My experience has been that every time I've tried to get a studio at BCV I've been able to. Not for MW, but during the summer and fall. Usually stalking has been more successful than the waitlist, but I've also had a waitlist come through. With stalking it helps to have extra points available, so you can pick up individual nights as they become available, without having to cancel your backup plan.
I get what you’re saying and agree for the most part. However, the people that are taking eight hours to complete the race are still completing the same race that you do, it just takes them longer. I’m usually in the 3:30-3:35 range, so not too far off from you. I spent almost a year with an injury and had to walk the entire Phila. Marathon and the WDW Marathon. They both took me close to 6 1/2 hours to complete. I honestly think it was harder than running. Maybe not physically, but mentally. I don’t knock the people that walk at all. Especially at rD events. Not to mention, have you ever watched the last hour or so of the marathon in Epcot? It’s like a big party. You have to start somewhere, and there are tons of stories of people that never ran a step in their lives until they decided to do a rD event. One of the things I love about rD is that, yes, they are a real deal race. If you want to use it as a Boston qualifier or to PR it is a great race to do so. At the same time, it can also be treated as a fun event that you don’t have to take too seriously. Every race I run outside of Disney I always try to do the best I can that particular day. At Disney races, sure I want to run a fast marathon, but if something fun is going on or there’s a photo op that I want to take advantage of I certainly don’t get upset if I add 5-10 minutes to my time. That’s what we’re there for. As far as slower runners impeding the faster runners, I don’t really buy it. If someone is a fast runner and is looking to really run a great race I don’t see it being an issue. I’ve been in A corral for every rD event I’ve done. Are there “slow” people that bought their way in through Club Disney? Sure. Are those one or two people walking at the beginning of the race that I will pass within seconds going to have an impact on my time? Not at all. My complaint would be the people that run in a row four people wide that block the course.
Since when do we have to pay dues? None of my running friends ever asked me to pay dues. They heard I wanted to join them and run a marathon, and they said, "great! Here's our novice runner coach. He'll get you trained to cross that finish line standing up without injuring yourself." And he did. Two and a half months later, I completed my first 50-mile race. None of the experienced trail runners asked me to pay dues either. They welcomed me into ultra running and gladly shared all their wisdom and experience with me. It's people that view others as having to pay dues before they're worthy of being considered not a waste of a bib that are the problem, not the people signing up for those bibs.
It's also incredibly emotional. When I was spectating in the tunnel at Connections this January, I noticed a distinct shift as we got to the last hour or so of participants, from party pace to a huge range of BIG feelings. As they came around that corner they were palpable: joy, relief, pain, exhaustion, disbelief, and a thousand others. I switched out my funny signs for the one that said "Believe" and boy did that resonate with every single person who passed by. We shared high fives, screams, hugs, fist bumps and lots of tears through all of it. Yes, there were still those in party mode, but I was truly not prepared for that emotional shift. I know that race probably meant a lot to a lot of runners that day, but it sure seemed to mean more to many of those folks in the back.
THIS!
We weren't far enough back for the course cutoff so didn't see this group but after a harder than expected marathon having you cheering us on and taking that one minute break to say hi was energizing! I know it helped me finish strong. Really appreciate you being out there to cheer everyone on! I can only imagine what it was like for the group at the end knowing they were going to finish but still having the crowds out to cheer them on! I saw some of the same in NYC where runners are still crossing the finish line past midnight. I can't even imagine the effort and perseverance it takes to run a marathon in over 12 hours. Should we take that away from them? I don't think it's a problem, I think it's inspiring. And that's a world major. That's why I love this sport.
100%
Yeah, I just can't do it. I am not a huge fan of all of the movies listed, but more than 5 of them are too beloved by me and my family to choose between.
I never even considered that I was capable of running until I found runDisney and the run/walk method, and now I've completed everything from a 5K to Dopey, and not just at Disney.
