Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend 2024

[StarGirl11]

Chatting with a runner in line for photos yesterday at Disneyland. Said she started in last corral, course flag was updated to red at the water stop, and everyone was swept around mile two. While on the bus, apparently balloon ladies went by, they complained about being swept before balloons, and race personnel offered they could try to catch up and make up the five minutes that had passed. She was not happy and sounds pretty terrible if that was truly their experience. Didn’t have time to get any more info than that.

Huh that's interesting because the way the announcers were talking it sounded like it didn't get red flagged until the last runners were coming in. Actually fairly sure the sign in the finish area was on yellow most of the time. Sounds like the finish and the water stops were at two different flags? Which I have questions about.

I think the person was taken to the hospital first but yes this is very sad. He made a TikTok the day before about how the heat was affecting him… so tragic. I am guessing this is why runDisney hasn’t done any social media posts since before the start of the half.

Ooh I honestly thought it was photopass problems (because they had a liteny of them over the weekend) but that makes more sense.

I'm trying to find how long it usually takes for races to make statements about this (runDisney isn't the first unfortunately to have this happen and won't be the last sadly realistically. There is risks with our sport bringing out undiagnosed medical conditions). But that's not entirely clear.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

For matters of timing, I started near the front of corral D around 5:17am. My chip time was just under 3:36:26. I slowed down due to the heat and kept an eye on the water stations. All of them except for perhaps the last one were yellow. The last one I could not see the flag so perhaps they were changing it out at the moment when I was at the station.

In at least one article I read, there was a statement from Disney offering their condolences to the family. So they've acknowledged it.

Please everyone, pay attention to your body and what it's telling you in these kinds of temperatures and situations I know it's easy to be stubborn and mind over matter our way through. I think we all do it to some extent. But this story is so heartbreaking. He fainted due to heat exhaustion Saturday afternoon and then ran the race Sunday morning, finishing around 7:00am. My sister finished the 2020 WDW Marathon near the balloon ladies and described the repeated cries of medic, medic, medic as people were dropping right after crossing the finish line.

My sincere condolences to his family. Please be careful when running in hot weather. Please.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

For matters of timing, I started near the front of corral D around 5:17am. My chip time was just under 3:36:26. I slowed down due to the heat and kept an eye on the water stations. All of them except for perhaps the last one were yellow. The last one I could not see the flag so perhaps they were changing it out at the moment when I was at the station.

In at least one article I read, there was a statement from Disney offering their condolences to the family. So they've acknowledged it.

Please everyone, pay attention to your body and what it's telling you in these kinds of temperatures and situations I know it's easy to be stubborn and mind over matter our way through. I think we all do it to some extent. But this story is so heartbreaking. He fainted due to heat exhaustion Saturday afternoon and then ran the race Sunday morning, finishing around 7:00am. My sister finished the 2020 WDW Marathon near the balloon ladies and described the repeated cries of medic, medic, medic as people were dropping right after crossing the finish line.

My sincere condolences to his family. Please be careful when running in hot weather. Please.

I saw that in an article too. He had heat exhaustion Saturday and then told his followers he was hydrating with water. What about electrolytes and salt? Heat is no joke and just water doesn’t cut it. In fact, you can be too hydrated without replenishing electrolytes.

 

[Bree]

I watched his video. Towards the end he said it wasn’t the first time he had passed out like that.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I watched his video. Towards the end he said it wasn’t the first time he had passed out like that.

More reason to listen to your body. I've DNS'd before and it sucked, but it was the smart decision.

 

[sandam1]

More reason to listen to your body. I've DNS'd before and it sucked, but it was the smart decision.

AMEN!!! Let's all say this again so that the back row can hear it - LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!! No race is worth getting sick or injured, let alone dying, over.

 

[Novatrix]

I just honestly don't know what Disney could've done differently to prevent this. They'd been reminding runners all weekend to slow down and hydrate. The temps and humidity during the races weren't that extreme compared to other summer and fall races, especially considering that temps got up to the triple digits in the afternoon.

I don't even believe Doctor's sign-offs, like is required for some of the European races, would catch the underlying health issues which would lead to these types of deaths without full out stress tests. (Which would typically not be ordered for an otherwise apparently healthy 30-something.)

Unfortunately, at a certain point it comes down to runner's personal responsibility to know their limits and adjust in real time to their body's needs and the conditions of the day.

 

[fatmanatee]

Chatting with a runner in line for photos yesterday at Disneyland. Said she started in last corral, course flag was updated to red at the water stop, and everyone was swept around mile two. While on the bus, apparently balloon ladies went by, they complained about being swept before balloons, and race personnel offered they could try to catch up and make up the five minutes that had passed. She was not happy and sounds pretty terrible if that was truly their experience. Didn’t have time to get any more info than that.

This seems a bit odd. First water stop was just before entering California Adventure and the Mile 2 marker was halfway through, I feel like if you really wanted to cut people off at that point, you just walk them out of the park and that's it for them. You could probably do the same for people in DL. Curious if there are any other reports about this.

 

[sandam1]

I just honestly don't know what Disney could've done differently to prevent this.

Again, I wasn't there - did they have ice and/or wet sponges available? That is the only thing that might have helped.

Unfortunately, at a certain point it comes down to runner's personal responsibility to know their limits and adjust in real time to their body's needs and the conditions of the day.

And sadly, I think most runners struggle with this. We are taught to "push through it" and "mind over body." It took me a while, but finally the light bulb came on and I realized that my body is my instrument. If I want it to perform properly, I need to care for it. And sometimes that means listening when it says "not today" or my rational brain says "this is a bad idea."

I have to say that I admire race directors who make the tough call to postpone/cancel/cut short a race to protect runners from themselves. They might not be popular decisions, but no race director wants to have a tragedy like this happen and have to think "what should I have done differently?" My heart goes out to the people at runDisney and especially the medical professionals who tried to save this runner.

 

[Novatrix]

I have to say that I admire race directors who make the tough call to postpone/cancel/cut short a race to protect runners from themselves. They might not be popular decisions, but no race director wants to have a tragedy like this happen and have to think "what should I have done differently?" My heart goes out to the people at runDisney and especially the medical professionals who tried to save this runner.

There are definitely cases where the race directors need to make the tough call, but in this case I think the news coverage keeps focusing on the 106 degree Fahrenheit later in the day and not the fact that the temperature when this runner finished was 73 degrees Fahrenheit (with 81% humidity.) Shortening or postponing this race due to those conditions would not have been appropriate.

Edited to add: No sponges/ice available on course, but I was the same corral as the runner who died and the conditions were pretty easy compared to a lot of other races I've done. Admittedly, I'm a more heat tolerant than cold tolerant runner, and my training during the summer tends to be midday in NJ so high heat/humidity combo. I could see how it would be tough for people coming from colder climates, but the runner who passed was from LA so that shouldn't have been an issue.

 

[sandam1]

I think the news coverage keeps focusing on the 106 degree Fahrenheit later in the day and not the fact that the temperature when this runner finished was 73 degrees Fahrenheit (with 81% humidity.) Shortening or postponing this race due to those conditions would not have been appropriate.

Absolutely true and I didn't mean to imply that, in this case, it would have been appropriate. I just wanted to acknowledge that sometimes it is necessary for race directors to be the unpopular voice of reason.

 

[Novatrix]

Absolutely true and I didn't mean to imply that, in this case, it would have been appropriate. I just wanted to acknowledge that sometimes it is necessary for race directors to be the unpopular voice of reason.

No definitely, just wanted to note for the record as I've seen a lot of other posts on social media that don't seem to be taking into account conditions when this runner was actually running vs what the conditions were like later.

It sucks for us runners, but I'd race the race directors be overly cautious (like with them cutting short the half during marathon weekend this year, due to the chance of lightening) than have severe environmental risk to runners.

 

[Bree]

I don’t think RunDisney is to blame for this incident and it’s so easy after the fact to say “Well, they should have…..”. He didn’t look okay in that Tik Tok video. He was kind of incoherent and rambling on. During one portion he was mumbling about already being susceptible to heat issues and as I mentioned previously he has passed out before. That should have been a red flag, but unfortunately he didn’t heed that warning. It’s a tragedy for his loved ones that his life was cut short like this. My heart goes out to them plus the other runners that witnessed it and all the staff and medical crew.

We need to take responsibility for ourselves. The amount of people I see on various RD social media platforms getting hurt and injured because they never should have been on the course to begin with is insane. People need to stop the encouragement when someone posts asking if they should skip the race because they didn’t train. There’s no magical pixie dust to float you to the end, people!!!! I started in the same corral as him. I live and train in the Orlando area and it felt like a normal summer morning here - hot, humid and downright miserable. I am still not at 100% since my accident and I had planned to go slower. Once I saw that the pacers had adjusted to finish 15 minutes slower I made yet another adjustment to my run/walk paces while waiting in the corral. Personal responsibility for myself.

I finished just after 8am and the flags in the reunion area were yellow. I left around 8:45am and they were still yellow. I thought I took a picture, but I can’t find it on my phone. I was honestly surprised they didn’t shorten the course. I think there were opportunities at mile 7 and mile 8 where it could have easily been done when friends and I were looking at the map on Saturday.

 

[Zutroy]

We need to take responsibility for ourselves. The amount of people I see on various RD social media platforms getting hurt and injured because they never should have been on the course to begin with is insane. People need to stop the encouragement when someone posts asking if they should skip the race because they didn’t train. There’s no magical pixie dust to float you to the end, people!!!! I started in the same corral as him. I live and train in the Orlando area and it felt like a normal summer morning here - hot, humid and downright miserable.

I’ll never forget the 2020 marathon when I saw a person wearing a full head-to-toe zip-up lion costume. I was in corral A, and suddenly this guy in costume from corral B goes flying by me. I caught up with him a couple of miles later as he lay on the ground surrounded by medics. Obviously the guy had the athletic ability, just not the common sense to pick either speed or hot costume, not both.

There are too many factors to speculate about what happened to the DL runner. Heat and dehydration are obvious culprits. Dehydration makes your blood volume decrease, which makes your heart have to work harder and faster to pump thicker blood. Add strenuous exertion to the mix, perhaps with an undiagnosed heart issue, and it can be fatal. According to the article, the person had been walking his dog the day before for 20 minutes, and then passed out. This sounds like heat syncope from overheating which leaves people more susceptible to heat stroke.

https://www.latimes.com/california/...half-marathon-runner-collapses-dies-heat-wave

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I’ll never forget the 2020 marathon when I saw a person wearing a full head-to-toe zip-up lion costume. I was in corral A, and suddenly this guy in costume from corral B goes flying by me. I caught up with him a couple of miles later as he lay on the ground surrounded by medics. Obviously the guy had the athletic ability, just not the common sense to pick either speed or hot costume, not both.

There are too many factors to speculate about what happened to the DL runner. Heat and dehydration are obvious culprits. Dehydration makes your blood volume decrease, which makes your heart have to work harder and faster to pump thicker blood. Add strenuous exertion to the mix, perhaps with an undiagnosed heart issue, and it can be fatal. According to the article, the person had been walking his dog the day before for 20 minutes, and then passed out. This sounds like heat syncope from overheating which leaves people more susceptible to heat stroke.

https://www.latimes.com/california/...half-marathon-runner-collapses-dies-heat-wave

I did see this article, and my first thought was why take the dog for a 20-minute walk in the afternoon heat? In those temps both human and dog should be out for as short a time as possible. If the dog needs a walk, go in the evening. Based on @Bree description of the video, he wasn't in any state to run, and yet he made the decision to do so. Again, listen to your body.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I just honestly don't know what Disney could've done differently to prevent this. They'd been reminding runners all weekend to slow down and hydrate. The temps and humidity during the races weren't that extreme compared to other summer and fall races, especially considering that temps got up to the triple digits in the afternoon.

I don't know they could have anything any differently. In addition to the frequent reminders to stay hydrated, they were giving out very clear instructions about just how much runners should slow down given the temperature.

Unfortunately, at a certain point it comes down to runner's personal responsibility to know their limits and adjust in real time to their body's needs and the conditions of the day.

Exactly. No one can possibly know all the health factors for every single runner out there. It really is up to each runner to know what's going on in their bodies on a given day. Hopefully, this tragedy will remind all of us that we do have limits and to pay attention to them, especially in hotter conditions

Again, I wasn't there - did they have ice and/or wet sponges available? That is the only thing that might have helped.

Not like you would see for the marathon, but they were encouraging runners to pour water on their heads as needed at the water stations. The cooling towels given out after the races had been sitting in ice and volunteers were trying to keep some ice in each towel to give to runners.

Speaking of which, I thought the volunteers did a tremendous job keeping the stations as ready as possible all weekend. Even when they were working feverishly to have a table full of water there was another table waiting in the wings with plenty of water.

 

[2tinkerbell]

Personally I applaud runDisney for taking down his time and information. It is horrible what some people can do in these situations.

I am also thinking that runDisney is going over and over this situation. They are reviewing everything to make sure they did things right and to look at what they can do differently. Even if the death couldn’t have been prevented. They care.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I am also thinking that runDisney is going over and over this situation. They are reviewing everything to make sure they did things right and to look at what they can do differently. Even if the death couldn’t have been prevented. They care.

I think that's equally important. Even if they could not have prevented it, it's still important for them to review all the facts and circumstances. They might find something that can help in the future.

As much as I feel like I've practically memorized the slow down in the heat, hydrate, and the this may not be the day to attempt a PR reminders, I'm glad they continue to say them.

I can sometimes start a race out much faster than I should. When I do so, I usually have a miserable race, but when I start out slow at an easy pace and then increase my pace after I'm race focused I tend to have a much more enjoyable experience. In conditions like last weekend, the reminders to slow down helped me to make sure that I did not let excitement and adrenaline take over and push me far beyond what the appropriate pace for me was that day.

 

[Zutroy]

Personally I applaud runDisney for taking down his time and information. It is horrible what some people can do in these situations.

I am also thinking that runDisney is going over and over this situation. They are reviewing everything to make sure they did things right and to look at what they can do differently. Even if the death couldn’t have been prevented. They care.

Um, his information was immediately all over the internet. You’re doing a lot of heavy lifting for what is clearly a move by their legal team to limit any information that could implicate Disney in any liability. When the runner’s name, picture, and social media is widely publicized, what does removing his splits and finishing time have to do with anything other than shielding Disney? They care, just not what you think they care about.

 

[StarGirl11]

Even when they do stuff right stuff still happens. I don’t know how many people saw this but there appeared to be a car on the course at Disneyland and Katella during the 1/2. (Screenshot from my GoPro)



My bike guide and I were trying to figure out how they had even gotten there. Because they probably had come from Pixar Place or the Grand California. And backed up? Which sounds ridiculous because that’s a good distance to be backing up from either. But there aren't any other hotels they could be originating from.

Maybe it was supposed to be there. But they weren’t there on Saturday. And Anaheim for whatever reasons tends to get more incursions than FL.

(Which to be clear this isn’t on RD. There’s only so much they can do about someone deciding that they are just going to ignore the signs and warnings etc.)