AJ, my wife, and I started talking about doing a RunDisney race in 2019. Due to timing and COVID shutdowns, we were able to sign up and get into the 2022. Our decision was to have the whole family run the 5K and for me to do the Dopey Challenge. The Dopey Challenge consists of running 4 races, 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and Marathon, across 4 days for a total of 48.6 miles.
We started RunDisney on Thursday, Jan 6, 2022 and I completed the Walt Disney Marathon and the Dopey Challenge, on Sunday, Jan 10, 2022. The Dopey Challenge was the first time I ran a large road race since 2011. That was something I did not realize until the night before the Half Marathon. If I had realized that, I probably would have trained for the races and would have planned my race gear to better fit the race.
Despite not having properly trained or prepared for the races, I had a lot of fun. It was just an all around good time. I was very happy with how I placed in the 10K, Half, and Marathon races. Like many other races, I also felt I learned a lot about how to run RunDisney and would love to run it again.
Course & Race Description
The RunDisney races are all road races with a huge number of participants, like over 10,000 per race. All the races start in Epcot and depending on the race takes you through a different part of Disney World, with the Marathon taking you through five parks. RunDisney also makes sure to keep the race interesting by having DJs, music, bands, tons of photographers, and characters along the way to take a picture with. Also, many of the runners really get into the spirit with a ton of smiles, dressing up, and lots of teamwork.
Pre-Race
We arrived in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, the day before the races. After checking into our hotel, we went over to the expo to get our race packets. It was amazing to see the Disney engine in full action getting people to the location, pick up their packets, and through the expo. The whole process was ridiculously smooth.
I have to mention I was greatly surprised by the amount of swag that came with the Dopey Challenge. There was a long sleeve tech shirt for each race, plus one for the Goofy Challenge and one for the Dopey Challenge, in addition there was a luggage tag for the 25th Anniversary of the Half Marathon.
That night we decided to take it easy since it was such an early morning. We had an absolutely amazing dinner at the hotel with lots of vegan and vegetarian options, plus the chef made Colette a special lentil dish. I ended up eating so much that I was actually worried I ate too much with a run in the morning.
Pluto 5K
All the races started at 5am and we needed to arrive at Epcot by 4am. That meant getting on the bus at 3:30am. With 2 adults and 2 kids to get up, dressed and out to the bus by 3:30am, meant I had to get up around 2:00am. This would allow me to get ready, do my burpees, have a snack and some coffee, and help get the kids ready.
We had a bit of a rough start, as expected getting 2 kids up before 4am. In the end, we were all ready and on the bus by 3:30am.
When we got to Epcot, it was awesome to see the ball all lit up and all the 50th Anniversary decorations. We took a couple of selfies and had a long walk to the starting corral. The plan was for Delia and I to run together and for AJ and Colette to run together.
Given the size of the crowds and COVID restrictions in place, they were sending out runners in groups. When it was our turn, Delia took off as she usually does. She has an amazing way of weaving in and out of people. I think it has a lot to do with the size of her personal space bubble. For Delia, calling her personal bubble a bubble does not do it justice. It is more of a covering than a bubble.
As we were running, we started to see the lines of people queuing up for pictures. Some of the lines were so long. We decided to keep running, Delia was not too interested in waiting in line to take pictures with the characters.
One of our favorite moments was when we turned the corner to run along the lake and see the large water features and other 50th Anniversary decorations lit up. We pulled over for a quick selfie before continuing.
As we were getting close to the finish, I could tell Delia had a plan to sprint into the finish. She kept asking how close we were to the finish line. Once I said we passed the 3 mile mark, she took off, weaving in and out of the runners. I did everything to keep up with her, but her size and lack of a personal space bubble (see above) made it difficult.
As we approached the finish line, lots of folks were posing and taking pictures. In fact, I was almost smacked in the face by a runner who threw her arms out as she was crossing the finish. Needless to say, my finish line photos were not great.
After we finished, we took another finish line and a medal selfie. We grabbed the snacks and drinks provided and waited for AJ and Colette. Before long they arrived with big smiles on their faces. After a couple more pictures, we got on the bus back to the hotel to get cleaned up, eat breakfast, and start our day full of fun at the Disney parks.
Oswald 10K
Day 2 started early. Since I was the only one running, I did get to sleep in a little longer. I was up at 2:30am. I took my time getting ready. I had a little food, some coffee, did my burpees, and was down at the bus by 3:30am. The starting line and area was the same as the 5K. The vibe was pretty similar to the day before. The crowd size felt a little smaller, but not by much.
I started off at a decent pace. There were a lot of people ahead of me when I started, so it took me a little while to get to a spot where I had a little more space and did not have to weave all around people. I was still always surrounded by people, but the number of people was significantly lower.
There were just as many characters and entertainment on the course as the 5K. I was surprised to see that the characters were different from the ones on the 5K. My favorite character on the course had to be Sarge, the army man from Toy Story. Everyone that took a photo with him owed him 10 pushups before they could leave. Everyone I saw complied with the order.
At about the halfway point, I noticed that the lines for taking photos with the characters were pretty short, less than 5 people. It was not until after the race I realized this was probably because of how fast I was running. It was a small percentage of people running at my pace or faster. Those running that fast seemed less likely to stop and take photos.
Overall I finished in 52:10. I took a couple of finish line selfies before heading to the bus back to the hotel. I was pretty happy with my finish. My first miles were the slowest, which did not surprise me given the size of the pack of runners.
I met my family for breakfast. I then cleaned up and headed to the Disney Parks for a full day of rides and fun. I had a dinner of vegan hot dogs and fries in the park before heading back to the hotel. I was in bed a little later than I wanted, but still at a decent time.
Walt Disney World Half-Marathon: Donald & Daisy – 25th Anniversary
I felt confident about how long everything would take in the morning and my personal schedule. I was up at 2:30am. I decided to run with my water bottle and a little fuel since this was a longer race. I did my usual routine and was down at the bus by 3:30am. Unlike the previous mornings, the bus just left and people were lined up for the next bus. I was not too worried about the time, but this was unexpected.
When we arrived at Epcot, I found that the starting line and corrals were in a different location and quite a bit further away. The Half-Marathon felt significantly bigger than the previous races. There were so many more people. The corrals were set up differently to better handle the crowds and staggered start times.
The larger crowds did not surprise me nor did the type of runners. While the vibe was still fun and there were plenty of costumes, there were many more runners taking the race seriously. In other words, I heard more talk about paces and run strategies. Once I entered the corral, I started to make my way to the front of it. It was not too difficult since it was just me. I got pretty close to the front without being tightly packed in.
Before I knew it, we were off. This race starts on the highway with a much wider paved area to run on. I was weaving my way through the crowd doing my best to not be rude, cut anyone off, or upset another runner’s pace. It took me a little longer to get to a place where I had more space. I was pushing the same pace I did the day before and was feeling great.
The course felt a lot different than the 2 previous ones. We spent more time on the highway and ran through more of the parks. It felt like the distance between things, like water stations, characters, etc. was shorter for the most part, with the exception of a couple of sections where it would probably be problematic to set up. This race had some spectator areas and live bands as well. We even ran through Cinderella’s Castle.
Like the 10K, once I was a couple of miles into the race the lines for photos with characters were extremely short, like 3 people or less. The race and course had a fresh energy and feel from the previous two days. It was a good time.
I finished in 1:52:15 – a slightly slower pace than the previous 10K. It was a little slower than my stretch goal, but still less than the non-committal goal set for myself. Just as I did the previous days, I took a couple of finish line selfies. Unlike the previous days, I saw the professional photo stand area. So I stopped by there for a quick photo before getting on the bus.
I have been running trail races for so long, I forgot how serious even amateur and novice runners can take a half marathon. The passengers on the bus, while in an overall good mood, were not as chill as your average trail runner. They were discussing their paces, training, reviewing their strategies and what went right and what went wrong. While we were sitting on the bus waiting for it to leave, a couple of folks started complaining about how long it was taking us to leave. The bus was not even 10% full at this point. One runner was complaining about how he had to get back to the hotel in a certain time in order to stretch his muscles out and that sitting on the bus was very uncomfortable. I just smiled. I was very content, the bus was warm with soft seats. Not long after, the runner got out of the bus to find someone to let us leave. He returned shortly and was successful because we left right after he was back on the bus.
When we arrived at the hotel, I saw AJ and the girls heading out to the parks. We stopped and chatted a bit before I went back to the room to eat and clean up. I met them in the park for another full day of fun and rides.
I was hoping for an early night since the marathon was the next morning. As evening approached, we had the opportunity to re-ride one of the girl’s favorite rides plus two of the best rated rides that we had not ridden with very short wait times. We decided to stay out a bit longer. Unfortunately, the place we were planning to have dinner at was closed. Given how late it was getting, we decided to have dinner at the hotel. My dinner was pretty simple given the race the next morning, but it was a little light on calories for me.
After dinner, I went to bed. It was later than I had hoped for, but it still was not too late.
Walt Disney World Marathon: Mickey & Minnie
I decided to wake up and get out to the bus a little earlier given the wait getting on the bus and the length of the walk the morning before. This was the first morning I woke up feeling a little tired. I was feeling the runs, the all day Disney adventures, and the super early mornings. I followed the same routine as the other mornings except I had a little extra to eat.
On the bus to the race, I was putting together a custom playlist for the race. I was not able to make a set to cover the entire race, but it was a fun list that would take me through at least half the race. As I was making the list, I was thinking about my hydration and fueling situation. I had mixed Tailwind into my water bottle and had a gel and mini Cliff bar. I was trying to figure out how I was going to handle my hydration needs especially because it was going to be a much warmer day. I knew my bottle would be perfect for a half marathon left (and it was the day before), but what was I going to do for the second half? I realized that I probably should have brought one of my vests.
As I got to my corral, I made my way to the front of it. I ended up next to a few runners that were definitely taking the race more seriously than I was. One guy was talking about his pace and how he was upset at how crowded it was in the beginning of the other races. I think he was aiming for a PR. The Disney marathon seemed like an odd choice for a PR focused race given the amount of people and the very nature of the race, but then again I am not a road racer.
The fireworks fired and we were off. The start of the marathon was the same as the half – lots of people running down the highway. Just like the half, it took me a little while to get enough space to run comfortably at the pace I wanted. The marathon felt a lot like the half marathon. There were tons of racers and volunteers and lots of entertainment, music, characters, support, and even a marching band on the course.
I was running pretty close to the same pace I did in the half marathon. My body was feeling more tired than during the previous races. I was trying to plan when to refuel and hydrate. I wanted to wait until drinking from my bottle, so I grabbed a cup of water at one of the aid stations. It was at this moment I realized, I don’t know how to drink from a cup during a race without pouring half of it on myself. I was better at drinking if I stopped, which was absolutely necessary when I drank the PowerAid on the course. I was also realizing that on my longer runs I am used to having as much water I want to drink when I want it thanks to the hydration vests I usually wear. I finally hit my bottle of Tailwind around the halfway point. I felt good and was keeping my pace up.
Everything was going really well until around mile 16. At that point, I started to really feel the fatigue. I did a quick restroom stop and tried to get back up to the pace I was going. Unfortunately, I was just having too hard of a time getting back to my pace. I had slipped to an over 9 minute pace. Normally, if I was on one of my ultras, I would listen to my body and slow down to not burn myself out. Here I was fighting to try to get back to my pace, but I just haven’t been training and running that way.
My slower pace, the higher temperatures, and overall fatigue was draining. I was doing my best to stay positive. I had to remind myself that this was not the type of race I usually run. I was out here for fun. This was the first marathon that I had run.
When I hit around mile 23, I was feeling fatigued. The fatigue was a whole body kind of fatigue. I had to switch to a fast paced walk. It was driving me crazy that I felt like I had to walk. So I ate another one of my gels and after about a quarter mile, I was back to running. It was not fast, but at least I felt like I was moving.
It seemed to take forever, but I finally reached the 26 mile marker. I kicked it into gear and picked up the pace for the last 0.2 miles. I crossed the finish line in 3:55:55. It was slower than I was hoping for, but I was not unhappy about it. I took a finish line selfie then collected my marathon medal and a marathon mouse ears hat. Since I was a Dopey finisher, I had to go to a special area to collect all my other race stuff including 2 more medals. Once I had all my race stuff, a banana, water, and a PowerAid, I went to the meeting area. It did not take too long for AJ & the girls to find and join me. They brought my other medals for some good photo opportunities. I took a few pictures plus also had a few professional photos taken. I collected my gear and headed to the bus back to the hotel while AJ & the girls went to Epcot.
All Done
I was done. Four races and 48.6 miles done, not to mention all the walking and time on my feet during the days at Disney and super early mornings. It felt great to be done. RunDisney was a lot of fun. The energy, the people, and the logistics were fantastic. I learned a few things, especially if I get the opportunity to run the race again.
- Train for a marathon. I can and do run a lot of ultra trail marathons, but those are different from a marathon. If I do this again, I need to adjust my training for a road marathon.
- Plan my gear better. My gear was perfect for three of the four races. I only carried a little fuel on the 5K and 10K. For the half and full marathon, I carried one bottle with Tailwind and a couple of gels. This was perfect for the half, but was not enough for the full marathon. Next time, I will bring my small hydration vest for the marathon. Having easy access to hydration when I want or need it will be key to success.
- Take the opportunity to take some character photos. When the races were all done, I was a little regretful I did not take photos with some of the characters on the course. Especially after I realized that by running a faster pace meant no lines for photos. Sure it would add a bit to my time, but it would be a fun memory to have.
- Consider wearing a costume. If I run one of these races again, I will seriously consider dressing up a bit.
All in all, the Dopey Challenge was a lot of fun. It is not like the races I run, but that is one of the reasons it was so fun and interesting.
Data Visualizations
I made a couple of simple visualizations on the Dopey Challenge, you can check them out here.