Marathon Weekend 2023

[PrincessV]

AFD: Honestly, I don't do anything special to register. 15ish minutes before, I'll open the rD page, log into my rD account, and hang out. Once the link goes live, I click it open in a separate tab. I'll usually do the same on a 2nd tab a minute around 10:01, just out of curiosity: sometime the first tab get same in first, sometimes the 2nd - but it's only ever a matter of seconds between them, so I don't actually think I'm getting ahead. It's mostly a way to pass the time, lol! Select my race, fill out whatever's empty (I can type faster than copy/paste), hit the Give Mickey All My Money And Never Look Back button, and go.

SAFD:

Not to be too cynical, but remember that you’re in line for the privilege of giving Disney a lot of money. Marathon Weekend is cool, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get the race(s) you want. Have some contingency plans and be prepared to be okay with the result regardless of what you get. Disney will always be there with new and exciting ways to part you from your money if this one falls through.

I will second this. I've lost out on a couple races that sold out quickly... and life went on.

 

[GreatLakes]

SAFD: Use your own account, don't try to register other people. I have seen nothing but problems reported here and elsewhere every time anyone has done this post-pandeimc.

I generally load up a bunch of browsers on a bunch of computers (I had 12 for W&D) and keep an eye on all of them. I know others do this as well so don't worry if you get a window of an hour right at 10:00. As those people with multiple browsers close out you'll see the wait time fall quickly.

 

[Herding_Cats]

When CrD registration opens tomorrow (?) we should know if there's pre-order merch available, right?

 

[1lilspark]

When CrD registration opens tomorrow (?) we should know if there's pre-order merch available, right?

Yes… though there hasn’t been any the past two races and CRD early merch entry has now been extended to gold tier as well as platinum so who knows

 

[jrsharp21]

Don't underestimate the importance of staying on the move after the races. The parks can offer great active recovery benefits if done in moderation. Just hanging around the resort, even with stretching, can actually be counterproductive.

This! I think going to the parks each day, especially after the half and full marathon, was a life saver. Keeping that blood flowing and preventing the lactic acid from building up in you muscles. The day after the marathon I felt great. Really no soreness at all. Tired, yes, but not sore. I will take that!

 

[kristenabelle]

Yes… though there hasn’t been any the past two races and CRD early merch entry has now been extended to gold tier as well as platinum so who knows

Saw that - considering signing up for Gold just for that benefit. It's pretty ridiculous, but I want to make sure I can get some merch.

 

[Herding_Cats]

These Disney people are geniuses. Club RunDisney Gold is going to be the Genie+ of the expo.

 

[jpeterson]

Saw that - considering signing up for Gold just for that benefit. It's pretty ridiculous, but I want to make sure I can get some merch.

Spend money for the privilege to spend more money. It's insane. And I'm considering it too...

 

[1lilspark]

Saw that - considering signing up for Gold just for that benefit. It's pretty ridiculous, but I want to make sure I can get some merch.

I am trying to coax my sister to get a room off site Wednesday night of wine & dine just so we can get to WWoS early w/o the drama of I4

 

[kristenabelle]

Spend money for the privilege to spend more money. It's insane. And I'm considering it too...

I am trying to coax my sister to get a room off site Wednesday night of wine & dine just so we can get to WWoS early w/o the drama of I4

It's absolutely insane. I'm burning DVC points just to fly in Tuesday night so I can get in line for the Expo at 7. And to spend money on top of that just for the privilege of buying more stuff is LOL. But I know me, and I know I'd be sad if I wasn't able to get a jacket, etc. for my first full.

 

[DianaMB333]

When CrD registration opens tomorrow (?) we should know if there's pre-order merch available, right?

What opens up tomorrow pls?

 

[kristenabelle]

What opens up tomorrow pls?

Tomorrow (I believe) is early registration for Club RunDisney members

 

[Ariel484]

Thanks for posting all of your registration tips, everyone. Super helpful!

@Ariel484

Wow, this really made my day! Thank you so much for such a nice comment.

I definitely hope to make it to some of the meet-ups! My brother is planning on running the races with me so I'll need to give him a DISBoards primer beforehand so that he knows how I "know" all of you.

So I’m falling into the medal trap - I had planned on just doing the Marathon (my first) and maybe the 5k for kicks, but I adore the theming of this race weekend so much I am considering Dopey.

Can someone be a sounding board for how insane it is to run your first full Marathon as a part of Dopey, or know anyone who survived that? I’ve got 3 half marathons on the docket for this year (1 down, 2 to go) and I’m running a very comfortable 11:45min/mile on my long runs - with 8 months to up the endurance and weekly mileage I’m thinking of going for it.

Anyone going to warn me to turn back now, or has anyone else done something similarly ridiculous? LOL!

I agree with @camaker that it varies from person to person. The Dopey Challenge didn't officially exist when I did my first marathon at WDW (people did it unofficially - 5K, half and marathon - there was no 10K at the time), but even if it did I wouldn't have done it. Physically I think the training is not much different at all, but it would have been too much of a mental block for me to do Dopey without having done a marathon first. But obviously it works just fine for a lot of other people!

 

[runningDisneygirl]

This! I think going to the parks each day, especially after the half and full marathon, was a life saver. Keeping that blood flowing and preventing the lactic acid from building up in you muscles. The day after the marathon I felt great. Really no soreness at all. Tired, yes, but not sore. I will take that!

Just don't be like me and wear bad shoes to Animal Kingdom after the 5k. I had blisters for the next 3 races. and a bloody food for 20 miles of the marathon! BRUTAL for my first marathon and first Dopey

 

[ColoradoLime]

I'm new to all of this so this is probably an obvious and repetitive question but when are medals usually revealed for this race?

 

[ZellyB]

SAFD: Use your own account, don't try to register other people. I have seen nothing but problems reported here and elsewhere every time anyone has done this post-pandeimc.

So I was so worried about this before we got to the Expo this past MW. I was one of those people who registered three other folks on my account and we had problems with doing the waiver ahead of time on line. I thought it would be a huge problem. But, it was super easy. They had a table out with paper waivers on it. It took us a couple of minutes to fill those out and turn them in. Super easy after I had myself utterly stressed out. LOL. Now, we weren't there on the first day of the Expo as nobody was running Dopey, so the bib pickup area was a ghost town. It's possible that it would not have been so easy on the first day. But, I'd just say that if it's easier for someone to register multiple people on one account, it's not as big of a problem as I feared it would be to do the waivers at the expo.

 

[jrsharp21]

Just don't be like me and wear bad shoes to Animal Kingdom after the 5k. I had blisters for the next 3 races. and a bloody food for 20 miles of the marathon! BRUTAL for my first marathon and first Dopey

Ouch. Kudos to you for finishing with the bloody foot. But yes, agree that having comfy shoes afterwards. My kids tried to get me to buy some Crocks to walk around in. I settled for another pair of similar running shoes that I wore for the races.

 

[GollyGadget]

I'm new to all of this so this is probably an obvious and repetitive question but when are medals usually revealed for this race?

Someone else probably knows better than me but it won't be for several months. I think the last few years it's been in September.

 

[PrincessV]

Since talk has started about how best to recover between races during challenge weekends, I’ll throw in my two cents: know what works best for YOU - which you learn during training - and stick to it during race weekend. More time on my feet does not work for me, no matter how many other swear by it. During Dopey, I’ll visit a park for a couple hours Thurs and Fri, but will limit the walking & standing. No parks Sat: that’s my chill at my resort day and includes some light stretching and movie watching. I might take a short stroll at some point. And after the marathon, I need a hot bath, foam rolling/stretching, and a good nap before going somewhere for dinner. After multiple Dopeys, I know what works for me… but I knew it the first time thanks to trial & error in training.

 

[kristenabelle]

Since talk has started about how best to recover between races during challenge weekends, I’ll throw in my two cents: know what works best for YOU - which you learn during training - and stick to it during race weekend. More time on my feet does not work for me, no matter how many other swear by it. During Dopey, I’ll visit a park for a couple hours Thurs and Fri, but will limit the walking & standing. No parks Sat: that’s my chill at my resort day and includes some light stretching and movie watching. I might take a short stroll at some point. And after the marathon, I need a hot bath, foam rolling/stretching, and a good nap before going somewhere for dinner. After multiple Dopeys, I know what works for me… but I knew it the first time thanks to trial & error in training.

Love this. This is my plan for sure.