Run Newbie Qs

[challada]

I am a newbie to running and taking the plunge of a half with Disney based on my love of all things Disney, but have some dumb newbie questions.

1. I'm new so don't have a race time to submit. Do I have to?

2. I'm slow but not the slowest. If I am in the back corral with my lack of a chipped time, am I missing out on the fun or even on the opportunity to finish? I really want my medal!

3. How does all the cute picture taking work? Are characters along the route and you stand in a line to do pictures with them? How do you possibly finish if you end up waiting in a line?

4. How early do you have to take the Disney bus to be there in time for the 5:30 start time for the half?

5. Is there water along the route? Gels? Anything?

6. How hilly is the route? I run mostly flat now but have one route that I do with severe incline and don't think I could do that for a lot of mileage.

Eeeek! I registered, got room and tickets to park, got flight, so now I'm in! But, obviously, am a little panicked about it.

 

[rteetz]

I am a newbie to running and taking the plunge of a half with Disney based on my love of all things Disney, but have some dumb newbie questions.

1. I'm new so don't have a race time to submit. Do I have to?

2. I'm slow but not the slowest. If I am in the back corral with my lack of a chipped time, am I missing out on the fun or even on the opportunity to finish? I really want my medal!

3. How does all the cute picture taking work? Are characters along the route and you stand in a line to do pictures with them? How do you possibly finish if you end up waiting in a line?

4. How early do you have to take the Disney bus to be there in time for the 5:30 start time for the half?

5. Is there water along the route? Gels? Anything?

6. How hilly is the route? I run mostly flat now but have one route that I do with severe incline and don't think I could do that for a lot of mileage.

Eeeek! I registered, got room and tickets to park, got flight, so now I'm in! But, obviously, am a little panicked about it.

1. You don’t have to just know you’ll likely be placed towards the back.

2. No I’ve started from the back and had just as much fun as I do from the front.

3. You have to keep a 16 minute pace per mile. The characters are all along the course. Be cautious of your time and if you are waiting too long that may hurt you if you are not fast enough to catch up.

4. Buses start running around 3:00-3:30 depending on the race. Usually you have to be on a bus by 4:00-4:30AM.

5. Water and Powerade for longer distances. There are Sports Beans for Half’s and fulls.

6. Only hills are highway overpass ramps.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm new so don't have a race time to submit. Do I have to?

You put an estimate when registering.

If you estimated 2:45 or faster then YES you have to submit a matching POT by the deadline. Depending on how your training is going, if you can finish an official 10k event with a good enough time by the deadline, I’d do it.


If you estimated a slower time then NO you don’t have to, and from what I’ve read over the years they won’t even look at it. You will be placed based on your estimate.

I'm slow but not the slowest. If I am in the back corral with my lack of a chipped time, am I missing out on the fun or even on the opportunity to finish? I really want my medal!

They count 16 minutes per mile from the last person that crosses the start line. They have lots of warning if you’re falling behind. I don’t think someone who is training and doing ok is risking not finishing, as long as they aren’t ignoring the warnings.

How does all the cute picture taking work? Are characters along the route and you stand in a line to do pictures with them? How do you possibly finish if you end up waiting in a line?

There are photo ops along the course. I’ve literally stopped for one, waited 20 long minutes for pix with pirates that I’ve never looked at once. And it destroyed my time. Utterly. I never recovered my pace, and that was before the 10k mark.

But loads of other people stand and wait then run and then stand and wait then run etc. and I assume that they enjoy their pictures.

Isn’t my thing.

How early do you have to take the Disney bus to be there in time for the 5:30 start time for the half?

We wake at 2:30 and head to the buses to get there as early as possible. And I’m on pacific time so it’s even worse. But it’s what ya do.

Is there water along the route? Gels? Anything?

Yes. And powerade.

There is one stop with fuel at about mile 8? Used to be Gu. Now their contract is with jelly belly sports beans.

It’s a tiny packet; not the size you can buy at the running store. Don’t rely on just that little bit. And don't rely on it at all. Back when it was Gu they had run out entirely by the time I got there at Princess. Thankfully I don’t use Gu so I wasn’t relying on it.

 

[ZellyB]

You really already got your answers so I'll just say welcome to running and to the joy of runDisney!

 

[huskies90]

I am a newbie to running and taking the plunge of a half with Disney based on my love of all things Disney, but have some dumb newbie questions.

1. I'm new so don't have a race time to submit. Do I have to?

2. I'm slow but not the slowest. If I am in the back corral with my lack of a chipped time, am I missing out on the fun or even on the opportunity to finish? I really want my medal!

The only thing I will add is assuming the race you are considering is not the Star Wars half marathon which is in 2 weeks, you have plenty of time to run another local race and submit a time. Even if you are registering now for Wine and Dine or April for the WDW Weekend, you have until the proof of time deadline to submit your time. If you think you can run at least a 10K in less than 1 hour and 15 minutes, I would highly recommend you do it so you at least get in one of the top 5 corals. I don't remember the exact numbers but something like 65% of the field will be in the last 3 corals - which are the ones where no proof of time is required. Being in at least coral E gets you more time before the last runner crosses the start line, potentially shorter lines for characters and a somewhat less crowded course to maneuver through.

 

[challada]

I just want to thank everyone who took time to answer my dumb questions. I am bringing my daughter with me so we both need to clock a 10k, but now I'm thinking I can get us a summer one that will give us a higher place. I was worried about the lines for characters and now think I might just wave and keep moving! I usually pack fueling in my run belt even just for my little 5ks that I've been starting with so I'll bring my own. Also coming over from Pacific Time so I'm expecting to be sleepy but excited!
THANK YOU!!!!

 

[sandam1]

6. How hilly is the route? I run mostly flat now but have one route that I do with severe incline and don't think I could do that for a lot of mileage.

Take it from me - make sure you run the hill!

6. Only hills are highway overpass ramps.

"Only" is a relative term. For the Disney half marathon, the one overpass ramp is about mile 10-11 and it is steep and long, particularly at that point in the race. All I kept thinking was "why didn't anyone on-line warn me about this!!!" (Spoiler alert: after two intervals, I wound up walking to the top). The Toy Story green army men were at the top of the ramp. What I was thinking about their "encouragement" wasn't exactly family friendly.

 

[rteetz]

Take it from me - make sure you run the hill!



"Only" is a relative term. For the Disney half marathon, the one overpass ramp is about mile 10-11 and it is steep and long, particularly at that point in the race. All I kept thinking was "why didn't anyone on-line warn me about this!!!" (Spoiler alert: after two intervals, I wound up walking to the top). The Toy Story green army men were at the top of the ramp. What I was thinking about their "encouragement" wasn't exactly family friendly.

Definitely relative. Some wouldn't consider that ramp much of a hill at all. Overall though the course is pretty flat.

 

[quandrea]

Someone gave me the advice to get a local race under my belt. Great advice! It made me confident and introduced me to all the procedures in place race day.

 

[challada]

Thanks again! I currently train on a massive hill by my home (from sea level to 300' and I choose the straight up instead of switchbacks), so some hill doesn't intimidate me, but lots of late ones would definitely challenge my endurance.

I will shoot for a local one too and get this distance mastered.

Thanks all!

 

[dodukes]

Take it from me - make sure you run the hill!



"Only" is a relative term. For the Disney half marathon, the one overpass ramp is about mile 10-11 and it is steep and long, particularly at that point in the race. All I kept thinking was "why didn't anyone on-line warn me about this!!!" (Spoiler alert: after two intervals, I wound up walking to the top). The Toy Story green army men were at the top of the ramp. What I was thinking about their "encouragement" wasn't exactly family friendly.

Bolding mine! That is hysterical and I would probably be thinking the same thing!

 

[tigger536]

I enjoy sprinting from character to character, but its not for everyone. I like getting all the pictures, and maybe a ride as well. Definitely run a local 10K or half to try to get POT if you can. To me the course is flat (I live in Atlanta so my perspective on what is hilly is skewed, lol). But others do complain about that overpass.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

1. I'm new so don't have a race time to submit. Do I have to?

I started my first half in the very last corral and finished in 3:05 or roughly 25 minutes ahead of the 16 minute per mile minimum pace.

2. I'm slow but not the slowest. If I am in the back corral with my lack of a chipped time, am I missing out on the fun or even on the opportunity to finish? I really want my medal!

Absolutely not. I started the 2017 Dark Side Half from the very last corral, stopped for quite a few photos, and had a great time.

3. How does all the cute picture taking work? Are characters along the route and you stand in a line to do pictures with them? How do you possibly finish if you end up waiting in a line?

If you're slower, you may have to skip character photos or leave the line in order to finish. The length of the line varies. I've waited as little as 2 minutes for a character and as long as 20 minutes for Chip and Dale in their Rescue Rangers costumes. And I'm certainly not very fast at all. Just know that if you took 25 minutes including photo stops to finish a mile, then that mile time was 25 minutes. If you don't have enough cushion in front of the sweep point, you are in danger of being swept.

During the 2017 Dark Side 10K, I was in line to get my photo taken sitting on the Emperor's Throne. When I was 3rd in line, a race official on a bike rode up to us and showed us where the balloon ladies were. He clearly told us that when they arrived to the photo op, we either had to leave the line to join them or stay in line and be swept. I knew I was close enough to not worry, but a few minutes later I saw the balloon ladies arrive there and the buses pulled up effectively blocking everyone behind them from continuing the race.

They will give you warning about where you are in relation to the sweep point if you're in any danger. And if you never hear such a warning, then you are highly likely nowhere near a sweep point.

And if you can't absorb the time to stop for character photos, there are characters in the post race area. And wear your medal to the parks. The characters will make a huge deal out of that. Some of my very favorite character "race" experiences" came with characters in the parks after the race who weren't even on the course just because of how they reacted to my medals and made that extra special for me.

4. How early do you have to take the Disney bus to be there in time for the 5:30 start time for the half?

They will post the bus schedule at your Disney resort. It is early, but they have characters with very long lines to wait in before the race as well.

6. How hilly is the route? I run mostly flat now but have one route that I do with severe incline and don't think I could do that for a lot of mileage.

Relatively flat, but the overpasses can really test you if you're not prepared for any kind of incline.

Eeeek! I registered, got room and tickets to park, got flight, so now I'm in! But, obviously, am a little panicked about it.

You don't need to panic. You're already preparing and you have plenty of time left to continue that preparation. I've heard so many extremely successful endurance runners state that the key to the distance is the long run. Trust your training, do your training, and stick to it as best you can and you should finish just fine.

They count 16 minutes per mile from the last person that crosses the start line. They have lots of warning if you’re falling behind. I don’t think someone who is training and doing ok is risking not finishing, as long as they aren’t ignoring the warnings.

Absolutely. One of the best things to ever happen to me in a race was learning firsthand how the sweep works without being swept. It helped me immensely in not worrying about the sweep and focus my mental energy on the relentless pursuit of forward momentum as @DopeyBadger likes to say.

 

[DopeyBadger]

relentless pursuit of forward momentum as @DopeyBadger likes to say.

To be fair, that's a Coach Charles quote. I've used it from time to time, but definitely his.

 

[BurleyGirl]

Can I ask another newbie question here?
I've read about the bag check, but I don't quite understand how it affects your overall morning. I'm wondering if I even need a bag?

What do you put in your bag? ​

 

[camaker]

Can I ask another newbie question here?
I've read about the bag check, but I don't quite understand how it affects your overall morning. I'm wondering if I even need a bag?
What do you put in your bag?

There are really two “bag checks” at a RunDisney race. The first is a security check of any bag you bring with you, including running belts and similar. That moves very quickly despite the crowds and rarely takes a significant amount of time.

The second is a clear bag that you can put items in and check with race officials to be waiting for you after the race. I may or may not use that bag depending on the race conditions. If it’s cold, I’ll put a light jacket and a pair of sweat pants in it so that I’ve got something warm and dry waiting post race. I might even wear something warm prior to the race and put it in the bag for drop off right before heading to the corrals. If it’s warm, I’ll put a dry shirt and maybe a pair of shorts to change into. It’s all up to you. The bag check process is very quick both from a drop off and pick up standpoint.

 

[tigger536]

1. I'm new so don't have a race time to submit. Do I have to?

You have time before the deadline. Find a local 10K. It is good practice and might get you better placement. You can use a 10K for POT for a disney half.

2. I'm slow but not the slowest. If I am in the back corral with my lack of a chipped time, am I missing out on the fun or even on the opportunity to finish? I really want my medal!

Like others have said, 16 min mile from last starter. If you don't have a POT (but try to get one - see above) and you estimate just over 2:45 for your finish time, you will be put in corral F (Last corral is H, so this gives you a buffer).

3. How does all the cute picture taking work? Are characters along the route and you stand in a line to do pictures with them? How do you possibly finish if you end up waiting in a line?

You have to wait in line. The earlier you start the more time you have (see number 1). Those that start in A/B can run over 4 hour halfs and finish on time. Its fun and I highly recommend it. But rule of thumb: the balloon ladies mark the 16mm last starter pace. Try to stay ahead of them at least until Epcot. The official sweepers are the people on bikes - not the balloon ladies. But if you are still on the roads and fall behind the balloons you are eligible to be swept. Make it into Epcot, and keep moving, you are likely safe even if behind the balloons

4. How early do you have to take the Disney bus to be there in time for the 5:30 start time for the half?

I try to be on a bus before 4.

5. Is there water along the route? Gels? Anything?

Water and power aid almost every mile. Disney does great with on course hydration, no need to carry your own. Beans not until mile 8 (yes the packets are tiny but just take more than one, they mean for you to). Still, you should start fueling well before then, so experiment in training with what you prefer (blocks, beans, gels etc) and take it with you.

6. How hilly is the route? I run mostly flat now but have one route that I do with severe incline and don't think I could do that for a lot of mileage.

Its Florida. Its flat. One or two "hills" of the overpasses but I do not consider these hills. Your mileage (ha!) may vary on this point.

GOOD LUCK, and warn your wallet, because you will now want to do them all.

 

[BurleyGirl]

There are really two “bag checks” at a RunDisney race. The first is a security check of any bag you bring with you, including running belts and similar. That moves very quickly despite the crowds and rarely takes a significant amount of time.

The second is a clear bag that you can put items in and check with race officials to be waiting for you after the race. I may or may not use that bag depending on the race conditions. If it’s cold, I’ll put a light jacket and a pair of sweat pants in it so that I’ve got something warm and dry waiting post race. I might even wear something warm prior to the race and put it in the bag for drop off right before heading to the corrals. If it’s warm, I’ll put a dry shirt and maybe a pair of shorts to change into. It’s all up to you. The bag check process is very quick both from a drop off and pick up standpoint.

Thank you!! Very helpful!

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Sorry to jump on I am considering the race for 2025 my current time is not as bad as I thought it was can I bring my Disney pack back I keep water in it thanks right now my time is a little over 17 min but that was 2 or 3 weeks walking a average of 10,00 to 20,000 steps a day

 

[camaker]

Sorry to jump on I am considering the race for 2025 my current time is not as bad as I thought it was can I bring my Disney pack back I keep water in it thanks right now my time is a little over 17 min but that was 2 or 3 weeks walking a average of 10,00 to 20,000 steps a day

Punctuation is your friend.

Yes, you can bring a hydration backpack to the race.

Not sure if there’s another question in there or not.