2014 Dopey Challenge Day 1: Family Fun Run Race Recap

If you haven't read my Expo Recap Post, here is the link.

At 5am I woke up to -"Got Myself a notion...One I'll Know that You'll Understand, Set The World In Motion...By Reaching Out For Each Other's Hand". Yeah that's right I The Goofy Movie's Powerline as my alarm. To me there's not a better way to wake up in Disney World and get ready for a race then to here one of your favorite songs.

By the end of the song I was up, dressed and ready for pre-race meal of oatmeal. Ruffly about 5:15am my Mom and I was out the door. I know last year I said I was going to dress up for the race, but sadly there wasn't enough room in my budget to make the customs I was dreaming of...Maybe next year.

Many of you who have ran a rundisney event are probably asking "Why did I wake and leave so late?" Well, I was continuing the same plan from last year and I was expecting to be dropped off across the street from my corral. With the recent events of the Boston Marathon RunDisney definitely increase the security which meant everyone runner had to enter in one place and go through a bag check. Unfortunately I must have missed the note and didn't realize until we pulled up and the were a number of police officers informing us about were to go. I felt like I had to be the only one until one of the officers ask we mind giving another runner a lift to the start line. We agreed. When he hopped in the car he told us that he stayed at Disney's Port Orleans Resort, which is so close to the start line you hear the music, but they were going to make him walk the long way to get there. All for safety right?

After we got dropped of the entrance we talked for a little while longer, wished each other a good race and jogged to our starting corral. It wasn't to long after I made it to my corral the countdown begun 3.....2.....1 and we're off.

 The Start

 It wasn't long before the first Character Photo Op.....Flik from A Bug's Life

 On the way to Epcot

 Daisy Duck

 As soon as I entered Epcot it started to rain lightly but that definitely didn't take away from the awesome landscape of the park in the morning.  There was also a Dopey Character Op but the line was Sooooo long, I really didn't understand why RunDisney would choose to have him in the family fun run with 7000 Dopey runners. They had to know that the line for photos were going to be ridiculously long.

 Remy & Emile From Ratatouille

 Spaceship Earth

After seeing Spaceship and the third mile marker the finish line was only around the corner and to my first of six medals for the weekend.



 This was my first time running a 5k as a rundisney event and I have to say I was a little disappointed with the number of characters on the route. I know it was only 3.2 miles but I was expecting more then 3-4 with this being the first event of the Dopey Challenge.

Besides weaving around the people who decided to walk in groups four lines wide, I had fun, I mean, Is it really possible to not have fun running through a Disney park? So, with one race down and 45.4 more miles to go I gather my after race box and headed to the outlets for some shopping.

Check out my video recap on YouTube or click the link below.