Official 2016 Star Wars Half Marthon - The Dark Side Weekend

[samc]

Sharing my Half thoughts:
@ samc, I don't have any Kessel merch, but I got an "I did it" for the challenge by accident (thought it was the half). It's a pink medium, so PM me if you want it.

thank you but I didn't do the challenge....appreciate the offer though!

 

[DOOM1001]

I use the grocery store plastic bags for the carrying of post run stuff. You don't know it is on your running belt.

I started stuffing a plastic bag in my running belt about a year ago,nothing annoyed me more than struggling to carry all the post race goodies as I also run holding my phone.I can't believe it took me so long to start doing this.

 

[ChrisNY2]

B roll footage from the the Half is here http://disneysportsnews.com/photos/2016/04/17/inaugural-star-wars-half-marathon-the-dark-side-7/
Fun to watch!

Ha - I'm on there at 6:20 getting my picture with BB-8

 

[Z-Knight]

@Z-Knight Thinking about you with all that flooding there in TX. Hope you made it home safely and are feeling better.

yeah I made it...but I nearly passed out on the airplane. Likely went ghost white and had an instant sweating episode, kind of scary. I also spent $600 to see a doctor Sunday night because my fever went to 104 and I felt like I was cooking inside. I'm in League City and the flooding hasn't really hit me - it mostly the mismanaged areas of Harris county (houston proper) that get the bad flooding and they never seem to fix it. What gets me is how many people died and likely from drowning in their cars - don't drive into water when you don't know how deep it is, just don't do it!!!

 

[tkbk]

Well I had not got around to contacting photo pass yet for the mess up on our medal picture - I had only mentioned in on the rundisney fb page and today my photo has been fixed yay. Now I am a happy camper , guess maybe they do pay attention to the fb page too.

I had the same issue on the half with 2 of the 4 people in my group. I contacted photopass by email and with the online contact link at the bottom of the photopass page (they answered me by the contact link submission not the email) and they fixed both of our photos by the end of the day yesterday.

 

[Fruto76]

yeah I made it...but I nearly passed out on the airplane. Likely went ghost white and had an instant sweating episode, kind of scary. I also spent $600 to see a doctor Sunday night because my fever went to 104 and I felt like I was cooking inside. I'm in League City and the flooding hasn't really hit me - it mostly the mismanaged areas of Harris county (houston proper) that get the bad flooding and they never seem to fix it. What gets me is how many people died and likely from drowning in their cars - don't drive into water when you don't know how deep it is, just don't do it!!!

I am glad you are home safe and sound... sucks you got so sick, though. Not a fun way to end the race weekend.

Well I had not got around to contacting photo pass yet for the mess up on our medal picture - I had only mentioned in on the rundisney fb page and today my photo has been fixed yay. Now I am a happy camper , guess maybe they do pay attention to the fb page too.

One of the girls in our group also had the 10k banner on her half finisher photo. It was fixed yesterday, without an email or contact being made. I am impressed with PhotoPass. So worth the upgrade on my AP.

 

[msmith07101]

YIKES on that merch line! I don't arrive until tomorrow morning - hoping the madness dies down a bit...

Dooney people - I am NOT HAPPY that the bags they have at the expo are NOT what was advertised! The stock photo for the letter carrier bag I pre-ordered is a leather bag with leather corners. What they have at the expo are nylon bags with no leather corners! I don't really want a nylon bag and now I'm thinking about just trying to get my $$ back (though I'll probably have to eat the Active fees). Not cool.

I felt the same way about my LC I preordered. Went to pick it up and was like wait a sec...this us not what was pictured! Plus the red is a little more orange than red. I still love the pattern though, so I kept it. Doesn't change the fact that it irritates me, but this is typical of Disney Dooney...they often misrepresent and describe the bags incorrectly. I don't know why it's so hard to get it right.

 

[Plaid Princess]

The guy in front of me yelled, "Look at this guy! He's so fast! I can't even keep up!" Which added some levity.

 

[nostalgic4disney]

Here is another vote for Disneyland run. This was our first Disney World run. I hate to say this because we are big Disney fans and LOVED our Sept 10k at Disneyland but we were very disappointed with the 10K. I could put up with the crowds and the bus , but what really killed the fun for me was the several rude workers at the finish line. I felt like cattle hearded out! They wouldn't let me wait for my husband near the photo area so we could get our picture together. This one guy followed me all the way to the back We spent a lot of money and time for this. We earned a picture together.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

Looks like 18,000ish finished.. Not sure the # of starters..

Yep, 18,000+ finishers. Luckily I was able to get a B Corral start, but even then I spent the whole race passing people. I can't imagine how crowded parts of that course was for later corral starters. Even though the weather was way better than at the Marathon this year, I was afraid the humidity was going to slow me significantly. But I was able to run a 1:39. That's a couple minutes slower than my PR, but at least it should get me a good corral for the 2017 WDW Marathon.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Here is another vote for Disneyland run. This was our first Disney World run. I hate to say this because we are big Disney fans and LOVED our Sept 10k at Disneyland but we were very disappointed with the 10K. I could put up with the crowds and the bus , but what really killed the fun for me was the several rude workers at the finish line. I felt like cattle hearded out! They wouldn't let me wait for my husband near the photo area so we could get our picture together. This one guy followed me all the way to the back We spent a lot of money and time for this. We earned a picture together.

He would have to call security to move me in that spot. Sorry that you had to deal with that. There is plenty of room there so as not to be a hazard or block others.

 

[iambasicallyanna]

I really hope they release unidentified photos somehow, because we don't have any finish line photos showing up... I was worried about that, because we finished in the middle of a really tight group (we basically had to walk over the finish, which we never do, because there was no room to actually run), and it's probably impossible to see any of the numbers with people blocking them. All of our other photos popped up within 24 hours and haven't gotten any new ones since.

I mean, we know that we finished, but to not have any finish line photos is kind of a bummer...

 

[PrincessV]

WHOA, many pages have passed since last I set eyes on this thread! I'll do some catching up soon, but for now...

That was really... something? I had an absolute blast playing with friends through the 5K! I nailed a rock-solid half! What in tarnation heck happened to the 10K?!?!?! Started in E with friends, never stopped moving, got to the R2 pic stop and line had already been closed. Kept moving, but had to slow waaaay down because of congestion; there was simply NOWHERE to go and no way to go any faster than the thousands of people in front of us. Stopped for a fast potty break in EP and next thing we knew, rD people were shouting that we needed to hustle or we'd be swept! So much for the easy, relaxed 10K I had planned: we had to sprint at every opportunity we could get to make up for the ton of time lost when we couldn't move an inch. I've run my fair share of Disney races and I've never seen anything like it!

And don't even get me started on the buses to EP situation. I'm afraid I'll implode if I even think about it much more. Total disaster there.

However... I LOVED this weekend! My inner geek was thoroughly fulfilled with Star Wars, Star Wars, and even more STAR WARS!!! I'll totally be back - doubt I'll consider the half so late in April, but I'd do the 5K again, and I'll happily hang out at that expo for a few afternoons, lol!

 

[PrincessV]

I've read on here that the early corrals were fine but can anyone tell me at which corral did it start getting so congested? If I come back to do another WDW race I want to make sure I have a good enough POT to be ahead of the crowds. Should have been in H but didn't enter my POT in time...would that be enough?

I ran the half from G and had no congestion at all! I mean, there were people all around me - I wasnt' out there by myself lol! But I was able to run my pace 100% of the time; plenty of room to maneuver around faster/slower runners out there.

 

[lock3130]

Have the results been posted? I don't remember reading/hearing when and where we will be able to find the results. Thanks!

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

Have the results been posted? I don't remember reading/hearing when and where we will be able to find the results. Thanks!

http://www.trackshackresults.com/disneysports/results/swds/swds16/

 

[Chasing Dopey]

I ran the half from G and had no congestion at all! I mean, there were people all around me - I wasnt' out there by myself lol! But I was able to run my pace 100% of the time; plenty of room to maneuver around faster/slower runners out there.

G. I find that interesting, and quite damning as well.

Several cast members saw our medals and asked how the weekend was, and it seems they had heard all the problems before. We really appreciated that they were reaching out for feedback. But I learned something especially interesting from a cast member who both works and runs the races...

It seems that 18,000 number may be starters, not finishers. There is a significant number of people who self sweep... as in they have no intention of attempting to complete the race, and put themselves on the first bus they see, because they know everyone gets the medal regardless. She was adamant that practice should stop. According to her, it should be a finisher's medal. Period.

At first I thought that was a bit harsh, but the more I thought about it, the more I agree. I get that runDisney is a more generous race, and with the 16:00 requirement is a great introduction to the sport, which is great! If they wanted to be more lax with the medals, they could still award it to people who made a real effort to make it happen, and if they get picked up at mile 11 or 12, I have no problem with that. But if people really are just walking across the line and putting a hand out for their medal, as she claims, I agree that's awful. (If they have to give them something, made it a little participant ribbon or something.)

So what is happening is bibs are being taken up by people who are buying medals, and taking spaces from people who, even if they can barely cut 16:00, are working their butts off to try.

Thoughts?

 

[clemsondisneygirl]

I ran the half from G and had no congestion at all! I mean, there were people all around me - I wasnt' out there by myself lol! But I was able to run my pace 100% of the time; plenty of room to maneuver around faster/slower runners out there.

I agree that from G it was never spread out per say but we were able to maintain our intervals as we wanted and never were forced to walk or anything like that. There definitely was bobbing and weaving required, especially in the tight areas others have already mentioned but I didn't feel it was as bad as I anticipated.

 

[hotblooded]

This seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I had a great time at the Dark Side Half. I've done the WDW Half in January five years in a row (love it), two Disneyland Halfs (fun, but not my cup of tea), and the inaugural Tower of Terror 10-miler (hated it). This Half is close to a new favorite.

I had been dreaming of running through World Showcase in the dark with the torches lit up since I heard about the old marathon course. After over a dozen trips to four Disney resorts in three countries, it takes a lot to impress me, but hearing Star Wars music piped in with the lagoon and a beautifully lit World Showcase as the backdrop blew me away. It was otherworldly.

I was in corral F and didn't experience any crowding issues because most people seemed to be running the same pace. I thought the theme came through beautifully in the staging area and the corrals. The first five miles were so exciting, between the theme parks, character sightings, music, lighting, and movie scenes playing on huge screens at the top of inclines to motivate us. I thought Run Disney paid a lot of attention to detail. As for the rest of the course, I fell into step with a fellow runner who I had inadvertently been playing leapfrog with since the gun went off. We decided to settle into comfortable but challenging pace for the remainder of the race. I barely noticed a lack of entertainment because it became about the run. Sure, the sun was in our faces for the last 45 minutes, but that comes with the territory of running outside. I wound up finishing just a minute slower than my time this January.

I didn't mind the lack of merchandise because I arrived Saturday and already knew everything would be gone. The event buses were hit or miss, as usual. There didn't seem to be adequate spacing between expo buses, but that's to be expected. My worst ever wait was the morning of the WDW Half at the Yacht Club in 2012, so I made sure to get on the first bus from All-Star Music to the start this time. I did manage to get pictures with BB-8 and Captain Phasma before heading to the corrals, which was a nice bonus. My only big gripe is the medal -- that thing is a monstrosity. I didn't want to wear it at all because it was so big and heavy. The concept art was much nicer.

I'm glad we got lucky on weather this time, and that I got a chance to run such an awesome course immersed in the Star Wars theme. However, I'm not sure I'll do it again. April is usually too hot for an enjoyable half marathon, and Run Disney is approaching a price point I'm not willing to pay.

 

[Chasing Dopey]

One more thing: merchandise. So this has been a problem for years??? Honestly, it's terrible service to the customer and stupidly easy to fix. All they need is a catalog at the expo, so when an item sells out, they can put a sample out and let people order one to be mailed to them later. I don't think people would care about waiting a week or two or more if the alternative is to get nothing. Ridiculous.