DL 10K - training pace to allow for character stops

[kermit116]

I'm signed up with some friends to do my first 10K during the Disneyland half weekend this Labor Day. I haven't run in a long time, so I'm currently working on walking/running just to get to a minimum fitness level, then 19 weeks out I'll use the Galloway half marathon training schedule as my guide to get ready for the actual 10K.

As I train, what's the minimum per mile time I should aim for to allow me to make a few character stops without being swept? I know the website says to aim for a 15 minute mile at a minimum, but I'm wondering if that's enough time since (from what I've heard) the character stops usually have lines.

 

[kappyfamily]

Did tinkerbell 10k a couple weeks ago, and the lines were pretty long and the course was pretty congested. A ton of people got swept. Honestly I wouldn't stop if I ran anything over a 13:30/14 min mile. We stopped two times to take quick castle pics and small world pics, no bathroom stops. Half we ran half we walks. We finished in a 14:30 pace. Again, they were pretty hard core on sweeping, just so you know in advance.

 

[StarGirl11]

If you can keep a fast pace until you hit the parks you should be fine. From there pick and choose who you want to do because the lines for the character stops are going to get really long, really quick. Since unlike Tinker Bell the Disneyland 10k does Anaheim first then the parks (courses very rarely make alterations outside of anniversary years, and and its most likely Anaheim was later instead of earlier at the Tinker Bell 10k to provide a distinction from the Disneyland 10k). You have the advantage of not reentering Anaheim but you still need keep an eye on the time you are spending in the lines. Because they have to open the parks. And they will start telling you to get a move if you are taking too long. I remember them telling people we had to be out of the parks by a certain time or we would be swept (I want to say it was 8:00 maybe?) because of the park opening. Me and the group of friends I was with weren't stopping for photos but I was with a group of slow walkers so it just took them a while to do the 10k.

Unfortunately since we don't know park hours this far out. And cant exactly predict what corral you would be in. I can't give you much advice on what pace to exactly train for. I would say just book it for the first 2 miles until we clear Anaheim and we start seeing the characters. The faster you can go, the more time you'll have with the characters. And keep a priority checklist of who you really want to see. If the character isn't that high on the list and the line is really long its probably better to pass and go for another character you like better further down the course with a possibly equally if not longer line.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Kermit116: you have already been given some good advice by those far more experienced than I. I ran the Tinkerbell 10K and it was my first ever race.

As a newbie, I completely underestimated how difficult it is to run when the course is that crowded. I had trained a run/walk/run based on timed intervals. I found that at times switching from a walk to a run was meaningless because there were so many people in front of me.

I had a plan B which was walking at about a 15 minute mile pace. Luckily, walking fast in crowds at Disneyland is something I've been training for my whole life!

Expect that you will cover more than 6.2 miles from start to finish. The crowds mean you zig and zag more than you expect. That means to finish with an official 15 m/m pace, you need to go faster.

While 6 miles is a long distance for a new runner, it really doesn't give you much cushion for stops. If you do the math, a 15 minute mile gives you about a 6 minute cushion on a 10k. My DH will tell you that it takes me at least that to use the bathroom!

The only real cushion is being at the front of your corral so that you can cross the start line as early as possible. But that means getting there extra early, because everyone has the same idea. I started in the middle of the last corral at Tink and had no problem finishing below 16 m/m, but I would not have had time to stand in line for photos.

I would also suggest that you plan to run with only 1 other friend after you leave the start. Groups of 3 or more are inherently slower, especially in crowds. Groups of 3 or more also make it harder for other runners to pass.

Finally, I had a great time at Tink even without character photos. Enjoy your run! -- Suzanne

 

[J3nn78]

I would recommend a minimum 13mm pace. That would give you about 18 mi utes of time for stops.

 

[WVUFan]

At the WDW 10k, I stopped at the six characters that I saw. My overall time was 1:41 so I could've been swept if I was in the last corral. When I was running, it was at a 9:45 pace. I know this doesn't totally equate to the DL 10k which seems to be more crowded, but I hope this helps.

 

[kermit116]

Lots of great advice - thanks!

Also, is there any way to find out which characters are (likely) going to be on the 10K route? That may help me and my running buddy figure out how many stops we'd actually want to make.

 

[Castle2Castle]

There won't be any guarantee of characters ahead of the race, based on my experience with 2013 races. From pictures I've seen of the half/full marathons there seems to be some consistency with characters in certain areas. You won't have as much to go on with the 10k since it's only in the second year, but maybe look at some of the official pictures or check for tags on Instagram and Twitter to get an idea of what characters were out last year to get some idea of what characters may be out this year.