Official 2015 Goofy Challenge Thread

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

vous aussi?

 

[RunRookie]

My fiancee and I anticipate running at least the Goofy and possibly the Dopey depending on what we can save between now and April registration. The Dopey discontinuation rumors likely are just a product of those people who are saying they are one-and-done. But there are also those people out there who are looking forward to being "Perfectly Dopey" and there are all of the people who missed out on the inaugural Dopey who will sign up for the second go-round. It seems runDisney is really liking the 10k distance, so as long as that continues it makes sense to continue to offer the challenge.

I wasn't able to go to WDW this year but I definitely want to do the Dopey in 2015. If they don't offer it then I'll just do the Goofy again for the 10th anniversary. As long as they offer the 10K I don't see a reason for them not to offer the Challenge as well.

The only reason I could see RunDisney not do it again is if someone had a medical emergency and it was determined that the four race challenge was the contributing factor (i.e. Liability concerns). Personally, I think they should consider only allowing people with verified full marathon finish times to sign up for the Dopey. First timers who decide to run Dopey seem much more 'at risk' than seasoned runners.

 

[Diskidatheart]

Personally, I think they should consider only allowing people with verified full marathon finish times to sign up for the Dopey. First timers who decide to run Dopey seem much more 'at risk' than seasoned runners.

I respectfully disagree. I think the Disney marathon is a great marathon for a first timer. It allows them to run their first marathon on a flat course with a very "fun" atmosphere rather than a race full of Boston Qualifiers (although you get some of those here too). If you put in the proper training, whether it's your first marathon or 100th, you will have no problem completing the Dopey Challenge. I would know as I'm one of those first time marathoners who competed the Dopey (and ran a sub 4 marathon).

Let's face it, the keys to completing the Dopey Challenge are to take it easy the first 3 days and save some energy for the marathon. The same is true for the Goofy Challenge...you need to save your legs on the half marathon to get through the full marathon. For me, I think the toughest difference between the Goofy and Dopey are the 2 added wake up calls on Thurs and Fri. The additional two races are not that big of a deal if you've put the proper training in.

In my opinion, the Dopey Challenge was a success and will continue on for many years. I think there are alot of people who did it and won't do it again because it does take away from your vacation (more so than the Goofy or doing one individual race). However, there are so many others that would love to give it a try and there are many who did it this year and will continue to do it again year after year.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I respectfully disagree. I think the Disney marathon is a great marathon for a first timer. It allows them to run their first marathon on a flat course with a very "fun" atmosphere rather than a race full of Boston Qualifiers (although you get some of those here too). If you put in the proper training, whether it's your first marathon or 100th, you will have no problem completing the Dopey Challenge. I would know as I'm one of those first time marathoners who competed the Dopey (and ran a sub 4 marathon).

Let's face it, the keys to completing the Dopey Challenge are to take it easy the first 3 days and save some energy for the marathon. The same is true for the Goofy Challenge...you need to save your legs on the half marathon to get through the full marathon. For me, I think the toughest difference between the Goofy and Dopey are the 2 added wake up calls on Thurs and Fri. The additional two races are not that big of a deal if you've put the proper training in.

In my opinion, the Dopey Challenge was a success and will continue on for many years. I think there are alot of people who did it and won't do it again because it does take away from your vacation (more so than the Goofy or doing one individual race). However, there are so many others that would love to give it a try and there are many who did it this year and will continue to do it again year after year.

I don't know what Disney will do, but I agree with your points. The WDW marathon, for most, is very different than other marathons. Most participants are there for fun, not for a PR. Most walk, a lot. Since the goal of a first marathon is to finish, it is probably the best first marathon to tackle. And if you have trained for a marathon (really trained), the other races or not a big deal. The only thing that kept me from being Dopey instead of Goofy this year was the lost sleep. I will probably do it some time though - maybe in 2015.

All that said, I passed so many people during the second half of the marathon. Most of those that I passed looked like they were just not prepared for the distance. I wonder how many just show up and hope without doing the requisite training. If the conditions faced in the half had been present again on the day of the full, many of the people that I passed would have failed to finish - they looked that spent on a glorious day for running.