Marathon Weekend 2017!

[opusone]

Half marathon is now on hold.
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...and right after I posted that, it is back open and available.
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...back on hold. They must be getting close.

 

[alexksmith]

If you didn't pay for the race retreat when you registered are you out of luck or can you purchase at a later date? I didn't see that option anywhere.

I was wondering the same. I'm not certain, but it looks like on your active page you can add the extras at a later date. I'm still not certain if I want to add the race retreat. $230 is a lot for the dopey retreat.

 

[PrincessV]

POT is required if you are planning on doing half in 2 hours 45 minutes or less-does that mean if you plan on taking longer and you put that time-how are they figuring corrals for us back of the packers? I'm thinking of still submitting POT, thoughts?

So her'es the story on the 2:45:00 cutoff: way back a few years ago, that was the cutoff, too. Corrals were fewer and larger to accommodate the many over 2:45:00 and courses got pretty congested for the last few corrals. Then they started a new system with PoT required for anything under 3:15:00 and corrals were more plentiful, with smaller numbers of runners in each. Course congestion eased up a little, but was still pretty brutal for the last few corrals. So we're now back to that 2:45:00 cutoff, but we have no idea yet what that will mean for corral assignments. My PoT leads to an anticipated half time of 2:43:00... since my only options (this was for W&D reg) were to select 2:45:00 and not submit PoT, or 2:40:00 and send PoT, I went with the 2:40:00 with PoT. I have NO idea what that will bring, but I'm hopeful! I think submitting PoT is better than not, but we really won't know until W&D, the first WDW race with that change.

@alexksmith
I tend to get up around 1:45am, but I do go to bed around 5:30-6:00pm the night before. .

Here, too! I need that extra time to eat, dress, stretch, etc., and I HATE running late. I'd rather be at the race early and have time to relax.

3. If you can swing it--stay on-site at a participating Disney hotel and use their bus to get to the race. Double and triple and quadruple up in rooms if you need to. The traffic into the race venue is horrible. The buses are also incredibly slow, but the route is shorter and you don't have to park.

I'm going to jump in and respectfully disagree with this one I drive to all races, regardless of where I stay, and have never encountered traffic issues getting to or from a race. The key is to leave early: I always leave at the time race buses start running. The only issue I've ever had was the Dark Side buses from WWOS back to EP disaster. But that won't be in play for Jan.

So, let's hear them! What's your goal?

1. Survive! First time Goofy, plus the 10K.
2. Stick. to. the. Plan. No extra park visits, not eating things that aren't my norm, no staying up past the time I know I need to be in bed. I know from experience that if I do this (and it isn't easy!), I'll be in good shape to enjoy my races.
3. Have more fun in the full. My first time running a new-to-me race is rarely fun, just by nature of being new and unknown. Physically, I had a GREAT first full this year, but mentally I was over it by mile 11. I hope with it being my second time through I can relax and have fun with it in 2017.

 

[girliea]

DH and I are signed up for the half (his first, my second) and we are planning on more of a relaxed pace vs. actually racing it. One of the conditions of me convincing him to do it was that we wouldn't run the entire thing, but maybe do a 70/30 run/walk split. We don't have any current proofs of time (though he has done a 10K before in 2014) we can submit for our corrals, but we were wanting to be around the 2:30-2:45 mark.

My question to you is would it be worth it to do a 10K between now and October 4 so we can submit POT to get an earlier corral placement? Or is the back corral really not too bad? Thanks!

Definitely worth it to do a 10K and submit POT!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Good idea, @DopeyBadger. I think you should keep track of all the goals somehow and bring this topic and those goals up again in December. By that point, everyone will have completed their training and can make any adjustment to their goals needed to account for injury, improvements during training, etc.

Muhahaha! That was my secret plan all along. But yep, I am planning on saving everyone's goals so that we can look back on this day months from now and re-hash our goals.

 

[CathyCanta]

Marathon Weekend Goals

...

So, let's hear them! What's your goal?

My main goal is to finish the half marathon and not get swept! It will be my first half marathon, so time doesn't matter to me. I just need to cross the finish line.

 

[rteetz]

Half marathon is now on hold.
-------------------
...and right after I posted that, it is back open and available.
-------------------
...back on hold. They must be getting close.

Not unexpected with it being an anniversary year.

 

[baxter24]

My goal for the weekend is to finish the marathon and enjoy it as much as possible. If you are going to run that far, might as well attempt to have as much fun as you can while doing it.

 

[surfde22]

Half marathon is now on hold.
-------------------
...and right after I posted that, it is back open and available.
-------------------
...back on hold. They must be getting close.

And now it is sold out.

 

[Ariel484]

DH and I are signed up for the half (his first, my second) and we are planning on more of a relaxed pace vs. actually racing it. One of the conditions of me convincing him to do it was that we wouldn't run the entire thing, but maybe do a 70/30 run/walk split. We don't have any current proofs of time (though he has done a 10K before in 2014) we can submit for our corrals, but we were wanting to be around the 2:30-2:45 mark.

My question to you is would it be worth it to do a 10K between now and October 4 so we can submit POT to get an earlier corral placement? Or is the back corral really not too bad? Thanks!

Yes, I would highly recommend doing that.

 

[rteetz]

And now it is sold out.

I'm actually kind of surprised the half didn't sell out sooner. I want to say it went fairly quick last year and with it being an anniversary year. I don't know just a thought.

 

[Dan1]

I'm going to jump in and respectfully disagree with this one I drive to all races, regardless of where I stay, and have never encountered traffic issues getting to or from a race. The key is to leave early: I always leave at the time race buses start running. The only issue I've ever had was the Dark Side buses from WWOS back to EP disaster. But that won't be in play for Jan.

I agree with driving, not busing, to the races. Now, I only have one set of WDW races experience. But, we had no traffic issues (up early for buses or driving is the same for us). Yet it was in Jan 2015 when the temperatures were unseasonably cold for Orlando....something in the upper 30's! Yikes! So, we saw those who bused from the resorts being forced to leave the buses when they arrives so the bus could return to the WDW hotels / resorts to pick up more folks.....and we saw this in the warm comfort of our parked car. We left our car when we wanted. Imagine if it was raining and having to stand out in the rain for a long time once being dropped off by the WDW bus. Yikes!

 

[Baloo in MI]

Marathon Weekend Goals

Now that registration is out of the way for most of us, I'd love to hear your goals for Marathon Weekend. Here's how I see goals. They're personal. You chose it because that goal means something to you. It's important to you. Which means your goal is important to me. No goal is too big or too small. The person's goal to finish their first 5K and another's to take down Michael Wardian's Dopey World Record are equally important to me. So, I'd love to hear yours. And yes, even the super secret I don't want to admit it goals.

Here are some ideas if you haven't thought about it:

Finish my first: 5K, 10K, Half, Full, Goofy, Dopey
Finish with a time goal
Run a race with a family member
Overcome an adversity in your life
Drink a beer or margarita at a certain mile marker
Participate in DATW (Drinking Around the World) *Happens on Monday in EPCOT (ask @FFigawi about it)
Beat a family member
Get as many character photos as possible
Get a character photo with a certain character
Do lots of park time and enjoy the races
Have fun

So, let's hear them! What's your goal?

I do believe in putting it out there, I am going to be specific. Hopefully this will help to get me out of my training lull I have been in lately. Last year my goal was to finish Dopey in under 8 hours. I missed it by 7 minutes and had a horrible marathon. This year I plan to go back and pass the previous goal and finish overall in under 7:45.

I believe I can do this and look forward to the journey! By the way what is Michael Wardian's Dopey record?

 

[Diskidatheart]

I assume you'll have someone in the crowd hooking you up with that beer and pretzel?

Haha...if my wife doesn't get me one, I will hopefully be able to stop at Germany for one!

 

[Diskidatheart]

Whatever happened to the box on the specific race page on the RunDisney website that showed the status of where each race was? I remember each race would show up in that box once it got to 50% capacity. Is it still around somewhere and just moved?

 

[rteetz]

Whatever happened to the box on the specific race page on the RunDisney website that showed the status of where each race was? I remember each race would show up in that box once it got to 50% capacity. Is it still around somewhere and just moved?

No they got rid of it.

 

[Ariel484]

Whatever happened to the box on the specific race page on the RunDisney website that showed the status of where each race was? I remember each race would show up in that box once it got to 50% capacity. Is it still around somewhere and just moved?

No, they stopped posting that. They also stopped posting the percentages for the deferral capacities. Not cool!

 

[surfde22]

By the way what is Michael Wardian's Dopey record?

Looks like Michael Wardian completed Dopey in 4:38:45 in 2014.

 

[donk3]

We push it to the limit, yes. Up at 345, out the door to the car at 420, drop bags around 5, stop for porta-potties, arrive corrals as the first wave is going off. It's not a system I recommend for everyone, but it has worked for us so far. (knock on wood)

yes sounds like you pushed the limits !! the wife and I would never be able to do that !!

 

[ANIM8R]

Looks like Michael Wardian completed Dopey in 4:38:45 in 2014.

48 miles in 4.5 hrs?!?!

***!!!

(That stands for 'Wow, that's fast!!' Not anything else)

Edit: They blocked out my acronym - hahahaha. Still - that's amazing!