SPD/GAD and runDisney

[scrapshappen]

My 12 yo DS with Sensory Processing issues and an anxiety disorder (among other things) begged to run the Disneyland 10K with me over Labor Day weekend. Now that I've paid for a non refundable, non transferable bib for him, I'm starting to panic that it's going to be too much for him neurologically. Physically he'll be fine and I'll have him train with me over the summer. But I worry that the crowds will do him in and it will be miserable for both of us and my DH who is also running his first.

Has anyone done a race like this before with an SPD/GAD kid? Any tips for us? Maybe I'm over thinking it and running will actually help with overload issues.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I would think that, when starting the race, the crowd of runners will be very large and dense. I know that my son (who has Asperger's and anxiety) does not like being touched or bumped by strangers. This kind of crowd would be way too big and overwhelming for him. If this is also the case with your son, you might want to hang toward the back of the crowd where people aren't trying to pass you and jockeying for position early on. Staying where the crowd is thinner might help him feel more comfortable.

 

[SMD]

Have you thought about doing a smaller, local 5K to get an idea if even that will be ok in case you do have to let his registration go. If you do start at the back, runDisney will be very strict about the pacing requirement and you'll be giving up any time buffer by doing that. But getting swept might be better than being in the sea of people that is the corrals. One thing you could try to do is actually get there early, find a spot on the curb that is near a natural barrier like a trashcan and sit next to that. But people will still be milling around and squished together until your corral moves. And there will be speakers with music and the announcers talk a lot. You might consider some earplugs for the corral or avoiding being near a speaker if possible. The other thing that happens at runDisney races that you don't see at a lot of others is the faster runners will sprint ahead to photo ops and then resume their pace after waiting in the line. So while you're mostly around people going the same pace as you, it's pretty common for someone to whiz past you from behind and bump into you. You may want to mentally prepare for that and review race etiquette to try to minimize it. Though people not following race etiquette is something else you'll encounter.

If you did Star Wars I'd say it's not quite as bad because the theme isn't as popular, but hard to say. At the first Star Wars race there were so many inexperienced runners and kids that were running in circles it felt like I was being bumped every few feet. I worried that it was me, so at one point I started following a straight line on the ground to make sure I wasn't veering into people, but it kept happening and that was when I really noticed the kids running zig zags and stuff. Someone even stepped on my shoe in a wide open area and when I stopped at a bench to fix it, someone didn't see my on the bench and ran into me.

 

[scrapshappen]

Thanks for your thoughts. All great things to think about.

We are planning a local 5K or 10K in July. Hopefully that will give him an idea of what it's like and us an idea if we are crazy for even trying.

I'm thinking I could give him my phone and some ear buds during the long corral wait time and while he will probably kill the battery, at least he can listen to music or play a game and tune out the noise and the crowd. Then once the race starts, I'll slip them into my running buddy.

He is more a sensory seeker than avoider. But then he gets overloaded and falls apart. So the incidental bumping or touching won't be too bad until it is.

And I plan to drill race etiquette into his brain. He may not remember it during the race, but at least I can then remind him of it instead of teach it to him during the race.

I'm more worried about being able to keep up with him than getting swept. He has that classic motor-driven ADHD thing going for him too that I don't have. We'll have to do lots of practice staying together this summer and maybe I'll get my times down with his help.

I did most of my winter running on an indoor track and sometimes on Saturdays rec sports were also happening at the gym. I know all about kids who zig zag and pay no attention to what is happening around them. It's so frustrating and one of the reasons I didn't let him run with me this winter. Spring and summer are out on the trail that runs past our subdivision so there will be more space and time to teach him.

 

[SMD]

The race etiquette thing is sort of a 2 way street. I mean, I don't want to get in anyone's way because I know I'm slow, so I read up on how I should be running/walking to keep myself out of the fray. And I'm not trying to PR at a 5K Disney race, I'm paying a lot for that experience! But, then it makes it more frustrating when you perceive that other people are bumping you because they have "bad etiquette" or whatnot. This is one of those, you know your kid best. I know my friend told her Aspie not to worry because they'd get the medal even if they don't finish, and now the kid is obsessed with people who don't earn the medal. I was volunteering with them at a race and I had to walk away from them in the finish area because I wanted to clap my hand over the kid's mouth trying to check if people really "earned" the medal. I honestly think that if someone passed that kid on the wrong side there would be a meltdown mid-course and I often think, "I bet you curse the day you gave that kid their first "rule." But anyway, what scares me away from the September races is he heat. I'm already going to exercise, I don't need to sweat more because it's really, really hot.

 

[scrapshappen]

I know ASD kids just like you are describing, SMD. Thankfully, he doesn't do that. Rules are meant to be broken in his world.

 

[JennyDrake]

I'm a run Disney veteran of sorts....you will not have issues ON COURSE as you can space yourselves out nicely. The corrals will be problematic. People are PACKED into the corrals for *at least* an hour before start. THEN you have to wait for the faster corrals to go...I have been in a corral for as long as 1 hour, 50 minutes for a 10K at DW.

I totally agree with practicing with at least 2 local runs, especially if you can find ones with crowded corrals. It will also be dark with music blaring. Hope that helps you prepare!