Official 2016 Star Wars Half Marthon - The Dark Side Weekend

[acbshada]

Anyone have any idea how the crowds will be during that time? I'm hoping most spring breaks will be over with and it won't be too terrible.

The Undercover Tourist crowd calendar lists the entire weekend at a 5/6 level, which they consider "neutral" crowds.

I have no personal experience to speak from, but maybe someone else does. I'm with you, though - hoping it won't be a terrible time crowd-wise.

 

[Wink25]

Not sure if this will help...but at the Disney World Marathon this year, we were able to move my friend from Corral N to Corral J at the Expo. She had submitted her time for the Disneyland Half with registration, but somehow it didn't get applied to her corral placement. There were other people in the line at Race Relations doing the same thing...

Wow I'm surprised to hear this given that they post on the website that no corrals will be changed at the expo and every single email I got while trying to correct my mistake said the same thing...interesting.

 

[Wink25]

I had a question for the WDW vets about humidity. I started chatting with a fellow runDisney participant who has done races in both parks and she said Florida's humidity made the race 10 times harder than any race she's done in California. For a little perspective, we live in Arizona, so sometimes California humidity is even a little tough for me (i.e. Dumbo Double Dare 2013). Is there anything I can do or wear to help deal with it? Or is it even as bad as this person believes it is?

 

[heyitsmejosh]

I had a question for the WDW vets about humidity. I started chatting with a fellow runDisney participant who has done races in both parks and she said Florida's humidity made the race 10 times harder than any race she's done in California. For a little perspective, we live in Arizona, so sometimes California humidity is even a little tough for me (i.e. Dumbo Double Dare 2013). Is there anything I can do or wear to help deal with it? Or is it even as bad as this person believes it is?

if you aren't from Florida or some other humid climate the humidity is going to make it a little tougher, especially in April since that when it really starts to warm up. Even as early in the am as this race is it will still be pretty humid. If you look through some of the old tower of terror posts about the humidity that should give you a good idea since April and October have similar weather. Of course don't let that scare you just make sure you hydrate and start hydrating days before for the event. You are going to sweat more than you are used to but as long as you are hydrated and stay hydrated you should be fine.

As to what to wear its probably pretty much the same as Arizona, you just want to make sure you wear light moisture wicking athletic wear like dri fit or something similar try to stay anyway from anything cotton.

 

[AThrillingChase]

Wow I'm surprised to hear this given that they post on the website that no corrals will be changed at the expo and every single email I got while trying to correct my mistake said the same thing...interesting.

When I have seen this working, it is usually because they had a screen shot or something to show they submitted and it is the system that screwed up. Asking cant hurt either way.

 

[heyitsmejosh]

January miles totaled 39. Pace around 12:30/mile.

Anyone have any idea how the crowds will be during that time? I'm hoping most spring breaks will be over with and it won't be too terrible.

Well with Easter being earlier this year the really big Easter crowds wont be an issue. If you are here the week before the race the crowds will be relatively low. Starting the 15th though it will get busier and that's because schools in the north east have April vacation. So be prepared to meet a lot of people from that part of the country.

 

[BDK33]

I had a question for the WDW vets about humidity. I started chatting with a fellow runDisney participant who has done races in both parks and she said Florida's humidity made the race 10 times harder than any race she's done in California. For a little perspective, we live in Arizona, so sometimes California humidity is even a little tough for me (i.e. Dumbo Double Dare 2013). Is there anything I can do or wear to help deal with it? Or is it even as bad as this person believes it is?

Start hydrating at least 24 hours before hand. If you are worried about cramping I highly recommend Gatorlytes. Tastes like crap but gets the job done!

http://www.gatorade.com/products/endurance/gatorlytes

 

[PrincessV]

Anyone have any idea how the crowds will be during that time? I'm hoping most spring breaks will be over with and it won't be too terrible.

There's no real slow season anymore, but we'll be out of Spring Break season so it shouldn't be too bad.

I had a question for the WDW vets about humidity. I started chatting with a fellow runDisney participant who has done races in both parks and she said Florida's humidity made the race 10 times harder than any race she's done in California. For a little perspective, we live in Arizona, so sometimes California humidity is even a little tough for me (i.e. Dumbo Double Dare 2013). Is there anything I can do or wear to help deal with it? Or is it even as bad as this person believes it is?

I'm a Floridian of 20+ years so I really can't say how it feels to someone not used to the humidity. What I can say is that by mid-April the heat is really turning up: the sun is getting pretty strong by then and I expect that to have the biggest impact on the half. Humidity isn't likely to be at summer levels, but I'd guess 75-85% or so is a safe bet. I think the thing most folks miss in dealing with high heat and humidity is electrolyte loss: when you sweat in high humidity it doesn't do much to cool you off, so you sweat more. That results in a greater decrease of electrolytes than you may be used to. So while hydrating is key, too much water without replacing electrolytes can be a very, very bad thing. I strongly suggest adding Gatorade/Nuun/Powerade/whatever into the mix instead of guzzling huge amounts of plain water.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I had a question for the WDW vets about humidity. I started chatting with a fellow runDisney participant who has done races in both parks and she said Florida's humidity made the race 10 times harder than any race she's done in California. For a little perspective, we live in Arizona, so sometimes California humidity is even a little tough for me (i.e. Dumbo Double Dare 2013). Is there anything I can do or wear to help deal with it? Or is it even as bad as this person believes it is?

I would just echo this: HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE!! On the days before the race and during. I like using Nuun (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016Z...0_QL40&keywords=nuun+energy+hydration+tablets). I run with two bottles of this on my belt and alternate with water stops.

In my experience, as long as I HYDRATE really well, humidity isn't a problem.

 

[pinklmaonade]

Cross posting this from another thread...

This shirt from RawThreads really made me laugh.

 

[BwoZoo22]

I had a question for the WDW vets about humidity. I started chatting with a fellow runDisney participant who has done races in both parks and she said Florida's humidity made the race 10 times harder than any race she's done in California. For a little perspective, we live in Arizona, so sometimes California humidity is even a little tough for me (i.e. Dumbo Double Dare 2013). Is there anything I can do or wear to help deal with it? Or is it even as bad as this person believes it is?

We live in Nevada (average 25% humidity), so I understand. We are mediocre, slow pace runners that ran the Dopey last month, and the humidity was around 90%. We managed all 48 miles without cramping, which I am prone to, by staying hydrated. We drank lots of water during the days leading up to the race, drank one water and one gatorade at each of the water stops (I'd rather stop to pee than cramp), and wore minimal running clothes for the full - no costume apparel. And remember, you need electrolytes, not just water, when it's that humid.

 

[pinklmaonade]

Hey guys, should my BF and I go as Owen and Beru for the half?



too soon?

 

[Wink25]

Thank you everyone for all of the responses! Guess it's time to try out a few electrolyte drinks/supplements to see which one works best for me!

 

[JustSayin]

I did a little checking and it looks like the average temps for the day of the half is low of 60 F and a high of 83 F. http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?month=4

Expect humidity to be high but if the temps are normal we should be in the 60's and 70's for the race time.

Don't be afraid of the weather, but definately plan for it.

I would definitely come up with a good hydration plan for the race. This is particularly true if you are not used to humidity.

I would also do your best to train for at worst a 14 minute mile.

It could easily slow you down a couple of minutes per mile if the temps are in the mid 70s with high humidity.

Also, I am sure most do not need the reminder, but make sure you are training with the sport drinks/electrolyte replacement/nutrition that you are planning on using in the race. I discovered the hard way that Gatorade (which has never been a problem for me in other sports settings) makes me nauseous when I drink it while distance running. Not fun!

Good luck and happy training!

 

[acbshada]

Also, I am sure most do not need the reminder, but make sure you are training with the sport drinks/electrolyte replacement/nutrition that you are planning on using in the race.

For the new people (like me), I appreciate hearing this because really the only thing I know is what I can find online and from folks here. So thank you!

Question on hydration while on the course. I'm running the 10K, so it might be a bit different. But approximately how far is the distance between water stops for runDisney? Trying to decide if I need to run with water or not.

On another note - started my costume idea a couple of days ago. Got my running hat decorated and complete, and I had to amend my outfit idea a bit due to fabric issues. Going to make this as simple as possible, so found a Nike dri-fit tank that will work pretty well at JCPenney.

Getting pretty excited about it all coming together - the whole weekend should be great.

Hope everyone has a great day (and a good weekend). Happy training!

 

[BigEeyore]

Water stops tend to be about every mile. If it is warm, take one cup to drink and one to dump on your head - really helps cool you off!

I am currently using Tailwind for my electrolyte drink and have had good luck with it. The typical drinks like Gatorade and Powerade upset my stomach. It has more sodium than the rest too, which really helps beat the cramps. It got me thru the Dopey!

 

[RunningPrince]

Agree with the comments on humidity acclimation and prep - I ran the Dopey Castaway Rebel Coast-to-Coast Challenge last month and definitely found humidity a factor in my "normal" pace even with the prep - for example, I ran the WDW Half in 2:10:55 and a week later (after WDW Full/Dopey, two Castaway 5Ks (Cay Challenge and normal one right after) and DLR Star Wars 10K) I did the DLR Stars Wars Half in 1:58:52...almost a minute/mile faster in the lower humidity.

Humidity aside, I will be very interested to compare the DLR Rebel Challenge entertainment (Jedi Mickey, Princess Minnie, Ewok Chip and Dale, Darth Goofy, Stormtrooper Donald, 501st group, Star Wars specific mile markers, marching bands playing Star Wars on course, Star Wars music throughout DLR/CA, On course characters with scene backdrops including R2D2/C3PO, BB-8, Chewy, Boba Fett, First Order Troopers, Star Wars Rebels: Ezra and Sabine, Trash Compactor scene, Wampa Ice Cave, etc) to the WDW Dark Side Challenge to see which is better - perhaps WDW will have all the Star Wars Weekends backdrops and props out - regardless, it's all about the Kessel Bling which I'll complete in around 10 parsecs

Until we see the official course announcement, the description leads me to believe it is a reverse W&D course starting at EPCOT, then Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and finishing at ESPN.

Any thoughts on the WDW Dark Side entertainment and course?

 

[kmchisholm]

While FL is humid, we're east coasters and did the DL half a few years ago. It amazes me at the people complaining of the humidity whereas I was chilly and had to buy a sweatshirt one night in the parks. Guess it's what you're used too.

 

[DOOM1001]

I looked back from 2009 through 2015,the hottest daytime high was 86 in 2012.The averages of 83/60 you mentioned were pretty close the rest of the years,saw a few 83-84 days and even one with a high of 77,the lows were mostly in the 60's.I always look at April 15 as the date when the temps start warming up and October 15 the reverse so this race is right on the border but being so early in the AM it should be just fine.

 

[miker1251]

Water stops tend to be about every mile. If it is warm, take one cup to drink and one to dump on your head - really helps cool you off!

I am currently using Tailwind for my electrolyte drink and have had good luck with it. The typical drinks like Gatorade and Powerade upset my stomach. It has more sodium than the rest too, which really helps beat the cramps. It got me thru the Dopey!

Everyone should keep in mind Disney has water and Powerade on the course. If you are going to rely on Disney, try using Powerade during a part of your training to ensure it won't upset your stomach.