Kathryn Wilson's Staging Area

Yes, I was fully, thoroughly trained for this race.

There are better races with better courses and better swag out there for much less $$. I know that many people just LOVE to runDisney, but I find running this particular race exhausting both physically and mentally. I’ve done other runDisney races that aren’t as stressful.

The Field:
25,000+ runners all squashed up together into corrals that don’t really correspond to the capabilities of anyone slower than a 2:30 time isn’t really fun. I realize that many will want everyone to “just run faster”, but that’s easier said than done, and my 14:30 half pace should not correspond to last 3 corrals, which are mostly 16:00 pacers and their friends.

Terrible race manners. Better than last year, but still. Runners bumping each other, walkers creating barricades across the whole road. Runners stopping mid run to do whatever and causing crashes. Sure would be nice to have room to run without having to dodge people.

Corrals:
Maybe it’s just me, but being forced to the back of pack at a Disney race as a runner/run-walk-runner is tough. It’s basically impossible to get past the pack of walkers. I don’t begrudge the walkers AT ALL! I do, however, wish that there was a way for runners to get around that pack safely and find a space to run or Galloway their way to the finish. The corrals from L-P are PACKED like sardines, so be prepared for that.

Food:
I despise that there is no food or coffee available near this race. As big as the race is, and as money hungry as Disney is, you’d think that there would be breakfast food at the staging area and that Disney and its Good Neighbor hotels would have breakfast open (all night?) super early. Many races and hotels near them have these amenities. Why doesn’t Disney?

There are NO COFFEE MAKERS or MICROWAVES in value hotels, either, so you really really have to plan and be strategic if you want food between 2:30AM (wake up) and the start of your race (5:30AM-6:30AM depending on your corral).

Pack some GOOD food in your clear gear bags. You’ll need it after the race.

Bag Check:
AMAZING! This is one of the easiest gear checks I’ve used. Easy to get in and get out.

Swag:
Tech Shirt and a Medal – pretty typical. Medals are lovely. Shirts were true to size this year.

You can buy other shirts for $40-$100 and if you are with it, you can purchase the commemorative bundle for $50 and the pins for $15 when you sign up.

Expo:
Expo was fantastic. Finally, they’ve gotten better about putting out merchandise in waves, so there’s some available to more runners. I do wish they’d limit how many items each runner can purchase, so there are magnets, Tervis, pins, visors, and headbands available for each wave of Expo visitors.

Water/Fuel:
There are 9-10 water stops (there should be more). Most stops have water and powerade. I really needed the Powerade, but they only have yellow, which will swell my throat closed instantly. I wish they’d change to blue or a clear; there has been blue in the past.

There is 1 Cliff Gel stop. They offered 4 different types of gel in both caffeinated and not.

Course:
Boring, or maybe I just couldn’t see through the sea of people. The best part of the course is running up Main Street in Magic Kingdom. The rest of the course is a pretty big snooze. Disney really should get more fun signs out there to break up the monotony. There are a few spots where there are DJs and a couple with people being entertaining. I really appreciated the families who were near the park entrances and lining Main Street with signs and cheer for all of us.

There are photo opportunities on the course at each mile marker. Unfortunately, the lines are so long that late corrals have zero chance of getting photos with characters. I do understand the need to get roads open, so maybe there should be more opportunities for photos or a smaller field.

The worst parts of the course are the two overpasses. They are VERY NARROW and tipped to the right, so you need to walk near the top in the grass or you’re walking sideways. It’s painful, and forget running (unless you started super early and are with a sparse crowd).

I think that’s everything.

Outside of the amazing medal, there was nothing amazing about this race. I did like the tiara and boa passed out at mile 13. That was definitely something fun and different.

There were nowhere near enough water stations – every 2-3 miles – no aid stations, no fuel stations. The shirts unraveled in the first wash.

Expo was 10 booths – no running stores, no fuel. There needed to be some serious race gear like skirts, hats, magnets, bling boxes, etc.

The course was not closed to traffic, and runners spent too much time dodging cars and holes in the road and breathing exhaust. There were 2 full miles through the state park where runners were running on broken roads and over speed bumps.

Port-o-potties weren’t all open (several were still zip-tied closed as the last runners came through). 16mm pace requirement began with the first runners across the start, not the last.

The course is so boring, too. There’s nothing to see, and the on course entertainment was non-existent. After-race snacks were meh – at least it wasn’t Disney’s fake cheese.

Final Mile puts on a good small race. The race swag is minimal, but the cost to the runner is also minimal. Cute tech shirts and medals, although I’ve had bigger bling.

This course is in the the dead of summer, so it was a bit like running on the sun, which is fitting for the name. There are some minor hills, but you’ll just have to Suck It Up Buttercup.

Water stations were plentiful. There are typical snacks before and after the race. There are no food places nearby, so you’ll have to be ready to go find food elsewhere.

The course runs through neighborhoods, and while the roads are still open one way, there’s not much traffic on this course.

Admittedly, this was my first half marathon. I don’t really remember much because, despite training appropriately with the Jeff Galloway app, I was unprepared for the stress of this race. Between the early wake up (which I’d practiced), not being able to eat close enough to race time (nothing’s open and no pre-race food at staging area), and having not perfected my fueling, everything is a blur, and I’m surprise that I finished.

FOOD: Surely Disney could have food/coffee kiosks or cafeterias open for breakfast during race weekends. It’s not unthinkable that runners would want real food and coffee prior to their races – day-old bagels aren’t really food. Post race snacks were good. I especially loved the coconut puffs. It would have been nice to have real food, though, not just junk food.

RULES: A field of 24,000+ people makes for a lot of noise, rudeness, and poor race etiquette. We ran into many large groups of walkers blocking the course, not following the 2 people across suggestion made by runDisney. Loads of people passed on the right and were pretty rude while doing so – running too close and yelling.

START: The start was amazing. I loved that there were fireworks for each coral’s start. There could be more water and fuel on the course, but I appreciated the fuel that was offered. I appreciate that the 16 mm pace requirement begins when the last person crosses the start.

COURSE: The race goes along very long, flat, boring roads with nothing to break the sun or monotony. Because of the path of the course, there is little entertainment and no support for most of the course. I really enjoy courses with scenery. This is not one. The best part of this course is running up Main Street in Magic Kingdom with the castle looming in the distance. There was some comedic entertainment on course, but there could be more.

EXPO: Expo is amazingly easy to navigate. There’s so much to see, do, and buy! I do wish runDisney would allow runners to pre-purchase magnets and pins specific to their race.

MEDALS & SWAG: The medal was amazing; the shirt was cute. For our money, I really feel that we should receive the medal pins, magnets, and tumblers. I get better swag from much much cheaper races.

COST: This race is $$$. I’ve paid less than 1/2 for every other half I’ve run. Of course, it’s Disney, so many will say it’s worth it, but this course didn’t feel very Disney to me.