Instruction review

[cewait]

I quick review of the Final Instructions and want to point out a couple things

Just a couple quick notes…

Pacing – Now that I have read this I know it has been in place for a while; Folks will be stationed at mile markers Orange flags. If you see an orange flag waving at a mile marker OR you see a cyclist pass you with orange flags you know that you are behind the sweep pace and subject to being swept at any point. In earlier posts I tend to forget about the mile marker notices.

Goofy Changes!
From the instructions…
“If you have participated in Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge in previous years, please note the process has changed. You do not need to check in at the Goofy Tent on Saturday after completing the Half Marathon. After crossing the finish line on Sunday and receiving your Marathon medal, please check in at the Goofy Tent. You will receive your Goofy medal after we verify that you completed the Half Marathon and Marathon in the allotted times.”
I am just hopeful that on-line communications with the computer in the Goofy tent is BETTER than family and friend notifications or the Goofy line will get really long. I did not really like the wrist bands but am not sure that this is a better solution.

Perfect and perfectly lanyards. The Perfect 18 and perfectly Goofy folks will also receive a special lanyard like last year.

Confirmed right hand road start for all races. The instructions lay out the corral set up. While the back half of the race lines up on the left side they cross the median when it is time to move the corral. The cool part is that you can actually see the start better with this set up.

 

[rubato]

Thanks Charles. I would have been looking for the Goofy tent forever on Saturday!

 

[FFigawi]

Goofy Changes!
From the instructions…
“If you have participated in Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge in previous years, please note the process has changed. You do not need to check in at the Goofy Tent on Saturday after completing the Half Marathon. After crossing the finish line on Sunday and receiving your Marathon medal, please check in at the Goofy Tent. You will receive your Goofy medal after we verify that you completed the Half Marathon and Marathon in the allotted times.”
I am just hopeful that on-line communications with the computer in the Goofy tent is BETTER than family and friend notifications or the Goofy line will get really long. I did not really like the wrist bands but am not sure that this is a better solution.

I saw that too, and I'm not sure it's going to work very well. The wristbands made it very easy for the volunteers to just look at you and know to give you your Goofy medal. Having to look each runner up on a computer or in a printed pile of paper sounds like its going to take a lot longer. We shall see.

 

[cewait]

I saw that too, and I'm not sure it's going to work very well. The wristbands made it very easy for the volunteers to just look at you and know to give you your Goofy medal. Having to look each runner up on a computer or in a printed pile of paper sounds like its going to take a lot longer. We shall see.

Man, never thought about the pile of paper aspect. thinking that they will have a hard wire feed from the finish line. Even better, a mat in the entrance to the tent.

 

[crewmatt]

Disney could be all hardcore, and simply scan your D-Tag. Altho let's be realistic here.

 

[TnTsParty]

Disney could be all hardcore, and simply scan your D-Tag. Altho let's be realistic here.

But wouldn't that mean we would need the D-tag from Saturday as well as the one we are wearing on Sunday. Don't think I like the logistics aspect of the new Goofy changes

 

[Kirsty-Leigh]

Wow, those Goofy changes are a little scary! I am walking the 1/2 with a friend who is doing her first, and now I have to make sure that we not only beat the sweepers but that our time is under the limit also I am normally a run/walker so the time as never affected me before, but now I am nervous that we won't make it and i won't get my bling

Plus I like my bracelet - it made me feel like a rock star

 

[cewait]

But wouldn't that mean we would need the D-tag from Saturday as well as the one we are wearing on Sunday. Don't think I like the logistics aspect of the new Goofy changes

Not really, once you successfully cross the line on Saturday the computer has you logged as a successful finisher of the half. I will be logging in on Saturday night just to be sure. I have to believe that once you cross the finish on Saturday your name and bib number will appear on a computer in the Goofy tent noting that you were successful in both races.

Wow, those Goofy changes are a little scary! I am walking the 1/2 with a friend who is doing her first, and now I have to make sure that we not only beat the sweepers but that our time is under the limit also I am normally a run/walker so the time as never affected me before, but now I am nervous that we won't make it and i won't get my bling

Plus I like my bracelet - it made me feel like a rock star

I finally pulled my 2006 bracelets off the bulletin board at work. I would make sure that you two have a plan and that you both agree that at some point in the half you may need to go preserve your 3.5 hour race.


My largest fear is not registering on an intermediate timing mat in either race and having that DQ the Goofy. As far as I can tell that has never occurred to me but I always see a large number of folks missing an intermediate check in the initial results list.

 

[kimara]

Thanks coach for posting about the pacing orange flags.
It's good to know but I REALLY hope I don't actually SEE any

 

[FireDancer]

But wouldn't that mean we would need the D-tag from Saturday as well as the one we are wearing on Sunday. Don't think I like the logistics aspect of the new Goofy changes

Not necessarily. Anyone who has done any database work could tell you that one simple additional table added to the schema would allow them to scan the D-Tag for the full and get the same runner's half D-Tag and related info. When you populate the database with the half marathon information and link a D-Tag to it and then do the same with the full info a simple two column table listing both related D-Tags is all that would be needed.

When they scan the D-tag what is happening behind the scenes is a query is sent to the database looking for the information related to that tag (whether it be registration info or timing info). One additional query would then just have to be run that would check to see if that 2 column table had that D-tag as an entry and if it did send the same query that was just run against the full marathon database to the half marathon database. It is a recursive query and is trivial to implement on a database system which is what these race tracking and registration systems are.

 

[TnTsParty]

Wow Frank got all technical there - you lost me buddy but I understood what you meant. LOL

Just hope my D-tag's records at all the mats they need to so I can get my Goofy medal.

 

[cewait]

Should be that simple but new things tend to not go as expected

 

[LadyDi13]

I quick review of the Final Instructions and want to point out a couple things...


Perfect and perfectly lanyards. The Perfect 18 and perfectly Goofy folks will also receive a special lanyard like last year.

I was just curious as to what "Perfect 18" is? I read through the instructions and did not see a description. TIA

 

[TnTsParty]

I was just curious as to what "Perfect 18" is? I read through the instructions and did not see a description. TIA

Perfect 18 and Perfectly Goofy are for those that have done either all 18 marathons or all Goofy's some people will have both

 

[cewait]

Adding, on race day morning look for the special “perfect 18” bibs. On the 15th anniversary of the Marathon the perfect group were given bib’s with their original bib number from Race 1. Going a little further back, the perfect 10 were rewarded with a 9-12” tall statue of a running Mickey.

If you see a perfect 18 or perfectly goofy lanyard on Monday be sure to congratulate the runner. If I remember correctly there are about 70-80 perfect 18 and around 180 Perfectly Goofy. I know of two who qualify for both. In fact if you are a 5:30 hour runner or greater look to the right as you near the very end of BWV. Don G. will be there in a very calming voice cheering you on. Good chances that he will be holding his medal telling you that is what you came for. I ran into Don at the W&D this year. He is doing well. When I first met him he was an Animation Studios Cast Member. You could see him occasionally on the tour of the animation studios. He is one of the 4 gentlemen who took a small car through the original course layout to test drive 26 miles. He indicated that it was just plain weird to drive a car down Main Street in MK.

 

[JimB.]

I DO remember that last year when they gave out the "Fall Race" medal @ WDW for running the ToT & RFFT, you went up to a tent, gave your bib# & they checked you on a computer, then got your bonus medal.

Seemed to work fine there, hopefully the same will hold true in january. I gues a BIG factor will be if they have an appropriate number of computers/personnel to not have a big backup of runners.

 

[jbucci]

I agree with the fear of a mat missing me at some point. Last year the initial mat missed my start so it had me finishing in 3:35 for the half even though my chip time should have been closer to 3:08. They eventually straightened it out, but I was worried last year it would impact my "official" Goofy finish. This year it would have been really bad. Makes me nervous...

 

[FireDancer]

I think all that matters is the starting and finishing mat. I've had halves where an intermediate mat didn't clock me and it didn't DQ me or anything, I just had a blank split.

 

[cewait]

I think all that matters is the starting and finishing mat. I've had halves where an intermediate mat didn't clock me and it didn't DQ me or anything, I just had a blank split.

The more I think of it the more I agree; though I do spot a few short cutters on the 20.5 mile u-turn mat. I would like to see those guys DQ'd.

From a logistics point of view the cell technology is too fragile to DQ a runner in the finish area. Possibly between raw data and final finish data you could DQ but by then the finisher hardware is yours.

 

[rubato]

The more I think of it the more I agree; though I do spot a few short cutters on the 20.5 mile u-turn mat. I would like to see those guys DQ'd.

You're kidding me. People actually cut corners short and cheat? What's the point of that? Aren't you racing against your own times? Aren't you only cheating yourself? That's just silly. I guess I'm still a newbie having only run one half marathon, but I just didn't realize this happens.