tips for runDisney newbie...can't wait for W&D 2014!!!

[neme9xu]

Doing my first Wine & Dine half marathon with my BFF and DH DD's are doing the kids races earlier in the day, any tips or advice for a runDisney newbie? What can I expect on race day, I've heard we have to arrive really early, is that true? DD's are staying with nana and papa while the adults enjoy the race and after party

 

[JennyDrake]

You have to be there ridiculously early. Bring a trash bag to sit on and a book or magazine you can throw away. Unless you are super duper fit, you do not want to spend all that time standing and pre-exhaust yourself.

Consider wearing a "throwaway" sweat shirt or jacket as it can be cool waiting for the run to start, but then you ditch it in the first mile.

Expect there to be ten times as many people as you could have EVER imagined, but once you get out on course, the herd will thin out.

That 16 min/mile maximum time? Take it seriously.

If you are in the "slow as a tortoise, but hey I'm here corral" with me, you will spend close to an hour once you are packed into the corral before starting.

Finally, be prepared to have the time of your life!! I'm serious! There is NOTHING as cool as running through WDW parks at night. Feel free to PM me!

 

[srbrophy]

Agree completely. Don't forget to bring Chapstick and a snack -you will likely be there for two hours before the race starts

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

I always bring a cheap ($2-3 at Wally World) fleece blanket. Some of its many purposes:

Cushion (folded up).
Kilt if your legs are cold.
Wrap if your arms are cold.
Hoody if your head is cold.
BIG Kleenex if your nose is cold.
Cape if you feel like a super hero.
Blanky if you're Linus.
Privacy shield for last minute wardrobe adjustments.

You get the idea. For 3 bucks you get many options and you pitch it when you're done. If you're lucky, you can even get a Disney-themed one.

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

DO NOT go into the parks the day of the race!

My friends and I thought we'd be fine to hit Animal Kingdom for a few hours (9-2, then take a nap from 3-7, and hop on the race bus). We were all feeling pretty worn by the first few miles. Make it a resort day, relax by the pool, enjoy some TV, but don't use up all of your energy early in the day.

Also, remember, the race starts at 10pm, and even with a 2 hour finish time, you'd be crossing the finish at midnight! If you really want to do the afterparty, don't forget to sleep in and really take it easy. Also make sure to pack in your race bag (to check):

Baby wipes/something to freshen your body with
Fresh underwear
Fresh set of clothes
Walking shoes (sandals are great if you want to let your feet breathe, or something wider since chances are high that your feet will be a bit swollen)
Brush or comb
Money if you want to purchase extra food/drinks at the party
ID if you want to purchase adult drinks or water(!!!) at the party
A small snack to hold you over until you actually get in to the after party!

We had a blast last year, but it took a while for the crowd to actually be let into EPCOT past Spaceship Earth as you have to actually cross the race path. By the time we made it to the World Showcase, we were basically hangry at the world until we got to Germany and got some Streudel!

 

[neme9xu]

Where do you wait, in your corral? What's the communication like to runners at the actual race, is it totally chaos or easy to figure out what's going on?

And that day we plan on doing the kids races in the AM with our DDs, lunch and then back to the hotel to rest up .

Great ideas for what to bring and have for after the race, have any of you actually stayed, what's the party like, do lots of people stay? I can only imagine what the crowds will be like, probably totally overwhelming...I can hardly wait though...eeek

 

[neme9xu]

I always bring a cheap ($2-3 at Wally World) fleece blanket. Some of its many purposes: Cushion (folded up). Kilt if your legs are cold. Wrap if your arms are cold. Hoody if your head is cold. BIG Kleenex if your nose is cold. Cape if you feel like a super hero. Blanky if you're Linus. Privacy shield for last minute wardrobe adjustments. You get the idea. For 3 bucks you get many options and you pitch it when you're done. If you're lucky, you can even get a Disney-themed one.

Ok, this is great...thank you

 

[RunDisney Crazy]

My thoughts actually differ a little. I've never run W&D so my experience just comes from morning races (WDW Marathon weekend). It was my first so I was at the bus stop by 4:15 (at the latest as they stated) like they said on that first day, me and about 10 others. Lesson learned, the other 3 races, were closer to 4:45 with everyone else who had run before. Still made it with time to spare before the races started and if you're not in corral A, there's a ton of time so no need to be the early bird on the buses!

I ran 4 days in a row, got up at 3:30 each morning but still hit the parks for pretty much the better part of the day and night. If you're going for strictly running, then yes, you may want to kick back, but for us it was a Disney vacation as much as running in the races. Now the temps in January are much cooler than during the W&D but I think it's personal preference.

Love the ideas of what to pack though. We are running the ToT and veterans mentioned pretty much the same things!

 

[neme9xu]

My thoughts actually differ a little. I've never run W&D so my experience just comes from morning races (WDW Marathon weekend). It was my first so I was at the bus stop by 4:15 (at the latest as they stated) like they said on that first day, me and about 10 others. Lesson learned, the other 3 races, were closer to 4:45 with everyone else who had run before. Still made it with time to spare before the races started and if you're not in corral A, there's a ton of time so no need to be the early bird on the buses! I ran 4 days in a row, got up at 3:30 each morning but still hit the parks for pretty much the better part of the day and night. If you're going for strictly running, then yes, you may want to kick back, but for us it was a Disney vacation as much as running in the races. Now the temps in January are much cooler than during the W&D but I think it's personal preference. Love the ideas of what to pack though. We are running the ToT and veterans mentioned pretty much the same things!

RunDisney Crazy, what are the corrals like, just trying to gauge if my friend and I will be in the same corral, she runs about a two hour half and my goal is 1:45. How many corrals are there, I just talked to someone today that did the ToT last year and he said it took him a little over an hour to get to the start from a later corral.

And we are going for both the running and the vacation, which is why we are doing the race early and then staying to enjoy the parks for a week after

 

[jeanigor]

My thoughts actually differ a little. I've never run W&D so my experience just comes from morning races (WDW Marathon weekend). It was my first so I was at the bus stop by 4:15 (at the latest as they stated) like they said on that first day, me and about 10 others. Lesson learned, the other 3 races, were closer to 4:45 with everyone else who had run before. Still made it with time to spare before the races started and if you're not in corral A, there's a ton of time so no need to be the early bird on the buses!

I ran 4 days in a row, got up at 3:30 each morning but still hit the parks for pretty much the better part of the day and night. If you're going for strictly running, then yes, you may want to kick back, but for us it was a Disney vacation as much as running in the races. Now the temps in January are much cooler than during the W&D but I think it's personal preference.

While these things are true of Marathon Weekend, its slightly adjusted for the Wine & Dine. There are many more non-race people out and about on the roads and the buses take longer to travel along with the fact that they close the road leading to the start. I've been on the bus to the WWoS (starting area) anywhere from 6:30-7:45. The closer you wait until the last pick-up the more crowded the bus and the longer you wait in line (and more anxious you may become). It does seem rather absurd to be at the WWoS two hours before the first corral is released, especially if you are in a latter corral.

I would say that walking around post race (as I also did after the Dopey) is a great idea and healthy for your legs, but walking around and being awake all the extra time (humans do need sleep after all) before the race and party might be a tad rough. I found what I did last year to fit me well. I went to the MVMCP on Friday night and closed it. Got back to the resort around 1am. Stayed up to run the Mickey's Jammin' Jungle 5K. Went back to the resort, showered and went to sleep. I got up around 4pm (roughly 8 hours of sleep) had my dinner, put on my race clothes and went to the start around 7:15ish.
I was one of the last people out of Epcot after the After Party, as I was in the American Pavilion when they turned off the music and returned the lighting to normal.

RunDisney Crazy, what are the corrals like, just trying to gauge if my friend and I will be in the same corral, she runs about a two hour half and my goal is 1:45. How many corrals are there, I just talked to someone today that did the ToT last year and he said it took him a little over an hour to get to the start from a later corral.

And we are going for both the running and the vacation, which is why we are doing the race early and then staying to enjoy the parks for a week after

It will depend upon what your proof of times are and how close they are to each other where you will be placed. Even if you are placed in separate corrals, whomever is placed in an earlier corral can move back toward a later corral.

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

I ran 4 days in a row, got up at 3:30 each morning but still hit the parks for pretty much the better part of the day and night. If you're going for strictly running, then yes, you may want to kick back, but for us it was a Disney vacation as much as running in the races. Now the temps in January are much cooler than during the W&D but I think it's personal preference.

Yes, but the difference is that you walked around after a race (good to keep your legs loose) and then went to bed and raced the next day on fresh legs. Had you walked around for several hours before the race you might have felt a bit differently

 

[RunDisney Crazy]

That is true. It's just a lot of people are like run the race and don't do anything else. I want to take it all in.

 

[RunDisney Crazy]

RunDisney Crazy, what are the corrals like, just trying to gauge if my friend and I will be in the same corral, she runs about a two hour half and my goal is 1:45. How many corrals are there, I just talked to someone today that did the ToT last year and he said it took him a little over an hour to get to the start from a later corral.

And we are going for both the running and the vacation, which is why we are doing the race early and then staying to enjoy the parks for a week after

Here is a link to the TOT corrals and times from last year. Just to give you an idea.

But for the race like the Marathon, I think the corrals went all the way up to P maybe. I dropped back to like L to meet up with my wife and it took about an hour, like 5 minutes between corrals. We were able to sneak someone else up to the corral. They watch very closely but there was such a large influx we kinda skirted her inbetween us and walked pass the cast members as they were checking others. I saw quite a few females jump the fences to get into corrals as well.

I think staying afterwards is a great idea. As long as the legs aren't sore. Before you run, you don't want to tire out and fill up on Mickey bars! Ha! But I must say, we didn't put in nearly the training that is suggested and the next day we were sore. But it helped to walk around.

 

[JennyDrake]

Where do you wait, in your corral? What's the communication like to runners at the actual race, is it totally chaos or easy to figure out what's going on?

And that day we plan on doing the kids races in the AM with our DDs, lunch and then back to the hotel to rest up .

Great ideas for what to bring and have for after the race, have any of you actually stayed, what's the party like, do lots of people stay? I can only imagine what the crowds will be like, probably totally overwhelming...I can hardly wait though...eeek

You wait first in the giant parking lot. There is a DJ with LOTS of music and even some dancing (like the chicken dance, hokey pokey, etc.) The DJ will announce when it is time to get to the corrals, but note that they are open the whole time.

GO PEE BEFORE GETTING INTO THE CORRAL.

There will be at least 10 corrals. They will start Corral A, then 5 min later, Corral B, so you see you could be standing in close quarters for some time.

It's fairly easy to figure out what is going on.

_I_ don't bring all the stuff to check. Everyone is sweaty and everyone has bad hair.....

The party is pretty crowded; not to be doom and loom, but if you are at the 16 min mile pace and in the last corral, you aren't going to have a lot of time to spend at the party.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I did the 2012 Wine & Dine as the final leg of my C2C. It was great.

Two tips about training that I want to pass along. Train at night for a night time race so your body is used to late night running. If you do that, you'll also need to experiment with how your stomach reacts to meals during the day before a late night run.

Also, try and simulate the course as best you can when training. Thanks to all the runners who had gone before me, I knew about the mile 8 hill. When I finished that hill, my first thought was that wasn't as bad as people made it sound. But at the same time, their experience helped me prepare for it. I learned that the hard way the year before at the Disneyland 1/2.

You definitely don't want to do too much the day before, but I did go to Epcot for a couple of hours. After a few hours watching college football in my hotel room on race day, I realized I was going stir crazy and needed to get out of my hotel room and think less about the race.

I went to Epcot for lunch and rides that featured short lines and lots of sitting down (Living with the Land and Universe of Energy. I never even made it to World Showcase that day. At about 4:00, I went back to my resort, ate a light dinner, and went back to my room for a few hours rest and final preparation before getting on the bus about 7:00pm.

Yes, I was sitting around a lot before the race, but the time passed quickly especially as I met up with a group of DISers. And I'd rather be really early than cut it too close. I finished the race about 1:45 and enjoyed the last couple of hours of the party.

 

[RunDisney Crazy]

Yeah, I think the Saturday of the race will be our Downtown Disney Day. We just went in January but I didn't want to waste a day of tickets on the park and only hit it for a couple of hours. So I figure, go there, eat some lunch, maybe early supper, drink a few beers, do some shopping and maybe the balloon ride. Basically take it easy for the run and all night party!