Are all non-Disney runs awful?

[Vickibean]

I ran my first half-marathon at Disney...the 2011 Princess. Yesterday, I ran my second. It was called the Splish Splash Run, and it started and ended at a waterpark resort in Gurnee, IL. I was not impressed.

There were 2 groups of people between miles 1 and 2 that came out to cheer us on. Other than that, the only people we saw were the volunteers at the water stations, and people directing traffic. The end of the run went into the parking lot, where we were dodging cars. I didn't bring my ipod, since I was thinking maybe there would be a few bands set up along the way, etc. That was a big mistake. I ended up walking at least half of the second half, simply because I got bored. I wasn't really tired, but I had just lost interest. The course went out through a neighborhood, then around the outer ring road of a mall, then through an industrial park, through a Six Flags parking lot, then onto a trail through a park. I just kept thinking, "at Disney, I would be running through the castle right now", and "It's mile 10 and at Disney, I was going up the big ramp with Sarge motivating us".

There were about 360 finishers. Was this a bad experience? Or was I just spoiled by a Disney run?

 

[Disfan11]

I've run in lots of organized events for 5 and 10K's and they are all different.
Some are well run and some aren't.
I've only run in two 1/2's so far.
But my first was the Seattle Rock & Roll. And I had a lot of fun. They have bands playing at mile marker. And there are cheer leading groups all over the route. And lots of people around. So it was a lot of fun.
My second with the Princess this year and yes it was awesome! It's really hard to beat a Disney race. They are so well run (in my limited experience).
I'm running the San Diego Rock & Roll in 2 weekends, so hopefully that will be good as well.

Don't get discouraged. Try out some more.
I bet you'll have better experiences!

 

[FireDancer]

I have done 2 full marathons, 15 or 16 halves, and at least 100 local races and the good races far outnumber the bad. I do try and go with larger events for my half and full marathons like any of the Competitor Group races or races like the National Marathon in DC or the Roadrunner in Akron, OH.

I think a race with under a 1,000 people will be a very different experience then even a big city marathon let alone Disney Marathon Weekend so comparing the two isn't really fair IMO. If you have a race you are considering check out the website because you can tell a lot about how organized the event will be by how the website is and then go to marathonguide.com and read some reviews. You might also want to do a little Googling of the race to see if you can stumble across someone's blog that will give you an idea of how well the race was organized.

Don't get discouraged, there are hundreds of good half marathons out there, you might have just found one that was lacking.

 

[fashionista311]

While Disney does a great job...there are definitely many, many great races out there. I agree with the others that it depends on what you are looking for. I've done small (about 250 ppl) races and I've done large, big city races (30,000+ finishers). The nice thing about the smaller race is that you get a more "homey" vibe to some of them, and depending on your speed, it's much easier to win an age group award. The large races are more entertaining and have more going in terms of entertainment and spectators...but the courses can be crowded, and i (personally) think more can go wrong in terms of logistics. But don't get discouraged...there are so many great races and places out there...it's just a matter of time and travel to find them all!

 

[SAHDad]

I agree with Frank in that there are good races, and there are bad races. It looks like you ran in the inaugural race, which almost always means that there will be some problems, and, IME, the longer the race, the more problems there are.

A good rule of thumb is that a larger race, or one in a major city or popular vacation destination, is probably (but not always) going to be better organized and have better crowd support than a small race. (Not always true - the Zoom Ya Ya marathon has only about 60-80 spectators. . . but you see them every sixth of a mile or so, and you have constant music, plus plenty of personal attention.)

My guess is that you hit upon a race that had some significant stumbling blocks in the inaugural year. Send a polite note to the RD, and next year, it will probably be a better race.

(FWIW - I have only done 4 or 5 half marathons, but finished 11 fulls, and done some ultras as well, plus an assortment of 5k and 10ks, though not as many as Frank. But, I have been at great races, so-so races, and some that were. . .not so good. And sometimes it varies from year to year.)

Addendum - it also depends on your POV. I have run marathons where I saw nobody, and I mean, nobody, for several miles at a time. And I was okay with that, because I knew about it going in. Would have been a bit of a shock otherwise, however.

 

[johde]

I'm also going to agree with Frank, It's more of a big vs. small race thing. The Columbus marathon probably had 15 bands along the half marathon course. Fans lined the street nearly the entire way. And I was a 3 hour + half marathoner in that race. Cleveland didn't have quite the on course entertainment at least for the back of the pack people.

My spring marathon this year was in Xenia, OH. My first 2 half marathons had over 10,000 runners between the full and the half. This one had 700. There were no bands, minimal crowd support, but the volunteers were great. Well stocked water stops, and probably the best post race food I've had at any race. They had homemade soup and cookies in addition to the fruit, water, sports drinks, pop, that you would expect at a race.

I've enjoyed them all in different ways. Xenia was a good PR course and a great value at $25. Columbus had great entertainment on the course. Cleveland, I did as a walker and met some great people out there. I haven't done a Disney race, but I'm signed up for the Disneyland half this October. I've heard it more 1/2 Disney race and half big city race. Should be fun.

 

[FFigawi]

There's no way to do a fair comparison of a small race with 360 finishers to one like Disney with over 18,000. The resources that each has available are completely different. As long as a race has sufficient water stops and volunteers available, I think that's as much as you can expect from a small race. My last marathon had less than 200 finishers, but the volunteers were wonderful & I had a great time.

 

[cloudnut220]

I echo everyone here who said it's about the organization, not the size, of a race. I run some fairly small races with a local striders group near our beach house. Their races may be small, but the support is excellent and their stuff is always together. I often enjoy these smaller races because I can focus more on the run and less on constantly having to elbow to keep my place on the road.

And even big races can have problems. I ran the National Half Marathon Relay this spring, which was a new race added on to an existing event. There were a TON of logistical issues with the relay that the race director overlooked. I still enjoyed the race, but it just goes to show, all new things have hiccups.

 

[sue2]

another factor is the cost. It looks like the Splish Splash cost $55 vs.$160 for Disney at its priciest.

 

[cewait]

I may be a little weird but I actually love to run small, nondescript races. Many are well run and well supplied and kind of take you back to the roots of running. Don’t get me wrong, I like large events, also. However, I know that I can run 2-3 unremarkable smaller venues for the price of one large.

With regard to your question, I echo the above… what you are experiencing is the difference between a large race and a small race more than a Disney versus non-Disney. Every race is different… different venue, terrain, entertainment or year. Yes, your next Disney race may not be as exciting as your first. Your first event will always have a dear place in your heart and memory and nothing will ever seem to compare with that first race.

 

[jmasgat]

Sorry your experience wasn't great. But like everyone said, there are many good races out there. Expectations are such a big part of the mental game of racing. I guess it all depends on what your goals/expectations are for a race. So look at it this ways--you just learned something about what you may want or need in a race. And next time you do one, you will have a better feel for what you want and for what's important to you.

Good luck picking your next race.

Maura

 

[FireDancer]

And even big races can have problems. I ran the National Half Marathon Relay this spring, which was a new race added on to an existing event. There were a TON of logistical issues with the relay that the race director overlooked. I still enjoyed the race, but it just goes to show, all new things have hiccups.

This year was not a good year for the National overall. I ran it last year (half both years) and it was my favorite race hand down other then the Disney races. This year the weather didn't help and not having the Metro open two hours early was a big problem. I even liked the shirts and medals better last year but to be fair they are rotating through the monuments and I liked the way they did the Lincoln Memorial theme better than how the Supreme Court worked out.

I think relays are really hard to get right the first time. The best organized one I've seen is the Akron marathon relay here in Ohio. As long as they revert to opening the Metro at 5:00 again next year I'd do the race again. Last years experience was so good not only for the race but the whole weekend in the city.

 

[Vickibean]

Thank you to everyone for your comments. I guess I was just assuming that this was going to be a big race. I think I would have fared a lot better if I had brought my ipod. It would have helped me stay focused.

I will definitely use this as a learning experience. Even with the walking, I finished at 2:50, which was about 7 1/2 minutes better than the Princess (though I have no pictures to show for it). I felt great afterwards, and even went home and did yard work all afternoon. I'm signed up for Goofy in January, and I take this as a sign that I'm ready to push harder. My body and spirit wanted to go out for a run yesterday afternoon, but my mind held me back, fearing injury. Can't wait to get out again today!

 

[johde]

Congratulation on your finish. That's a good pace of a walker. One good thing about the race, is you can use it for proof of time for your expecited finish for the Goofy. I updated my Disneyland half registration after 2:51 from Xenia. I submitted an expecited finish of 2:41.

 

[Lullabee]

Sorry it didn't go well for you! I had a similar reaction to my first smaller race (350 finishers two weeks after a Disney race), but I think it all has to do with expectations. I've found that my Disney race times are a good bit slower than other races due to crowds, but the people watching and costumes are a definite plus! Small races do have their own charm though. My best race was super small (165 finishers), so was able to enjoy the beautiful scenery and focus on my pace. Zero line for packet pickup or bag check plus free massages at the finish. Small can be done well if you know thats what you're getting into, but larger races seem to be on the rise if thats what you're looking for. Hope you find what you like and good luck with goofy training.

 

[SAHDad]

On a related note - my last race had less than 100 runners on the course. (There were technically more, but for counting purposes, I am counting a relay runner as only one person, since only one could be on the trail at a time), and by the 6 hour mark, it might not have been more than half that. I had several laps where I did not see more than a person or two (other than a couple relay runners who would pass me like I was standing still) over the course of 3.5 miles. Good times, though, good times.

As I said, it all comes down to expectations. For certain races, I expect big crowds, lots of entertainment, etc. For some, I expect to be pretty much left alone.

 

[mandac]

I had a bad experience with my first smaller run also. But I think the race I chose was just not put together well. It was a half marathon that was part of a bigger bike race weekend. I think the bike race got most of the attention. I am also a slower walk/runner. Though I did get my PR on this track (2:45) it was painful. Not only was no one there to cheer, even the volunteers had sort of disappeared by the time I got there. At one point the volunteer was leaning on the course marker talking on the phone and we didnt' know which way we were supposed to go. I saw people taking off in different directions. Not good. Especially since they didn't run the course designated on the map they distributed. By the time I finished the race the only food left at the end was brown apples. I was very bummed - but it was a lot cheaper

Also, not all Disney races are created equal. The Disneyland half runs through a lot of boring industrial and city areas. I can't wait to someday do a race at Disneyworld and see how those compare. I have a feeling it will be in a completely different category.

 

[slp1650]

Also, not all Disney races are created equal. The Disneyland half runs through a lot of boring industrial and city areas. I can't wait to someday do a race at Disneyworld and see how those compare. I have a feeling it will be in a completely different category.

I agree about Disneyland races vs WDW. I was actually just thinking about that today on my run. Disneyland seems mentally harder to me because you are in Anaheim more and you don't have all the Disney characters and just plain old Disney feeling to it. They do have people throughout the course and there are people cheering you on throughout the course (my favorite was all the boy scouts and girl scouts at Angel's Stadium). When I ran the Princess it just felt easier, although I was actually recovering from an injury and it was physically harder for me. I just had a bit more fun at the Princess race (I had fun on both, don't get me wrong).

The same weekend as Disneyland Half, Santa Barbara puts on the Pier to Peak half marathon. A lot of people like it, but it's hard because it's all up hill pretty much. A few people from my tri team did it and liked it, but the team really likes the Chardonnay Half and Wine Country Half... but that could also be because there's wine tasting when you're done.

 

[ludari]

Yes, Disney runs are a lot of fun and I enjoy the different themes but I did enjoy the Bay to Breakers 12K this year.

 

[Bephus]

I agree with the consensus here, it depends on the race and your expectations. I have enjoyed each of my races for their attributes, but they each had quirks that could have been better. I love the RnR races (ok, I have only done one and it was my first half, but it was great) and I also love the local Turkey Trot. Disney has great entertainment in the characters, but there is a lack of bands. There are also areas where there is a lack of crowds to cheer. They are not perfect, but they are a ton of fun and I will be back.