me a little breather. However, from around mile 5 onward, I was the only person in the small “group” around me stopping. So I didn’t get the recovery I might have liked.
It’s Over!
The runDisney season is over; their race season starts with the Disneyland Halloween Half in September, and concludes with the Springtime Surprise in April, generously not holding races in the summer. And also my time with runDisney races is over for a while. Not because they’re not fun; even as I struggled in the 10 miler, the race itself was fun. There was a good atmosphere on the course, and the bands and characters were fun. I could be compelled to get back to it, but probably won’t proactively go out for one for a bit. Between the logistics of fitting in early wake ups with a family vacation, and the cost of these races, I’m retired for now.
I don’t know how people do the Dopey Challenge (5k, 10k, half marathon, and full marathon across 4 days). My cousin has done it several times and I’m even more in awe after completing this relatively easy challenge. If I were to do a runDisney challenge again, I’d definitely have a better pacing strategy across all 3 or 4 races; mine basically amounted to “lol ¯\_(ツ)_/¯” Also, I would have done at least one series of practice runs to somewhat emulate the experience; while in a normal 3 day stretch, I run around that distance, (10 miles on Sat, ~5 miles on Sunday, 3-4 on Monday) the order and the effort are very different; Wolf Pack Saturday pacing is a far cry from race pace.
Overall, I’m glad I did this and am proud of myself for getting it done. Now I can get back to normal, spaced out races!
Oh wait, I’m running the 5k the night before the Frederick half in a couple of weeks. Whoops.
Next, I’ll talk about the rest of the vacation, where we got to experience Disney as a family vacation for the first time and I began my ascension to Vacation Dad. See you then!