Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend (Dopey Challenge) - 5k & 10k

Walt Disney World 5k - Epcot

Run 1 of the Dopey Challenge

Early in the Morning.

I knew the early morning get up would be difficult, but I had multiple alarms set to get me up and out before 3am.

I prepped my clothes the evening before to reduce down the amount of time I had to spend in the house and also I didn't know how the traffic was going to be on route to Epcot or even parking for that matter.

Whilst at bib collection, I was advised that the resort buses start shipping runners to the race area at around 3:30am right the way through until about 5am so I wanted to avoid a major rush.  I was also advised that race mornings can get very busy with general traffic as there are a lot of runners all going to the same place.

As the 5k and 10k were more of a fun run for me, I had opted to go in costumer for these events.  I have never ran in costume before, so this was a new thing for me, and I had never worn a dress whilst running but there is really only one place in the world that a bald bloke with a belly can get away with dressing up like Alice...and also get praised for it!

Pre Race.

Traffic was nowhere near as bad as I had been led to believe and I sailed straight into the Epcot parking lot and easily found a space near the runner's rest area.  I don't know if this got busier and more chaotic as the morning progressed, but getting on site for 3:30am was a breeze (just a little tip there for the 2021 runners not staying on site - but do be aware of the half and full days - they are extremely busy!)

In the Runner's Area there is merchandise (It's Disney!), a resident DJ who was the most energy ever and multiple character meets who are relevant to that days event.  The 5k was Pluto's race, so the most famous pooch was dressed in his running gear ready to meet like minded folk.  

There was also an opportunity that I could not miss to meet the main man of the whole event, Dopey himself.  Thankfully, there mustn't have been many Dopey Challenge runners there at the start as I walked straight up to the 'little' fellow for a hug and some advice for completing the next 48.6 miles, but he didn't have much to say!  

Mickey and Minnie were ready for posing, but I noticed at this point that the queues for each character were building up gradually. Checking the time and judging the queue size, I jumped in to the Pluto line and hoped that I would get to meet him before the corrals were called.  

This all adds to the fantastically magic experience that a RunDisney runner will get over the next few days.  I don't care who you are or how old you are, once you are in that fun, magical and buzzing environment the big kid just comes out.  I loved meeting the characters and having my pictures with them and was looking forward to who I was going to meet over the next few days and also showing the pictures to my little four year old daughter.

The Magic begins.

We were very efficiently put into our corrals and the DJ began the first countdown.  As each running wave heads off on their 5k run or beginning of a 48.6 mile journey fireworks light up the sky.  Again, just a little touch that Disney throw in to make the moment just that little bit more magical.

Soon it was my turn and my magical journey began.

The 5k starts in the Epcot car park and loops round towards a back stage entrance which brings you out on World Showcase in between Mexico and Norway.  As soon as I entered the park I could hear Disney music blasting from the speakers.  

World showcase was lit up and fires burned from the torches, "Zero to Hero" was playing as I entered and that is exactly how I felt.  

Running through China, Japan, Germany, America, France, England and back round to Mexico the cast members were out in force.  They come by choice to support the runners and they are as full of enthusiasm as they are when anyone sees them in the park during normal opening hours.  Also on route are multiple character stops.  I worried about these stops having a major impact on time spent out running and obviously the fear of the balloon ladies! They are so efficiently done just like you would expect from Disney.  Get your phone ready, you jump in for a pose and then collect your camera and you are on to the next.  It may seem like there is a really is queue for a special character, but the line dissipates so quickly you hardly lose any time at all.

I only opted for one stop on the 5k, my daughter is a massive "3 Caballeros" fan and when Jose Carioca was waiting as I returned to Mexico I had to have my picture with him.

Moments later, I exited through the back stage area again and made my final steps towards the my first finish line of the Dopey Challenge and my first medal.

I completed the 5k in 29:35 which I am pretty happy with.  I knew the runs here in Disney would be far from fast as I was here for the experience.

I was giddy for more! 

Walt Disney World 10k - Epcot

As my alarms began to bleep waking me for day 2 of the Dopey Challenge, I felt more awake and ready to go.  I was in the buzz of RunDisney now and was more in tune on what to expect and what to do.  As long as I kept arriving at the start lines I was confident that the miles would tick by magically.

Again, I had prepped the night before and laid out all my clothes for the event.  For the 10k, I had opted for the most elegant Snow White outfit which I got as a bargain but my daughter got upset when I tried it on as it was a "mummy dress"!

When you take part in the Dopey Challenge, you are given two race bibs.  The corral for the 5k and 10k are shown on the first bib and then the second bib is used for the half marathon and marathon events.

I set off nice and early from our holiday villa in Haines City and again arrived at the Epcot car park with no issues or traffic at all.  At each event there is a security check area before entering the Race HQ.  Yesterday (5k) I had brought a bag with me with my dress (Alice), morning snacks, drink etc, so to avoid any delays this morning I opted to don the dress from the start, which would have alarmed anyone stopping me before arriving at Epcot I am sure, and put all my needs in my run back pack.  This definitely sped up the check in.

Pre-Race

Race HQ for the 10k was busier than the morning before and the atmosphere was buzzing already.  The resident DJ was pumping out the tunes and the characters were out again.  The 10k event was hosted by Oswald the lucky rabbit, a character meet that would not be roaming around the parks at any point so I jumped into the queue almost immediately.  As I had arrived super early the day before and covered Dopey, Mickey and Minnie, I could give those a miss today if the lines got too busy, but Oswald was my priority. 

I was a lot more relaxed today and decided to have a mooch around Race HQ, have a chat with some other Dopey runners and generally have a little bit of fun.  The atmosphere at RunDisney is something that cannot be replicated.  I have completed quite a few events now and there is always some form of buzz and vibe but nothing like this.  The costumes and effort people put into the events is just second to none, the atmosphere is just magical, you can't help getting caught up in it....especially whilst dressed as a princess!

Whilst roaming around the Runners Compound I bumped into fellow instagrammer @Irun13.1 Emma who was also taking part in her first Dopey Challenge but umpteenth RunDisney event. Follow Emma for loads of running and Disney updates.

I also bumped into a lovely lady who offered me a juicy red apple, but everyone advised me not to eat it or it may have an impact on my run....I have no idea what they meant!

The Race begins.

We were filtered back into our starting corrals for the 10k event , Disney are experts at people moving and this is definitely evident at RunDisney events.  There were a few thousands runners for the 10k and the crowds just flowed into the right areas with no effort at all.  I don't know if it was that I was more relaxed with the experience now that I had the 5k in the bag or that there were more people here today, but the whole pre-race buzz just filled me with excitement, I was bouncing with energy, I couldn't wait to get back out on the roads again ticking off the miles.  I didn't have to wait long, the countdown began and the fireworks soared.

The 10k route started pretty much the same way as the 5k, round the Epcot car park, through the backstage entrance into Mexico and round world showcase.  The music was pumping again and the whole world was lit up with sparkly lights and flames.  The cast members were supporting the runners again and this time I opted for more character stops.  I posed Goofy before entering Epcot, with Pinocchio in Italy, and Donald on Boardwalk.  

This time, once we had reached Canada, instead of staying on World Showcase, we filtered off towards Boardwalk and round Crescent Lake before heading back into France, England and back towards Mexico.

The Snow White dress I was wearing was definitely not designed for aerodynamics or to prevent over heating and it was having a real impact on my run.  Whilst it was great fun to run around in costume, the Florida morning heat (even at this time) was sapping my energy levels and I had already decided that this would be my last event in costume as the next events would be more demanding physically and mentally, so I had to take them a little more seriously.

Taking a turn at Mexico back towards the finish line, I found my last bit of energy and skipped towards completion.  9.3 miles complete, only 39.3 miles to go! This was were it as going to get serious and the legs were going to start feeling some real pain, but I had to go the distance!