Characters along route

[Princess KP]

I will be participating in my first rD event and first half marathon this January 2017.
Have been lurking on the boards for the past few months and I want to say thank you for all the info and kind words you have for each other. There have been many times that I wanted to give up on the training but reading your posts kept me going.

My question is, approximately how many character stops are there along the race route and how much time can I expect it to add to my time. I want to be able to get the full Disney experience but also want to finish in a reasonable time.

Thanks!

 

[wilkeliza]

I will be participating in my first rD event and first half marathon this January 2017.
Have been lurking on the boards for the past few months and I want to say thank you for all the info and kind words you have for each other. There have been many times that I wanted to give up on the training but reading your posts kept me going.

My question is, approximately how many character stops are there along the race route and how much time can I expect it to add to my time. I want to be able to get the full Disney experience but also want to finish in a reasonable time.

Thanks!

There will be somewhere between 7 and 13 for a half. Sometimes it is 1 every mile sometimes it is an experience every mile but characters are only every other experience. Depending on what corral you are in you could add say 15 minutes to your total run time or you could add 30 plus. If you are in the back corral and a slower run/walker then it is possible you won't be able to stop at all as character spots are cut off as you get closer to the 16 min mile cut off.

 

[Barca33Runner]

I'll add that for the half the characters tend to be quite concentrated to the areas around the parks. There are usually a couple in the opening two miles before getting to the MK parking sign (sorry if my designations aren't correct, I'm not entirely versed in the area). First is usually some stilt dancers (possibly a character as well?) and then Pirates of the Caribbean are set up after taking the exit curve and going toward MK parking. Miles 3-4 have featured Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope followed by Nightmare Before Christmas the last couple years. You'll enter MK around Mile 5 and there is a larger concentration of characters as well as the Castle picture in the park. Don't remember specifics, but I would say there's a good 6-10 characters in the park most years. It gets pretty sparse after that (maybe 1 or 2 more stops) until you get to Epcot. This past year they had 3 or 4 character stops after entering Epcot, which was the first time I remember such a large concentration in Epcot. We stopped at the Genie and Uncle Scrooge, but I think there were a couple more.

Different characters will have longer lines and require longer stops so you may need to choose your spots if you don't want to add too much time. The Half, I believe, is the biggest race and feels the most crowded. It is also designated by many Dopey and Goofy runners as their fun or more relaxed race, so the character lines can be pretty daunting in spots. Welcome and Good Luck!

 

[cavepig]

and then Pirates of the Caribbean are set up

This year the pirates and big boat weren't there though, they had a smaller set up elsewhere, wasn't it just that hot air balloon out? I could be remembering wrong though. But yeah in parks seem to have the most concentration of characters spread out.

As both said above, it just depends on your start corral, pace & how long the lines are for how long you'll spend waiting. I spent 10 minutes for villains (5 of them I think were in it) in 2015 during the marathon from corral G, but like for the half in 2015 I spent maybe 30 seconds waiting for Ulf (from Tangled) in MK from corral F & Mary Poppins & Bert were after MK and I waited only a couple minutes for them. I wasn't running my corrals pace either so other corrals had passed me. I figure roughly 20-30 seconds per person in line maybe for waits, most people are quick but some linger longer.

They always have a huge setup as you leave MK, it was Peter Pan this year for the half I think, it had a crazy long line when I went by. So that one easily could have been 10+, but it was really cool with lots of characters in it.

 

[Ariel484]

MK normally takes me the longest on this course...I think the longest it took me to get through that park was a little over 30 minutes.

I try to limit who I stop for - they have to be rare, a personal favorite, in a special outfit, someone I have never met before, etc. I normally find myself stopping for most of the characters during the last mile because the lines get super short (people just want to get the race done at the point, I guess).

If you're worried about your time, and if you have a running watch, I highly suggest turning OFF the auto-pause feature on your watch. This way it'll still keep time as you wait in line and you'll better know where you stand as far as time limits. Have fun!!

 

[Barca33Runner]

This year the pirates and big boat weren't there though, they had a smaller set up elsewhere, wasn't it just that hot air balloon out? I could be remembering wrong though. But yeah in parks seem to have the most concentration of characters spread out.

Could be, they're starting to jumble together for me a little bit. There's usually something set up there anyway.

 

[Barca33Runner]

I normally find myself stopping for most of the characters during the last mile because the lines get super short (people just want to get the race done at the point, I guess).

I meant to mention this in my post. There's definitely fewer people stopping for pictures at that point and we take advantage of it.

 

[Ariel484]

Could be, they're starting to jumble together for me a little bit. There's usually something set up there anyway.

I remember the pirate set-up from previous years...like 3-4 years in a row, but I wasn't there for this race last year. My other tip was going to be to skip that set-up going toward Magic Kingdom and then stop there on your way back - better light for pictures and a shorter line - but I guess that doesn't apply if the set-up isn't there anymore.

 

[wilkeliza]

At any of the halves my pictures are almost exclusively after mile 6. I'm just too nervous to stop any earlier so unless it is a must do (I'm talking super rare) then I just take a run by photo.

 

[Princess KP]

Thanks everyone! I guess the strategy will be get to MK and see what the lineups are like. I don't plan on stopping at every character but will definitely be taking a photo in front of the castle! (Along with everyone else, I'm sure). And towards the end, time permitting.
Will keep an eye on my time and distance.

Will we know what corral we will be in this week or when we pick up our bibs?

 

[Barca33Runner]

but will definitely be taking a photo in front of the castle! (Along with everyone else, I'm sure)

They've learned their lesson with this particular stop. They have multiple locations with photographers and CMs to take your picture and keep things moving. I haven't waited more than 1 minute in front of the castle the last few years.

 

[Princess KP]

They've learned their lesson with this particular stop. They have multiple locations with photographers and CMs to take your picture and keep things moving. I haven't waited more than 1 minute in front of the castle the last few years.

That's great!

 

[Ariel484]

Thanks everyone! I guess the strategy will be get to MK and see what the lineups are like. I don't plan on stopping at every character but will definitely be taking a photo in front of the castle! (Along with everyone else, I'm sure). And towards the end, time permitting.
Will keep an eye on my time and distance.

Will we know what corral we will be in this week or when we pick up our bibs?

I'm guessing we will see corrals by the end of this week. According to travel agents, today is the last day for bib sales and with next week being a holiday week, I'd think they'd want to get the info dump out of the way.

 

[StarGirl11]

Going through my photos right now and I have eight character stops from last year's half. I think there is one that I skipped after leaving Magic Kingdom on the return to Epcot. So 9 probably in total.

I started in J and I think the worst wait was the big setup leaving Magic Kingdom. Waited close to 15 minutes for it, but its still one of my favorite runDisney photos. Can't wait to see what they have set up there this year.

Worst part is going to be going through the castle, not stopping for a photo there, just getting through it. Depending on when you hit it that can take up to five minutes to go a couple of hundred feet as I discovered this past year during the half (on the other hand during the full I got through quickly without congestion). However if you hit it early or late enough it could be clear sailing.

 

[Princess KP]

Going through my photos right now and I have eight character stops from last year's half. I think there is one that I skipped after leaving Magic Kingdom on the return to Epcot. So 9 probably in total.

I started in J and I think the worst wait was the big setup leaving Magic Kingdom. Waited close to 15 minutes for it, but its still one of my favorite runDisney photos. Can't wait to see what they have set up there this year.

Worst part is going to be going through the castle, not stopping for a photo there, just getting through it. Depending on when you hit it that can take up to five minutes to go a couple of hundred feet as I discovered this past year during the half (on the other hand during the full I got through quickly without congestion). However if you hit it early or late enough it could be clear sailing.

Too bad we won't know which characters will be there beforehand. I don't intend to stop at every single one so it would be nice to know so I can plan my stops out (I'm a planner )