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CT JEFF
I really enjoyed the 10 Miler Tower of Terror run this past weekend. They were predicting warmer than usual weather. There was some humidity, but temp cooled down to 77 at start of race. The support was really good. Powerade & Water every mile. Medical tent set-up if needed. Great audio warnings "sharp turn ahead", "uneven surfaces" spoken clearly and loudly. You probably heard the warning 4x before getting to the issue.
The course, was pretty good. Mostly flat. Theres an incline as you go up the on-ramp early in the run. The course went out from Hollywood Studios and to Animal Kingdom, then back towards ESPN. At ESPN, you take some sharp turns to take a lap on the track and a lap around a baseball diamond. Then you are back on the road heading towards HS. There were markers about every mile with the GUN time. (I couldnt see what mile the signs were - print too small) There was a section of dirt road about 1/2 mile long that would have been fine, but some of the lights were out, and running in the dark wasnt too fun. But it was brief.
Last negative, the final mile. There were tons of volunteers. They all kept saying "you're almost there" there were so many turns down the streets, you couldnt see the finish. So I ended up pushing too early. I got burnt out and almost went down to a walk with 1/4 - 1/2 a mile to go.
The good news, the whole race is a fun race. Lots of costumes. Few people trying to PR. Lots of photo opportunities. Great volunteers. They were very encouraging, and a lot of them. The post race party was pretty good too. Got my photo with lots of villians, and had a good time riding the rides in the closed park. Stayed till they kicked us out.
RUN SAFE. Barefoot 1st: 6/9/13. PR: 5k=22:50 10k=47:46 HM 1:51. FM 4:28 Oct 2015 joined RUN 169!
Live Free & Run
Glad you had a great time! I've always wanted to run that course and its nice to hear from people that have actually run to hear their feedback from the event.
The HM I ran in January 2012 at Disney (the Donald Duck version) is my favorite race I've run. It was not only fun, entertaining, and relaxed, it was so well organized from the packet pick-up, corral assignments, mile markers with gun time clock, and presentation. I mean the people made me feel like I was a big deal running that race! The volunteers were class-acts and wicked helpful and friendly. It was the smaller things I loved, like I could sign-up to have various friends and family notified of my statue as certain points (5K, 10K, etc). Maybe this is normal for big races but this was my first "big" race.
PRs
1-Mile - 6:18 on 4-4-2015
5K - 21:48 on 10-31-2015
10K - 47:57 on 10-24-2015
HM - 1:52:36 on 3-25-2017
FULL - 4:41:12 on 1-11-2015
Upcoming Races
Tanger Outlet 5K
Disney World 19.3 Challenge
Race the Runways 10K
Leigh, I agree. I have been involved with some big races that were done well, but I think Disney did everything they could do right. The communication was excellent. The only thing that wasnt really communicated was whether hydration packs would be allowed or not. I also signed up for the text and FB alerts at the 3.1 and 6.2 marks. I liked that they were there. The Expo was run well, but it took me a minute to get oriented.
I ended up buying all the running photos.
During the Marathon weekend the expo is totally packed. The expo is totally Disney in that it's a "designed experience." You must wade through the vendors and exhibitors before getting to packet pickup. Entrances and exits are one way. I found this a little annoying since I just wanted to grab my stuff and get back with the family for dinner.
Another thing I found is that running tangents at Disney are impossible, even at the head of the race. When running on a winding and crested three lane highway hitting tangents is nearly impossible.
Starting at 5:30 in the morning sucks too. I ran 80% of my race in darkness. I don't have a problem with running in the dark but it underscores how early you have to start. Beer is served in the finishing area starting at 7AM. This year I had the first two pours.
Starting in one of the corrals at the back has to suck. When I was coming back 11-12 miles into my half folks were still starting. I can't imagine getting up so early then waiting over 2 hours in corrals just to start a half. Do whatever you can to get in a lower corral. It won't take much more than a race time to get moved half way up.
I'm now thee months out from running the full, which I expect will be 27 miles. My wife has already made all of our dinner reservations but I'm more looking forward to adult beverages at epcot. Last year I tried twice but didn't make it around the world. I've been practicing and think I'll make it all the way around this year.
Holy crap. I just noticed that you are "Barefoot Jeff" as well as Jeff from CT. I can't imagine running 10 miles barefoot. That wold be TERRIFYING!
During the Marathon weekend the expo is totally packed. The expo is totally Disney in that it's a "designed experience." You must wade through the vendors and exhibitors before getting to packet pickup. Entrances and exits are one way. I found this a little annoying since I just wanted to grab my stuff and get back with the family for dinner. Another thing I found is that running tangents at Disney are impossible, even at the head of the race. When running on a winding and crested three lane highway hitting tangents is nearly impossible. Starting at 5:30 in the morning sucks too. I ran 80% of my race in darkness. I don't have a problem with running in the dark but it underscores how early you have to start. Beer is served in the finishing area starting at 7AM. This year I had the first two pours. Starting in one of the corrals at the back has to suck. When I was coming back 11-12 miles into my half folks were still starting. I can't imagine getting up so early then waiting over 2 hours in corrals just to start a half. Do whatever you can to get in a lower corral. It won't take much more than a race time to get moved half way up. I'm now thee months out from running the full, which I expect will be 27 miles. My wife has already made all of our dinner reservations but I'm more looking forward to adult beverages at epcot. Last year I tried twice but didn't make it around the world. I've been practicing and think I'll make it all the way around this year.
What race did you do? I ran my first HM (ever) at WDW in January 2012 and the expo was VERY busy but I got in and out without a problem. I did have a little trouble finding the packet pick area but that might have been on my end.
I thought all the corrals were released every 5-10 minutes. I was in E and I started around 6:00 am. I think they went up to H. I am curious to see what corral they place me in in 2014. I think I gave them an ETC of 2:30. This year I gave them 2:00.
I did have one really annoying/negative experience during the actual run. To this date the WDW HM is the only race I've done with corrals so I don't know how often this method is used to release runners. But I found myself fighting the different waves of runners of slower paces throughout much of the first half. I figured by the first mile or so it would clear u and I would be running with people my pace. Nope not the case. I was constantly hitting groups of slower people or getting passed by faster runners. I spent more time than I should have weaving in and out of traffic.
What race did you do? I ran my first HM (ever) at WDW in January 2012 and the expo was VERY busy but I got in and out without a problem. I did have a little trouble finding the packet pick area but that might have been on my end. I thought all the corrals were released every 5-10 minutes. I was in E and I started around 6:00 am. I think they went up to H. I am curious to see what corral they place me in in 2014. I think I gave them an ETC of 2:30. This year I gave them 2:00.
I ran the same half as you did. I started in corral A and ran from the front. I find more race traffic in some of my smaller local races. I'm pretty sure there were more corrals. There were over 22 thousand people in that race after all. I just checked my log and see the people I was passing at my mile 11.5 were only finishing their mile 1. So, 1:15 into the race many had only covered one mile. That's a big race! There were some tight spots on the course (entering the Magic Kingdom and Epcot) and I wondered if they caused backups.
I bet you get corral B with 2 hours and will have a much better experience.
Coming up the ramp into Epcot Sarge from Toy Story was shouting at us. As I ran by he told me it was ok, just this time, that I didn't salute. Come on! Nobody has to salute a sergeant.
I'm looking forward to running the full next year, just not the 18-20 mile solo long runs through the holidays.
Here's my race photo.
I'm running the full too (just registered last minute using the charity option). Hopefully I'll see you at the start, I'm assuming we'll be in the same start coral.
I'm sure the cutoff for coral A is way behind our recent times. I should be wearing the same shirt as in the pic above so look for me. Right now the plan for the race is to dial it back a little, enjoy the run, but go just under BQ time. But I change my mind all the time.
From what I hear, Disney is changing things all the time, runDisney being no exception. I found a similar experience in the Expo, but didnt mind it. I heard from Taxi drivers that the Marathon weekend is a much bigger deal to them, more roads closed for more hours over more days. Taxi? Yeah, Tower of Terror isnt as big as the Marathon weekend, so, not all resorts are "host" resorts. Meaning, figure it out for yourself, there is no bus coming to pick you up or drop you off. Between kids runs and Expo and my run, I spent about $90 on taxis over 2 days. Id rent a car for a day or two at least if put into the same situation again.
As for the corrals, I missed mine. They said to be in the corral by 9:15p but they really mean it. I used a port a potty line OUTSIDE the corrals, which included spectators, and it took a while. Then they released A, B, C, D without making much (any?) announcement. When I came out of the porta potty, I was going through corral E with "anyone A-E". I worked my way up the group a little, but ... heres the thing. The corrals have been changing (from what I hear). This year, A, B, C all had about 500 in them. D, E, F all had 1000, G, H, I, J about 1500-2000 each.
So, if you can get out by C, you should be in a much smaller group of runners than even if you go out with F or G. According to Veterans, there were more corrals this year than last.
BE CAREFUL ! ! in 2014, there will be no more "moving up" in the corrals at the Expo. So, make sure you have your estimated pace, and estimated finishing time all set before they come out with the corral assignments. If there is anything missing, you'll be put in the back of the pack, which I also feel a little badly for those people. Especially the ones worrying about being swept. After Mile 5 out of 10, I wasnt feeling 100%, but it was nice to know, no matter how slowly I went from that point on, I could not mathematically be swept. For this past race, about 12,000 registered. About 9600 finished.
I am not nearly as fast as xhristopher, but it was still pretty cool to be in the top 10% for any race.
*One more thing about the corrals. I worked really hard to get a HM pace under 9:00/mile. As it turns out rD also would have accepted my sub 9:00 10K time for the same corral (which was much easier to obtain).
*Oh. And be careful of hydration packs. This year, a few officials didnt know if they were allowed or not. So, there are some reports of them being told to get rid of them, after the runners bag had been checked (only approved, assigned, check bags allowed)
*xhristopher, - barefoot. yeh, terrifying. I think I scared a couple people. Im doing it about 1/2 the time for the past 3 months now. Not 100% sure what I think yet. It is a lot of fun to have people make comments when you are running. Helps get you out of your head. Also, when I use my shoes, they last FOREVER !
I used a port a potty line OUTSIDE the corrals, which included spectators, and it took a while. *xhristopher, - barefoot. yeh, terrifying. I think I scared a couple people. Im doing it about 1/2 the time for the past 3 months now. Not 100% sure what I think yet. It is a lot of fun to have people make comments when you are running. Helps get you out of your head. Also, when I use my shoes, they last FOREVER !
I used a port a potty line OUTSIDE the corrals, which included spectators, and it took a while.
Ewww...so, how many comments do you get stepping into and out of the port o potty barefoot?
Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and roguesWe're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes
usually none. But personally, not my favorite part of race day.I usually just walk around in the grass after.
For those heading the to the WDW Marathon Weekend in a few months, I will start a new topic later today but wanted to pass along this OLD chart for the corral assignements. This is old data from when there was two routes for the first 4 miles but is pretty close to the times that are applied to the breaks. For all those running Goofy (or Dopey) your estimated time will apply to both races, so if you are Corral A for one you will be for both. You can also "guesstimate" your finish position based on your bib number, whatever you number is, is where you were seeded.
I'm now thee months out from running the full, which I expect will be 27 miles.
According to my Garmin:
2013 - 26.9
2012 - 26.65
2011 - 27.3 using a Nike foot pod and wrist band with questionable accuracy
I was not making a conscious effort to run the tangents so you should be able to get it under 26.5 since you are in Corral A and wont have to weave around the slower folks like me.
Doc, my tooth hurts
According to my Garmin: 2013 - 26.9 2012 - 26.65 2011 - 27.3 using a Nike foot pod and wrist band with questionable accuracy I was not making a conscious effort to run the tangents so you should be able to get it under 26.5 since you are in Corral A and wont have to weave around the slower folks like me.
I thought the Tower of Terror Run was long, but I figured maybe my Garmin was off? I wouldn't go into the Disney marathon expecting a PR by any means.
Here is my writeup of the Tower of Terror 10 Miler that I posted on another message board.
I just got back from vacation. Any time I'm on vacation I look for places to run and/or races to do and hope I strike gold. My wife and a couple friends just went to Florida and I found that there was a Disney race, The Tower of Terror 10 miler, that was going on. Of course when I went to register it was already completely sold out, which is surprising since it's 135 dollars to enter if you do it early. It's about 150 closer to the race. I ended up getting a bib from someone for 150 and decided that it wasn't a big deal since I have 1)Never done a Disney race and wanted to see why they are such a big deal 2)Might never get a chance to run this particular race again.
We woke up at 430am that morning and spent a good portion of the day traveling. Needless to say I'm glad I was able to get a nap in or else the race would have been a complete disaster. Anyways, they wanted runners to show up at 8pm and the race didn't start until 10pm, and since I didn't know anyone else running it was FUCKING BORING for 2 hours until we started. Of course they had corralled starts, A-J, since a big mass start would be a complete clusterfuck with 10000 runners and the photo opportunities with Disney Villains along the way. After 2 long hours they have us walk probably about half a mile from the gathering area to the start line. Then we waited some more. They did each corral after about 2 minutes and had fireworks when every corral started. It was completely unnecessary and over the top but amazing none the less. So I was off.
I had decided that I was not going to "race" this since I didn't want to kill myself because it was about 80 degrees with a 72 degree dew point and I had been running in about 50 degrees and no humidity. It was absolutely disgusting for most of the race, and I didn't really take any water. The course started at Disney Hollywood Studios and went around just on the roads on the Disney Property. It went to the Animal Kingdom (?), back down to ESPN Wide World of sports, which has some of the nicest sports fields and facilities I have ever seen, and then back to Hollywood Studios where you run through the park itself. I kept it pretty conservative and most runners that started in the 2nd and 1st corral were absolutely dying for most of the race, so I'm glad I didn't choose to race it. I was essentially passing people the whole race since I started so far back and the last mile I was moving past people pretty quick. The course was pretty good for being on what were effectively highways, but there were plenty of Disney Villains along the way so look at, and plenty of spectators. This was very surprising since it was 10pm start time.
After the race they give you a pretty sweet medal. Also I was absolutely fucking disgustingly sweaty. In the race packet they said to try and NOT to check a bag so I didn't, meaning I had no clothes to change into. There was an after party where they opened up part of the park and let you get on the rides, but no one that I traveled there with could get a ticket, plus they were something like 60 dollars so I figured it wasn't worth it. At this after party I had to wear around my race clothes drenched in sweat and I know I smelled terrible. I rode the Aerosmith Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and a Star Wars ride and apologized to anyone that was near me. It was pretty great because I was walking onto rides that would typically have 90-120 minute wait times on a normal day. In fact the Tower of Terror was just me, a teenage girl, and her mom. Luckily, the mom was ok with me and her daughter smelling awful.
Overall I would say if you get a chance to run this race do it. Yes it is expensive for a 10 mile race, but the after party, which goes until 400am, was totally worth it. You figure that to get in to the Hollywood Studios is like 90 dollars already so not that much more to just run a race before. Also Disney pulls out all of the stops when doing this race. There was never a time when I thought "they could have done this or that better" because it was so well planned. I'm not even a Disney fanatic and I am totally sold on any Disney race I can be a part of. Since I haven't really heard anyone on the boards here doing a disney race before I thought I would give my experience. Besides, we do this hobby because we like it right?
I was also informed that there is something called the "Dopey Challege" that is starting next year. You run a 5k,10k, half marathon, and full marathon on 4 consecutive days in January and eventually end up with 6 medals. It's ridiculously expensive at 500 dollars, but if I can roll a vacation where I'm getting out of Wisconsin in the middle of winter to do it, I will.
Here are a couple of pictures of me with the Queen from Snow White and of my race medal.[IMG][/IMG]
Everything that is white on the medal glows in the dark.[IMG][/IMG]
tl;dr Run a Disney race if you can.