Official Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend - The Dark Side 2017

[HockeyMomNH]

I'm chaperoning my DD17's band trip for the first part of the trip.

Monday: Arrival Day
Hollywood studios

Tuesday:
Student performance at Disney Springs
Evening at Epcot

Wednesday:
Universal/IOA

Thursday:
Magic Kingdom

Friday:
Animal Kingdom in the morning with the kids.
Check out of Pop and into Sports (Kids are leaving)
Back to AK for ROL dinner at Tusker

Saturday:
Expo in the morning.
Dinner at Boardwalk with crazy Star Wars Dissers

Sunday:
Half marathon (DD17's first)
Magic Kingdom

Monday:
Hollywood Studios
Late flight home.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Finished my last long run! I have been lurking mostly, but it has made a huge difference in staying on track. This will be my first half marathon and concludes a year+ build-up of run disney (princess 5k 2016, wine 10k 2016, princess 5/10k 2017) to change from an otherwise unhealthy life.

Until today I was nervous about finishing (especially with the corral chaos in front of me, as I'll be in the last corral), but I did my 12 miles in 3:11:11 having walked the last two miles. Now I know it can be done; I just hope I can still walk through the parks after!

I just wanted to come out of lurkerland and say thanks everyone for the support this thread has provided!

I was in the same boat as you last year. Surprisingly came in at 3:23 for the half with a 3:30 goal.
Honestly a park after is doable, but I would make time for a good shower, solid lunch, and maybe a nap. We hit parks after my last 2 halfs at 3:00 and 4:00 with really no problem. Your body will want the stretch out walk at that point.

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

Does anyone NOT run in costume for dark side? My first Disney run was W&D last year and didn't dress up but didn't feel that as a problem. This time it seems everyone is wearing a costume! I can't imagine anything worse, and when I run, I want to wear the least, most lightweight clothing and nothing more!

I'll be the one not in costume!! :'D

No costume for me either. I did order a t-shirt though that says "I am one with the Force" that I'm planning to wear for one of the races. Probably for the 10K since it's the shorter race and the shirt is not tech material. Now I just have to hope the shirt is delivered tomorrow like it's supposed to be.

 

[bryana]

Today was pretty warm here, so I finally decided to give my storm trooper leggings a test run. It's 73 right now, and the current forecast for race day (I KNOWWWWWW) has a low of about 70, so pretty similar conditions. Unless the low comes down, I'm thinking that I'll swap my outfits, and wear my BB-8 dress for the half instead. The leggings fit great and were really comfortable; they were just a little bit too warm for me.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I tested my new gray shorts for an Empire Strikes Back Luke Skywalker costume. Now, if I can find a little Yoda to stick in my drawstring backpack I'm all set for the 10K. I'm running with a lightsaber for the half, but not going for much of a costume otherwise as a precaution against the heat.

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

Weather for next week as of right now is looking really warm.

 

[lovingeire]

Yep, weather looks how I would expect it to in April. And makes me feel bad for my husband who wore his dress blues in the heat to get married in Florida! LOL! (Totally off topic, but I remember naively thinking April wouldn't be too hot back then...little did I know!)

 

[MeridaAndAngus]

Does anyone know what crowd calendars are predicting for race weekend (Friday through Sunday)? This is a somewhat last minute trip for us, and I'm still finalizing our FPs and daily park plans. I'm assuming the parks will be pretty busy because of race weekend and F&G (and possibly some leftover spring break visitors).

 

[Ndusmama]

Does anyone know what crowd calendars are predicting for race weekend (Friday through Sunday)? This is a somewhat last minute trip for us, and I'm still finalizing our FPs and daily park plans. I'm assuming the parks will be pretty busy because of race weekend and F&G (and possibly some leftover spring break visitors).

According to touringplans. Mostly 6 days. So slightly crowded. Picture is first resort crowd level, then MK, Epcot, hs , and ak

 

[bryana]

The virtual goody bag is live now (it might have been for a few days - I just randomly thought to check it last night). The race discount for us looks to be $25 off the Marathon or Goofy, so if any of you are on the fence about either of those, you can save a little bit of money!

 

[MeridaAndAngus]

View attachment 230817
According to touringplans. Mostly 6 days. So slightly crowded. Picture is first resort crowd level, then MK, Epcot, hs , and ak

Thanks!

 

[Barca33Runner]

Trip Plans:

Thursday:
4:40-Plane lands
6:00ish-MDE to POR. Check out room really quickly and head out to MK
7:00-I have FP+ set up for Splash Mountain, 7DMT, and Space Ranger Spin starting at 7:10. Not sure how quickly I'll make it to the park or if I'll use the FP+, but the plan is to find some dinner, have a relaxing night at MK, and see Wishes for the first time (my MK party has always included small children who are burned out before the nighttime shows)

Friday:
8:30-Head to Epcot around opening. Hopefully ride TT and definitely grab a Palmier from les Halles before heading back to POR
12:00-Sister arrives. We will get her settled, grab lunch and head to the expo.
2/3:00ish-Head to AK. FP+ for EE at 4:35. ADR at Yak & Yeti 5:15. FP+ for Kilimanjaro Safari 5:50-6:50. FP+ for RoL.

Saturday
Too darn early-10K
7:00ish-Back to resort to shower and grab a quick bite.
8:15-Head to MK. I've never been for rope drop and don't know how that works, but we want to be there when the park opens. FP+ at 9:55 for 7DMT, 11:10 Slash Mountain, 12:25 Big Thunder Mountain. I planned the FP+ early so that we could decide whether we wanted to stay at the park or head to Disney Springs early.
5:00-ADR at Paddlefish

Sunday
Too darn early-Half Marathon
8:15ish-Back to resort to shower and get ready
9:00-Head to Epcot. FP+ for Character Meet and Greet 9:20-10:20. Hopefully we can squeak into the back portion of this window for a medals picture. FP+ for Living with the Land 10:20-11:20. FP+ for FEA 11:35-12:35. Only FP+ we will definitely make is FEA as neither of us have had a chance to ride it yet. Made the FP+ early with slight hope that we could plan something else afterward (possibly something at DHS), but mainly we are just planning on exploring WS and experiencing the Flower and Garden Fest. And by experiencing, I mean eating all the food.
9:00-ADR at Boatwright's. It's a post-race tradition

Monday
8:00-Sister leaves for Airport. I get ready for day at DHS. FP+ for RnRR 10:45, Star Tours 12:00, ToT 1:00. Everything will be done pretty early again so that I can park hop or head to Disney Springs depending on what seems like a good idea at the time.

Tuesday
Too early-Head to airport

Should be a pretty fun trip. First time I'll ever be there on my own for a couple days, so that will be interesting.

 

[Dopey Devon]

Our plans for next week are:

Wednesday
-travel from the U.K. Stay overnight in Mt Dora

Thursday
- Expo
- beaches and cream @ 2pm
- check in at OKW

Friday
- 5k
- Flower and Garden festival or Breakfast at Boma and chill if we're tired

Saturday
- 10k
- Olivia's cafe for breakfast
- walk around Disney Springs and some shopping

Sunday
- half!
- brunch @ Narcoosees
- chill
- dinner and drinks @STK

Monday
- Typhoon Lagoon
- check out of OKW

Rest of the week we will be chilling back in Mt Dora before heading back to the Uk on the Sunday super excited but we've had a couple of busy weeks moving house so the costumes haven't even been started yet. Hoping I can get something sorted this week, even if it is just for the 5k!

 

[Goofy2015]

Made it through The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones in rewatching all of the movies. I would have to say that was tougher then my 10 mile run on Sunday.

 

[PrincessV]

Today was pretty warm here, so I finally decided to give my storm trooper leggings a test run. It's 73 right now, and the current forecast for race day (I KNOWWWWWW) has a low of about 70, so pretty similar conditions. Unless the low comes down, I'm thinking that I'll swap my outfits, and wear my BB-8 dress for the half instead. The leggings fit great and were really comfortable; they were just a little bit too warm for me.

Yeah, I live here in west-central FL and no way could I do the half in leggings now! Good call, IMO

Made it through The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones in rewatching all of the movies. I would have to say that was tougher then my 10 mile run on Sunday.

Ditto here, lol! I swear they get more painful with each viewing. But my 2nd-favorite of the franchise is next (Ep. III), then VII and Rogue!

 

[PrincessV]

We had a nifty little cool front over the past weekend: start temp of 59, finish temp of 67 for my 12 miles Sunday. But folks, that sun is WARM, regardless of air temp, and it bounces heat up off the asphalt, too - I was comfortable and plenty sweaty in a summer-weight singlet and running skirt. The forecasts I've seen for race weekend are all showing highs near 90, lows in the mid- to high-60s. The upside of the early starts is that we won't have a lot of impact from the sun.

 

[cavepig]

Made it through The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones in rewatching all of the movies. I would have to say that was tougher then my 10 mile run on Sunday.

We've just watched Rogue One, then IV, V, VI so Phantom Menace tonight. Attack of the Clones is one my favorites, it's got a lot to it. Oh and we watched one of the Ewok Movies, Gorax and all!

Oh boy, weather watching, fun!

 

[opusone]

Certified Courses (SWDS 10k and Half Marathon)
So, I had an odd exchange over e-mail that I thought you all might be interested in. I am one of those runners who really likes to see the certified courses such that I know exactly which roads/paths we will be on. For the most part, the routes from the SWDS event guide are pretty easy to follow; however, there are a few spots that it would be nice to have more detail, mainly entering and exiting the theme parks.

Last year, when we were about four days away from the SWDS races, there were still no certified courses posted, so I e-mailed the person that has measured and certified the WDW races for the past 5+ years, and maybe it was just coincidence, but the courses were posted within 24 hours of my e-mail. I never received a response from the course certifier.

This year, I decided to e-mail the person a little earlier, so last Friday (two weeks prior to the races), I sent an e-mail just asking if the courses would be posted soon. Today, I received a response from her stating that there is no need to post new certified courses since the SWDS courses are the same as last year, and then she gave me the links to the 2016 certified courses.

I replied to her stating that the courses are definitely different this year, and I attached the 10k and half marathon maps from the event guide. We'll see if I get another response. I wonder if they are using a different measurer/certifier for some reason.

 

[Chasing Dopey]

Certified Courses (SWDS 10k and Half Marathon)
So, I had an odd exchange over e-mail that I thought you all might be interested in. I am one of those runners who really likes to see the certified courses such that I know exactly which roads/paths we will be on. For the most part, the routes from the SWDS event guide are pretty easy to follow; however, there are a few spots that it would be nice to have more detail, mainly entering and exiting the theme parks.

Last year, when we were about four days away from the SWDS races, there were still no certified courses posted, so I e-mailed the person that has measured and certified the WDW races for the past 5+ years, and maybe it was just coincidence, but the courses were posted within 24 hours of my e-mail. I never received a response from the course certifier.

This year, I decided to e-mail the person a little earlier, so last Friday (two weeks prior to the races), I sent an e-mail just asking if the courses would be posted soon. Today, I received a response from her stating that there is no need to post new certified courses since the SWDS courses are the same as last year, and then she gave me the links to the 2016 certified courses.

I replied to her stating that the courses are definitely different this year, and I attached the 10k and half marathon maps from the event guide. We'll see if I get another response. I wonder if they are using a different measurer/certifier for some reason.

I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.

I decided I will mention the course thing to a few rD people at the expo. I'll be going Saturday, so it won't be crowded. If Jeff Galloway is there, I might suggest a change to him as well. Is there a way to contact the race director? It just strikes me as poor service, and perhaps no one has bothered to point that out?

 

[opusone]

Certified Courses (SWDS 10k and Half Marathon)
So, I had an odd exchange over e-mail that I thought you all might be interested in. I am one of those runners who really likes to see the certified courses such that I know exactly which roads/paths we will be on. For the most part, the routes from the SWDS event guide are pretty easy to follow; however, there are a few spots that it would be nice to have more detail, mainly entering and exiting the theme parks.

Last year, when we were about four days away from the SWDS races, there were still no certified courses posted, so I e-mailed the person that has measured and certified the WDW races for the past 5+ years, and maybe it was just coincidence, but the courses were posted within 24 hours of my e-mail. I never received a response from the course certifier.

This year, I decided to e-mail the person a little earlier, so last Friday (two weeks prior to the races), I sent an e-mail just asking if the courses would be posted soon. Today, I received a response from her stating that there is no need to post new certified courses since the SWDS courses are the same as last year, and then she gave me the links to the 2016 certified courses.

I replied to her stating that the courses are definitely different this year, and I attached the 10k and half marathon maps from the event guide. We'll see if I get another response. I wonder if they are using a different measurer/certifier for some reason.

UPDATE: I did get another response, and it sounds like there was a date issue since the courses were measured at the end of last year, but certified this year. In any case, she sent the courses to be uploaded to the USATF website, so they should be there "soon."