Eric DeMuth's Staging Area

The picture for this race was with 2 of my daughters and myself. I ran the race with the red head since it was her first 1/2 marathon. It was my other daughter’s 3rd state and second time with me so she did it on her own! The notes below are based on the conversations with them as well as my wife and youngest daughter who volunteered.

Race Bib Pick up: This was well planned out. Even with almost 2000 runners, we waited very little time in getting through and picking up the bibs/ race swag. I think we were in line no more than 5 minutes from the time we arrived until we got the final items.
Race Expo: It was fun but it was a little underwhelming. The daughters had expected more – especially my oldest who has run in a couple of other races. That said, this is a small community and is understandable that more wasn’t available. Anything needed as last-minute supplies were available.
Official Race store: There was a variety of interesting items. Our favorites was the TShirts with all the names listed of participants (I love the fact I have something with my daughter’s names on it!) and the patches/ stickers. Costs were about on part – though the older race shirts were more expensive than expected.
RACE DAY:
Arrival: There was stress with getting parked the morning of the half marathon. Parking seemed to take a while. We left at 5:15am from our condo 3 miles away. We did not get parked until after 5:45am. We had been told the last bus left at 6am, so we were stressing. Maybe having 2 entrances to park might have made this smoother – but then again, not a lot of places to park outside the area they were at. Lots of port a potties – but the line was still extremely long at the start line. Highly suggest runners arrive sooner and use them at the finish line where busses pick up. Good news – no issues with toilet paper running out!
The race: The course is beautiful. Aid stations were plentiful with multiple port a potties for use at most of the stations. I prefer the water jugs than all of the paper cups and with other races would adopt this method. We did find it interesting that they were giving out “door prizes” at the start line. Most runners would have to carry them throughout the race.
Might want to think about that and have them with the ticket numbers at the end for the runners to pick up? We had expected there to be more hills, but none of them really felt terrible (mile 4, mile 7/8 and near the end were the worst but even those were manageable!) The main complaint was that the road had a bad tilt to it in the curves – and there are a lot of curves. You really had to pay attention more to the road and where you ran vs trying to race efficiently. It was noticeable when you got to an area that was flat as it felt so much better to run on. There were gels at every station (2 flavors of Honey stinger – Acai and Gold). My oldest really liked the Gnarly sports drink and plans to use that in the future if she can find it. The oranges were a blessing.
Race Finish: The last small hill seemed cruel and unusual punishment. Since it had been raining, coming down the other side of it was a little slippery due to the surface. Food at the end was nothing spectacular (bananas, snack boxes with trail mix/ popcorn/ etc). Post race activities was also very minimal. I stuck around to help at the finish with my youngest but there was not much else beside awards.
Race medal (s): We only ran in the 1/2 and was impressed with the size of the medal. We were a little envious of the Double medal as that design was pretty cool (though the cost to add the 5K onto the 1/2 was a little more than expected). We did decide to at least do one double if we do anymore VR races.

Overall, the race was the main feature. The pre race and post race items are nice to have – especially for a destination race. However, I would prefer to have a well thought out course and well ran race than the fluff. We are already looking forward to additional races.

It rained, a LOT during the night before and day of the race. Good news was the pavilion that was near by the start line to stay warm and dry before going out to run.
Pre race/ bib pick up was a breeze. The organizers did their best to keep spirits up despite the rain.
Race: I loved the course. There were hills – including going up and over a bridge . The wind made the bridge difficult and demoralizing. However, there was someone at the summit of the bridge that was cheering everyone on and made it seem not so bad! Race support was good. Loved the overall race.
Post race – Probably the best part – Loved the shrimp boil as part of the food!! Swag was decent – Loved the medal. Shirt was good quality.

Overall a great experience and want to go back and experience it when it is nice weather!

Took my wife to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary but postponed the trip to coincide with this race (those running for all 50 states would understand!)
Pre Race/ Bib pick up: It was a breeze. We stayed in Maui about 2 blocks from the pick up (unfortunately, it is all gone now due to the fires there). Walked over and was able to get what we needed without issue. They had extra past race shirts available for cheap so I picked up the other designs.

Race: It was an out and back course along the shore. The locals cheering on were great along with the music and fun atmosphere. Timing is also good to see whales (saw a couple while on the route since you see the ocean the entire time!) Support was good and no issues with aid stations.

Post race/ swag: The medals are absolutely beautiful. The shirts are nice (but I was not a fan of white shirts – just not my fav color but I understand due to the design on the shirts). Love and still run with the racing hat that I bought while there.

If you get a chance, take the cruise with the race director. It is well worth it. My wife and I loved getting the chance to cruise with other runners as well as seeing whales many times while on the trip. Overall, loved the course and hope to go back sometime and see how Maui recovers from the awful fires in the area! (My profile pic is from that trip to Hawaii while on Maui!)

This is the race for you if:
1) You like lots of runners (20+K )
2) You dont mind waiting to start – they suggest you are there well prior to the event starting. I think it was 3:30am, race started at 7am. If you are unfortunate to be in the last corral – you wont get to the start line until 8am.
3) You are not running for a PR (unless you are in the first corral that is). 20,000 runners on a path made for 3-4 people means lots of congestion. In addition, lots of runners stop to get on rides once in the park or stop every mile to get pictures with characters.
For me, I will never run another Disney race. The amount spent vs the race was just not there. Yes, it was fun to see characters and to see so many people in the race. The swag was the best part – medals are awesome and the shirts were great. However, it was a one time event.
We stayed on resort as part of vacation so we got a shuttle to the starting area. Restrooms were not an issue. Honestly, I don’t remember the aid stations Pre race activities and Expo were top notch. I did not participate in any post race activities (don’t think there were any…)