2014 Dopey Challenge Day 4: Marathon Race Recap

If you haven't check out the previous 5 days you can click on the links here: Expo Recap, Family Fun Run 5k Recap, Inaugural 10k Recap, Half Marathon Recap.

Today is the day that when I finish this race I will have completed the Dopey Challenge and I will have all 6 Medals hanging around my neck. Needless to with the NFL Playoff game and the anticipation of the race I didn't sleep much last night. I continue on with the same routine from the previous day and woke up to the Disney song of the week, Got dress, and ate my Pre- race meal. But this meal didn't go down as well as the others, I still hungry after it. So, I down a bottle of water and hope that it would be enough until I pop a Gatorade energy block or a Gu Packet.

After going through bag check and walking to the corrals I reviewed my goal for the race just like yesterday. Well today's goals are simple:
1. make it to the Castle to see the lights.
2. Make it to Animal Kingdom when it opens to Ride Everest.
3. Make it across the finish line standing up.

As they counted my corral down I decided to use the same strategy as yesterday, to skip any characters that I've already taken pictures with. Plus I also decided to start at the back of my corral, to let the runner clear out a bit so weave through so many.

After another quick pace for a rundisney race look who made it to the castle with the Christmas lights on. One Goal down three more to go! 

 Today's Goals: 

1. make it to the Castle to see the lights.

2. Make it to Animal Kingdom when it opens to Ride Everest.

3. Make it across the finish line standing up.

Even thou I'm trying to complete my goals for the race I didn't want to forget to told what all rundisney races are made for, Having Fun!!! So after I made it to the castle I knew it was picture time.

 After leaving the Magic Kingdom we here to the Disney World Speedway. The Course this year is the same the 20th anniversary course last year so there weren't many new surprises, well no new surprises besides characters I haven't seen on the course before Like: Golfer Donald, Bolt and the Cast of The Festival of the Lion King.

Disney's Animal Kingdom  is actually my favorite park, I took the time to take as many pictures as I could. As I was in line for a picture with the Dog Pound (Above) I meet some fellow Dopey runners who also had the goal of riding Everest. We made a little small talk about how the race was going. Once it was time for there pictures we said other good bye and hoped to meet at the ride.

Even-thou Animal Kingdom is my favorite park I have never rode Everest. When can up to the ride....Guess who I ran into....The Dopey runners that I meet earlier on the course. We didn't just ride it once we double it up. We actually were going to try for one more time but with us having so much fun on the ride, we still had a half marathon to go and we didn't want the balloon ladies to catch us. So I can mark item number two off my list.

Check out the video of my every first Everest ride in the middle of a Marathon Above. 

 Today's Goals: 

1. make it to the Castle to see the lights.

2. Make it to Animal Kingdom when it opens to Ride Everest.

3. Make it across the finish line standing up.

After running through ESPN Wide World of Sports we have to make the long and hot  journey to Disney's Hollywood Studios. To me this definitely the hardest part of the course, the distance between parks and lack of Characters an entertainment really lets your mind wonder back to the pain your body is in. But, Once we enter in the park the pain subsides and you enjoy the atmosphere of Disney.

After Hollywood Studios we headed to the boardwalk that connects to Epcot and that I when you realize that with 22 or 23 down and just a 5k left...your almost home.

After the Boardwalk and right before Epcot look who I found giving all of the runners extra encouragement....DOPEY!!!! Since I choose to skip taking a picture with him during the 5k I was determined to wait in line for however long it would take to get one, and to my luck the line was really Short and I didn't have to wait to long. lol

I zoned out running through Epcot until I heard the singing of the choir and I new I was less then half a mile away from my neck full of BLING!!!

 Today's Goals: 

1. make it to the Castle to see the lights.

2. Make it to Animal Kingdom when it opens to Ride Everest.

3. Make it across the finish line standing up.

All three Goals meets with smile on my face and a Neck Full of Bling. Go ahead count them, that's 6 Medals in 4 days while running 4 races for a grand total of 48.6 Magical Miles. Yes I know Rundisney races are expensive compared to others but there is no place on earth were you can ride a roller coaster in the middle of a Marathon. Plus it DISNEY WORLD!!!!

Check out my full race recap video below

2014 Dopey Challenge Day 3: Half Marathon Race Recap

If you haven't check out the previous 3 days you can click on the links here: Expo Recap, Family Fun Run 5k Recap, Inaugural 10k Recap, 

I started today off with the same routine as yesterday. I woke up to the Disney song of the week, got dressed, ate my pre-race breakfast and off me and my mom went. The only difference from my routine was  the items I packed for the race. Of course I had my camera and extra batteries as well as a couple of Gatorade energy blocks, because you sprinting from character to character can take a lot out of you.

As I was walking to my corral I wanted to review my goals for the race. No I wasn't looking to PR, but after reading and see other runners pictures and blog I've notice the lights on the castle were still on when they ran through. So there it is, My goal was to make it to the castle when the Christmas lights are still.

As they counted us down to the start I went over my plan to skip characters that I figure are going to be there tomorrow and just stop for the ones I have seen before. Also I was going to try to pick up my pace in between shooting video and character stops.

When the fireworks went off I tried my best to take off but like all rundisney races, there were just too many people. Even with me weaving in and out of people, it wasn't to long before we were entering into the magic kingdom.

Coming around the corner next to the Disney speedway there they were.....Darkwing Duck and Launchpad McQuack. Yes! It took me back to the days of watching Disney Afternoon after school, so you know I had to stop for this pic.

When I enter into main street the cheers from the crowd all make your want to run faster, but as I looked up to the castle I saw...The lights weren't on. i felt Like I was making a great pace and the it was still dark outside, so I'm not sure if the lights were ever on or I took to long to make it there, but either way there's always tomorrow.

After the disappointment of not seeing the lights on the castle I decided to slow my pace and take a picture with every character I saw for the rest of the race.

To Infinite and Beyond!!!

Queen of Hearts

Pooh Bear for the Hi-five

Knight Donald and Princess Daisy

Me and Tigger just Bounceing around

Lilo and Stitch

Golfer Goofy

 During the last couple of miles lead back to Epcot the is a big hill were Sarge from toy story was stationed to give the runners a little extra boost. As I was running past he was calling for push ups and with me only in the middle of running a Half Marathon on the tale of running a 10k, and 5k....Why Not? He was asking for ten, so I tried to throw in a handed push up for luck. Man!!! That was a bad idea, I was the hardest one handed push up I've ever done, but I did get this nice pic from it.

Once we enter Epcot the race few by, before I knew I could hear the choir singing and see the finish line. Across the finish line I was meet with my new Medal and Dopey band. Now with 3 races down and only one to go....(The Big One) I off to ice down my legs and try to get some rest before tomorrow but just like last year there an NFL playoff game on soooo well see how much sleep I get.

 .Check out my full video Race Recap below

2014 Dopey Challenge Day 2: Inaugural 10K Race Recap

If you haven't check out the previous 2 days you can click on the links here: Expo Recap, Family Fun Run 5k Recap

If you didn't check out my previous post you check it out here. After yesterday's tardiness, I decided to set my alarm an hour earlier to avoid some of the same mistakes. At 4 am with the sound of this weekends personal race song Eye to Eye from Disney's the Goofy Movie. I was up dressed, ate my pre-race meal and out the door with my mother.

This time it was so much smoother than the day before, we knew where to go and it seemed much easier since she was just dropping me off. Even thou there were a lot of people I was actually expecting a much bigger crowed with this being the Inaugural 10k and the first Minnie Medal.

At the beginning of the race it was fairly chilly for Florida and overcast that was suppose to last for the whole race, but just like in rundisney fashion that did keep anyone down. The start have music blasting and group of runners going the cupid shuffle. If there is better way to start a race, I sure haven't found it yet! As the time came closer to the start all of the runners slowly moved to there corrals and who came out? That's right you guest it Minnie Mouse came to the stage to count us down and send us off on the Inaugural Walt Disney World 10k.

 About a mile into the race and a hairpin turn there was the first character stop Caption Hook and Mr. Smee.

I was on the look out for Andy

 Going into the entrance of Ecpot there was the rundisney signature Green Army Man from toy story yelling words of encouragement to all the runners.

Mushu

Genie

Goofy

Football Goofy was in front of the ESPN Restaurant on the boardwalk and it was the longest line of the race. I have never seen Goofy in a Football outfit so I was more than willing to wait for what may be my favorite picture from the weekend.

Chip and Dale

The giant puppets were the last characters as we exited Epcot and with less the a quarter of a mile there was the finish and my second medal of the weekend. 9.6 miles and two races down, only 2 races and......39.3 miles to go until I get an EPIC load of Rundisney BLING!!!

Check out my full race recap video below 

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.