2012 WDW Marathon Relay Race

[jeanigor]

Agree! Like wine and dine relay in the first few years!

Which certainly had its share of hitches and glitches...

 

[RunDisney Crazy]

I just ran the Dopey for my first Run Disney experience, and I thought WWoS was fine, scenic, they had a young team practicing so they and their parent were cheering us on. But you just can't beat running through the parks. Heading through Epcot early in the morning, it's like nothing else.

I hope you enjoy it!!!

 

[goofeygirl]

My brother and I discussed doing the Chip and Dale that time. Then we decided to do the Donald. Since the distance was the same...but how cool were those C/D medals!

I think it would have been okay for the first runner. You would be there along with everyone else doing the full...early and waiting and then marching forward to your corals. However I think the second runner got the jip. I am reading about sitting in parking lots for hours on end. Just waiting. It sounds like the moral of waiting around for the second half runners was a downer. Unless your first runner was really really fast.

Its one thing to get up early and wait to start the race...because there is so much going on then...but to sit in a lot and wait for hours? Nothing going on but waiting? Nah.

 

[goofeygirl]

Is WWoS really the worst part of the Marathon? I'm planning on running my first marathon at Disney in 2015, so I'm interested in a lot of people's opinion of the course.

A lot highway on the full...but I knew that going in. I enjoyed it. The toughest part was the end...both physically and mentally.
In 2013 I did the Goofy. By mile 21 I had hit a mental wall and the rest of the race was dreadful for me. I had my head down and those last 5 miles seemed like an eternity. I didn't enjoy them at all. In fact, no photog took my pic because I must have looked like I felt...awful.
I swore when I signed up for the Dopey for 2014 I wouldn't let that happen again. I would be mentally prep'd for the race as well..and I would enjoy it to the end...no matter what! So that is what happened. I was enjoying the race so much better this year because I was just as mentally prepared for it as I was physically. Tho I will admit it got hard that last mile in Epcot but I did wave and smile to the crowd! I told myself I was going to LOVE IT to the end no matter what!
I stopped and got a frozen drink to cross the finish line with in Epcot.

I joined a pace group too which helped me a lot.

Overall I enjoyed it. This time around tho I am doing the Donald, no full.

 

[derekleigh]

My brother and I discussed doing the Chip and Dale that time. Then we decided to do the Donald. Since the distance was the same...but how cool were those C/D medals!

I think it would have been okay for the first runner. You would be there along with everyone else doing the full...early and waiting and then marching forward to your corals. However I think the second runner got the jip. I am reading about sitting in parking lots for hours on end. Just waiting. It sounds like the moral of waiting around for the second half runners was a downer. Unless your first runner was really really fast.

Its one thing to get up early and wait to start the race...because there is so much going on then...but to sit in a lot and wait for hours? Nothing going on but waiting? Nah.

The 2nd runner definitely seems to have the harder part. I mean if both members have to be at their respective areas at 4:30/4:45 and if the first runner isn't released until later in the corral line-up and has a slower pace, the 2nd runner could very well be waiting 4-5 hours to start!

A lot highway on the full...but I knew that going in. I enjoyed it. The toughest part was the end...both physically and mentally.
In 2013 I did the Goofy. By mile 21 I had hit a mental wall and the rest of the race was dreadful for me. I had my head down and those last 5 miles seemed like an eternity. I didn't enjoy them at all. In fact, no photog took my pic because I must have looked like I felt...awful.
I swore when I signed up for the Dopey for 2014 I wouldn't let that happen again. I would be mentally prep'd for the race as well..and I would enjoy it to the end...no matter what! So that is what happened. I was enjoying the race so much better this year because I was just as mentally prepared for it as I was physically. Tho I will admit it got hard that last mile in Epcot but I did wave and smile to the crowd! I told myself I was going to LOVE IT to the end no matter what!
I stopped and got a frozen drink to cross the finish line with in Epcot.

I joined a pace group too which helped me a lot.

Overall I enjoyed it. This time around tho I am doing the Donald, no full.

Good to know. My goal for my first marathon is just to finish and experience it without the pressure of time. I plan on trying out a few different pacing strategies (running all but slow, run-walk combo, etc) during my long training runs so I know what I want to do for the actual race.

My friend had ran the full a few years ago and she DREADED the higher-teen miles (17-19 if I recall right) because she said they were nothing but highway. Plus she was afraid of hitting the wall, which she did at mile 18.

 

[WhereInFlorida]

My friend had ran the full a few years ago and she DREADED the higher-teen miles (17-19 if I recall right) because she said they were nothing but highway. Plus she was afraid of hitting the wall, which she did at mile 18.

It is several miles of a roadway, well manicured by Disney and green for those visiting from up north, several characters and entertainment on this stretch, and you are in a race with 20k others so there is always something to watch.

The mental part at the late stages of the marathon is always trying and if you have an expectation of dread then likely that will occur.

 

[goofeygirl]

The 2nd runner definitely seems to have the harder part. I mean if both members have to be at their respective areas at 4:30/4:45 and if the first runner isn't released until later in the corral line-up and has a slower pace, the 2nd runner could very well be waiting 4-5 hours to start!



Good to know. My goal for my first marathon is just to finish and experience it without the pressure of time. I plan on trying out a few different pacing strategies (running all but slow, run-walk combo, etc) during my long training runs so I know what I want to do for the actual race.

My friend had ran the full a few years ago and she DREADED the higher-teen miles (17-19 if I recall right) because she said they were nothing but highway. Plus she was afraid of hitting the wall, which she did at mile 18.

I was physically prepared for the race alright and I thought I was mentally....hitting a wall is bad. It is like you are stuck someplace you don't want to be...you just want to get out of there. Its like you are done, cooked, finished. I did finish of course...but not with much joy...I was glad it was over.

So that is why I really focused on the mental part when I did the Dopey this year. I did not want to finish the race feeling the way I did the year before. I mean, yes, the goal is to finish and finish injury free of course. However when you are in mile 21 ... those last 5 miles are really much harder when you hit the wall.

For me...both times actually...it just worked best doing one mile at a time. Everyone is different. Mile one done. Mile two done. I did that the whole way thru until the very end...meaning the last two miles...physically it was hard...but all those people cheering you on from the hotel resorts to the Epcot...very inspiring. The year before I didn't notice them...didn't care. However this time around it was different. I was smiling and waving and acting like it was a piece of cake!!! My body was sore but I was no way going to let that wall hit me again.
I think what also helped me this time...aside from learning from my own experience...is going as far as I could in practice. One day in December I went on the treadmill (due weather outside was nasty) for just about the whole marathon! I actually did just about a whole marathon on a treadmill. So when the real deal came along in January...I was also thinking...omg if I can do this on a treadmill watching the RHOBH then I can do this for sure!!!!!!

 

[ludari]

I was disappointed this race didn't come back. I was running the half the same day as relay and I didn't see any problems with that race from my perspective. I was hoping to do the relay the following year but that obviously didn't happen. Well I just hope runDisney will somehow bring that race back.

 

[Ariel484]

I was disappointed this race didn't come back. I was running the half the same day as relay and I didn't see any problems with that race from my perspective. I was hoping to do the relay the following year but that obviously didn't happen. Well I just hope runDisney will somehow bring that race back.

The relay was during the marathon...so that was Sunday. The half was on Saturday.