Have we reached the saturation point?

[Keels]

This! It doesn't make us or the race any less serious, either. I wore my red Sparkle Skirt during IM Florida and two Comrades races. I'm pretty sure those are serious races that required some serious training in order to start and finish.

ALSO! That skirt didn't stop you from looking SUPER homeless before the Marathon. I wasn't sure whether to give you a ride to the corrals or give you $20 ...

 

[ANIM8R]

This! It doesn't make us or the race any less serious, either. I wore my red Sparkle Skirt during IM Florida and two Comrades races. I'm pretty sure those are serious races that required some serious training in order to start and finish.

After more than a dozen marathons (and, yes, I'm one of those misguided "just one and I'm done" folks) and more than as many half marathons, I cannot remember an event that *didn't* have a fair number of people wearing costumes. Maybe not to the extent of the more elaborate Disney races but it is to the point where I see it as - for lack of a better word - "expected".

Keep in mind I haven't run NY, Chi, London, and certainly not Boston but every race I have run is not too far removed from the Disney experience. I cannot say I've run one that has not been a lot of fun...and I guess that's what keeps me running and participating in these events. Which is insane when you think about it - who in their right mind would go out and run 13 or 26 miles?!?! WHY?!?!

But that's why I wanted to know more about "serious races". Not to argue or even disagree. I just wanted to know that perspective.

I'm lucky to have run a bunch of races now (came to this community later in life) and it sounds like I haven't run a "serious" one yet. And given my skill level and disposition, I'm not sure that will change. I have too much serious in the other aspects of my life!

 

[DVCFan1994]

@croach where are you getting all these Oreos? 4 Challenge weekends and I've never received a single oreo. Clearly I'm doing the wrong races!

Echoing what others have said, I find the talk of whether a race is serious or not ridiculous. How insulting. I train the same whether its a Disney race or a local race with a smaller field and a higher percentage of competitive runners. Do I wear a costume made out of running clothes, yes. Do I stop for pictures at Disney, yes. Why the heck else would I pay so much more for those races? Time in the park is a tiny percentage of the race, and I probably ran more of the parks back in the day of legacy fast pass! Does that take anything away from the training I've spent hours on or the time I put into running, absolutely not. If anything, the process of stopping, perhaps waiting in line and starting up again is tougher than just a constant effort for me.

 

[camaker]

@croach where are you getting all these Oreos? 4 Challenge weekends and I've never received a single oreo. Clearly I'm doing the wrong races!

Every race weekend I've done (2 x WDWMW, SWDS, DLH) there's been a 2 pack of Oreos in each food box I've been given post-race...

 

[croach]

@croach where are you getting all these Oreos? 4 Challenge weekends and I've never received a single oreo. Clearly I'm doing the wrong races!

Echoing what others have said, I find the talk of whether a race is serious or not ridiculous. How insulting. I train the same whether its a Disney race or a local race with a smaller field and a higher percentage of competitive runners. Do I wear a costume made out of running clothes, yes. Do I stop for pictures at Disney, yes. Why the heck else would I pay so much more for those races? Time in the park is a tiny percentage of the race, and I probably ran more of the parks back in the day of legacy fast pass! Does that take anything away from the training I've spent hours on or the time I put into running, absolutely not. If anything, the process of stopping, perhaps waiting in line and starting up again is tougher than just a constant effort for me.

They were in the snack boxes you get after the race. There were Oreos, tortilla chips, cheese dip, some sort of power bar, an applesauce thingy that might kill you, 50% off race registration coupons, free park tickets, golden fast passes. You missed out if you weren't getting those snack boxes.

 

[DVCFan1994]

Every race weekend I've done (2 x WDWMW, SWDS, DLH) there's been a 2 pack of Oreos in each food box I've been given post-race...

They were in the snack boxes you get after the race. There were Oreos, tortilla chips, cheese dip, some sort of power bar, an applesauce thingy that might kill you, 50% off race registration coupons, free park tickets, golden fast passes. You missed out if you weren't getting those snack boxes.

My Princess weekend and Avengers weekend snack boxes never had Oreos, and clearly no golden tickets ! I keep getting Luna bars, nuts (which I'm deathly allergic to), I think a BelVita once, the cheese stuff, one year I got those pop corners, which my kids immediately stole. I only take them because they're often handed to me and my husband and kids eat the snacks. I'll have to watch for oreos before handing it over to them in the future. Like I said I've been doing the wrong weekends I guess, but I was planning to diversify anyway

 

[PCFriar80]

They were in the snack boxes you get after the race. There were Oreos, tortilla chips, cheese dip, some sort of power bar, an applesauce thingy that might kill you, 50% off race registration coupons, free park tickets, golden fast passes. You missed out if you weren't getting those snack boxes.

I'm still alive, but accidentally threw my free park tickets out.

 

[Ariel484]

I thought about this more last night, the "seriousness" or lack thereof of runDisney races...and I'm not directing this at anyone in particular. I have heard the argument that runDisney races are not "serious" enough before, and I have never understood it. Then it came up here, so...

Lately I am just finding the snooty and judgmental feelings from some of my fellow runners to be completely ridiculous (this could probably be its own thread). Is a race "serious" enough or not? Should you accept the half marathon/Goofy/Dopey medal if the race was canceled? The "running community" thinks blah blah blah (which...is there some secret group of running elders who decide their opinion on things is fact so that they can tell the rest of us what is right and wrong? Inquiring minds want to know ). Etc.

Hey, "running community" - why do you care so much about how I run my race, or whether I have a medal from a canceled race? How does what I do really affect your life? Aren't there more important things you can think about?

Running is an interesting sport because while there is a sense of community, at the same time it is very personal. I feel like for the most part people -the "community" - are very encouraging until suddenly...they're not. The shift is strange, and the snark over personal decisions that others make is just bizarre to me. And I know people can have their own opinions, but there's a way to express those opinions without putting others down and acting like you are the the know-all be-all when it comes to running. In this case, however, I'm not sure there's a "nice" way to say that the races are not serious. People put in a lot of time and effort to prepare for them, to get ready for these distances and in a lot of cases try something they have never done...but suddenly it's not good enough because they decide that in the middle of the race they want to hop on Everest? It's stuff like this that makes me never want to join a running group and is part of why I prefer doing my runs solo, because I only have to answer to myself.

And without runDisney - and I know I am not the only one that this applies to by a long shot (@Keels mentioned it in her post) - I can guarantee that I would not have trained for anything beyond a 5K. I never would have dreamed of trying to do a half marathon or a marathon...but I love Disney, and Disney has these races and I thought they looked fun, so I pushed myself way, WAY out of my comfort zone and became a 4-time marathoner* - something I never, ever thought I would do. I think that is why I am so bothered that other runners look down on these races, and why they mean so much to me. These races have been the catalyst for a major good life change for me (I can say for sure that I am healthier and happier because I am a runner), and that is serious and something that, to me, should be celebrated...not looked down upon because I happened to stop for an adorable (if I do say so myself) picture** with Mickey & Minnie in ESPN Wide World of Sports during mile 18 or 19 or whenever that was.

*sorry for the self-congratulatory post but I refused to even run across the street when I was younger, so it's still a little unbelievable to me.
**not like that was the only picture I stopped for, but come on - MICKEY AND MINNIE. In soccer outfits!

TL;DR - I like runDisney races, okay?

 

[rteetz]

@Ariel484

 

[Ariel484]

@rteetz

 

[DVCFan1994]

@Ariel484 agree 100%

I am another who never wanted to be a runner. Grew up with severe asthma, was never able to be athletic. Fast forward too many years to count and my sister asked me to do PHM with her. I'd never run further than 3 miles. I agreed, totally sure it would be one and done. But she got pregnant in the fall and it was high risk so she deferred. Trip was already planned DVC booked and I wanted to do it anyway, so I knew I'd have to do it again the next year, and it all started from there.

I never would have gotten into running if it hadn't been for Disney, and I am sure there are thousands of people for whom that is true at this point.

 

[camaker]

And without runDisney - and I know I am not the only one that this applies to by a long shot (@Keels mentioned it in her post) - I can guarantee that I would not have trained for anything beyond a 5K. I never would have dreamed of trying to do a half marathon or a marathon...but I love Disney, and Disney has these races and I thought they looked fun, so I pushed myself way, WAY out of my comfort zone and became a 4-time marathoner* - something I never, ever thought I would do. I think that is why I am so bothered that other runners look down on these races, and why they mean so much to me. These races have been the catalyst for a major good life change for me (I can say for sure that I am healthier and happier because I am a runner), and that is serious and something that, to me, should be celebrated...not looked down upon because I happened to stop for an adorable (if I do say so myself) picture** with Mickey & Minnie in ESPN Wide World of Sports during mile 18 or 19 or whenever that was.

Great post. This is so true for me as well. I was perfectly happy playing Ultimate Frisbee for my exercise, but pressure from a friend and a love of Disney introduced me to the gateway drug that is RunDisney. I'm in so much better shape than I ever have been and think it's funny looking back after 3 marathons (2 Disney) that I thought I was absolutely insane to even consider trying to train for a half marathon! Funny how things work out...

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I feel like for the most part people -the "community" - are very encouraging until suddenly...they're not. The shift is strange, and the snark over personal decisions that others make is just bizarre to me.

Great post!

To speak to this part - I am not a "people" person because I have found that "people" will generally let you down. People generally want to be liked or included and will say or do things that they might not do otherwise in a group format. But, as individuals, I think that most people are good.

Runners are no different. As individuals, most are kind and helpful. Face to face, most are great. But in groups or on the internet, almost all are more inclined to be jerks. This forum is a welcome reprieve from that world.

 

[croach]

Great post!

To speak to this part - I am not a "people" person because I have found that "people" will generally let you down. People generally want to be liked or included and will say or do things that they might not do otherwise in a group format. But, as individuals, I think that most people are good.

Runners are no different. As individuals, most are kind and helpful. Face to face, most are great. But in groups or on the internet, almost all are more inclined to be jerks. This forum is a welcome reprieve from that world.

I always kind of wonder if the "negativity" is like a lot of things, a message board deal. I guess that obviously doesn't mean people aren't still thinking them but I never hear this kind of stuff at races or among other runner friends. But I'm not exactly a social butterfly so I can't say my sample size is that great. But like you said this runDisney forum seems to be pretty free of that, so it's a nice place to virtually hang out and discuss running.

 

[Ariel484]

Great post!

To speak to this part - I am not a "people" person because I have found that "people" will generally let you down. People generally want to be liked or included and will say or do things that they might not do otherwise in a group format. But, as individuals, I think that most people are good.

Runners are no different. As individuals, most are kind and helpful. Face to face, most are great. But in groups or on the internet, almost all are more inclined to be jerks. This forum is a welcome reprieve from that world.

I would say I am also not a "people" person - I totally agree with what you are saying here.

And I do agree that most are, in person, kind and helpful. I need to really work on forgetting the couple I have encountered at races who were not - unfortunately, like most things, the few jerk outliers are the ones that stick out in my memory.

 

[DVCFan1994]

I would say I am also not a "people" person - I totally agree with what you are saying here.

And I do agree that most are, in person, kind and helpful. I need to really work on forgetting the couple I have encountered at races who were not - unfortunately, like most things, the few jerk outliers are the ones that stick out in my memory.

I think it only takes one in person encounter to stick with you. I can blow off a lot of online stuff because as @croach said message boards embolden a lot of people to act in a way they would not in a face to face encounter.

I had it from a good friend, which is why I think it really sticks with me. For GSC 2014 I needed proof of time because I'd never done a 10k. I planned one in November, but unfortunately got a bad calf strain in October. I told a friend I was wondering if I should do the race for POT. I said one reservation I had was coming in last, because I checked the pervious results and it had a fast field in previous years. I knew with the strain I'd go slower than normal, but figured any POT was better than none. She told me it seemed worthless and wondered why'd I'd do a race if I wasn't racing to win. Um, I'm never going to win. So should I never race? I had never run with her, though she had asked me to, and knew then I never would. For context, she is a lifelong runner that frequently places in her age group in races and sprint tris, so I get she is coming from a different place, but I still was dumbfounded.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I think it only takes one in person encounter to stick with you. I can blow off a lot of online stuff because as @croach said message boards embolden a lot of people to act in a way they would not in a face to face encounter.

I had it from a good friend, which is why I think it really sticks with me. For GSC 2014 I needed proof of time because I'd never done a 10k. I planned one in November, but unfortunately got a bad calf strain in October. I told a friend I was wondering if I should do the race for POT. I said one reservation I had was coming in last, because I checked the pervious results and it had a fast field in previous years. I knew with the strain I'd go slower than normal, but figured any POT was better than none. She told me it seemed worthless and wondered why'd I'd do a race if I wasn't racing to win. Um, I'm never going to win. So should I never race? I had never run with her, though she had asked me to, and knew then I never would. For context, she is a lifelong runner that frequently places in her age group in races and sprint tris, so I get she is coming from a different place, but I still was dumbfounded.

We all set goals and strive to achieve them. That is racing to win. I don't criticize people who want to "win" - I just have different criteria for success in that arena.

 

[Ariel484]

I think it only takes one in person encounter to stick with you. I can blow off a lot of online stuff because as @croach said message boards embolden a lot of people to act in a way they would not in a face to face encounter.

I had it from a good friend, which is why I think it really sticks with me. For GSC 2014 I needed proof of time because I'd never done a 10k. I planned one in November, but unfortunately got a bad calf strain in October. I told a friend I was wondering if I should do the race for POT. I said one reservation I had was coming in last, because I checked the pervious results and it had a fast field in previous years. I knew with the strain I'd go slower than normal, but figured any POT was better than none. She told me it seemed worthless and wondered why'd I'd do a race if I wasn't racing to win. Um, I'm never going to win. So should I never race? I had never run with her, though she had asked me to, and knew then I never would. For context, she is a lifelong runner that frequently places in her age group in races and sprint tris, so I get she is coming from a different place, but I still was dumbfounded.

Wow, that's bizarre. I'm with you, if I were only supposed to race to "win," by her definition, I would never race.

I had it after marathon #1, with some stranger snarking on how long my brother and I took to finish the race. I think that one sticks with me because it was my first freaking marathon, first for my brother as well, such a huge accomplishment for both of us, and some stranger had to come along and deem our times as not good enough ("oh, sounds like that was a long walk" said in a very judgmental tone - which, damn, walking 26.2 miles sure seems hard to me!!). But we had a blast the entire race, and were pretty proud of ourselves, so whatever!

 

[roxymama]

For myself and my husband, running is making us healthier. Physically and mentally.
And running at disney and other various scenic courses in the midwest makes us happier. Which is also good for our health.
And running faster than other people or against our own PR's (when we decide to push it, which we do often, just not every race) builds our egos, which can be healthy or unhealthy depending on your take.
And running with friends or each other even if not at our fastest also makes us happy and forms a fun bond with others. Which is good for our health.
And I take my health seriously.

If we all want to get really technical...on the scale of serious things in this world...trying to see if you are faster or can go farther than other people isn't the most serious thing on earth. The really fastest people have found a way to turn the school yard "hey, let's see who can get to that tree over there fastest...RACE YOU!" into a sport filled with strategy and nutrition and science and etc. Most of us don't have cheetahs or mastadons or large birds chasing us anymore (I hope!) So I think it's okay for people to take it "seriously" as long as they realize that at it's base running and racing is a thing humans do for their own amusement and it's OK!!! for people to treat it however they want to.

Basically just Let me Live my Best Life.

 

[FFigawi]

I had it after marathon #1, with some stranger snarking on how long my brother and I took to finish the race. I think that one sticks with me because it was my first freaking marathon, first for my brother as well, such a huge accomplishment for both of us, and some stranger had to come along and deem our times as not good enough ("oh, sounds like that was a long walk" said in a very judgmental tone - which, damn, walking 26.2 miles sure seems hard to me!!). But we had a blast the entire race, and were pretty proud of ourselves, so whatever!

Best retort to crap like that is to smile and ask how long it took them. When they stammer about how they didn't run but, you know, could have done it, you smile again and finish with "maybe, possibly, but you didn't. I did."