An Unforgettable Finish- Oct 2011 TR **Happily Ever After (Completed 5/3)

[kcandbella]

How fun that the boys got medals too! And to see the back of everest...it doesn't look as cool from the back!!! Congrats on finishing your first 5k!

 

[PirateKate]

So happy to read you and your family finished the 5K! Even though the start was rough, it looked like you guys had an overall great time. And some of those behind the scenes places sounded pretty cool. That was definitely not the same course I ran in the EE 5K, which kind of makes me want to run the Halloween 5K now, just to see the other backstage places.

So, have you caught the runDisney bug??? It seems like if you do one race, you want to do more.

And since the race was out of the way, you had nothing but WDW vacation ahead of you. Always a great thing!

We did have a really fun time doing the 5K and I'm glad we did it, even though the morning wasn't great. The backstage places were interesting. I'm surprised the course was different from the EE 5K. How many 3 mile courses could there be in AK?

I definitely want to do more runDisney races! I'd really love to try a half marathon, but I'd have to figure out something to do with the boys for that.

I really liked having the race first thing in the trip. It was a fun way to start, but it was nice to be finished with it, too.

I have never seen Dinosaur Daisy before, shes cute!!

Great finish!! I am pretty sure since I am slow that all the very exciting race stuff happens when the faster people finish but either way it is still super exciting to cross the finish line and get the medal and thats really nice that they gave the boys medals too

I thought Dinosaur Daisy was really cute, too. I hadn't seen her before and if we were going to stop for a picture, I think I would have picked her.

Maybe someday I'll manage to be fast enough to see what an unforgettable finish looks like. Wouldn't it be neat to win a runDisney race? It was still exciting for us to finish this race and get the medals. I was glad the boys got medals, too.

What a great time at the race! It looks so funny with everything closed...maybe odd is a better word Love Goofy and Daisy's costumes....so cute! Poor Carter with that sun

Great finish line pictures btw!!

We did have a great time at the race! I'm sure we'll do another one someday. I know, it was really odd to see everything closed! I liked getting to see a different side of the park. I loved their costumes too. Great theming! I felt bad for Carter with the sun in his eyes, but luckily, we had the better stroller waiting for him.

Thanks!

Congratulations on finishing the race. Who cares how long it took; the important thing is you did it and completed it.

Poor Carter and the sun in his eyes. He definitely needs some

Thanks! I guess the important thing is to have finished it. Next time, we can try for a new personal best.

Carter actually found a pair of sunglasses that fit him and he's been wearing them around everywhere. We've been calling him "Joe Cool".

I fell behind and missed the whole race! It was nice to read about it all at once, I guess.

This looks like so much fun! I'm almost interested in trying one myself. Almost.. I had no idea there would be characters and animals out along the path. Very fun for the boys!

While I love seeing the backstage kind of stuff, I wish I hadn't seen that imagine of Everest. I'll never look at it the same! Really cool that you got to check out so much of the park anyway. Poor Carter with the sun along the way. That's never fun.

I completely agree with the lack of an "unforgettable" finish in that though! I expected so much more. Even so, it looked like such a fun experience.

That's the nice thing about falling behind- it's always fun to read about everything at once.

It really was fun. I would never have expected to do a race at Disney or anywhere else, but the characters and animals and everything made it really cool.

Sorry to ruin Everest for you! I was really surprised that the back of it looked like that. I always thought it would be a complete mountain. I was sorry for Carter with the sun in his eyes. He hates that and the sun was very bright just then.

I wouldn't have expected anything special at the end of the race if it hadn't have been advertised as an unforgettable finish. It was still cool, though and I did think our medals were cute.

 

[PirateKate]

great update! I told myself i wanted to do a disney race just to get a medal. Hope that's not too sad

Thanks! That's not sad at all- those medals are cool!

Congrats on finishing the race!

It's cool yet weird seeing the park so empty. How cool would that be if Disney gave away a vacation where you had one park to yourself each day?!?

The medals are cute....and the boys are especially cute with them on!

Thanks! We were all happy to have finished the race successfully.

It would be awesome! I've always dreamed of having the parks all to myself. Wouldn't that be fun, to go throughout the park with no other people at all, walking on to any attraction and always getting the best seat?

Thanks! I thought the boys looked really cute in their medals, too.

I think you all look familiar to be perfectly honest, but for some reason Jeremy seems the most familiar. So basically yeah, I had to have seen yall last year. Funny!

Oh yeah, Dr. Barnett is awesome. I had him for history as well... I have neeeever been interested in history (I have no idea why) but he made it SO interesting. Great guy!

How weird to see the backside of Everest! It's like it's not even a real mountain!

Congrats on finishing the race! Oh look... a finish line... how unforgettable? Haha well at least you'll never forget it because of your TR, so in that way I guess it is unforgettable! Cute pictures at the end.

Did you read my December TR? It's probably a long shot, but you might be in one of the pictures. That would be really cool, wouldn't it?

I've always loved history, but when Dr. Barnett was teaching, it was even more interesting. There are so many awesome professors at Lee.

I really did expect Everest to look more like a mountain all the way around. Surely it wouldn't have been too much harder to make it mountain-y all the way around?

Thanks! I guess the finish line was supposed to be unforgettable. I guess it was, yet, I expected something more. That's true, with the TR we'll never forget it. The internet is forever. Thanks!

That is me to the left of the walkway pushing the stroller!!

And here to the left the three with the stroller and the girl in the tye dye shirt (my DD)
You got us also earlier. We were behind then right in front of the cruella and dalmations for a while.

So close to a Dismeet!!lol

How cool!! Wow, it sounds like we walked most of that race really close by. I wish we could have met. If only we'd known...

By the way, I hope I didn't run over one of you in the beginning of the race.

While reading your TR I kept thinking. What if people decided to abandon the race and just went for a stroll in the park. Or hide somewhere and wait for the park to open. Are there enough CM's around to keep an eye on people leaving the race?

How cool that the boys got a medal too! Very nice keepsake.

There were a lot of CMs around, making sure everyone was going the right way. And I would guess that they also had all of us under video surveillance, too. It would have been fun to sneak away and enjoy the empty park, but I bet they would have found us.

I thought that was really nice that they got one, too. Landon really likes his.

How fun that the boys got medals too! And to see the back of everest...it doesn't look as cool from the back!!! Congrats on finishing your first 5k!

I thought they looked great with their medals on. Really, for two toddlers as active as they are, it was a bit of an accomplishment for them to ride peaceably for that long. Everest sure doesn't look as cool from the back. I still love the front of Everest, though. Thanks!

 

[marDgreen88]

Did you read my December TR? It's probably a long shot, but you might be in one of the pictures. That would be really cool, wouldn't it?

I've always loved history, but when Dr. Barnett was teaching, it was even more interesting. There are so many awesome professors at Lee.

I really did expect Everest to look more like a mountain all the way around. Surely it wouldn't have been too much harder to make it mountain-y all the way around?

Thanks! I guess the finish line was supposed to be unforgettable. I guess it was, yet, I expected something more. That's true, with the TR we'll never forget it. The internet is forever. Thanks!

Well after you mentioned yall had been there in December I looked for it but I couldn't find a link for it! I would love to read it though! That would be so funny if I found myself (or someone in my group) in one of your pics.

Yeah that's what I was thinking! Just build it like a mountain in the back too! They should have been prepared for this if they were gonna have people running in marathons and seeing the back of it! It looks like a big old cardboard box. NOT A MOUNTAIN.

I would have been expecting more at the finish too. Like the Dapper Dans serenading me or something, maybe the new talking Mickey congratulating me, or Bob Iger giving me the key to the Cinderella castle suite... but I digress.

 

[CandleontheWater]

You guys got to go through some cool areas of the parks! How neat that the course went backstage!

I love that Carter and Landon got metals too! They deserved it, for being such good boys and sitting so nicely in the stroller!

 

[PirateKate]

Well after you mentioned yall had been there in December I looked for it but I couldn't find a link for it! I would love to read it though! That would be so funny if I found myself (or someone in my group) in one of your pics.

Yeah that's what I was thinking! Just build it like a mountain in the back too! They should have been prepared for this if they were gonna have people running in marathons and seeing the back of it! It looks like a big old cardboard box. NOT A MOUNTAIN.

I would have been expecting more at the finish too. Like the Dapper Dans serenading me or something, maybe the new talking Mickey congratulating me, or Bob Iger giving me the key to the Cinderella castle suite... but I digress.

Here's the link for our December TR: That's the Second Biggest Double Stroller I've Ever Seen. Let me know if you're in any of the pictures. That'd be cool!

Plus, what if they ever wanted to expand the parks behind Everest someday? I guess maybe it wouldn't be too hard to refurbish the back and have it look right. Kind of makes me wonder about the back side of Splash Mountain, too.

I would have loved the Dapper Dans or the new talking Mickey at the end of the race. Maybe Bob Iger did give the first place runner the key to the Cinderella castle suite...that would be unforgettable.

You guys got to go through some cool areas of the parks! How neat that the course went backstage!

I love that Carter and Landon got metals too! They deserved it, for being such good boys and sitting so nicely in the stroller!

I thought the race course was pretty fun. It was nice to see new places that we'd never been before and it was cool to see places we had been before without a ton of people everywhere.

It was a nice touch that the boys got medals, too. Landon was very proud of his, understandably so. It wasn't easy for him to get up so early and ride in his stroller for so long.

 

[PirateKate]

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[IheartDDuck]

I was definitely a few updates behind!

Okay, I'm glad that the DJ redeemed himself in the end, because if I would have heard that so early in the morning, I would have marched right over there and given him a what's for!

You're absolutely right that it's not about how fast you finish the race, it's about finishing it period. Very cool for you guys.

 

[amazingact21]

Perfect solution for the sunglass problem. You can never have too many sunglasses, especially when they have Mickey heads on them.

Sounds like a great Safari ride; I would've been a little nervous if a rhino was so close to me, but toddlers have no fear.

 

[Shannon84]

Sounds like a perfect reason to buy a new pair of sunglasses!!

I like the backdrop for the race to pose in front of, that is cool! I have never seen rope drop at AK, then again I was terrible about getting up early this last trip so I missed most rope drops I would probably want a nap after running!!

 

[jc040404]

Yay for new sunglasses!

AK's rope drop isn't the most exciting at all. Hope you managed MK's during this trip. The rest aren't all that special, IMO.

Awesome about the rhino. I love that Landon wanted to pet it. He's too cute. Sounds like a fun safari ride!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Hooray for another great installment! Many TRs make me smile, but few make me laugh out loud like you. Thanks for the giggles...and I agree that arms and inside the vehicle when a rhino is in petting distance is a very good idea.

 

[leslie826]

I'm joining in your TR! Congrats on completing your first 5K! What I am most interested to hear in your report, though, are your thoughts on staying off-site, as I know you were hesitant. My mom just bought a condo in Kissimmee, so after this next trip (it's not furnished yet) it will be off-site from here out.

 

[afwdwfan]

I know exactly what you mean about the sun glasses. I can never find any that I can stand to wear either. If they don't fit just right, they're just annoying!

I'm sorry rope drop wasn't so spectacular, but it looks like it was a good thing that you were there and able to get to Safari so quick. I feel sorry for poor Carter having to put up with Landon playing with his food.

 

[fi46re129]

Sorry race morning was crazy! The DJ had some nerve!

It's pretty cool that you get to see behind the scenes of AK during the race! We are thinking about doing it next year when we head back.

I love how they give the kids metals too! Especially after being so good in strollers!

I forgot my sunglasses our AK day too and stopped to get some at that shop! Only my were a purple tint and they aren't very Disney not even a hidden Mickey which I was bummed about. I mean how does Disney sell something that isn't obvious Disney product?

 

[marDgreen88]

Here's the link for our December TR: That's the Second Biggest Double Stroller I've Ever Seen. Let me know if you're in any of the pictures. That'd be cool!

Plus, what if they ever wanted to expand the parks behind Everest someday? I guess maybe it wouldn't be too hard to refurbish the back and have it look right. Kind of makes me wonder about the back side of Splash Mountain, too.

I would have loved the Dapper Dans or the new talking Mickey at the end of the race. Maybe Bob Iger did give the first place runner the key to the Cinderella castle suite...that would be unforgettable.

Thanks for the link! I'm gonna bookmark it and read it little by little so I'll let you know if I do spot myself! That would be hilarious.

YEAH... I mean they are expanding the park! That Avatar thing or whatever. Though I guess probably not behind Everest. But still... haha.

YAY! New sunglasses that are pinkish AND have Mickey on them?! I want some!

I don't blame Carter for not liking Landon's peanut butter mess either! Haha I know how it is to have messy siblings. Ick.

I agree, the Animal Kingdom rope drop show isn't all that thrilling. Then again, neither is Hollywood Studios. Even so, they add a little excitement to the wait.

 

[PirateKate]

I was definitely a few updates behind!

Okay, I'm glad that the DJ redeemed himself in the end, because if I would have heard that so early in the morning, I would have marched right over there and given him a what's for!

You're absolutely right that it's not about how fast you finish the race, it's about finishing it period. Very cool for you guys.

It's hard getting caught back up after a trip. I hope your trip was great!

I'm sure the early hour had a lot to do with my annoyance with him. I was glad he redeemed himself, too.

Maybe our next race will be about how fast we finish, but for this one, finishing at all was good enough. It was a really fun experience.

Perfect solution for the sunglass problem. You can never have too many sunglasses, especially when they have Mickey heads on them.

Sounds like a great Safari ride; I would've been a little nervous if a rhino was so close to me, but toddlers have no fear.

I go through sunglasses way to quickly, but so far, my Mickey pair are still good. It's hard to keep up with them. I never wore them until I had Lasik done.

I was slightly nervous when the rhino was that close, but Landon wasn't at all nervous. He would have gotten out and ridden the rhino if I'd let him.

Sounds like a perfect reason to buy a new pair of sunglasses!!

I like the backdrop for the race to pose in front of, that is cool! I have never seen rope drop at AK, then again I was terrible about getting up early this last trip so I missed most rope drops I would probably want a nap after running!!

Any reason for a new pair of sunglasses! I really liked my new ones, too.

I like that backdrop, too. I just wish the sun hadn't been so bright in the boys' eyes. We always terrible about getting up for rope drop. I'd rather stay out until two in the morning than get up early. The boys disagree with me, though. I definitely wanted a nap after the race!

Yay for new sunglasses!

AK's rope drop isn't the most exciting at all. Hope you managed MK's during this trip. The rest aren't all that special, IMO.

Awesome about the rhino. I love that Landon wanted to pet it. He's too cute. Sounds like a fun safari ride!

I was glad to find a pair that I liked!

I figured the MK rope drop would be better. Everyone always talks about how cool it is and I do like the music for it.

It was really exciting to see the rhino so close to us. Landon loved it. I'm sure he thought it was just a big doggie.

Hooray for another great installment! Many TRs make me smile, but few make me laugh out loud like you. Thanks for the giggles...and I agree that arms and inside the vehicle when a rhino is in petting distance is a very good idea.

Thanks! I'm always happy to hear that my trip report makes people laugh. Landon didn't think that arms inside the vehicle was a good idea at all when he could have been petting a rhino.

 

[KatMark]

Sorry I missed an update (I've been sick all week and not staying up to date with DIS things...I really need to get mine TR going too so I can start my PTR for the January trip).

Landon cracks me up with giving Carter his peanut butter and Carter not caring for it. I can just see that look in Landon's eyes that you described.

I can't remember if we've ever done a rope drop at AK...I think we always have gone for EMH's and they don't do the show.

 

[amandaw]

Sounds like y'all were off to a good start in the park after a good finish in the race!

That's great that they had breakfast items in the goody bag. Perfect!

Glad the safari didn't disappoint. That's too cool about the rhinoceros! I would've been holding Reid down tight, too.

 

[emma212010]

How cool getting to see backstage! Views of AK the average vacationer wouldn't get to see! Too bad the rope drop show was nothing special! I've never been to AK's before, and now I am in no big hurry to see it! That is great that they give you goodie bags with yummy breakfast food! How cute about Landon getting Carter icky with peanut butter! What brotherly love! I'm glad the safari was fun and the animals were active! That's always the best!