Official 2012 Wine and Dine ½ Marathon Thread

[ashysmashy]

Just signed up yesterday through GET Travel for the 1/2 and 5K! So excited to be doing this race again. Loved it last year! Also so happy they moved it so now I can see MVMCP and the Osborne Lights! See you all there!

Yea! Another one! Whooo-hooo! What are the Osborne Lights?

 

[Qltrgrl2]

Yea! Another one! Whooo-hooo! What are the Osborne Lights?

The Osborne Lights were donated to Disney by the Osborne family from Arkansas and are located in Hollywood Studios. We will see them when we run through that park during the W and D. Can't wait....my DD and I have never been to HS during holiday season.

 

[Figment1990]

I don't know how you people do it getting up at 3 a.m.!!! That's the middle of the night. I'm in some serious REM sleep then! I don't know HOW y'all do it!!! I have to get sleep or I can't think straight. Guess it'll always be Wine and Dine for me.

Me too!!!! In fact I used to think I could never be a "real runner" because they get up at dawn to run each day. Ha! Little did I know they even had races that were run at night! I'm such a night owl and wine and dine is perfect for me. I would love to run the princess one day but 3 am is beyond comprehension for me. I never say never but I think actually me getting to the race would be even harder than running 13miles.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I've heard the Osbourne lights described as Clark W. Griswold takes over an entire street.

I'm also a night owl, but I did the Disneyland 1/2 the past two years. What worked better for me this year was going to bed even half an hour early each night about a week before the race. I also made sure that I was in bed by 8:30-9:00 the night before the race. I didn't necessarily fall asleep quickly, but it was completely dark and I was resting. And at least with Disneyland, it's possible to walk to your corrals without having to rely on transportation to get you there by a certain time.

 

[ashysmashy]

Well, the Osborne Lights sound really pretty. I can't wait to see them too, now. Are they as long as main street over at Magic Kingdom?

I don't know if you all have already discussed this, but are the lines really long/bad to get a pic with a character during the race? I really want a pic with Darth Vader. I fear I'm so slow that I need to keep moving and grooving to make it in time.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Well, the Osborne Lights sound really pretty. I can't wait to see them too, now. Are they as long as main street over at Magic Kingdom?

I don't know if you all have already discussed this, but are the lines really long/bad to get a pic with a character during the race? I really want a pic with Darth Vader. I fear I'm so slow that I need to keep moving and grooving to make it in time.

The Osborne lights are much more impressive than the lights in MK, IMHO. As for pictures, Wine & Dine is dark. Character pictures don’t come out too well.

 

[MightyDuck001]

Well, the Osborne Lights sound really pretty. I can't wait to see them too, now. Are they as long as main street over at Magic Kingdom?

I don't know if you all have already discussed this, but are the lines really long/bad to get a pic with a character during the race? I really want a pic with Darth Vader. I fear I'm so slow that I need to keep moving and grooving to make it in time.

The lines depend on the character and where you are in the race--in Disneyland, Daisy had no line but Darth Vader & the Storm Troopers' line in Tomorrowland was pretty long, relatively speaking, I'd say 5-10 minutes.

 

[bigtony777]

Well, the Osborne Lights sound really pretty. I can't wait to see them too, now. Are they as long as main street over at Magic Kingdom?

I don't know if you all have already discussed this, but are the lines really long/bad to get a pic with a character during the race? I really want a pic with Darth Vader. I fear I'm so slow that I need to keep moving and grooving to make it in time.

The lights are completely different than MK. You could youtube search and see for yourself. There are 10's of thousands of lights and they dance to music.

The lines vary. I have seen anywhere between no one to 7 people waiting. I say push a little before and after and get the picture or pictures that you want.

 

[jeanigor]

Well, the Osborne Lights sound really pretty. I can't wait to see them too, now. Are they as long as main street over at Magic Kingdom?

I don't know if you all have already discussed this, but are the lines really long/bad to get a pic with a character during the race? I really want a pic with Darth Vader. I fear I'm so slow that I need to keep moving and grooving to make it in time.

Osbourne Lights are superior to the Main Street Lights.

Darth Vader is a tough one sometimes. The first year he didn't have a light source and was only lit by your flash. Last year he had a light, but a huge line too.

Most characters inside the parks have lights.

 

[ashysmashy]

Me too!!!! In fact I used to think I could never be a "real runner" because they get up at dawn to run each day. Ha! Little did I know they even had races that were run at night! I'm such a night owl and wine and dine is perfect for me. I would love to run the princess one day but 3 am is beyond comprehension for me. I never say never but I think actually me getting to the race would be even harder than running 13miles.

I'm with you 100%. I would be in a serious funk-state-of-mind. I just can't get my mind around how people do. 1. To be up and out at that hour and 2. To do 13 miles!!! Blows my mind. That's the sole reason I chose the Wine and Dine because if I was ever going to do a half, it HAD to be a night race or it was a no-go for me.

 

[ashysmashy]

Osbourne Lights are superior to the Main Street Lights.

Darth Vader is a tough one sometimes. The first year he didn't have a light source and was only lit by your flash. Last year he had a light, but a huge line too.

Most characters inside the parks have lights.

O.K. Speaking of cameras, do you use your iphone or do you take a disposable with a flash? How do you plan carry your camera during the race?

 

[jeanigor]

O.K. Speaking of cameras, do you use your iphone or do you take a disposable with a flash? How do you plan carry your camera during the race?

Yes. (Both, lol)

I carry my iPhone on the belt clip and use it for some photos. I also carry my digital point and shoot in my hand/around my wrist. Lately its been giving me crummy pics though, so i may forgo the digital and rely solely upon my iPhone this race.

 

[AquaDame]

I'm with you 100%. I would be in a serious funk-state-of-mind. I just can't get my mind around how people do. 1. To be up and out at that hour and 2. To do 13 miles!!! Blows my mind. That's the sole reason I chose the Wine and Dine because if I was ever going to do a half, it HAD to be a night race or it was a no-go for me.

Honestly, it is not bad. I am NOT a morning runner. I have tried for training runs in the summer SO many times and every morning, even at 8, 9 am I just have a terrible time. Amount of sleep doesn't matter, amount of food doesn't matter...

BUT, I did the Tink this year at DL! It was my first ever 1/2 and you know, it was easy! You are SO wide awake, and there is SO much excitement everywhere that I had a great time! I never once thought it was too early to be alive I was pumped from start till... well, till the sun went over the horizon and it got hot and I got tired but the point stands that even if you are not a morning person, and do your training at night, that doesn't mean a morning race is not for you!

O.K. Speaking of cameras, do you use your iphone or do you take a disposable with a flash? How do you plan carry your camera during the race?

We used my iPhone since we had to carry it anyway... it does have a flash, and while Im not sure how it will perform since it will be nightime for the whole race this time its what we will use again!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

O.K. Speaking of cameras, do you use your iphone or do you take a disposable with a flash? How do you plan carry your camera during the race?

A few thoughts on characters, specifically Darth Vader and cameras during the race as I experienced in my 2 runDisney events and only 2 1/2s in my life.

For the 2011 Disneyland 1/2, I was so consumed with finishing that I elected not to worry about photos along the course for fear that the time would be too costly. I trained to finish in roughly 3:15 give or take and was in the last corral. When all was said and done, I finished in 3:05 with no stops whatsoever.

For the 2012 Disneyland 1/2, I was much more confident about finishing and after talking to some fellow runners at the Mousetalgia meetup who commented that character photos were a nice distraction from running, I felt like I had some time to devote to character photos during the race. In looking at available characters on the course, I decided to stop for Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora in front of the castle and Darth Vader. The combined line for both took between 10-12 minutes, with Darth Vader being the longer of the two lines. With character stops, I finished this year in 3:07:51.

Because I'm not lugging my DSLR around during a 1/2 marathon and since my cell phone is over 4 years old, I opted to rely on Brightroom's race course photographers. The photos with Phillip and Aurora turned out nice, but Vader and the stromtroopers have yet to show up. Honestly, I can live with that since I met Vader previously at Star Wars Weekends and the cost of Brightroom digital download is $35 per photo with a $99 special for everything, including video in Angels Stadium.

So trust your training. If you can train at a fast enough pace to finish and have some time left for characters, I say go for it, especially since Vader is not available at all outside of Star Wars Weekends. But if you just want to finish, then remind yourself how awesome it will feel to get those coveted character photos in the parks after the race with your finishers medal around your neck.

 

[ashysmashy]

A few thoughts on characters, specifically Darth Vader and cameras during the race as I experienced in my 2 runDisney events and only 2 1/2s in my life.

For the 2011 Disneyland 1/2, I was so consumed with finishing that I elected not to worry about photos along the course for fear that the time would be too costly. I trained to finish in roughly 3:15 give or take and was in the last corral. When all was said and done, I finished in 3:05 with no stops whatsoever.

For the 2012 Disneyland 1/2, I was much more confident about finishing and after talking to some fellow runners at the Mousetalgia meetup who commented that character photos were a nice distraction from running, I felt like I had some time to devote to character photos during the race. In looking at available characters on the course, I decided to stop for Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora in front of the castle and Darth Vader. The combined line for both took between 10-12 minutes, with Darth Vader being the longer of the two lines. With character stops, I finished this year in 3:07:51.

Because I'm not lugging my DSLR around during a 1/2 marathon and since my cell phone is over 4 years old, I opted to rely on Brightroom's race course photographers. The photos with Phillip and Aurora turned out nice, but Vader and the stromtroopers have yet to show up. Honestly, I can live with that since I met Vader previously at Star Wars Weekends and the cost of Brightroom digital download is $35 per photo with a $99 special for everything, including video in Angels Stadium.

So trust your training. If you can train at a fast enough pace to finish and have some time left for characters, I say go for it, especially since Vader is not available at all outside of Star Wars Weekends. But if you just want to finish, then remind yourself how awesome it will feel to get those coveted character photos in the parks after the race with your finishers medal around your neck.

Such great feedback. Thank you so much! How do you find out a list of characters that will be on the course?

 

[SeattleGirl]

For the DL Half they had a character map/list at the expo.

 

[MightyDuck001]

Such great feedback. Thank you so much! How do you find out a list of characters that will be on the course?

At the Disneyland expo, Brightroom put up a map with all the characters and their locations for the race as well as a teeny tiny disclaimer that was barely readable that Brightroom wouldn't necessarily be there to take pictures with them.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I don't remember Darth Vader being noted on the character list, so it's possible that there may be a few surprises.

Does anyone remember if they had a list for 2011? I don't remember seeing one, but maybe I just missed it.

As for as the early morning race thing goes, there are times before the race when it seems way too early to be up, but once you get going you forget that it's really, really early. And there's something really cool about seeing the parks so early in the morning. At DCA they had the World of Color fountains going with the colors on. It looked very different in a cool in the early morning shortly after sunrise.

Does WDW have cheerleaders and bands out along the course or is there on course entertainment the various parade floats and what not that they can put out all over the course that Disneyland can't? Don't misunderstand as I really appreciate all the people that volunteer to provide motivation and entertainment along the Anaheim streets.

Just something I want to know so I can prepare for the lack of cheering to motivate me along the course if necessary.

 

[jeanigor]

I don't remember Darth Vader being noted on the character list, so it's possible that there may be a few surprises.

Does anyone remember if they had a list for 2011? I don't remember seeing one, but maybe I just missed it.

As for as the early morning race thing goes, there are times before the race when it seems way too early to be up, but once you get going you forget that it's really, really early. And there's something really cool about seeing the parks so early in the morning. At DCA they had the World of Color fountains going with the colors on. It looked very different in a cool in the early morning shortly after sunrise.

Does WDW have cheerleaders and bands out along the course or is there on course entertainment the various parade floats and what not that they can put out all over the course that Disneyland can't? Don't misunderstand as I really appreciate all the people that volunteer to provide motivation and entertainment along the Anaheim streets.

Just something I want to know so I can prepare for the lack of cheering to motivate me along the course if necessary.

I don't recall seeing a list at the 2011 expo.

They will not have marching bands, cheerleaders nor even spectators along most of the course.

There have been parade floats along the course though.

And spectators on the section between where we exit Hollywood Studios and enter Epcot near International Gateway.

The spectators along the course are discouraged as it is a safety issue for them.

 

[bigtony777]

Does WDW have cheerleaders and bands out along the course or is there on course entertainment the various parade floats and what not that they can put out all over the course that Disneyland can't? Don't misunderstand as I really appreciate all the people that volunteer to provide motivation and entertainment along the Anaheim streets.

Just something I want to know so I can prepare for the lack of cheering to motivate me along the course if necessary.

I will say that there is no where near the spectators at the W&D Half compared to the DL Half. I do think that there are many more Disney characters spread out throughout the race. They will have several picture stops outside of the parks along the road as well as a DJ and a couple of floats.

I will say that it will be more self determination than it was with all the cheering at the DL Half.