I actually really enjoyed this race, even with all the problems. I guess I'm comparing it to the drowning I got at Everest last year (2009) where it was complete and total chaos, and anything is better than that, particularly for an inaugural.
The good:
- I really liked that they had a relay option. I'm a borderline 16 minute mile pace, and because DH was able to make up some time for me (going ~14.5 minute mile) in the first 5 miles, I never had a fear that I was about to be swept. I've NEVER been in a disney race where I was surrounded by that many people - I always feel like I'm pulling up the rear all by myself!
- I loved the surprise of seeing the Osbourne lights!!!!
- I actually really enjoyed the course for the second relay runner (mile 5 - 13). I knew if I could make it to the studios, I could make it to the end. I didn't love all the turns in DHS, but I was used to them since I've done tower of terror before (and it has a similar amount of turns there). When I left the studios and knew all I had to do was walk past my favorite hotels to get to the finish, there were tears streaming down my face I was so excited.
- The castmembers/volunteers along the course were EXTREMELY encouraging and wonderful - I'm always towards the back of the course and it's hard to maintain enthusiasm for that long when you're cheering people - I've done it before so I know! But I could tell they knew we were struggling and needed all the help we could get!
- I collapsed on a bench when I was done, and Off Kilter started to play right then. Nothing gets my energy back faster than a great EPCOT show! I don't know how much other entertainment/pavillions were open, but that was just enough to keep me happy with my (brief) after party.
- The corrals at the relay exchange point were much more organized than I expected - Disney correctly limited the amount of relay teams to ~650 and then split us up into 7 corrals so we could find our teammates. It wasn't perfect, but I loved that they gave me a way to run a shorter distance than the half while still feeling part of this race.
- The medals were nice! I was worried they would skimp on the relay medals but they were worth the work, while still having a noticeable difference from the half medals so you knew who did all that extra work to get to 13.1 on their own!
The bad:
- I was in Disney with 12 of my family members, and I kept trying to get information in advance that would convince them to go to the after party, even though we were flying home at noon the next day. Disney didn't release the afterparty information until the very last minute, but at the Philly 1/2 expo they told me the reason to go would be the "very short" lines for the food and wine. I almost convinced my family to go based on that - thank goodness I didn't! My husband was at the party by around midnight and barely had time to get anything. By the time I was ready to walk around, I only had time to wait in one line before the party closed. I feel sorry for the people that had to pay to get into a party, to pay for food and alcohol, and couldn't really get to any of it!
- We got in line at the Boardwalk at 7:15 to get to the race. We waited in line for an hour with only one bus showing up. I'm not sure what was going on there - it wasn't just that the buses were slow, it's that they weren't showing up at all! Then finally, about 6 buses showed up all at the same time. I was starting to panic since I was supposed to be on a bus to Animal Kingdom by 8:30 and I knew I wouldn't even get to Wide World of Sports by then. Then I had to wait in another line to get to the exchange point
- They kept making it sound like we were going to be able to watch the start of the race via the giant tv at the relay exchange point, but then all of a sudden we got an announcement that the first runners had crossed the start (with no video). I missed seeing the fireworks, hearing the national anthem, etc. Also, it was TORTURE having no idea how fast/far my DH was going, so I had no idea when I really needed to start warming up. (Some of that is his fault, he didn't train much so I had no idea how fast he was going to run and how much he was going to walk - but still - how difficult would it have been to have set up runner tracking for the relay??)
- The announcers at the exchange point kept making comments about the "slower runners - like 10-11minute milers - staying to the back of their corrals so the faster runners could go first". Wow, way to make people feel bad about being able to keep the minimum pace! I know some of you are ridiculously fast, but 10-11 minute mile seems to be an average pace, not slow, to me!
-DH wanted to run more and said it was extremely crowded at spots so he couldn't safely do it.
- Already mentioned but the time being off at mile 11 and the lights being off leading to DHS was upsetting/dangerous
- Apparently the first relay runners had to wait for almost an hour to get on a bus to the party, so even though DH was done running by 11:15, he didn't get there until well after midnight. DH said the bus transportation was extremely disorganized.
- Also already mentioned but (besides the race finish being outside EPCOT, which I didn't mind THAT much) the after-race finish section was AWFUL. I want to be handed a medal as soon as possible after crossing the line. Instead, I walked for a while, got a water and a bag, walked for a while more, got a medal, walked for a while more, got shuffled into a building that smelled like food and was extremely hot and had to wait in a line to pick up my bag and go to the bathroom. I finally just sat on the ground and ate my banana before picking up my bag because I was too exhausted to move, and someone passed out immediately in front of me. (Medics were called, I hope she is ok!)
- I would have liked the lanyard or the medal for the relay to say inaugural on it somewhere (though otherwise, I loved the medal)
- The "I Did It!" shirts for the half were awesome with the course on the back - the "I Did SOME of it!" shirts for the relay were much less so - cheap white tshirts with no cool logo and no course map. I really wanted to buy an I did it shirt but I didn't feel right buying the half marathon one and I couldn't bring myself to get the I Did SOME of it one - so now I think I'm going to make my own.
My suggestions:
- Have some buses specifically for the second runner in the relay to go directly to the relay exchange point. Why did we need to go to wide world of sports, just to wait in line for a second bus, if we weren't going to be able to see the race start anyways?
- Add runner tracking for the relay. It's not complicated, and knowing when my DH crossed the 5k line would have helped me IMMENSELY in warming up.
- Make the first runner go 8 miles and the second go 5 miles so they get to the party around the same time, or at least make the relay closer to 6.5/6.5 instead of 5/8. (Thats just a wish on my part, I know it doesnt really work logistically, but still - the second runner got the short end of the stick on this one!)
- Open more things for the post race party, and limit the amount of tickets that can be bought for the party in general.
I know I listed a ton of negatives up there, but that's just me being critical. I actually loved this race, and since I did the 8 miles at just about a 16 minute mile with limited training leading up to it on the tail end of an 8 day trip, DH says I can do the half marathon in January now, so I'm very excited =)
At the halfway point I thought I just might, but by mile 9, I knew for sure there was no way I would. I was in Corral D, of course, and there were just too many walkers and not enough room in some spots to get around them. My time was 3:10. 
Oh, and Nike+ had me done in the middle of HS!! I kept saying "Yeah, right!" whenever it would tell me how far I'd gone. 
and it was nice meeting with you at AKL.
I felt good that someone said that because I was at a low point with everyone passing and seemed to mutter when they passed me. This was early in the race and of course they were all runners. I just can not run but was in the high 15's for the 4.8 Your mind does take over when this is your first. Did not realize who the person was, he was dressed in a dark colored shirt. I know now that it was Jeff Galloway after I saw the picture of him with run Disney 
This was my first half marathon and I had a blast! I love Disney but my only complaint had to be the finish line party. The lines were absolutely ridiculous and it was impossible for anyone to actually enjoy the "wine and dine" part because there was simply not enough time. Maybe next time they can start the race one or two hours earlier so the runners can enjoy the party. That being said, the course was a lot of fun and I hope to do it again next year. 
