Tell me about the Royal Family 5k

[poohbear8]

I have never done a 5k before, but after seeing everyone with the marathon medals, I decided to give it a shot. (plus, I had exactly 8 weeks to train)

Has anyone done it? What can I expect? What time do I need to catch the bus? Do the runners wear costumes like in the 1/2? Is there anything you wish someone had told you for your first 5k?

TIA!

 

[JCH]

I have never done a 5k before, but after seeing everyone with the marathon medals, I decided to give it a shot. (plus, I had exactly 8 weeks to train)

Has anyone done it? What can I expect? What time do I need to catch the bus? Do the runners wear costumes like in the 1/2? Is there anything you wish someone had told you for your first 5k?

TIA!

I haven't done the Royal Family, but did the Halloween 5k and the Family Fiesta 5k this year, so I'll give some input!

Basically, they are awesome. They do not even compare to other 5ks. The DJ, the fireworks, the characters, the excitement. I was so disappointed when I did a 10k that was attached to a non-Disney marathon and it was soooo boring. You will have a great time!

Catch the bus around 4:30-5. Earlier is better if you want to get a picture with Minnie and Mickey as that line gets long fast! I was paranoid for the Halloween 5k and was on the first bus, but that meant there was no wait for Scarecrow Mickey and Witch Minnie!

Yes, there will be costumes. Sometimes the costumes are even more elaborate since it is much easier to do 3.1 miles than 13.1 mies in a costume. But there will also be a lot of first time 5kers in their race t-shirt.

I wish someone had told me th dreaded sweepers seem to sit out the 5ks, so do not worry about not finishing and take a picture or two!

And also, wear your medal after the race. In the running community, a 5k may seem trivial, but normal guests in the park are impressed. The characters also make a big deal about the medal.

Hope this helps, have fun!

 

[poohbear8]

Thank you so much for the reply!!

So, you mean I need to catch the bus at 4:30AM for the 5k??!! Wow, I didn't realize, but I'll be there now.

How many people stop to take pictures vs just run the whole thing? I am not a runner, but am training with c25k, so I originally "thought" I wanted to run the whole thing, so I can say I did, but then I miss all of the characters.

Will I finds things geared towards the 5k at the Expo, or is it all 1/2 stuff. I'd love to get a shirt that said I did it. It's going to be a big deal once I get through it.

Good to know about the sweepers too!

 

[JCH]

Thank you so much for the reply!!

So, you mean I need to catch the bus at 4:30AM for the 5k??!! Wow, I didn't realize, but I'll be there now.

How many people stop to take pictures vs just run the whole thing? I am not a runner, but am training with c25k, so I originally "thought" I wanted to run the whole thing, so I can say I did, but then I miss all of the characters.

Will I finds things geared towards the 5k at the Expo, or is it all 1/2 stuff. I'd love to get a shirt that said I did it. It's going to be a big deal once I get through it.

Good to know about the sweepers too!

1. Just double checked and it is 5 for the Royal Family 5k. The Family Fiesta started earlier.

2. I would say more people run/walk. Some people stop for pictures, others don't. Get at least one "look at me running at Disney" picture. There will also be bright room photographers, so try to take notice when they are around and smile. There will be a professional photo op at the end in front of an official banner.

3. No, you won't find any 5k stuff. There will be general runDisney stuff, and you will get a 5k shirt in your race packet, as well as the "medal" at the end. Wear it proudly!

 

[stitchfan18]

Here's a link about my experience with the Royal Family 5k last year!
http://runningechols.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/royal-family-5k-recap/

I've heard of people designing there own 'I did it' shirts at the shirt designing store in DTD after races. You might think about something similar if you want a shirt beyond the shirt that comes with your race stuff.

 

[poohbear8]

Thanks for sharing your blog! There seem to be many, many people walking. It doesn't look like anyone could really "run" it unless they got there early.

I thought of another question: I have seen people say they will be signing up for the ToT run at the Expo. Do you save money by doing it then? Is that cheaper than doing it online before I go?

Is there anything from the expo, you wish you knew ahead of time? Any booth to look for first? I plan to get there as early as I can on Friday to get there before the crowds come in.

 

[stitchfan18]

Thanks for sharing your blog! There seem to be many, many people walking. It doesn't look like anyone could really "run" it unless they got there early.

I thought of another question: I have seen people say they will be signing up for the ToT run at the Expo. Do you save money by doing it then? Is that cheaper than doing it online before I go?

Is there anything from the expo, you wish you knew ahead of time? Any booth to look for first? I plan to get there as early as I can on Friday to get there before the crowds come in.

There are a lot of walkers, but you can run if you want. When lining up most people seem to fudge on their pace a little a line up a minute or so faster than they usually go. I lined up with the 9 minute milers at the 5k a few weeks ago and ended up running with the flow and finishing mile one in around 10 minutes.

I think if you sign up at the expo there will be no online fee, but other than that I don't think there is much of a discount. Maybe some little freebie.

Definitely get there early. I just remembered that my mom who did the 5k last year got a cute disney themed running shirt at the raw threads booth, so if you want a disney themed running shirt to celebrate you might check them out. It's really fun to just look around at all the items everyone has, so schedule a couple hours to browse if you want to shop!

 

[kmg148]

I did the Best Friends 5k in January of last year. I ran/walked without any training at all. Actually, that was technically the first day I started any kind of walking/running exercise and my dreams of marathons were born!

I really enjoyed it. It's a little pricey, but worth it. There are generic "Marathon Weekend" shirts and cups and things, but I'm not sure if they do a similar "Princess Weekend" branding on certain things when it comes to that weekend.

It's difficult to run in the beginning, but after the first half mile/mile, people start to spread out. Keep your eye out for the characters, sometimes people in costume cause the actual characters to blend in! I saw the most around World Showcase.

I would say if you are training, it will be an advantage to be around the 9-11mm markers. As someone said already, people tend to line up in a spot faster than what they actually run. If you wait and end up in the back, the lines for the characters might be longer. I lined up at the 9mm flag and didn't see too many lines.

 

[JCH]

I did the Best Friends 5k in January of last year. I ran/walked without any training at all. Actually, that was technically the first day I started any kind of walking/running exercise and my dreams of marathons were born!

I really enjoyed it. It's a little pricey, but worth it. There are generic "Marathon Weekend" shirts and cups and things, but I'm not sure if they do a similar "Princess Weekend" branding on certain things when it comes to that weekend.

It's difficult to run in the beginning, but after the first half mile/mile, people start to spread out. Keep your eye out for the characters, sometimes people in costume cause the actual characters to blend in! I saw the most around World Showcase.

I would say if you are training, it will be an advantage to be around the 9-11mm markers. As someone said already, people tend to line up in a spot faster than what they actually run. If you wait and end up in the back, the lines for the characters might be longer. I lined up at the 9mm flag and didn't see too many lines.

On the subject of where to go, for the Family Fiesta they did really last minute waves. They wanted people with a 9mm or better in the first wave, 10-15 in the second, and walkers in the third. I'm about a 14, but it was so packed I couldn't even get into the second wave corral and had to start in the third wave. I was not the only one! I felt so bad for a few older women who, assuming that everyone would be walking as per the instructions, were at the front of the wave and got nearly trampled. It was a bit of a mess!

 

[fashionista311]

I did the Best Friends 5k in January of last year. I ran/walked without any training at all. Actually, that was technically the first day I started any kind of walking/running exercise and my dreams of marathons were born!

I really enjoyed it. It's a little pricey, but worth it. There are generic "Marathon Weekend" shirts and cups and things, but I'm not sure if they do a similar "Princess Weekend" branding on certain things when it comes to that weekend.

It's difficult to run in the beginning, but after the first half mile/mile, people start to spread out. Keep your eye out for the characters, sometimes people in costume cause the actual characters to blend in! I saw the most around World Showcase.

I would say if you are training, it will be an advantage to be around the 9-11mm markers. As someone said already, people tend to line up in a spot faster than what they actually run. If you wait and end up in the back, the lines for the characters might be longer. I lined up at the 9mm flag and didn't see too many lines.

not to be that person - but in a 5K race where seconds count as much as minutes, there is a HUGE difference between a 9 min/mile and an 11 min/mile. It's super frustrating to spend the first mile or so of a race dodging runners who incorrectly line up no matter what the distance is, but if you have to dodge ppl for the first mile of the 5K, your race is already 1/3 over! I know this is a more casual fun run and it's not even chip-timed but still. Plus, it's a bad habit to breed. Let's all do our part to make sure everyone has a great race day experience

 

[Qltrgrl2]

not to be that person - but in a 5K race where seconds count as much as minutes, there is a HUGE difference between a 9 min/mile and an 11 min/mile. It's super frustrating to spend the first mile or so of a race dodging runners who incorrectly line up no matter what the distance is, but if you have to dodge ppl for the first mile of the 5K, your race is already 1/3 over! I know this is a more casual fun run and it's not even chip-timed but still. Plus, it's a bad habit to breed. Let's all do our part to make sure everyone has a great race day experience

I could not agree more. If you have trained hard and are capable of running a 9 minute mile, by all means line up with that group. But if you have not trained at that pace, it is unfair to the runners who do. Let's all enjoy the races and use proper race etiquette.
Happy Running!
Pam

 

[jmasgat]

I thought of another question: I have seen people say they will be signing up for the ToT run at the Expo. Do you save money by doing it then? Is that cheaper than doing it online before I go?

Usually the only thing that signing up there would do is save you Active.com fee. They don't give any discount for races (from what I have seen)

Maura

 

[stitchfan18]

not to be that person - but in a 5K race where seconds count as much as minutes, there is a HUGE difference between a 9 min/mile and an 11 min/mile. It's super frustrating to spend the first mile or so of a race dodging runners who incorrectly line up no matter what the distance is, but if you have to dodge ppl for the first mile of the 5K, your race is already 1/3 over! I know this is a more casual fun run and it's not even chip-timed but still. Plus, it's a bad habit to breed. Let's all do our part to make sure everyone has a great race day experience

I wasn't trying to suggest that anyone line up in the wrong spot, I agree that it is totally annoying when someone is a lot slower than the pace they originally lined up at. I was making an observation that most people tend to fudge on their pace. I lined up at the 5k a few weeks ago planning to run 9 minutes/mile and the pace of those around me ended up being slower.

 

[kmg148]

not to be that person - but in a 5K race where seconds count as much as minutes, there is a HUGE difference between a 9 min/mile and an 11 min/mile. It's super frustrating to spend the first mile or so of a race dodging runners who incorrectly line up no matter what the distance is, but if you have to dodge ppl for the first mile of the 5K, your race is already 1/3 over! I know this is a more casual fun run and it's not even chip-timed but still. Plus, it's a bad habit to breed. Let's all do our part to make sure everyone has a great race day experience

I apologize that you guys thought I meant to line up there anyway? I really only meant to line up there if you could run or walk a 9, 10 or 11 minute minute. The OP said she was training, so I was only suggesting what mileage to aim for. I know how much of a difference there is, as I'm having trouble breaking the 11 minute mile.

I'm sorry that came off the wrong way.

 

[krn82259]

Thanks for all of this great info, it answered a lot of my questions, too. I have been training with C25K, and it has been really hard, but I am sticking with it. This will be the first time I have ever done anything like this. Now that I see that so many people walk it, I feel a little better. See everyone soon!

 

[longhorns2]

I did it last year- it is a totally chilled out race. No sweepers that I could see- and I finished around 18 min miles due to stopping and taking pictures- and being pregnant!

Even the runners in the front seemed pretty congested for that first parking lot mile. I don't think this is a run for runners and PRing- because it's so short, there is no where to make up the time later if you want to!

I thought the 5K was way more fun than the half- but that might be because it was way shorter. LOL I say go for it- and have no fear of being swept. Just line up in the appropriate speed for you and have fun. I finished with PLENTY of people still behind me on the course, so they are really not going to kick you off if you have to go a little slower. At least last year they didn't!

I would run from character to character- stop, get a pic, then run again to the next one. It didn't feel much like running! There were princesses at almost every country if I remember correctly. And Alice and Mad Hatter towards the end of WS.

Getting through the parking lot was the slowest most boring part, but once you got into the world it was very very fun!

I am not doing it again this year because I think it might have tired my legs a bit for the half last year, but I am very much missing the experience already! I wish they would do the half on Sat and the 5K on Sunday- cause it would be a great recovery run! But I know they won't change the order.

 

[PrincessV]

OP, thanks for starting this thread, and thanks to all who responded - the Royal Family will be my first Disney race and this answered LOTS of my questions!

Especially helpful is the info, about pace/sweepers: I'm doing this with my 9yo and, if this weekend's training run was any indication, I expect many stops to tie shoes, use a restroom, look at an interesting cloud, check out a weird spot on the pavement... I can only imagine what adding Disney into the mix will do!

 

[scion5220]

People who register for these races really need to keep in mind that they are billed as "Family FUN Runs". They are NOT timed and they allow strollers. So don't register thinking you are going to go out there are worry about what pace you are maintaining. While you may be timing yourself, to complain about the pace others around you are keeping is a little misguided in a fun run. IMHO

If you want a more strict race enter a regular 5K.

Just enjoy the race and take photos and have FUN!

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I'm interested in seeing the medal design for the 5K. I'm doing the half, but I thought the 5K medal last year was really well done. I heard the theme will be Tangled, which I love. I think it's my 2nd favorite princess movie.

 

[poohbear8]

Thank you for all of the replies! I'm feeling a better now that I know what to expect. There is a chance I might have a rental car. IF I were to drive vs take the bus, any idea what time I would want to leave ASsports? How early did you get to the bust stop? I've read stories of very long lines at the resorts.

Also, at the end, do they bus you from Epcot back to your resort or do they put you on the monorail to TTC?

As for where I will be lining up...trust me, it will be where I can handle and where I should be. I have no desire to be the one everyone else is running around. I'm taking my training slow and not pushing myself hard for fear of injury. I don't know where I will end up, but I'm happy to say I have seen progress even in the first 2 weeks!