There are a lot of different approaches to running a runDisney race. Some people just want to finish ahead of the balloon ladies. Some want to stop for every photo opportunity. Some run for time. And still others do something in between. Leading up to Wine and Dine weekend, I was all set to run slowly, stop for some photos and try not to die from the deathly heat we've been having in central Florida. But then a cold front was forecasted to roll in just in time for the 10k and half marathon and I decided to go for the big goal in the half marathon!
Having PR'd my half marathon at Star Wars weekend earlier in the year, I had some idea of how I need to run the 10k and recover in order to set myself up for success in the half marathon. So I planned on having my actual running pace be around a 14 min/mi which I had been running at all summer in the heat and humidity. I knew that since I'd be running in temperature and humidity lows that I hadn't seen since before Star Wars weekend, I'd need to really stay on top of myself to not go out too fast and kill my legs on 10k day.
We were up at 2 am to get ready for the race and hit the first bus out at 3:30 am. My 10k costume was Belle's yellow dress featuring a top and headband by Crowned Athletics and a skirt by Sparkle Athletic. These are my two go to companies for ready to wear running costume pieces! Running in actual running gear is a must for me for longer races and races where the weather is not ideal. It also made it really easy to get ready in the morning!
The course for the 10k was very similar to the Star Wars Weekend 10k except for the very end of the course which had to be altered due to all of the construction at Epcot. So the start area was in the Magic Kingdom parking lot. The characters available for photos included Anna and Elsa, chef Goofy, chef Donald and Mickey and Minnie in chef outfits. We opted to do Minnie and Mickey and then Anna and Elsa but the lines were too long to get any other photos before heading to the corrals.
There were a lot of people including Will and I that were really surprised by our 10k corrals. For Star Wars weekend, Will was in A for the 10k and C for the half and this weekend he was in B for both. As for me despite having a better 10k POT, I my 10k corral was bumped from C Star Wars weekend to E this weekend. I saw a lot of bibs of people like Will and I who had the same corral for the 10k and half and I also saw a lot of odd combos like A or B for the 10k but G or H for the half. Neither G nor H corral require a proof of time (POT). Not sure why some one running the challenge without a 10k POT would be put in one of the front corrals for the 10k when having run a 10k at a predicted A or B corral pace would definitely meet the POT requirements for the half. I also heard that the 5k corral assignments were very different from previous race weekends. I really hope that whatever happened at this race changes before I run my next challenge at Princess next year!
Since I just wanted to take the 10k easy, I wasn't super upset about my corral assignment but it did definitely affect my race experience. Will elected to stay in B corral rather than dropping back with me and that was definitely a good choice for both of our 10k goals.
The weather turned out to be really nice and I was actually a bit chilly waiting in the corral. Once I got started running, it was a really comfortable temperature. It was very crowded back in corral E which did help keep me at my 14 min/mi pace goal. There were a lot of walkers around me which made it even more congested than usual. Some times there was a row of walkers all the way across the entire paved running surface which made it difficult to get around. I run walk and always try to get to the side while walking so runners can pass me.
The first half of the course is all highway from the Magic Kingdom parking lot to Epcot. There are usually several character stops in the first three miles but they all had really long lines! I was loving just being able to not feel like death while running so I kept going past the early character stops and hoped for shorter lines in Epcot.
I ran into Kirsten from Crowned Athletics during the dark highway stretch so I walked with her for a bit and grabbed a selfie. I'm so proud of Kirsten for all she's accomplished with Crowned Athletics so it was great to run into her on course while wearing one of her tops!
Right as I got to Epcot, Robin Hood was out and I decided to stop for him even though the line was long. I think I ended up waiting about 8 minutes for him and he's not a character that is out in the parks regularly. He actually swapped out for his break right before me so I got a bit of character interaction as he was walking back to the backdrop. He kissed my hand and walked me over which was very sweet. Usually, race photos are just pose, click and move on.
Once in Epcot, I got my photopass photographer smile on and went for as many action shots as possible as I ran around World Showcase. It was still very crowded on the course and I even missed seeing that some characters were even available for photos! But I did end up with some great action shots from in Epcot. They are my favorite kind of race pictures!
I also ran into Kimberly and her mom who were wearing the cutest Minnie costumes based on one of her resort specific outfits. They were the most adorable people on course that day! The photopass photographers managed to catch a photo of the three of us talking but we're all making ridiculous faces since we weren't paying attention to the photographers so I'll spare the internet from our awkwardness. If you aren't following Kimberly's youtube channel, definitely go check out her latest videos!
The course exited Epcot by Mexico and we ran through some backstage area under Test Track. I really missed getting to run by Spaceship Earth but there was really no way to do that given the construction projects in the front of Epcot right now. Some of them are more short term but several are 2+ year efforts so we may see continued changes to the end of race courses for a while.
Wine and Dine 10k
Time: 1:36:44
Pace:15:36 min/mi
Then it was on to the finish line! Pro tip: it's easier to get good finish line photos if you cross to one side or the other rather than in the middle like I did for this race. There wasn't a lot of good spectator space near the finish line again due to the construction so that may deter your family from wanting to spectate or purchase chEAR squad until the change back to the old finish line set up. There was also a long walk to get your post race goodies. Walk, get your medal. Walk, get water. Walk, get snack box. Walk, walk, walk, get "I did it photos". It's not a terrible thing but it's definitely very different from previous runDisney set ups.
I met up with Will and my friend Melissa who finished way ahead of me since they are speedy. They changed up the snack boxes again this year. The fruit leather was replaced with a tastier one. The bland gluten free pretzels were replaces with rice puff almond fruit clusters which were surprisingly good. And, to the disappointment of many, the nacho cheese was replaced with an odd tasting hummus. I'm dairy intolerant so I didn't miss the cheese but the hummus was not great either. The chips and apple sauce were still there and they added some sort of caramel thing that I couldn't eat either. I ended up just eating the banana and snacking on the rest of the box later on in the day.
Will and Melissa had already gotten some post race character photos while waiting for me to finish but I needed one with Donald!
We also ran into Jen and Heather from the Go Find Your Awesome podcast. I've been training all summer listening to these ladies and it was so amazing getting to catch up in real life. Running friends really are the best friends! I'm so grateful for people like Jen, Heather, Kimberly and Kirsten who share about their running journeys online. It's so inspiring and without these ladies and others, I would have given up on trying to be a runner a long time ago.
Wine and Dine 2019:
Part 1: Expo
Part 2: 10k-You are here.
Part 3: Half Marathon
Part 4: Two Course Challenge
Part 5: Meet Up and After Party
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