Official 2012 Wine and Dine ½ Marathon Thread

[becky11]

I'm at one for ToT and the other for W&D. I think it goes Dolphin and then Swan, because I usually go for Dolphin and it probably wasn't available when I booked for W&D.

I've since signed up with AAA, so after my vacation next month, I'm going to call and see if I can get cheaper rates or better rooms at either one. We're really not that picky about which one we stay at, although we've never actually stayed at the Swan. I just like the locale and the SPG points.

And for these two races, you really can't beat these hotels' prices for their location. Even if we don't do the taxi, you can just walk to the Boardwalk to get the bus for W&D or walk/boat to the start for ToT.

[CALIFLADY]

Originally Posted by musicmantrs

I got to page 9 and gave up on finding the answer to my question. I have a few question. My sister is running the 1/2 and I wish I could but maybe next year, I do well to get through my couch-to-5k programs each week. Would the 5k be fun for me and my girlfriend (both 25)? Would my sister and her fiance be able to get into DAK to see us at least finish the 5k with just a park ticket? - Found it online, unless it was wrong, the race starts and finishes in the parking lot of DAK so they can see the start and finish

Thanks!

Yes! The 5k is a lot of fun! I've run the 5K the morning of the W&D Half both previous years (2010 and 2011), but won't be running it this year. Last year I ran it with my BFF, and let's just say we're both almost twice your age. We both dressed as Minnie and had a blast! I then layed around and nappped most of the day before running the half that night.

Spectators won't be allowed into Animal Kingdom during the race (especially at that hour), but there's lots of course watching from the parking lot at the beginning and at the end for your sister and fiance to view from. You'll find plenty of Cast Members inside DAK cheering you on.

Hope that helps!

[rachlovestv]

Hello all! I'm all signed up for the half marathon! This will be my first time at the wine & dine half marathon, my first race at WDW, my second runDisney race (Tinkerbell was my first half ever!), and my 6th half marathon this year! I don't know if you can tell, but I'm a little excited!!

My parents and sister will be at WDW with me for the trip, but don't really want to pay the extra to attend the afterparty. Are there some good spots they can view the race course from so they can still watch me run? A little background - my mom uses a walker and is pretty mobile, but the least amount of walking would be best. My sister was thinking maybe the boardwalk area, before I cross into Epcot, would be a good option, but never having been to a WDW race before, I thought I'd check with the experts.

[jeanigor]

Originally Posted by rachlovestv

Hello all! I'm all signed up for the half marathon! This will be my first time at the wine & dine half marathon, my first race at WDW, my second runDisney race (Tinkerbell was my first half ever!), and my 6th half marathon this year! I don't know if you can tell, but I'm a little excited!!

My parents and sister will be at WDW with me for the trip, but don't really want to pay the extra to attend the afterparty. Are there some good spots they can view the race course from so they can still watch me run? A little background - my mom uses a walker and is pretty mobile, but the least amount of walking would be best. My sister was thinking maybe the boardwalk area, before I cross into Epcot, would be a good option, but never having been to a WDW race before, I thought I'd check with the experts.

That's where I would recommend as well. Its pretty well lit, there are places to sit, and there are rest rooms and some refreshment options for the spectators.

[KSBelle77]

Hey everyone. My DFIL is at the Chicago Rock'nRoll expo today and sent me a picture of the medal for this year's Wine and Dine Half Marathon!!! Do we want to see it????


I am so ready to add this to my wall of bling!!!

[img]
IMG_0888 by Roehler77, on Flickr[/img]

[Ebeezy]

Originally Posted by KSBelle77

Hey everyone. My DFIL is at the Chicago Rock'nRoll expo today and sent me a picture of the medal for this year's Wine and Dine Half Marathon!!! Do we want to see it????


I am so ready to add this to my wall of bling!!!

[img]
IMG_0888 by Roehler77, on Flickr[/img]

So excited to get my first Disney medal.. I like it..

[TigerTown]

Well I finished week four of training and I'm down to an average of under 14 minutes for almost three and a half miles. Getting better and more excited for this race each day I even updated my blog (in my signature below) to show my motivation and progress so far.

[kmchisholm]

Yes, already thinking about my outfit when I haven't started training (just finished a 5K yesterday, so will do it soon!). Does anyone know if Disney allows glow in the dark items (necklaces/bracelets) or if they've seen people wearing them in prior years. I didn't see anything on the web site about it and thought it would be a great way for my parents to see me along the route.

[KSBelle77]

I am trying to figure out my timeline for the Wine and Dine. We will be taking a very easy slow day at the Magic Kingdom on the 10th. We are staying at the All-Star Music resort. What time should we leave our resort? Or should we just rent a locker at the Magic Kingdom to hold our race gear and then head straight to ESPN?

[pmama]

I'd like to know suggestions as to when to head to WWoS as well.

We will be staying at CBR. We arrive very late the night before (plane arrives at 10:40). So my race day entails sleeping in as late as possible (which should be easy since our bodies will be on mountain time and tired from the late flight.) Going to Expo, exploring resort, unpacking, and hopefully swimming! We will not do the parks that day except the Finish Line Party. We are staying in WDW for 11 nights followed by 3 nights at Clearwater!

Also got the 3 Finish Line Party tickets we purchased in the mail this week! It was our first piece of Mickey Mail!

[KSBelle77]

Originally Posted by pmama

I'd like to know suggestions as to when to head to WWoS as well.

We will be staying at CBR. We arrive very late the night before (plane arrives at 10:40). So my race day entails sleeping in as late as possible (which should be easy since our bodies will be on mountain time and tired from the late flight.) Going to Expo, exploring resort, unpacking, and hopefully swimming! We will not do the parks that day except the Finish Line Party. We are staying in WDW for 11 nights followed by 3 nights at Clearwater!

Also got the 3 Finish Line Party tickets we purchased in the mail this week! It was our first piece of Mickey Mail!

Congrats on your Mickey Mail!!!!

[kmchisholm]

I've never done the W&D before but heard people start heading over to WwoS around 7pm. I'm flying in Wed mid-day and leaving Mon am. Sat plans are to have breakfast at Boma then Expo, Downtown and rest before a snack then on the bus from Boardwalk.

[Elmo007]

We will not be running in the 1/2 but DD wants to go to WWOS on Friday for the Expo and then again on Saturday for the 1 mile kids race.

We had been planning on staying at POP but see the Allstars are the Hosts and have direct bus service to WWOS during the expo?

Do I need to switch resorts or can I get to WWOS on Friday with ease and more importantly on Saturday in time for her race?

[BlazerFan]

Is the finish line party included in our race registration? I know we need to purchase tickets for family members not racing but for some reason I thought it was included in the race fee. Please help if you have info.
thanks


Never mind! I went back and re-read the website, I got a little confused with the letter that came with the finish line party tickets we purchased for the non-racers. The party is included with the race registration.

[jeanigor]

Originally Posted by Elmo007

We will not be running in the 1/2 but DD wants to go to WWOS on Friday for the Expo and then again on Saturday for the 1 mile kids race.

We had been planning on staying at POP but see the Allstars are the Hosts and have direct bus service to WWOS during the expo?

Do I need to switch resorts or can I get to WWOS on Friday with ease and more importantly on Saturday in time for her race?

Your best bet would probably be a taxi. I'm not sure how frequently Disney transportation buses go from Pop to WWoS.

RunDisney charters tour buses for race related transportation to help minimize confusing non race guests and to reduce any strain put on capacity loads.

Originally Posted by KSBelle77

I am trying to figure out my timeline for the Wine and Dine. We will be taking a very easy slow day at the Magic Kingdom on the 10th. We are staying at the All-Star Music resort. What time should we leave our resort? Or should we just rent a locker at the Magic Kingdom to hold our race gear and then head straight to ESPN?

I highly doubt there will be a bus from the Magic Kingdom to WWoS on Saturday evening. In the race information packet, there will be times listed as to when you need to be on the bus. I plan on being on a bus from All Star Sports early rather than later.
For the inaugural Wine & Dine, we were one of the first 50 people there. (The sun had not even begin to set.) It was a long long long wait.
For last year's, we waited, left the hotel later and got stuck in traffic. It filled me with a bit more anxiety than I would like. And the check bag lines were long.
I'll go again on the early side this year, bring a cheap beach towel from the dollar store and rest in the field. The grass is rough and not comfy like grass here at home, so the towel will soften it and keep me a little cleaner.