DL Half Marathoners Report HERE!

[goodeats]

DH and I ran it too yesterday. It was sooo hot. I don't think Disney ran out of Powerade, but the volunteers just couldn't keep up with the demand. But they definitely tried. There was one station where I wanted Powerade, but they were making more and there was none in the cups.

It was a lot of fun, and I was impressed with the organization, but boy am I tired today. Need to keep drinking my water!

 

[thndrmatt]

I'm baaaaaack...
Ok lets start with the good news up first!

I finished! 2:10:29
DW (Cheryl) finished! 3:12:17
DS (Sara) finished! Unknown time, over 4:00:00 clock time
DS's BF (Dave) finished! 2:43:26

Ok now on to some parts not everyone knew because they weren't there. They decided to start in WAVES this year, like at the DW half! Instead of the 5 corrals from last year A-E, there were A-B in Wave 1 at 6am, C-E in Wave 2 at 6:10, and F-G in Wave 3 at 6:20. So I guess to determine the cutoff they took 3:30 + :20 + however long it took the last person to cross the line. On the results page I can't seem to find anyone with a clock time over 3:57 so I'm guessing about 7 minutes for the last person to cross. Interestingly enough, although my sister finished after the apparent cutoff, she did receive a medal. She'd never done more than a 5k before and had improperly trained, walked the whole thing, and has mega blisters, but she has her medal. Dave fared better in his first race over a 5k but is apparently quite hobbled after the fact.

Now to the obvious topic, the weather. I wouldn't say worse than DW, but I would definitely say comparable. The humidity was significantly less, but I'd say the actual heat was worse. So depending on whether dripping sweat or just getting beat down on makes you wilt more, it could go either way. I personally have run 10 HM's, and this was my SLOWEST by over 3 minutes, and off my PR by 13 minutes. My first 10k or so was solid, all sub 9:10 miles on 2 hour pace. Shortly after that the balloons passed me and I wasn't even close for the remainder. 9:30s led to 10:30s and a lot of walking. Those portions right into the sun were just brutal, and I'd agree that 1.5 miles between stops instead of 1 definitely made it seem like eternity. Shortly after giving up on 2 hours I realized even beating last year's 2:06 was going to be probably out of reach, and just had fun with it for the remainder. I really want to come back one year and NOT be completely trashed when I go through that last fun mile through CA and DTD though so I can actually ENJOY it...

Now to the WISH team, where was everyone?!? I guess people had family obligations and such but I was sure hoping to run into more. Hung out at the italian place in DTD from 4-4:30 on Sun in my WISH shirt with DW but was never approached, then sat at the W family reunion tent before the start from 4:45-5:30 or so and still never found anyone. Even the race was devoid of other green shirts, but FINALLY after finishing and hanging out at the final stretch area for a while I spotted one as she made the turn for home and finished strong. Like the other poster mentioned I literally got comments every 2 minutes on my shirt especially while wandering around DTD sticking out of the crowd, which was great. It was just definitely a different feel than the mass of WISH'rs who made it out for the inaugural last year. We can do better!

Thanks Robert for following along, it seems like it depended on the service when it came to the live tracking accuracy. I didn't get my own text message for finishing until about 2 hours later (carried my phone during the race) with TMobile, but my mom who has Cingular/AT&T got every one right when it happened. I too was wondering what happened to Cheryl, but she kept pluggin away and finished strong running the whole section through DTD! Her time was almost an HOUR slower than the DW half this year, so that is another good example of how as it gets later in the day the heat affects people even more.

Next up for me is the WDW Tri, but it's still up in the air whether I'll be deployed again prior to the TOT13k. Last I heard I'd just miss it.

Edit: analyzing the results a bit more, I was 1932nd out of what seems to be around 9768 finishers (3984 men/5784 women) and 122/445 in age group. I'm pretty sure 12,000 registered, so that's a pretty high DNF or DNS rate... Timing mats appear to have been shut off about 3:56:22, although the clocks at the finish line kept ticking.

 

[princessmomma]

Thanks for the report Matt. Those conditions were brutal. It is amazing you all did so well. I would have been toast.

 

[keenercam]

Congratulations to everyone who finished those 13.1 miles in the brutal weather conditions. And congratulations to everyone who showed up at the start, knowing how bad it was predicted to be.
I am so proud of our WISH team for being out there, for encouraging others, and being such a positive force!

 

[nucpharm29]

Yikes on the weather! I just heard a news report this am on the heat wave out west! Awesome that ya'll finished under such brutal conditions. Thanks everyone for the great reports, love reading them all!

 

[nym]

This was my third 1/2 marathon having started with WDW in January, and so far this was the hardest race that I've ever run. In my opinion, Florida was mild in comparison.

Yesterday I knew we were in a for a long day when people were sweating while standing in the corrals waiting to start. The last time I checked the weather was when I left my hotel at 4am to head for the start line and it was already 78 degrees F.

We started the race with a "red flag" and lots of warnings to not try for a PR and to take it easy and drink lots of water. I thought for sure that we were going to end up with a "black flag" which means that they turn off the timers and strongly encourage people to exit the race. We didn't see that happen as far as I could tell, although I did see someone pass out on the dirt path leading up to Angel stadium and someone else on the ramp heading out to CA.

The heat was brutal, and the sun was relentless. This was particularly true during the part of the course that was described as running through "scenic Anaheim" which turns out to mean running into the sun with little to no shade through light industrial buildings for 4 or 5 miles (or longer?). I really could have used water stops every mile during this part, at 1.5 miles they seemed to be impossibly far apart. I didn't bring a hat or sun visor with me, and I regret it. Thank goodness I brought my sunglasses, I almost didn't as I didn't end up using them at my other two races, but boy was I glad I had them with me. I had no idea that much of the course would be running toward a blazing ball of fire.
(HUGS THANKS to all the volunteers and high school students who tried to keep everyone going during this phase of the course. My heart was particularly lifted to see a bunch of young girls, about my daughter's age, hula dancing to one of my daughter's favourite songs! )

Once we started on the "scenic" leg of the course, I decided that I was only going to try and finish. I was hoping to run a 2:30, but ended up slowing down a great deal so as to not stress my body too much and ended up with a 3:04. I've been running my races with a heart rate monitor, and I try to keep my heart rate below 90% of my maximum. This was incredibly hard during the last few mile when it was incredibly hot. I walked a lot. (And so did everyone around me!) I did manage to run (er, slowly jog) through the final bit of Downtown Disney and to the finish line, though!

So it seems that I don't mind humidity so much, as I didn't find WDW to be oppressive at all. The unrelenting sun and heat at DL was another story entirely.

Next year, I hope that they include more water stops, and also provide a sheltered finish area. All I wanted to do after crossing the finish line was to get out of the sun, and it seemed impossibly far to go from the parking lot to any of the buildings.

I'm mostly recovered now, although this was the first time that I have experienced leg cramps and spasms after a race (in all of my short experience). My coworkers who are triathletes suggested that I didn't get enough salt, and that I should have taken salt packets or tablets. But don't Powerade drinks and Cliff Shots maintain your electrolytes? (I tanked up the day before too.)

All in all, I'm glad that I did it and finished. The medal is really awesome. BIG CONGRATULATIONS to everyone else who was out there too!

Next time, I'm not sure that I'll run a race on a day with a projected high over 100 degrees F.

chris

 

[sramille]

I finished! And, that was a major accomplishment for me. This was my second half marathon...my first being the freezing WDW half in '06. I'm thinking that my third half will be normal temps??

I had hoped that my training in AZ would have helped me with the heat, but it didn't. Here, I wake up at 5am and beat the worst of the sun. Unfortunately, it's not quite the same as starting at 6:20ish. For most of this race, I felt like the sun was beating down only at me!

My goal was to come in under 3 hours. My 10k split was right on target, but, from there on, I let the heat get the better of me. I decided that finishing was better than nothing and walked most of the second half. Ended up at 3:19. Disappointed, but not discouraged, I'm already looking for my next race! On the plus side, I've only been slightly sore since the race and was able to enjoy the rest of my day yesterday after my couple of hours of recovery!

In defense of Disney, I was pretty slow and may not have been seeking powerade later in the race, but I did not notice that any of the water stops were out of anything. I specifically remember passing it up at one of them.

Overall, the experience was a good one and I would do it again without a second thought.

 

[ironz]

Hi, gang!
I think I met ThunderMatt's wife in the home stretch after Angel Stadium (no pun intended ). I check this board from time to time, and remembered ThundrMatt's report from the Orlando 70.3 triathlon (which I also did).

I did a lovely (not) 3:13 on Monday at DL. I was passing rocks and trees like they were standing still! Compare that to 2:23 last year. So, yes, it was HOT!! Even for a TX girl who trains in warm weather all summer. I went out there hoping for a day like last year, when we raced in the 60s to 70s all morning. Not so much this year...started at an unseasonable 78 and it was 100 degrees by noon! (thank goodness we were done by then!)

I think, given the number of people and the conditions, that the race management did a pretty darn good job trying to keep us hydrated. There was Powerade and water at all stops at my pace, and plenty of Clif Shots. Will agree with a PP that I think the volunteers had more trouble keeping cups filled, rather than being out of product. I was almost more worried about hyponatremia, rather than dehydration, personally, and for my niece, so I made her eat the Sport Beans I had picked up at the expo to make sure we were getting some electrolytes. It hadn't occurred to me to pack my salt tablets or Nuun, which I never would forget for a TX or FL race!

I wasn't in my best shape for the day, but realized by mile 2 that it was just going to be stoopid hot and just to keep moving and get through it. After a great run last year, that was a little hard to deal with mentally, but you have to take what the day gives you. Was very glad to have my sunglasses with me (at least one person I met forgot his). Hope the sun reflecting off my tiara wasn't too bright!

To the Dis'er I met...so happy to have met you! Hope the impromptu hug wasn't out of line. You were keeping a steady pace and looked pretty happy. My poor niece wasn't having the best of times. Only her 2nd 1/2 marathon. She's all mad at me (kidding, but you know) because her 1st 1/2 marathon was at WDW in 2006 and the wind chill was about 30 degrees F at the start. Now this one was crazy hot! Go figure.

Warning for those going to WDW for 1/2 and full marathons in January 2008. I am signed up. Last 3 times I have run there it has been super cold (but ultimately pleasant for running) and first time was 2000, when it was hot like last year. I have only pulled one good running day out there ever.

hoping to sign up for next years....need to see how Goofy will go (if I run both races--will concentrate on the marathon--PR on that course is 4:44 and that would be fun to repeat).

Note on lodging: do NOT stay at the Fairfield Inn across from DL. It was a nightmare. Coming back from the race to a clogged bathtub full of water that the maid left without notifying maintenance, then waiting almost an hour for maintenance to try to fix it before I was able to get moved to a new room was awful!

 

[Kim10110]

Congrats to all the racers!!!!!!!!! I love reading your reports. I am disappointed i didnt get to meet any diser's. hopefully next year

 

[lap3]

Note on lodging: do NOT stay at the Fairfield Inn across from DL. It was a nightmare. Coming back from the race to a clogged bathtub full of water that the maid left without notifying maintenance, then waiting almost an hour for maintenance to try to fix it before I was able to get moved to a new room was awful!

I learned my lesson last year. On a different topic, after running 13.1 miles, the last thing I wanted to do was either walk back to the hotel or even worse, climb into a heated car and drive back to the hotel. I told my DW that for this year's race, we're staying on the Disney property. We stayed at the DLH and got a great view. For me, it was totally worth it and I'd do it again next year.

 

[ultramickeymouse]

Congrats to all and great reports.

I have added pics from several people and a couple of reports on my website for those wanting a visual of the day.

 

[sramille]

Quick comment on Fairfield - I wasn't impressed at first, but tipped housekeeping on my first day and got fresh, clean sheets (with no holes!), bigger, fluffier towels and a quality bathmat(instead of the old, worn one). It's amazing what $3 will do for you!

I really like that location because there is food all around, but, my goodness, was that a long walk after the race! If I do it again, I might shoot for BWPP or Camelot or Tropicana instead. If nothing else, you don't have to make the long walk from the street to the hotel.

 

[ironz]

the location of the Fairfield was good...but I don't think a $3 tip would have got my bathtub to drain properly!!

Also, at checkin, I had forgotten my voucher from Disneyland travel (my fault for forgetting--I never have paperwork to bring for WDW so it slipped my mind) and the front desk clerk said I had to phone them to have the info faxed over. She gave me a wrong phone number to contact them, then a second wrong phone number. I finally got the correct number and the CM I talked to said that Fairfield should have been the one to make the call, not me, and she took care of it immediately.

Then, after the race, I called concierge to see what I needed to do for shuttle to the airport the next morning. Was told by the front desk that the Concierge staff didn't make it to work because of the road closures from the race!! Like, why didn't they know why the hotel was full? Again, was told I had to make the call for shuttles myself, which was faulty info.

Not a good experience with that hotel.

 

[goingthedistance]

This is a race report of the Disneyland 5k and kids run held on September 2, 2007. While it was hot on that Sunday morning, it was nowhere near as hot as it was on the 3rd for the half marathon.

The cast of characters:

DW - Rebecca 28
DB (brother) - Daniel 31
DD - Alexis 3
Me - Paul 33
Supporting roles - DFiL Ken age unknown, DMiL Sue age unknown to all who want to live, DD Anastasia (Anya) 5 months.

Expo check-in was relatively painless. Went to the Disneyland Hotel on the 1st and the lines were non-existant around 1 pm or so. Had to wait in 2 different lines - one for my 5k and once for my 1/2 marathon. Rebecca picked up her packet for the 5k and for Alexis' kids run, and Daniel picked up his 5k and 1/2 marathon packets. Wandered around the expo while Bill Rodgers was giving his talk. We couldn't stay for too long because we had to meet back up with the DDs and the supporting cast in Disneyland. Looked like standard expo stuff. Saw the booth for the Rock and Roll Arizona marathon, and they were doing a discount if you registered during the expo. Very tempting, cool medals, but alas it was not meant to be. Went back to Disneyland and caught back up with the family. Eventually found our way back to the hotel (Best Western Park Place Inn). Got some pizza (the cornerstone of every pre-race meal) and rested before going back to Disneyland for Fantasmic and fireworks. Yes, we did fireworks the night before the race. Alexis was the smart one...she fell asleep right before Fantasmic began. Went back to the hotel and tried to get some sleep. I never sleep well before a race anyway.

Race morning began early. We were out the door at 6 to get to the 5k staging area. The plan was for Rebecca, Daniel, and me to go to the 5k and for the rest of the group to meet us at the finish line. The 5k starts at 7 am and Alexis needed to be in her corral at 7:45. Therefore, I had to make sure I finished in under 30 minutes for the 5k to take Alexis to her corral in time. Rebecca and Daniel were on their own. The announcer came out and made some jokes, but I couldn't hear too well from where we were. They only had speakers at the start line. Finally the race started. We all stayed together until the start line, and then I got to take off. Well, I tried to take off. Let's just say that the 5k was not seeded, and people lined up in the order they arrived, not in the order they expected to finish. At about the 1/2 mile mark, I hear Alexis cheering "go mommy." She was on the other side of a fence, so I couldn't see her, but I am sure it was her. Entered Disneyland and bypassed the photo op with Pluto. (side note...I was not packing the camera, my wife was. So all of these pics are compliments of Rebecca). Entered a backstage area behind Main Street.

Left the backstage area, entered Tomorrowland, and looped around the Matterhorn. Considered getting in line for the Nemo subs (no line yet) but had to maintain pace to finish in time to get Alexis to her start.

The greatest part of any Disney Race is the run through the castle.

By the time I got to the castle, the course had thinned out considerably, but it was already really hot. The pirates on the island were shooting cannons at us as we rounded into Adventureland, and then proceeded out of the park and across to California Adventure.

Somewhere around here was the water station for the 5k. I went to the left side, and another lady went to the right. I heard a volunteer warn her that it was slippery, and BOOM!...down she went. I stopped to make sure she was ok, and the volunteer helped her back to her feet. No harm, no foul, and she kept on running.

In California Adventure, we ran past the Tower of Terror (here's a pic for you ToT 13k'ers)

Through the Bugs land area

and into Paradise Pier

Ran and exited California Adventure near the tortilla factory/baby care/first aid area and immediately entered the finish line area. Saw Alexis and support crew. Ran over for hugs and then ran across the finish line.

Mile 1 9:42
Mile 2 8:57
Mile 3 9:31
last 0.1 (garmin 0.23) 2:00
Garmin time 30:09, 3.23 miles, 9:20 avg.

Got the Ratatoullie-themed medal, some powerade, and exited the finishers area. Passed the Kaiser Permanente (sp?) booth, and they were giving away little towels. Took one. Should have taken 2 (one for the 1/2 also) but alas I did not. Met up with the support team and got Alexis. Stayed there to cheer Rebecca and Daniel's finish. They finished in the neighborhood of 45 minutes. Rebecca noted that her 2 mile time was about 30 minutes, and she commented to my brother that I probably finished already. She stopped for a lot more pictures than I did, and she still finished her run. Very proud of her.

Headed into the kids area and sat down at a table near the staging area for the 3-year olds. I don't remember the exact order of the kids races, I just remember that Alexis (1-3 year olds, maybe 2-4?) were first. I didn't need to hurry...the kids race shared the 5k course and they did not close the course until 8:15 easily. We were led out to the start area for the kids race, and we lined up at the front. An adult was encouraged to run with his/her child, and Alexis wanted to run with me.

Me "What was your favorite part of the day Alexis?"
Alexis "Running with you Daddy"
Seriously...that is what she says. No coaching or leading questions. She even says that on days we don't run together. But I digress. Back to the kids race.

We lined up at the front of the pack because we were one of the first ones in the staging area (kind of like the 5k...first come, first in line. At least the older kids ran separately). Woody from Toy Story came out and started the kids race. They only ran 2 rows of kids at a time to keep the stampede down to a minimum. Still, there were a couple of kids who got tripped up and fell. Wonder where their grown-ups were. Alexis ran, got her medal, and we headed back to the hotel for showers and breakfast. On the way out, Chevron was giving away toy cars for the kids finishers. Nice touch.

Will post a 1/2 marathon race report later. Hope everyone enjoyed reading and the pics.

Paul

 

[AuntieM03]

Congratulations everyone!!

I am seriously considering the 1/2 Marathon next year. Was wondering if anyone who ran could answer a couple of questions. I have never done a marathon before.

How do they decide who takes off when? I saw the post of them being staggered. A-B starting off, but what does that mean? At first I thought they were starting people off alphabetically, but then I saw not all the letters are listed.

What is the basic route? Do they start and end at Disneyland? Are there any hills?

Thanks for any info!!

 

[ultramickeymouse]

Congratulations everyone!!

I am seriously considering the 1/2 Marathon next year. Was wondering if anyone who ran could answer a couple of questions. I have never done a marathon before.

How do they decide who takes off when? I saw the post of them being staggered. A-B starting off, but what does that mean? At first I thought they were starting people off alphabetically, but then I saw not all the letters are listed.

What is the basic route? Do they start and end at Disneyland? Are there any hills?

Thanks for any info!!

I haven't done DL but done the Goofy at WDW the last 2 years. The corrals and chutes are decided by the time you estimate finishing. I have a map on my website. Hope to be doing it next year if it isn't on Labor Day Weekend

 

[Maherae]

Paul, Great race, great report! Thanks for the pictures, Rebecca! Looking forward to the half report!

Hello, Michelle! Welcome to the Events/Competition Board! Please stop by the weekly training thread..we're a friendly, helpful bunch..really!! There is a "sticky" at the top of the board with Marathon FAQ's that might be of some help. It's geared toward WDW half/full, but still....

When you fill out your registration form, there is a place to indicate what time you plan on finishing the event. Since there is a 16 minute pace requirement, the most time allowed is 3:30. Then the powers that be take all the forms and put the athletes in corral or wave groupings based on times. Your bib will be printed with you corral/wave number/letter. You can go into a slower area, but not into a faster one.

If you will go to the Disney World of Sports site and click on Headline Events, then Disneyland Half Marathon, on the right hand side of that screen is "Course Map." Click on that and it will take you to an Adobe Reader map of the route.

It's a great event to plan on, just beware..it's easy to get hooked!! And don't think that you have to run the whole way...I'm a walker who proudly displays MY inaugural castle medal! HTH!! Anne

 

[Hey Mickey]

Congratulations everyone!!

I am seriously considering the 1/2 Marathon next year. Was wondering if anyone who ran could answer a couple of questions. I have never done a marathon before.

How do they decide who takes off when? I saw the post of them being staggered. A-B starting off, but what does that mean? At first I thought they were starting people off alphabetically, but then I saw not all the letters are listed.

What is the basic route? Do they start and end at Disneyland? Are there any hills?

Thanks for any info!!

To answer your route questions: It starts and ends in Downtown Disney, near the Disneyland Hotel. You go from Downtown Disney to California adventure to Disneyland to the streets of anaheim (through a light indistrial park) to Anaheim Angels Stadium then back through California Aventure through Downtown Disney to the finish line.

As for hills, if I recall correctly (someone correct me if I am wrong, it is still a little fuzzy), there is only one hill of any significance -- when the road arches over the expressway -- and it is early on in the race (shortly after you leave the parks). I seem to think there was another slight hill somewhere, but nothing to worry about.

It is definitely a good one to consider and the castle medal is definitely my favorite!

Erica

 

[AuntieM03]

Thank you everyone for the information!!!

 

[Duanerice]

Congrats everyone! WOW, those were brutal conditions and you should be proud for making it through. It is nice to see most of you were smart - decided that a PR was not in the cards so you slowed down and had as much fun as possible.
enjoy,
Duane