Marathon???

[mrsschlep]

Hi guys... I am officially registered for the half in January! This being my first major event I have been trying to soak up all this useful info here on the dis. I know that I will most likely be in one of the last corrals at the start of the race.... and I read that it can take anywhere up to 30 minutes to even cross the starting line. Ok so here's my ??? Do you start running from the corral or when you cross the starting line? How does that work in with the 16 minute mile pace? Are there chips in the bibs for the half, I thought i read they were only used in the full...I am not worried about having the best time...my goal is just to finish. But I don't want to be swept because I have to make up the 30 minutes it took me to even make it to the statring line... I am sure I will have a thousand more questions in the next few months...lol! TIA!!

 

[Kristi1357]

Don't worry - you will have a chip for the Half also. And from what I understand, there is no way you can run from the corral to the start line - WAY too crowded!

(DL will be my first 1/2, but my info comes from DH who runs WDW every year)

P.S. I'll be there with you in the last corral!

 

[TiffJ]

Yep, you'll get a chip to put on your shoe. And they buffer the sweep times by however long it takes to get everyone accross the start line. So if it takes 30 min, then they leave the course open for 4 hrs instead of 3 1/2. Make sense? Good luck training!

 

[Maherae]

mrsschlep, I know how excited you are!! DL will be my first half. WDW was going to be the first, until I got carried away!! Please keep asking questions, join us on the weekly training thread, we'd love to have you!! I borrowed this picture from the marathon

just to give you an idea of the number of people we will be dealing with! Hence the use of corrals! No way do we start walking/running until we get to that start line! There's a big banner stretched over the start and when you hit the mats, the chips all beep to start..it's a riot to hear hundreds of chips going off as you cross!
One thing to be aware of, is that with the huge number of people we won't be able to get into our training pace for a while as we will be weaving in, out, and around people trying to find your niche. I got my practice doing the Crescent City Classic 10K with 19,000 people. I added .4 mile to my distance with all of the weaving I did! The recommendation is to try and train for a 15 minute pace just to make up the difference with the slow start. And as I found out in the Minnie..a little cushion allows you time to have your picture taken with the characters that will be along the way! Because the Minnie was a 15 minute pace, I was terrified that I would get swept, so I didn't stop for anything!
Anne

 

[mrsschlep]

Thank you so much for your replies... i was stressing out thinking I was going to have to run an extra 30 mins and it wouldn't even count, lol... I'm so glad to see that's not the case. Anne... that picture is amazing!! Thanks for sharing it... although now I am feeling a little intimidated by it, lol. I can't wait to show DH...he's running with me!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

There is race time and chip time.

Course time limit is in reality the time the last chip crosses to give those at the end a fair 16:00 pace limit and sweep times/pickup points are set based on that.

You can't start running in the corral b/c you are with a bunch of sardines.

 

[goofyguy1958]

mrsschlep, if you want to get a taste of what the corral thing feels and are up for a half in September the Philadelphia Distance Run would be a good one to check out. Being from Schwenksville, Pa, the PDR is not all that far to travel - heck I drive in from Downingtown and have friends comming in from as far as Scranton to run it. The big difference between the PDR and Disney is that Disney is much more organized but you will get the feel of the process. And welcome!

 

[marathonmommy]

It will not take you anywhere near 30 minutes to cross the start line. I "competed" in 2003 and 2005 and started all the way in the back. It probably won't be more than five minutes!

 

[WDWFAN9]

Last January for the half I started at the front of corral F. It took nearly 13 minutes for me to cross the startline, and there were 2000 people behind me in corral F, plus two more corrals behind me.

 

[marathonmommy]

Last January for the half I started at the front of corral F. It took nearly 13 minutes for me to cross the startline, and there were 2000 people behind me in corral F, plus two more corrals behind me.

That rots! I certainly don't need anything that makes me seem EVEN slower!

 

[TiffJ]

It took me 15 min to cross the start line (and Garmin said we were .3 miles away from it) for the 1/2 this year & there were thousands of people behind me. I did talk to some that took 30 min to cross. You will not be able to run for a while. They do pad the time by how long it takes the last person to cross, so dont worry. They will go by chip time.!

 

[WDWFAN9]

....... They do pad the time by how long it takes the last person to cross, so dont worry. They will go by chip time.!

I wanted to register my DD21 for the full this next January just to have her be slllloooooow crossing the start line, to add a little cushion, since the sweeper time is supposed to start when the last person crosses the start. I thought it was a good plan, she could be talking on her cell phone, need to retie her shoes, maybe drop her water bottle....all before getting to the start. She however did not like my plan. Mostly because as a college student she is not too fond of getting up at 2AM to stand in the dark waiting for 6AM. Geez, I carried her around for 9 months, gave birth, and have taken care of her for 21 years. I didn't think I was asking too much....but alas, it is not going to happen. I am going to have to keep ahead of the sweepers all on my own!!

 

[Maherae]

Oh, Pat!!!!
I love the idea!! But they do CLOSE the start line, also! Remember the Minnie marathon poster who was trying to get to the port-o-potties and they made that announcement??

 

[Pungodingy]

Can someone explain "chip" to me?

 

[thndrmatt]

They give you a small device to lace through your shoelace, and as it travels over pads placed at the start, finish, and a few other places, it will cause the pad to beep, essentially recording your times as they happen. So although it might take you 10 minutes just to get to the start line, it will still record your marathon time as "start" (when you cross the start line) to "finish" (when you cross the finish line) to give you your "net" time, whereas the clock at the finish line will be your "gross" time which includes the 10 minutes it took you to get to the start and will therefore be inaccurate. Clear as mud?

 

[Pungodingy]

no, that makes sense, thanks so much! so, everyone gets one of these?

 

[solotraveler]

no, that makes sense, thanks so much! so, everyone gets one of these?

Correct, the use of the chip is included in your entry fee. You do have to return the chip as soon as you cross the finish line in order to get your medal.

 

[ddoll]

When you go to the Expo, they give you a packet with your bib race number and a timing chip. Then you pass through a line that will match your chip up to your race number. They give you little plastic ties to tie the chip onto your shoe. It's plastic and round and flat with holes for the ties. It can be a little tricky, so try to get it on your shoe the night before the race. Make sure it's tied to your laces securely!

Then during the race it records your time every time you pass over one of the mats that are placed throughout the course. Your friends and family back home can track your progress and get a projected estimate of when you will finish, all online by knowing your race number.

Then as you pass through the finish area, there are people there who will remove your chip. If you don't return it, they will charge you a fee for keeping it.

 

[Kristi1357]

Remember the Minnie marathon poster who was trying to get to the port-o-potties and they made that announcement??

That would have probably been me!

Don't even get me started on how unorganized that was...
Although it is a funny story now! Me peeing in record time and running out of the port-a-potty while still tying my shorts. What a sight!