The Expert
Has been to every Disney park in the world
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2009
There seems to always be a lot of discussion around the Disney 5K races as each weekend approaches. How does it work without timing and balloon ladies? Do they actually really NOT sweep? How long do you have to finish?
Well, for the 2022 Princess 5K, my mom (DM) finished DFL -- dead f***ing last -- so I thought I'd share her experience and hopefully help provide a resource for all those recurring concerns and questions.
DM is 72, had a knee replacement two years ago, and carries a lot of extra weight. She walked the Princess 5K with me and several other family members in 2017, taking about 90 minutes to finish. Her favorite princess is Cinderella, so when themes were revealed she asked me to register her, along with me and her sister/my aunt (DA), in hopes it would motivate her to regularly start walking. It didn't, or at least not enough. She knew the 5K would be a struggle but she was determined to do it anyway. The whole point was to walk it together, and with no pressure to keep a specific pace.
We started about the middle of S2, so pretty much the middle of the race. My Garmin says we started at 5:25am. We averaged a 30 minute mile. By the time we hit a character we wanted to stop for (Cindy and Perla in France), the lines were closed but we could take selfies off to the side. By the 2nd mile marker, the crowd had thinned dramatically and we knew we were toward the very back of the pack. There were a few bike support folks who would pass by from time to time and check to see if anyone needed help. But they never mentioned a sweep or the option of stopping at all.
We took the loop outside the park at international gateway, and when we came back in just past the UK we noticed walkers coming over the bridge and merging into our path, so they did cut the course for the last few runners. This would've been around 7am. As we headed toward the Imagination Pavilion, CMs were escorting Joy and Sadness backstage from their photo stop. We passed Mickey and Donald as they were going backstage as well. So right around 7, they were taking down the stops but there were still Photopass photographers on the course through the finish. There was also still one table open at the water stop, but they were definitely clearing the course right behind us.
Around the Remi area in France we noticed a family that had been with us suddenly had a wheelchair for one of their party. They had stopped to ask a volunteer for help and a CM brought them a park wheelchair. DM thought this was a great idea, so we stopped near the Imagination area and asked for one. The volunteer flagged down a guy on a bike, who said a "cart" was coming up in a few minutes. DM decided to wait for the cart and asked me and DA to go ahead. They said we'd find her near the finish, so we thought she was being unofficially swept.
When we got to the finish, it was really spread out and we knew we had to be close to the back. Sure enough, about 10 minutes after we crossed, we heard the chatter of the last finisher coming. To our huge surprise it was my MOM! They had taken her on the cart to the spectator bleachers just before the finish chute and let her out to actually cross the finish. She got confetti and everything! (See pic below.)
She finished at 7:36am.
So yes, it is true they do not sweep the 5K. BUT they definitely try to give assistance in the form of wheelchairs and cart rides to anyone who is determined and able to finish. It seems they are attempting to clear the course of all activity by about three hours after the start.
Happy to answer any specific questions about all of this, and I hope it's helpful.
Well, for the 2022 Princess 5K, my mom (DM) finished DFL -- dead f***ing last -- so I thought I'd share her experience and hopefully help provide a resource for all those recurring concerns and questions.
DM is 72, had a knee replacement two years ago, and carries a lot of extra weight. She walked the Princess 5K with me and several other family members in 2017, taking about 90 minutes to finish. Her favorite princess is Cinderella, so when themes were revealed she asked me to register her, along with me and her sister/my aunt (DA), in hopes it would motivate her to regularly start walking. It didn't, or at least not enough. She knew the 5K would be a struggle but she was determined to do it anyway. The whole point was to walk it together, and with no pressure to keep a specific pace.
We started about the middle of S2, so pretty much the middle of the race. My Garmin says we started at 5:25am. We averaged a 30 minute mile. By the time we hit a character we wanted to stop for (Cindy and Perla in France), the lines were closed but we could take selfies off to the side. By the 2nd mile marker, the crowd had thinned dramatically and we knew we were toward the very back of the pack. There were a few bike support folks who would pass by from time to time and check to see if anyone needed help. But they never mentioned a sweep or the option of stopping at all.
We took the loop outside the park at international gateway, and when we came back in just past the UK we noticed walkers coming over the bridge and merging into our path, so they did cut the course for the last few runners. This would've been around 7am. As we headed toward the Imagination Pavilion, CMs were escorting Joy and Sadness backstage from their photo stop. We passed Mickey and Donald as they were going backstage as well. So right around 7, they were taking down the stops but there were still Photopass photographers on the course through the finish. There was also still one table open at the water stop, but they were definitely clearing the course right behind us.
Around the Remi area in France we noticed a family that had been with us suddenly had a wheelchair for one of their party. They had stopped to ask a volunteer for help and a CM brought them a park wheelchair. DM thought this was a great idea, so we stopped near the Imagination area and asked for one. The volunteer flagged down a guy on a bike, who said a "cart" was coming up in a few minutes. DM decided to wait for the cart and asked me and DA to go ahead. They said we'd find her near the finish, so we thought she was being unofficially swept.
When we got to the finish, it was really spread out and we knew we had to be close to the back. Sure enough, about 10 minutes after we crossed, we heard the chatter of the last finisher coming. To our huge surprise it was my MOM! They had taken her on the cart to the spectator bleachers just before the finish chute and let her out to actually cross the finish. She got confetti and everything! (See pic below.)
She finished at 7:36am.
So yes, it is true they do not sweep the 5K. BUT they definitely try to give assistance in the form of wheelchairs and cart rides to anyone who is determined and able to finish. It seems they are attempting to clear the course of all activity by about three hours after the start.
Happy to answer any specific questions about all of this, and I hope it's helpful.
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