The Official Expedition Everest 2013 Thread

[IamTrike]

Congrats to all the runners! This looks like a great event, but unfortunately I can't work it into the schedule yet.

Semi-related question: On Facebook, runDisney posted a picture of a family in tie-dyed/cammo tutus. One person is wearing a gopro camera on a chest strap -- aka, the "chesty." Does anyone here have any experience with running with one? If so, what were your thoughts?

TIA!

I have a chesty and found it was uncomfortable to run in. I might be up for it for a 5k but wouldn't want to wear it for much more.

I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority but just giving a different opinion on the run; I didn't like it.

I liked seeing the costumes, the laid back atmosphere and the actual 5K. I didn't like the "scavenger hunt" at all. I found the "hunt" boring and it added miles to the 5K. DH had his Nike foot pod/GPS which registered over 6 miles by the time we were done the hunt. Then, we walked to the after party which added more distance. So, if you are thinking of doing this run with kids or you expect to cover a 5K only, keep in mind the added distance of the "hunt".

I didn't like how they didn't offer the Powerade and bananas until after the "hunt" was over. Seeing as how the "hunt" took us twice as long as the run, it was a long wait for refueling. (can you tell I really didn't like the "hunt", lol). So, if you're used to refueling every 5 miles or so, pack a snack for yourself (in your armband, spibelt, whatever...which brings up the point of a spibelt. I never run a 5K with a belt but for the EE run, I'd plan on it).

I totally wanted to party at the after party. I didn't get to enjoy the ToT party because I was so spent after the run. I figured I'd be able to enjoy a 5K after-party since I run 5Ks all the time, no problem. However, I didn't party at all. I was so tired between the "hunt" and the finishing time that we got a quick bite to eat then left. We were back in our room by 1:30am and had to shower. So, also plan on staying up very late for a couple of days leading up to the EE so you'll be ready to party at 1am.

This was my third Disney 5K and we did the ToT 10-miler last year and this was my least favorite run. The medal is cool, though.

And LOL at "Man Jasmine"....

DS and I had a good time, but I didn't like this years course nearly as much as last years. Its seemed like a much longer run from the last clue to the finish line and then you had to walk all the way back into the park. Last year the finish was at EE and that was much better (at least for us).

Nice summary.

I didn't even see the woman at the fork when I got...err....sidetracked. I seriously think she was occupied assisting or talking to someone... I saw her when I came back through for the scavenger hunt.

I just couldn't quite figure out why they couldn't have just put a sign up right in the middle of the intersection with an arrow pointing left to Minnie Mickey saying "CLUE" and right to "5K"? Not only did my "detour" cost me probably 5 minutes and potentially my personal best 5K time..it also made me irritated for the next 1/2 mile or so (especially as I had to pass the same people I had passed in the first mile from my corral) . To add insult to injury when running on the service road it was excruciatingly painful to see the people I had passed right around the entrance to the park on the opposite side about to cross the tires..feet from me.. while I had to run all the way down and back.. knowing that's where I should have been at the very least.

Better signage would have really improved things. There were a lot of people that missed the first clue stop or wound up heading in the wrong direction



DS and I enjoyed the race but I'm not sure how many more times we'll do it. DS would like to get competitive and place in the mens division with me. We were 17th this year, but he was the 2nd fastest 11 year old in any division and the 3rd fastest kids under 15. On the plus side the outside the park finish seemed to delay people getting to Expedition Everest. We rode it 5 times before there was a line and stopped after our 7th time in a row because we had to wait 10 minutes to ride it then.

 

[RangerPooh]

DH and I both participated in this years race. We started in corral H, which was the last to start, but at least we were at the front. I did run the majority of the race but found it frustrating having to weave around walkers who were looking for clues. It would have been nice had there been a race lane that the clue seekers would have stayed out of. I also agree the need for a sign pointing out the direction if the 5k.

The tires I passed up because the line was way too long! It. Would have been nice but wasn't worth the wait. I was also frustrated by those walking 3+ across!

The clues, well the sucked IMO. I was only able to figure out one on my own. I was so stumped that DH caught up to me, he had been a good 10 minutes behind me.

I liked the distance and can't wait for my next race! My non Disney races this summer just won't be the same.

 

[TorontoGirl]

Rumour to add that we heard that next year this race will become a half - no word on the scavenger hunt part though

 

[bellanotte10]

Rumour to add that we heard that next year this race will become a half - no word on the scavenger hunt part though

I really hope not. We wanted to do this so bad as a 5k and if it turns into a half we won't do it

 

[sunshine girl]

Rumour to add that we heard that next year this race will become a half - no word on the scavenger hunt part though

NOOOO!! I would hate that, to be blunt. The best part of this race is that it's short. It allows me to enjoy my entire day(s) at Disney pre-race, plus the race, plus the after party, plus I'm not sore the next day so I can get back out there and enjoy the parks. Heck, I was having a margarita in Epcot and walked the whole park Saturday afternoon pre-race. I would never do that before a half marathon!

For the longer races I have to plan much of my trip around the race. I like the shorter distances and hope they keep this as a 5k or at max a 10k. We need variety!


Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[hungrygreenhippo]

Overall I liked the slight changes to EEC this year, although like others I did take a wrong turn... more on that later.

Even though I didn't buy anything, it was nice that there were some vendors at packet pick-up so there was a little more to do then just pick up the race shirt that's always too big for me and leave.

I got on the bus at All-Star Sports around 8:45 and we hit a traffic jam entering AK. I generally take a pretty late bus and this is the first time I've gotten stuck in traffic. I was actually worried I'd miss the start since I was in corral A and needed to check my bag and make a port a potty stop. Luckily there were basically no lines in either place so I was okay on time except that I didn't really have a chance to warm up. The corral was pretty packed by the time I got there but being a solo runner I just squeezed my way up to a place close to the front. I thought the "snow" was a fun touch while we were waiting.

I know Garmins aren't 100% accurate so take this with a grain of salt, but I think this year with the changes to the 5k course it was a little closer to actually being a 5k. In the past it seemed like the course was short by about a quarter mile. I remember seeing a character on the course just past the entrance to AK but for the life of me I can't remember who it was now. Other than that I don't think there was anything else to see on the course aside from the awesome cast members.

Maybe it was just me, but the tires seemed awfully long, like they would never end. I was really hoping they wouldn't have the net crawl again because I fell off my bike and skinned my right knee a couple weeks ago and it hadn't fully healed yet. The crawling didn't scrape my knee enough to hurt, but it did start bleeding again so I had to get it cleaned and taped up afterward. That was an adventure, trying to figure out how to get to the med tent from the finish line. I'm not sure why they had it all the way across the parking lot.

I'm not sure if I liked that there was no pen to write down the answers to the clues. It took extra brainpower to remember what the answer was since we had to use it for the final clue. Also with everyone crowding around the volunteers you just had to wait for one person to get the right answer and then everyone had it. Of the clues, I thought the last was the hardest. I actually got the answer accidentally because the last letter of the 2nd line was "n" and the last letter of the 3rd line was "e". It wasn't until after the race that I saw the words "north east" hidden in the text.

So where I took a wrong turn was after Africa during the scavenger hunt. Instead of cutting straight through to Asia, I accidentally followed the 5k course and took a detour through the backstage area. Once I realized I wasn't seeing any other scavenger hunt people I started to get worried and asked some cast members if I was in the right place for the scavenger hunt and they told me I was. So I kept going, although by that point I was probably far enough that it wouldn't have helped to backtrack. When I got to Asia, I had to head backwards a bit to find my clue station. If I hadn't missed that turn then I think the course change would actually be really good because from Africa to the finish line it seemed like there was a clearly separate course for the scavenger hunt finishers so we didn't have to weave in and out among the 5k-ers.

Surprisingly the longer run to the finish line, since we had to head back outside the park, didn't feel that long to me. My frustration with accidentally taking the detour must have helped propel me. My Garmin clocked in at exactly 5 miles for the entire run.

I didn't mind walking back into the park to get to the after party. But I did think it was kind of weird that I was walking the same route that people needed to take for the scavenger hunt. I rode Expedition Everest a couple times and then spent the rest of the time until the awards ceremony waiting in line for character photos. After my photo with Minnie and Mickey, I was putting my camera away when I heard a commotion behind me. I turned around and Minnie was doing the Harlem Shake! Mickey had his hand to his head and was shaking his head in a "what is going on, these people are nuts!" kind of way.

I ended up placing 3rd individual female. Part of me is happy I placed at all, but part of me is still wondering how I would have placed if I hadn't taken the wrong turn. Oh well, I had a fun time and really the race is just a reason to go back to WDW. Hopefully the rumor isn't true and EEC will be back again next year.

 

[SuperHappyFunTimes]

I'm not sure if I liked that there was no pen to write down the answers to the clues. It took extra brainpower to remember what the answer was since we had to use it for the final clue. Also with everyone crowding around the volunteers you just had to wait for one person to get the right answer and then everyone had it. Of the clues, I thought the last was the hardest. I actually got the answer accidentally because the last letter of the 2nd line was "n" and the last letter of the 3rd line was "e". It wasn't until after the race that I saw the words "north east" hidden in the text.

I ended up placing 3rd individual female. Part of me is happy I placed at all, but part of me is still wondering how I would have placed if I hadn't taken the wrong turn. Oh well, I had a fun time and really the race is just a reason to go back to WDW. Hopefully the rumor isn't true and EEC will be back again next year.

Congrats on placing! Placing in this race is one of my long term goals, so I hope they don't change it too much!

I completely agree on the 4th clue. We just guessed and I have to admit, I STILL don't see "north east" hidden in the text. I see the ne stacked at the end of the last 2 words... I just think it was a dud of a clue.

I posted my experience here: http://runthegreatwidesomewhere.blogspot.com/2013/05/expedition-everest-5k-scavenger-hunt.html (pre-race)
and here: http://runthegreatwidesomewhere.blogspot.com/2013/05/expedition-everest-5k-scavenger-hunt_10.html (race and post-race)

Overall I had a great time. I was way more exhausted than I thought I'd be just from walking the parks on Friday and Saturday (although I did have a toddler on my hip most of those days). I was way more than happy to run/walk at my son's pace instead of my normal pace, which I did not expect. I'm taking this as a strong lesson for Wine & Dine. I will NOT be entering a theme park that Saturday. Although I'm still thinking about doing Mickey's Christmas Party on Friday night...

 

[Carissa 80]

I had a blast!!!!!!

I was in corral H... which I expected as this was my first 5k. I finished in the 340 out of all the women... so middle of the pack. My time was over 5 minutes longer than usual, but the wait at the tires was ridiculous!!! I seriously was stopped with a foot in one and waiting to put my foot down again. I wish they had another row and kept that for people who wanted to run through them, but it was still a blast and a change of pace.... good place to catch my breath.

The clues were fun! I completely guessed on the last one, but they never asked me, just handed me a medal.... I guessed green.... WRONG! Oh well.

Congrats to everyone out there. I hope to get back to running. I felt a blister coming just over halfway through and didn't help it by going on Kali and getting my feet wet... but I couldn't pass it up!! Everest at night was SO MUCH BETTER than riding it during the day!!! I am so glad I did it!!!

 

[sightline]

Noob here. Just wanted to say that this was my first RunDisney race, and I would easily say that it was the most-fun race I've ever run. (And not because I placed, which was completely unexpected.) Not that it was perfect, but I've never finished a race and been so completely excited afterward.

I was concerned going in that I would have problems with the distance - I play Ultimate as my regular sport, and don't do that many normal runs anymore. (And the 5k fun run I ran the week before was the first race in years.) But I don't know if it was the time of day or how perfect the weather was - it just felt great.

Was that pretty typical weather for that weekend? I was honestly expecting it to be hotter and humid.


Thoughts:

1) The tires felt way too long. It was, what, twenty yards? I had a really solid pace to that point - I had a hard time recovering from it (and almost fell down during it). I didn't end up getting myself back together until after the net.

2) I was in corral A, and there were several "costumed" folks at the front line that were clearly not runners. I was amazed that the start was as clean as it was, and that includes one guy falling down about fifty yards in. (That was scary - I wanted to stop and see if he was okay, but knew that would just make it worse.)

3) I don't know if this helped at all, but I actually went to AK early that afternoon and walked around to get a feel for where things were. I don't think I'd ever been to Camp Minnie & Mickey before, or even knew that it was there. (When I turned that direction during the hunt, another runner was turning that direction from Africa - he'd clearly missed the turn.)

4) Maybe I'm just new to RunDisney, but I was disappointed that there weren't any water stations in the afterparty. I ended up refilling my old water bottle a couple of times in a water fountain.

5) I felt bad for the people having to carry their bags through the after-party and on each ride. (I changed at my rental car and threw my stuff in there, but a lot of people didn't have that option.)

6) Minor complaint: I was a little bit bummed by the delay in the awards ceremony - especially that they didn't pin down a specific starting time after it was delayed. I wanted to be there in case I won something (and not knowing for sure if I had), so I ended up standing there for a long time instead of riding rides. Afterward, I was so fried that I think I ended up riding EE once more and heading out. (I'd rather they have just said, "It will be at 1:30am," even if they ended up being ready earlier than that.)

7) The woman running the NB yetigram went way beyond the call. I think she went at least an hour longer than she was scheduled to (and I think she was still there when I left), and kept printing for the runners who couldn't find their pictures. (She even printed duplicates for people who asked.) She clearly could have stopped and shut down, but stuck with it.


Clues:

1) The second clue about "wear" - the helpers were all wearing caps, hence the "caps" to look for capital letters. (The helper I had was pointing furiously at her cap.)

2) The fourth clue - start with the word "normally" and look underneath it. I didn't solve it like that. I read it literally, and thought that the design in the background kind of made an E. I guessed southeast first (based on "fall down") before a suggestion that I was "close" helped me to the answer.

3) I hate to say it - I bombed the last one, and I'm not sure that it made sense to be multiple choice. I thought I had it figured out when I got there and pointed at my guess. I was wrong (not even close). I pointed at two others and both times was told that I was wrong. Three down - at that point, I could have just kept pointing, but it felt like I would be cheating. I still ended up guessing White based on seeing part of it in one of the corners rather than actually figuring it out. (I liked how the solution was made, though - even if I didn't figure out until I got back to the hotel room.)

4) I think the "experts" running this just ran directly to the next checkpoint without looking at the cards, then used the helpers to solve it there. I tried to take the announcers' advice of solving it ahead of time, and I think that's why my scavenger hunt time was just okay. (And I was practically sprinting between the checkpoints.)


I'd hate to see this turn into a half. I haven't run a half since college, and I really have no interest in running one again. (I ran that one in 1:30 without really training for it - just playing Ultimate. I feel like I could never come that close again - and I'm not sure how my knees would fare if I were really training for it now.)

And, honestly, one of the things I really loved about this race was that it was mostly inside the park. All of the twists and turns reminded me of my favorite cross-country races from high school.

But I can already hear the arguments - they can increase capacity with a longer race, there's already a 5k that weekend...


For a first RunDisney race, this was an absolute blast. When I got home I was seriously considering running the TOT this year (despite being longer than I'd really like to run), but my high school decided to schedule our reunion that weekend. (I have a feeling I'd enjoy the race more, but I'm worried I'd spend the whole weekend thinking about it.) If they keep this race the same, I'll be a day-one registrant.

Btw - I shot some video before and after the race which I can share (if it's worth uploading).

 

[sunshine girl]

Noob here. Just wanted to say that this was my first RunDisney race, and I would easily say that it was the most-fun race I've ever run. (And not because I placed, which was completely unexpected.) Not that it was perfect, but I've never finished a race and been so completely excited afterward.

Welcome to the boards, sightline!! And congrats on placing in the race!

 

[bellanotte10]

Still no word on next years dates?

 

[jeanigor]

Still no word on next years dates?

They probably won't have any official word until end of the summer. Around the Disneyland Half weekend.

 

[bellanotte10]

They probably won't have any official word until end of the summer. Around the Disneyland Half weekend.

Awesome. Thanks for letting me know! :

 

[doddles]

I've enjoyed everyone's recaps. I'll have to get around to one of my own, but until then I at least wanted to post the map off of my watch. The biggest surprise to me after having run last year was the longer course.

2012 Course Map (4.08 mi)

2013 Course Map (4.8 mi)

The 5K was actually just about 3.1 miles, as opposed to 2.87 last year. That was a positive change. The scavenger hunt, however, was about half a mile longer and no longer ended at Everest, which was a little disappointing.

All said, the course was about three-quarters of a mile longer for a total of almost 5 miles. (Fortunately, we had trained better than last year and even with the longer course finished only two minutes slower than last year at a much better pace.)

I would suggest that anyone who is thinking about doing this race in the future would be wise to consider a 10K training plan given the mileage added by the scavenger hunt.

Count me in with those who don't want to see this converted to a half. There's plenty of room for improvement, but I don't think that's the solution. Here's hoping we can be back for our third straight event next year!

 

[Syrreal]

I agree about the Yetigram lady! She was awesome! we got to her as they were packing up and she still offered to print out all our pictures (I was just going to leave it at the one that had been posted on their wall)

The clues- I found them super easy, especially once I figured out that there were only 8 possible answers to the first 4 clues and then only 5 for the last one. The trial clue was the only one that really stumped me.

We'll definitely do this again next year but I'm hoping the clues will be different/harder...and that they have better directions and better availability to the tires. I ended up having to go side by side with some guy just so that we felt like we were actually getting somewhere with it