Marathon Weekend 2019

[Keels]

Does it matter what time I go if I’m not interested in merch? Six new shirts is already plenty, unless I talk myself into a finisher’s jacket.

This year, they did Finishers Jackets after the fact and they were online only. There’s nothing really Finisher-y other than the I Did It shirts. Of course, that could change.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Yeah. I didn’t buy it since I’m not going Dopey and there wasn’t a need, but I have friends who did and they were refunded by RunDisney when it was confirmed it no longer included early Expo access.

Will race retreat offer me a place to sit down (not on the ground before the race)?

This is something I have never done. Not at Disneyland and obviously not at WDW since we have only been once. I know there is so much to take in, but I like the rides!

Sometimes I think taking your time between rides and exploring means looking for the little details in buildings and taking advantage of uniquely Disney opportunities. Don't just get a picture taken with characters. Interact with them. Ask them questions.

Believe the fantasy and watch the fun that can come from that. Because you've never seen The Matrix until you've seen it reenacted by 5 foot tall chipmunks showing you precisely why they deserve their own movie.

 

[Keels]

Will race retreat offer me a place to sit down (not on the ground before the race)?

Sometimes I think taking your time between rides and exploring means looking for the little details in buildings and taking advantage of uniquely Disney opportunities. Don't just get a picture taken with characters. Interact with them. Ask them questions.

Believe the fantasy and watch the fun that can come from that. Because you've never seen The Matrix until you've seen it reenacted by 5 foot tall chipmunks showing you precisely why they deserve their own movie.

I mean, yeah, you have a pre-race tent but you still have to make the 30 minute walk to the corrals (actually further because it’s back by the finish line and not at all convenient to resort bus drop-off), and if you want to be at the front of your corral, you’re going to want to get that way by the time corrals open.

The value in RR is for post-race.

 

[lhermiston]

This year, they did Finishers Jackets after the fact and they were online only. There’s nothing really Finisher-y other than the I Did It shirts. Of course, that could change.

Good to know. I'm superstitious about buying any "I Did It" sort of stuff before the fact.

 

[cavepig]

I have a question for everyone who says avoid the Expo on day one. We're running Dopey so we must be there on day one. Both of us are interested in merchandise, but honestly more so in Goofy merchandise or marathon only merchandise. Is arriving at 12:30ish late enough to avoid the major crowds yet still give us a decent selection of Goofy merchandise? Likewise, what sort of Dopey merchandise might still be available then? Trying to figure out if we should simply plan on no Dopey unless we want to get there early. We are arriving on Tuesday night.

I went to the expo Friday afternoon last year and saw plenty of Goofy stuff. They were out of Dopey jackets, Dopey magnets and some Marathon sweatshirts I know (a red and black one I think it was). The Mickey figurine was also sold out.

In 2016 when I ran Dopey I went Wednesday night, an hour before it closed, and they had plenty of stuff but Dopey jackets were gone and probably a few other Dopey items. This weird purple Dopey sweatshirt thing I bought and there were only like 2 left of it. Dopey stuff was definitely picked over, but a few weeks later at an outlet I picked up a Dopey shirt and a Dopey magnet, so not all sold out.

It wasn't crowded at all going that last hour for sure.

Good to know. I'm superstitious about buying any "I Did It" sort of stuff before the fact.

You can buy the "I did It" shirts in the merch. tent after the race. It was set up next to the characters and last year after the marathon they still had all the different pins, all the "I Did it" shirts, and other random stuff still available.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I mean, yeah, you have a pre-race tent but you still have to make the 30 minute walk to the corrals (actually further because it’s back by the finish line and not at all convenient to resort bus drop-off), and if you want to be at the front of your corral, you’re going to want to get that way by the time corrals open.

The value in RR is for post-race.

That's good to know. The appeal to me is a place to sit down and thus not be standing forever before my corral goes off. I anticipate being in the 3rd to last corral at best. I convinced myself that preserving my legs as much as I can before the Goofy portion of Dopey justified the cost.

Good to know. I'm superstitious about buying any "I Did It" sort of stuff before the fact.

I learned that you can return official race expo merchandise to World of Disney. That allayed my concerns about I did it stuff. I told myself that I was really just reserving the shirt for after finishing since I hadn't "officially" bought it yet.

I almost have to buy stuff before hand because they often run out of my size if I wait. Last November I may have bought the last I Did It shirt in Men's XL for the Avengers Half 2 days before the race.

 

[Keels]

That's good to know. The appeal to me is a place to sit down and thus not be standing forever before my corral goes off. I anticipate being in the 3rd to last corral at best. I convinced myself that preserving my legs as much as I can before the Goofy portion of Dopey justified the cost.

Well, they kick you out of the tent at 5 a.m., so I'm not really sure what the benefit is at that point. It has to be cleared out and reopened after 5:30 when the race starts for Platinum ChEAR Squad. After 5 a.m., they only let you go in to drop a bag and that's it.

Again, the value is post-race - you get lunch, a place to stretch and change, bathrooms, private bag pickup, a view of the finish line, etc.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Well, they kick you out of the tent at 5 a.m., so I'm not really sure what the benefit is at that point. It has to be cleared out and reopened after 5:30 when the race starts for Platinum ChEAR Squad. After 5 a.m., they only let you go in to drop a bag and that's it.

Again, the value is post-race - you get lunch, a place to stretch and change, bathrooms, private bag pickup, a view of the finish line, etc.

I appreciate the honest feedback. I guess I figure if I'm off my feet until they kick me out at 5:00am, that's that much less time off my feet. Since I'll be on my feet in the corrals for a long time before the marathon starts at which point, I'm out there on my feet for another 7 hours. I always get to the race pretty early because I rely on the runDisney buses.

What is the post race food like and do I have any chance of at least getting some of it since I'm likely to take around 6-7 hours to finish the marathon?

 

[Keels]

I appreciate the honest feedback. I guess I figure if I'm off my feet until they kick me out at 5:00am, that's that much less time off my feet. Since I'll be on my feet in the corrals for a long time before the marathon starts at which point, I'm out there on my feet for another 7 hours. I always get to the race pretty early because I rely on the runDisney buses.

What is the post race food like and do I have any chance of at least getting some of it since I'm likely to take around 6-7 hours to finish the marathon?

They clear the food about 30 minutes before the tent closes, which is roughly 1 p.m. - the food will be a mishmash of breakfast/brunch (pastries, scrambled eggs/egg wraps, waffles) and lunch (fresh fruit, sandwiches/wraps). It's most definitely not a meal, though the bottled water and PowerAde will be cold unlike the finishers chute. But, again, you have to walk through the finish chute, back through the Bag Pickup area and all the way back down to the Finish Line to get to the tent.

For something that's geared towards runners, it's not at all located in a friendly spot - it really is put up for Platinum and Gold ChEAR Squad people.

 

[lhermiston]

I went to the expo Friday afternoon last year and saw plenty of Goofy stuff. They were out of Dopey jackets, Dopey magnets and some Marathon sweatshirts I know (a red and black one I think it was). The Mickey figurine was also sold out.

In 2016 when I ran Dopey I went Wednesday night, an hour before it closed, and they had plenty of stuff but Dopey jackets were gone and probably a few other Dopey items. This weird purple Dopey sweatshirt thing I bought and there were only like 2 left of it. Dopey stuff was definitely picked over, but a few weeks later at an outlet I picked up a Dopey shirt and a Dopey magnet, so not all sold out.

It wasn't crowded at all going that last hour for sure.



You can buy the "I did It" shirts in the merch. tent after the race. It was set up next to the characters and last year after the marathon they still had all the different pins, all the "I Did it" shirts, and other random stuff still available.

Good to know. Doubt I'll get one since I'll have six new shirts by virtue of doing Dopey, but who knows?

 

[MissLiss279]

That's good to know. The appeal to me is a place to sit down and thus not be standing forever before my corral goes off. I anticipate being in the 3rd to last corral at best. I convinced myself that preserving my legs as much as I can before the Goofy portion of Dopey justified the cost.

I learned that you can return official race expo merchandise to World of Disney. That allayed my concerns about I did it stuff. I told myself that I was really just reserving the shirt for after finishing since I hadn't "officially" bought it yet.

I almost have to buy stuff before hand because they often run out of my size if I wait. Last November I may have bought the last I Did It shirt in Men's XL for the Avengers Half 2 days before the race.

I think you can return the runDisney merchandise to any Disney store on property. I know I returned a shirt to the store at All-Star Sports.

Also, I do like to get race retreat. If it is cold, it gives you a place to stay a bit warmer for a little bit longer. Also, once I get to the corral, I sit down, so I’m not standing for hours. I usually try not to stand up until the corral starts to be walked forward.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

Lurker checking in:
Too lazy to quote anyone, but a cheap fleece blanky (2-3 bucks at Dollar General or Walmart) is a great addition on race morning. Depending on conditions, it can be a hoody, kilt, groundcloth, tent, superhero cape, yoga mat, changing area, etc.
The most important of these is groundcloth. You can fold it up and get time off your feet but not on the cold hard ground. The goofier the print, the better. I had giant apples last year.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I think you can return the runDisney merchandise to any Disney store on property. I know I returned a shirt to the store at All-Star Sports.

Also, I do like to get race retreat. If it is cold, it gives you a place to stay a bit warmer for a little bit longer. Also, once I get to the corral, I sit down, so I’m not standing for hours. I usually try not to stand up until the corral starts to be walked forward.

Thanks. I keep arguing with myself about whether or not race retreat was a good decision. Also thanks to @Keels for her many honest feedback thoughts about race retreat. It gives me an idea of what to honestly expect.

Lurker checking in:
Too lazy to quote anyone, but a cheap fleece blanky (2-3 bucks at Dollar General or Walmart) is a great addition on race morning. Depending on conditions, it can be a hoody, kilt, groundcloth, tent, superhero cape, yoga mat, changing area, etc.
The most important of these is groundcloth. You can fold it up and get time off your feet but not on the cold hard ground. The goofier the print, the better. I had giant apples last year.

After a few years of attempting to wrap the runDisney mylar blankets around myself with varying degrees of success, I decided to buy a very inexpensive fleece jacket from Walmart for the 2017 Avengers Half. I should have done that earlier. It was perfect on race morning to keep me warm and knowing that runDisney would collect it and donate it to charity made it feel like I wasn't just discarding a jacket since somebody would receive a barely used that would help them.

 

[flav]

Too lazy to quote anyone, but a cheap fleece blanky (2-3 bucks at Dollar General or Walmart) is a great addition on race morning. Depending on conditions, it can be a hoody, kilt, groundcloth, tent, superhero cape, yoga mat, changing area, etc.

I bought Mylar blankets for those same uses but knowing that I have to leave it before passing the start line not to messup with the chip reader... Fleece blankets do not have this disadvantage so I adopt you suggestion!

 

[LSUfan4444]

I just hope we have temps cool and dry enough to warrant blankets and fleeces at the start. Last year (the full) was probably the most ideal racing conditions I've ever experienced.

 

[camaker]

I bought Mylar blankets for those same uses but knowing that I have to leave it before passing the start line not to messup with the chip reader... Fleece blankets do not have this disadvantage so I adopt you suggestion!

Before fully adopting this suggestion, keep in mind that fleece blankets will do next to nothing to block or fight wind chill waiting for the start. Mylar is much better for wind blocking. At least it is if you can successfully wrap it around you so that it doesn't become a cape! The last two years, the wind has been as much of, if not a bigger problem than, the air temperature itself.

 

[tidefan]

I just hope we have temps cool and dry enough to warrant blankets and fleeces at the start. Last year (the full) was probably the most ideal racing conditions I've ever experienced.

But the the 5k last year may have been one of the most miserable...

 

[cavepig]

If it is chilly don't forget to bring those hand warmers like hunters use. I had brought a whole bunch and we used them for the marathon. We should have brought them to the parks for those freezing days as well, why we didn't I don't know, but if it's cold this Jan. they'll be coming in the parks with me this time too.

 

[lahobbs4]

Well, Dopey disaster dream #2 happened last night. I was holding the tape for the 10K finisher and then had to run mine after that. But the course was already shut down by then so they put me in one of the Caribbean Beach buildings to run. What on earth??

 

[Sakigt]

I’m from Florida so I can handle heat and humidity but was totally unprepared for how cold I would be. I grabbed a trash bag for the half which did nothing but block the wind and I tossed it waaaay too early in the corrals and it took me the first 5 miles to get warmed up. Miserable.

So for the full I added gloves, arm warmers and merino long underwear plus a throw away blanket. And even then I ran with the blanket on me for the first three miles. That was a super nice blanket too. I think the long underwear came off around mile 16 or so and the gloves stayed on until nearly the end. Adding on clothing to my regular running costume made a lot more sense than buying a new “cold weather” outfit