Marathon Weekend 2024

[accm]

The start today was really weird. I was at the front of C and we didn’t start moving until after the first wave of B. Then it was a mad dash to the start line. People were literally running.

Does anyone have an update on the storm? I’m heading back to BLT right now to get my last ~6miles, which I’ll have plenty of time for if the 9am time is still right

 

[Bree]

My medal photo looks a bit different today

Hala took a photo with me with a sad face holding my beer cup upside down




I was a tiny bit bummed. Today was supposed to be my sub 2 attempt. I still ran with the 2 hour pace group out of B wave 2. Congestion was MISERABLE right from the start. We were running in the grass and hauling butt when we got open space (7:15-7:30 pace sometimes). We started out with a decent sized group and at the end it was me and one other runner. It was a bit humid, but I was feeling good and could have kept going. Here’s our splits.



I have zero intention of making up the six miles. If it was my first half, Goofy or Dopey Challenge I probably would.

 

[accm]

I’m so glad I’m in a monorail resort right now. Buses aren’t starting until 7am

 

[huskies90]

I’m so glad I’m in a monorail resort right now. Buses aren’t starting until 7am

I was on my bus before 6:30. Just pulling into Contemporary now after stopping at Ft Wilderness and WL. And it’s now raining here!!

 

[accm]

I was on my bus before 6:30. Just pulling into Contemporary now after stopping at Ft Wilderness and WL. And it’s now raining here!!

Weird. They were saying buses weren’t going to start until 7. I wonder if that was the original schedule? And some volunteers weren’t told of the change?

 

[Novatrix]

Weird. They were saying buses weren’t going to start until 7. I wonder if that was the original schedule? And some volunteers weren’t told of the change?

I was told the same thing when I exited the finisher chute. But I saw they were loading the OKW/SS bus so I got on and we left the parking lot at 6:50. Other buses were released before us.

 

[marty3d]

Looks like rain for the next 5 hours. Thinking I may skip making up the miles and make sure I get it walking around DHS instead

 

[dobball23]

Did anyone ever get the text or email alerts to work/go through? I still haven't seen a way to get "live" results except by visiting the website.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Got my 13.1 miles in. A couple miles before, the rest of them after. I kept my watch running the whole time even with the waiting in corral time and a bathroom stop and finished just under 3 hrs so at least I will feel like I legit earn my Goofy tomorrow.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

It was really inspiring seeing everyone coming together and running parking lot laps at 4 am.

 

[Bree]

They cut the course again. Routing runners that haven’t made it to WS to go straight to the finish line. They closed the character lines and politely told the reunion area to scram.

I am at the Fort and it’s raining pretty hard.

 

[huskies90]

Thoughts: Still think it should have been canceled but whatever. Play the cards you are dealt, right? That being said besides the weird vibe which many of you pointed out, the race itself was perfectly fine and I had a great time. I didn’t mind the short course and I could care less about making up the extra 6 miles. Maybe when I am home in CT next week I’ll do a 6 mile run and dedicate it to today’s half half. Now I’m a bit more rested for tomorrow. So that’s good.

I did notice character lines being much longer due to the condensed crowds and I think more A corral people who usually do not stop for characters did today since it wasn’t a true half anyway and most people didn’t care about their time. Usually by the time I pass the second character, there are no waits at all during a half marathon.

Highlights for me were 1) Merlin. I have never seen him on the course and the guy was flat out goofy. I don’t even remember what he was saying but he had everyone in line cracking up. And 2) the couple running as King Arthur and Patsy from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. She was Arthur and he was Patsy (the guy clacking the 2 coconuts together to simulate a horse). I don’t care if Monty Python is not Disney (although maybe Fox?): Best. Running costume. Ever.

 

[Z-Knight]

This race should be rebranded as the "Jack Jack Half Half".

I'm pretty sure @Mr. lncredible would agree.

 

[hotblooded]

Today was my only race of the weekend and I had a blast. It really flew by. I started in C and my boyfriend in D, and he caught up to me by mile 6 so we could finish together. So happy to be back at a race weekend after 3 straight years of canceling for lockdowns or illness.

 

[rundisfan]

It was really inspiring seeing everyone coming together and running parking lot laps at 4 am.

Thanks to whoever started that. I hadn’t planned on running the extra miles but got to Epcot earlier than I expected so jumped in with the group and managed to get 5 in before the race.

 

[Fenway1970]

Thanks to whoever started that. I hadn’t planned on running the extra miles but got to Epcot earlier than I expected so jumped in with the group and managed to get 5 in before the race.

Yeah same here, I actually managed to get six in before the race. If you saw a goofy (small g) looking guy running loops around corral C with terrible form it was probably me. Glad they gave C all that extra space today. At least now I will feel like I earned my first Dopey. If it wasn't my first I probably wouldn't have worried about the six miles, but since there's no guarantee I'll do this again I'm glad I was able to get the full distance.

Hopefully everyone else to whom the full distance meant something was able to get it in, and good luck my fellow Dopes and everyone else running the marathon tomorrow!

 

[jrsharp21]

What a mess getting out of the parking lot.

 

[Herding_Cats]

We have been sitting on an overpass for TEN MINUTES waiting on a traffic light that has yet to change. This traffic is bananas. (Trying to get to Saratoga. And traffic is waaay backed up on that now.)

 

[Novatrix]

Despite the shortened course, I had a lot of fun and I think Disney made the right call. I saw a lot of people making up miles as I was walking backto the room at OKW and I told all of them to be safe.

Course highlight for me was also Merlin ("There are an awful lot of Ducks flying around today.") I was especially tickled pink that they were blasting "C'est Moi" from the latest Camelot revival considering it's not a Disney property.

As far as longer lines for the character stops, if everyone else's thinking was similar to mine, I quickly realized I could either sit around the finish line or I could stop for characters while waiting for the buses to start runnng. And characters are a lot more fun.

 

[dobball23]

Despite the shortened course, I had a lot of fun and I think Disney made the right call. I saw a lot of people making up miles as I was walking backto the room at OKW and I told all of them to be safe.

Course highlight for me was also Merlin ("There are an awful lot of Ducks flying around today.") I was especially tickled pink that they were blasting "C'est Moi" from the latest Camelot revival considering it's not a Disney property.

As far as longer lines for the character stops, if everyone else's thinking was similar to mine, I quickly realized I could either sit around the finish line or I could stop for characters while waiting for the buses to start runnng. And characters are a lot more fun.

I considered adding extra miles at OKW when I returned, but decided to be happy with my 7.2 at a faster pace and start preparing for tomorrow's marathon. Our room is at the end of Miller's Road, so not a lot of runners coming down this way, unfortunately, otherwise I'd be cheering them on.