26.2 with Donna - Any reviews

[ZellyB]

My husband and I are thinking of running this marathon in February 2014. From what I'm reading about it, it looks to be a pretty good race, but was wondering if any Dis runners had first hand experience. Thanks.

 

[WhereInFlorida]

No reviews to be had? Maybe someone can get Donna on here to comment.

I am trying to decide between Space Coast 6 weeks before Disney or this one 6 weeks after.

 

[Bephus]

I have run this race in a few versions. There is the full, the 1/2 and the full relay (a team of 5 people). I have not run the 5k the day before.
The course:
It has changed from its original set-up and I think they will stick to the new course with maybe some tweaks. It starts at Sawgrass Country Club (where The Player's Championship golf tournament is held) runs north to Jacksonville Beach, onto the beach (one mile for the 1/2, two miles for the full) into the neighborhoods of Atlantic Beach (awesome crowd support!) then you turn back south. When you get to Butler Blvd (a limited access highway) you head up the ramp and onto the highway for 3 miles of no fun. At mile 12/25 you get to do a bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway that is brutal and then you head down to the finish at the Mayo Clinic.
Transportation and Accommodations:
There are host hotels that have buses to the start and finish. Otherwise you are responsible for driving to the start (this is new from the first 5 years when there was no parking at the start). Last year it was a disaster because people underestimated how long it would take to get to the start. They ended up delaying the start almost an hour to accommodate the late arrivals. I am guessing they will figure that out this year. The lesson is to arrive early!!
Expo:
This is Jacksonville's biggest expo and is a lot of fun. They have a silent auction, tons of free goodies, speakers and lots of booths. They have improved the layout of the packet pick-up area dramatically over the years due to runner feedback. The runner bag has been a nice drawstring backpack in the past and the shirt is long-sleeved tech, usually with pink accents due to the beneficiary of the race being breast cancer research. The Expo is downtown at the convention center in Jacksonville and the parking is around $5. I don't know if the host hotels have transportation.
Intangibles:
I really enjoy this race for many reasons. First of all the Donna Foundation is an amazing foundation that helps women and men who need financial help fighting breast cancer. They also contribute money to breast cancer research. Second, although the course is difficult it is a fun race in many ways. The crowd support is great. The neighborhoods really come out to cheer and have tons of food for the runners (chocolate, fruit, pretzels, beer). They decorate the streets and blast music. It is great. Butler Blvd is not fun, but our local Lululemon store comes out and takes over the bridge. They are a great motivation and have some hilarious signs to get you over the hump.
Third, there is something amazing about running with survivors. Because the 1/2 and full run together the 1/2's time limit is also 7 hours and there are survivors out there for hours just barely able to walk but doing it. They are an inspiration and remind me of how lucky I am to be healthy and able to run.
There are also quite a number of people who run this race for loved ones and so there are men in pink and or tutus and lots of pink in general.
Finish and start area goodies :
They have a good selection of food at both the start and finish. Thus year they had a warm-up tent at the start that was awesome. Baggage check has always gone smoothly and you can check any bag you want (doesn't need to be the bag you are given at expo). They have a good number of PoP at the staging area but didn't have any in the corrals this year -big oops! At the finish you get a ticket for a bowl of Panera soup (they ran out two years ago but seemed to do better this year) and either beer, wine or soda. They also have a Publix tent with mini muffins, fruit and other goodies beyond the finish line. In the family reunion area they have bands, foods booths (some free, some not), local beer and wine sampling, and other fun stuff.

Now it is not all great! They have had transportation issues for several years in a row and have had to delay the start two years in a row because of that. They even had to move the start to try to fix the problem and created a whole new problem! The beach can be super tough to run on, especially if you are not used to running on sand. It is windy and slow. Very few people get even close to a PR on this course because of the beach and because of Butler Blvd (also very windy).
It is also pretty pricey unless you register early, but not nearly as expensive as Disney races.

All in all it is a fun race that I definitely recommend.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[robynslp]

Can't review the race but can say that I've run a different race actually with Donna. We leapfrogged each other for a long time. Near the end of the race (a half) about 5 other runners had joined her and their pace was good so I joined them. I left them at the last mile to secure my PR. I promised her I would do the Donna sometime so maybe I'll be there in 2014. She was very nice. It's definitely on my list to do. I just wish I had a buddy to do it with.

 

[Bephus]

Oh, and it isn't just the name of the race, she does run the race too. So does her husband Tim and a bunch of other local celebrities and famous runners including Jeff Galloway, Meb once and Katherine Switzer among others.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[ZellyB]

Thank you so much for such a great and detailed review. Since I posted we realized we have a conflict for that weekend so we can't do it in 2014. We are thinking of going ahead and doing Disney again instead. But I'll keep this one on my to-do list for the future. Thank you again!

 

[swimfly]

Bephus nailed it. I actually train(ed) with the Donna Galloway group in Jax. Course is the pits but the crowd support and spirit of the race is amazing.

 

[BelleProfHP]

Mu husband and I both ran the half last year and loved it. We can't run it next year due to other events but will go back and run it again as soon as timing and scheduling permit!

As Bephus said, the trek up the bridge is pretty bad - much worse than the overpass in the only Disney race I've run. But the atmosphere and the cause is so amazing, you just push through it. After all, what are our struggles compared to the struggle that someone with cancer goes through?

The traffic was pretty horrendous last year. We arrived WAY early, so didn't have to deal with it, but the delays were stressful and I couldn't imagine being on the road still, wondering if I was going to make it. Hopefully, that is an issue that will be handled.

My overall recommendation is to definitely run it, tell your friends to run it, make it a great weekend, but arrive early!

Good luck!

 

[MouseDogMom]

I ran the full in 2012, the year before they changed the course. There were shuttles from the hotels to the start that year, and there were huge problems with those too.

I loved the course, with the exception of the bridge. Loved running along the bridge, loved running through the beachfront communities. The crowd support was the best I've ever seen for a race that size. People came out in their driveways and cooked out and set up food and drinks and music. The inspiration from all of the survivors was amazing.

And I did PR, by a huge amount, on the full course.

We'd planned to go back for this year, but ended up running a virtual race here and still getting the medal. After hearing about the traffic, we were glad we opted to stay home!

 

[Bephus]

I ran the full in 2012, the year before they changed the course. There were shuttles from the hotels to the start that year, and there were huge problems with those too.

I loved the course, with the exception of the bridge. Loved running along the bridge, loved running through the beachfront communities. The crowd support was the best I've ever seen for a race that size. People came out in their driveways and cooked out and set up food and drinks and music. The inspiration from all of the survivors was amazing.

And I did PR, by a huge amount, on the full course.

We'd planned to go back for this year, but ended up running a virtual race here and still getting the medal. After hearing about the traffic, we were glad we opted to stay home!

I ran the full that year too, man it was cold! That was a great year to run, little wind, sand was good. I didn't have a great time because I was injured but had a great time

 

[MouseDogMom]

I ran the full that year too, man it was cold! That was a great year to run, little wind, sand was good. I didn't have a great time because I was injured but had a great time

Cold? Doesn't even begin to describe it! I thought when I ran Goofy in 2010 that it couldn't get colder, and then I ran Donna. All I wanted to do when I finished was get on the bus and go back to the hotel and get WARM!

Jackie