Race Report: Chip & Dale marathon relay (leg 2, part 1)

[AVP]

A belated race report, but I wanted to post it before I forget too much more.

I may not be cut out for Walt Disney World races. I've managed to complete two Disneyland half marathons without much incident, even one I hadn't even trained for. I can't say the same for Florida events. Between the race they wouldn't let me finish, and the two I've registered for but had to skip due to schedule conflicts, I had decided not to sign up for another Walt Disney World race. Then they announced the Chip and Dale marathon relay. I already had two successful races under my belt, I'd been working out a lot more, I had a friend willing to form a team, I already needed to be on the East coast the following weekend for the Atlanta Gift Show... oh, why the heck not?

Famous last words.

As the race drew nearer, I knew I was in trouble. The 5-day-a-week bootcamp schedule I'd maintained over the summer in preparation for the Disneyland half went flying out the window during the crazy holiday season, and I did none of the long distances my training plan called for. By the time I boarded the flight to Orlando, I had already started to mentally prepare myself for another meeting with the sweep team. To make matters worse, I wrenched my ankle two days before the race, and spent much of Saturday icing and elevating my leg to try to get the swelling down.

Added to the physical stress was the confusion of exactly how the relay would be organized. Disney's official pre-race communications were light on specifics about how Jeff and I were to make the exchange at mile 13.1, and some of the information made no sense at all. For starters, why were the starting corrals lettered A-H, but the exchange corrals numbered 1-8, a number that seemed to have no correlation to our bib numbers? To get clarification, I first asked the volunteer who handed us our bibs at the Expo. She told me that ALL of the relay runners were starting from corral H, but directed us to the information desk for information about the exchange point. The information desk person corrected the original woman - relay runners were starting in all 8 corrals, as indicated on our bibs - and said that the exchange corral was based on our starting corral. A=1, 2=B, etc. Further, she said a giant screen at the exchange point would "show" the inbound runners, so we would know when to expect our partner to arrive. Hmm.

The info desk woman (who was a RunDisney staff member, not a volunteer) also said that it was the plan to let all remaining stage 2 runners start around 9am, in the event that their stage 1 runner was late / swept / injured / dropped out. This way, the stage 2 runners would have the full 3.5 hours to finish the half ahead of the sweep vans. Hmm.

It happens that my relay partner and I have worked several years on the Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay, a 120-mile, 20-stage relay race for law enforcement agencies. We have a LOT of experience with the concept of a relay race, and in fact our primary role is to communicate to the next stage the position and ETA of the inbound runner so the outgoing runner is prepared to start on time. While a race with a single exchange point is obviously far less complicated than what we're used to, we were still both a little concerned that there seemed to be so little information for runners. I signed up for runner tracking so I would get updates via text message and could try to keep tabs on him that way.

The morning of the race, Jeff headed to the start line at oh-dark-hundred. For most teams, being the stage 2 runner meant going to Epcot with their stage 1 runner, who would walk to the start line. The stage 2 runner would then board a Disney shuttle to the exchange point, where they were expected to wait for 3+ hours, first for the race to start, and then for their runner to get to them. Disney provided a little foil "sit-upon" for the stage 2 runner, and had foil wraps at the exchange point so runners could try to keep warm, but I heard from many that it was miserable in that parking lot before the sun came out.

Fortunately, Steph really wanted to stay at the Poly, and one major advantage to that was that we could sleep in and walk to the exchange point. The walking worked out just fine; the sleeping in proved to be much more difficult, as we could hear every. single. word. being spoken over the PA at the start line. Inside our room. Before 6am.

I would not be surprised to learn that the hotel front desk was flooded with complaints by guests who had their sleep so rudely interrupted. It turns out that the sound was actually coming from the exchange point, where a giant display screen relayed video and audio from the start line. After the race started, an announcer/DJ at the exchange point kept the music and announcements flowing.

Since we were awake anyway, we stretched and headed to the exchange point to wait. Miraculously my ankle felt fine, easing that worry. Jeff sent a Tweet from the starting line, warning that a new diagram of the exchange corrals had been posted that morning. When we actually got there, we discovered that the setup was different than even the updated diagram, and the corrals were now numbered with our bib numbers. Except that they'd only build 7 corrals, and there were 8 groups, so those of us in the last corral got to share a tiny triangle of space next to the finisher's medals.

I didn't want to deal with that crush and I definitely did not want to sit down on the cold asphalt, so I wandered around the area, watching the exchanges between teams as one runner arrived and the next started onto the course. The video board that was supposed to "show" the inbound runners would have worked better had it actually listed runner names (as I'd expected), or even maintained a video feed of the inbound lane. Instead they kept cutting to other video of the race course or to silly runDisney commercials. As a result, I saw several exchanges where runner 1 arrived and runner 2 was nowhere to be found, or had to scramble to get through the crowded chute to start the race.

Every once in a while a volunteer would go to a corral searching for a runner, and twice I heard an area-wide announcement seeking a specific runner. According to the volunteers, that meant that team's stage 1 runner had dropped out for whatever reason, and they were sending the stage 2 runner on their way. As it got closer to 9am, I asked what the plan was for the rest of the stage 2 runners, and was told we'd get about a 10-minute warning before they sent us all off.

Then it was 9. And 9:05. And 9:10. I was getting anxious, and knew my runner was due in at any time. Then it was 9:15.

At 9:20, they made an area-wide announcement and basically said, "if your runner isn't here yet, you need to get going or else you could be swept." WHAT?!?! Where the &*%$ was the 10-minute warning?

At that second, I had my phone in my hand (looking for a tracking update) instead of in its pouch, my music player wasn't launched, I didn't have Runkeeper launched (it chews up battery, so I don't leave it in standby), and my ear buds were just dangling. My adrenaline spiked as I rushed to type out a message to let Jeff know that they'd sent me ahead, launch Runkeeper and my music, plug in my headphones, stuff my phone into the case and get onto the course. As I ran to the road where our official "start" was, I passed Jeff heading into the exchange point and was able to tell him what happened. It was probably the worst possible start I could have had, but I tried to calm down and get into race mode. Unfortunately, the sweep team had other ideas.

(to be continued...)

[AVP]

Continued...

I got onto the road and followed the crowd to the left. I had finally manged to cram my phone into its case while jogging, having to re-do it three times because I kept putting it in wrong and it was causing problems for my headphones. I got everything settled, and ducked into the medical tent that was conveniently right there to grab some biofreeze. I'm not sure what caused it, but my calf cramped up the second I started jogging, and I didn't want to deal with that for long. During that 30-second stop, I heard one of the medics say "oh, there's the sweep," and I glanced up. Sure enough, there were the damn sweep riders on their bikes. I hauled butt out of medical and up the road, but the riders passed me.

To recap, I've had less sleep than I wanted, I've been standing around in a parking lot for more than an hour, I had a no-warning start that included the thread of being swept (my biggest fear of these races), my leg is cramping, and I'm less than 1/2 mile into the race.

And I've already been passed by the sweep riders.

It's hard to relate how tempting it was to just sit down and quit at this point. I was alternating between anger and tears, and my mood was getting worse by the second. I kept going, and that's when I realized that in my haste, I apparently selected the wrong program for Runkeeper and the program was not announcing my pace every 20 minutes like I'm used to. I didn't want to stop and restart the program, so I figured I'd just deal with it.

When I got to the first mile marker, I noticed it was marked mile 14, and the time displayed was obviously from the full marathon start time. There were no markers set up for the second half-marathon, so our mileage would always be .1 off, and we'd need to calculate our own time. Since we didn't pass the mile 13 marker, I wasn't sure what my clock time start was, so I had to start keeping track from mile 14.

Oh, did I mention that the sweep riders were parked next to the mile 14 sign when I got there? So, the way it works is that they ride to a mile marker sign, and at the designated time post a big orange flag on the marker to let you know you're behind pace. I have no idea how far ahead of that cutoff I was, and the flag wasn't posted when I passed mile 14. Yet about halfway to mile 15 the riders caught up with me again, and were waiting when I got to mile 15. That is the story of my race - I played leapfrog with the pace riders for 13.1 miles. Talk about demoralizing - I hadn't even started, and I was already at risk of being swept.

At some point we were handed bananas, one of many stops on what Steph called the "buffet" portion of the marathon course. (I later discovered that there was NO fuel stop in the first 13.1 miles at all, which meant it was a good thing Jeff had packed his own. Supposedly there was a stop planned before mile 9, but they must have run out before Jeff got there)

I'm really bad about remembering specific mile markers along a race course, so the rest of this will be less specific than I would like. We ran towards Animal Kingdom, on the back road next to the water treatment plant. I loved the signs along the road, which almost distracted me from the awful smell.

As we ran into Animal Kingdom, there was a row of animal handlers on the side of the road, all holding an array of critters. I loved the tiny screech owl and the raptor, and was lucky enough to get there just as the llama was brought back out. Unfortunately the critter portion coincided with one of my run intervals, and I pretty much ran that stretch sideways so I could see all of the critters. This was my favorite part of the race, and the reason I was happy to run the second half.

Animal Kingdom had been the portion of the course I was most worried about, and I'd heard other people complain that the "themed" pavement was dangerously uneven in parts. Given my ability to sprain an ankle by sneezing too hard, I was really worried about this and figured I'd have to walk the entire theme park portion. It honestly wasn't that bad, and I maintained my run intervals all the way through.

Then we were out into the parking lot, where a whole row of Disney buses were staged next to the medical tent. The buses all had electronic signs reading "Parade," and one of the other runners asked a nearby cast member, "hey, what's the parade?" "You, if you don't run faster," was the answer, and sure enough, the sweep riders leapfrogged me again.

And there went my attitude. Damn it, it wasn't fair. I looked to the side of the course, and there was Mickey and his safari jeep. I *never* stop for photos during a race because I don't want to lose the time, but this time, I said screw it - since I was going to get swept anyway, I may as well get the damn picture. Right after marker 18 was another photo op with the Haunted Mansion gravediggers, and I stopped for that one too. I'd been warned about the hills between 18-19, and decided to stop running my intervals - since I was going to get swept, no sense wearing myself out on the way to the "parade bus."

In my mind, I'd already been swept - I was a dead (wo)man walking, just waiting for the bus to catch me. I struck up a conversation with some of the people around me, and it was actually pleasant. I enjoyed watching the support groups along the side of the road, and listening to the band Team in Training had arranged to be on the course. At mile 20 we hit the "out and back," the section where the course continues east on Osceola Parkway for 1/2 mile, then doubles back and returns west on the other side of the same road. I saw one person cut across the median, effectively cutting a mile from their route, but I also knew that there was a mat at the end of that loop. If you don't cross that mat, you don't have an official time.

Heading back towards mile 21, the nicest thing happened to me. A coach from Team in Training walked up alongside me, and asked if he could "have the honor" of walking with me for a while. We chatted for a bit, and I admitted that I was just waiting to be swept. He assured me that there were still more than 400 people behind me, and that I could do it. He moved on to another pair of walkers wearing Team shirts, and I looked across the median at the inbound lanes. What I saw left me conflicted. The sweep vans had now caught up to mile 20, meaning the course behind them was now closed, and runners who had not yet made it to the turn around were being directed to cross the median and rejoin the westbound flow of runners to avoid being swept.

On one hand, I was glad that the sweepers were giving people a chance to continue if they wanted, and were not just picking them all up. On the other... well, I guess at that point of the race it may not matter if the course is altered, but it felt strange.

Another overpass, then another, then another, then we were into Hollywood Studios. At mile 23 the sweep riders looked a little too eager with their flags, and I asked how close I was. "Close," one said, "but you can do it." Yeah, I've heard that before - I picked up the pace again, adding the run intervals back. At mile 24 the sweep riders volunteered that we were still ahead of pace, just keep moving. There were SO MANY people along the Boardwalk, all so encouraging. The signs were great, "The last 100 people impress me way more than the first 100." "Pain is temporary, internet results are forever." The Team in Training coach who had previously talked with me had linked arms with a woman who was completing the Goofy challenge, and was talking her over "the wall." As other runners passed her, they shouted words of encouragement to her, and a runner who had already finished the course and come back onto the course walked along the sidelines, showing her the Goofy medal and telling her, "just 2 more miles and you can wear this."

I just wanted to make mile 25, because I was told that if I passed that, they would let me finish. I made it onstage in Epcot, and was surprised by the number of runners that finished the race and came back to cheer on those of us still trying to get to the finish line. I know it's silly, but after hearing so many horrid comments from runners about the walkers who are "clogging up" the race course, to have a hundred or more of them come out to cheer on the back-of-the-packers was touching. Lani and Alex were inside Epcot waiting for me, and saw me twice before I left the park for the final stretch.

Exiting the park at mile 26, I passed a group of Team in Training coaches who were trying to get back onto the course to talk in more runners, but security wasn't letting them back in. No idea how that worked out.

And then, it was over. I was too tired to run across the finish line. I got my medal (they tried to hand me a Goofy, and I had to point out that I'd run Chip and Dale), and called Tony before hobbling to medical for ice for my knees. I hoped to get a post-race photo, but the photographer told me they only had Mickey (Marathon) or Goofy (race and a half) backdrops - no Chip and Dale. I later learned that the Chip and Dale background was clear across the parking lot. Poor planning, worse communication.

Lani and Alex met up with me again, and I made my very slow way back to the Monorail and on to the Poly, where my very considerate roomies had left me enough ice for a post-race ice bath.

My final official time: 3:36:10. Based on the published race results, about 400 people finished after me, some of them as long as 35 minutes later. All of that sweeper stress, and I was probably safe the whole time. If I had not stopped for photos and had actually done my run intervals the whole race, I would have finished under 3:30 AND had a personal record. Lessons learned.

Overall thoughts: as I've said before, I hope they do this race again. It gives Disney the ability to add to their half-marathon capacity by putting more runners onto the lesser-used marathon course, and it gives runners more flexibility to choose the day that works better for them (mom can run on Saturday, dad on Sunday), or to run a course they haven't run before (if I've done 5 years of the normal half-marathon course, I'd definitely want another option). I do NOT think they need to do this as a relay again, and the logistics would probably work better if they eliminated the whole relay thing and just had two starts - one at mile 0, and one at mile 13.1

However, they need to make sure that they treat the first half of the marathon as a self-contained half marathon, and not skip water and fuel stations just because that's not how the marathon course is normally set up. And they NEED TO ADD mile markers for the 1/2 marathon runners - by mile 5, I've lost the will to do math to try to figure out what mile I'm really on, or what my time really is.

And please, don't EVER, EVER start people out with the immediate threat of being swept. That's bad race management, and it didn't need to happen that way.

Adrienne

[Drince88]

Thanks for posting this.

I could tell 'something was up' with your split times -- it almost looked like Jeff had finished his half quite a while before you started when I was tracking on that morning, but maybe not. Unfortunately, Disney has replaced the race results with the split times from the Active website and put in a pdf that just shows total time for each half, so I can't see what it said that made me think that.

If I'd been in your shoes, I would have really really really considered not starting after seeing the bikes go past the medical tent at the start, so I'm glad you went on.

I kind of hoped that Disney had figured out 'the relay thing' after two Wine & Dine events - but I was sure wrong! I can't believe they didn't keep the screen on the runners, or announce them, or something, so that the second person could be ready - let alone the severe lack of communication for 'later' starters!

I'm glad you got the medal - and I'm glad you will be able to get your C2C!!!

[terri5176]

AVP - you're to be congratulated, that's for sure. I'm not sure I could have handled the leap-frogging with the sweepers, knowing that I'd have to haul it for the majority of the race. Mentally, that's the toughest part for me.

I was able to complete the Tink race, and at one point, the sweepers said we were only three minutes ahead of pace. I felt like I couldn't move any faster, and started thinking about how I'd tell people that I'd been swept! But later on, we were told nope, you're 11 minutes ahead.... Then, after entering the parks, the sweepers rode by again, yelling "you're ALL FINISHERS!!!!"

I was there for the relay - Sarah ran the first leg. I had decided not to race, so was just waiting for her to appear. Luckily there was a group of us in the parking lot (transition area) so I had company and entertainment....but it was COLD....

Anyway - WAY TO GO! You did great!

[fairestoneofall]

AVP- I'm in tears reading your post. I have so much to say about it, but I'm short on time this morning.

[adriennek]

Continued...

Heading back towards mile 21, the nicest thing happened to me. A coach from Team in Training walked up alongside me, and asked if he could "have the honor" of walking with me for a while. We chatted for a bit, and I admitted that I was just waiting to be swept. He assured me that there were still more than 400 people behind me, and that I could do it. He moved on to another pair of walkers wearing Team shirts, and I looked across the median at the inbound lanes. What I saw left me conflicted. The sweep vans had now caught up to mile 20, meaning the course behind them was now closed, and runners who had not yet made it to the turn around were being directed to cross the median and rejoin the westbound flow of runners to avoid being swept.

On one hand, I was glad that the sweepers were giving people a chance to continue if they wanted, and were not just picking them all up. On the other... well, I guess at that point of the race it may not matter if the course is altered, but it felt strange.

Another overpass, then another, then another, then we were into Hollywood Studios. At mile 23 the sweep riders looked a little too eager with their flags, and I asked how close I was. "Close," one said, "but you can do it." Yeah, I've heard that before - I picked up the pace again, adding the run intervals back. At mile 24 the sweep riders volunteered that we were still ahead of pace, just keep moving. There were SO MANY people along the Boardwalk, all so encouraging. The signs were great, "The last 100 people impress me way more than the first 100." "Pain is temporary, internet results are forever." The Team in Training coach who had previously talked with me had linked arms with a woman who was completing the Goofy challenge, and was talking her over "the wall." As other runners passed her, they shouted words of encouragement to her, and a runner who had already finished the course and come back onto the course walked along the sidelines, showing her the Goofy medal and telling her, "just 2 more miles and you can wear this."

SNIP TO

And please, don't EVER, EVER start people out with the immediate threat of being swept. That's bad race management, and it didn't need to happen that way.

I just wanted to quote my favorite parts. The mile 21 & 23 stories were new to me and I loved them. (I love collecting funny phrases for spectator signs!!!!!)

I'm convinced I'll never own this medal after speaking with an elite runner this weekend who knows how races work (and some of the reasons it wouldn't.) There were only 400 C&D teams. I really really REALLY wanted this medal.

And you really really earned it!!

[fairestoneofall]

OK, so I have a little bit of time before I have to take the boys to school so let me see if I can power this out.

First of all, OH MY GOSH! I'm not sure I would have had the strength to even start. How discouraging to start off with the sweepers? So, many, many kudos to you, AVP.

Second, regarding the resort noise, I'm sure if I was a normal vacationer that would have bothered me. I've come to expect it. Since DH started running the DL Half I expect to hear the boom-boom-boom of the DJ at about 3:30 am and until I leave my hotel room and head towards my spectator spot. I also am used to hearing the fireworks at the start of the race and the announcers talking it up while the corrals are starting. But, to me, that is exciting. It always gets me pumped up to go cheer for the finishers.

Third, I have to hand it to you for sticking it out. Playing chase with the sweepers has to be so stressful. We (my sister, her roomie, my DF and myself) went to DHS on Marathon/Relay day. The buses were slow because the streets were closed. I actually didn't mind it at all. I enjoyed watching the runners around mile 19 (which would be 6 for relay runners?) while we were in stop and go traffic. I have to admit that I lost it though while on the bus. There was this creep that would shut up about how slow people were going and how those people walking were not marathoners at all. Anyhow, he went on and on until I couldn't take it anymore. I finally had to say my piece and put him in his place. I ended up going too far and cussing this guy out (not too terribly) and reminding him how easy it is to judge while sitting on his duff in an air conditioned bus (with a few colorful words added in there). His comments were so insensitive and I was tired from my half the day before, I just couldn't control my tongue. Anyhow, after we got to DHS all of us girls decided to hang out in front of the security check point and cheer the runners on. It was very emotional. I was told that it was around mile 22 at this point. We cheered for about 15 minutes and then headed into the park. I could have stayed there for much longer, but I didn't want to keep the rest of my group waiting. Once in the park we continued to stop and cheer runners along. It was around to noon at this point so the race was winding down. Then, after we rode Rock N Roller Coaster we went back and cheered the last of the runners on down the main street of DHS. By this time the sweepers were there and they were beginning to close the course. I was very emotional and continued to cheer runners on. It was so hard to see the emotion and miles on the faces of these runners who were being chased by the sweepers.

I now know why the TnT coaches walk their runners through parts of the course. I wanted to do this! I'm not a marathoner, but I sure can be a cheerleader! My congratulations to all of the finishers, especially the ones were were at risk of being swept for the last several miles (or all 13.1) of their race.

WDW Marathon weekend gave me a new appreciation for Team in Training. I think their coaches and support group are awesome. If I didn't have a charity that was very near and dear to my heart, I would certainly join my local TnT group here. I see them running every weekend, our paths cross often on my weekend long runs.

[stan4d_steph]

A minor correction, but we did actually run past the Mile 13 sign. It was easy to miss though, as it was right as you turned onto the road out of the transition area. I noticed because as I was running out, I noticed that I hadn't crossed over any timing mats. In fact, our time didn't actually start until we crossed the 13.1 mat, a full 0.2 miles after we had started. Hence the "transition time" indicated on the relay teams' finishing times.

On the other end of the spectrum, I had a great time running the second half of the marathon course. I've missed it since I did the marathon in 2007 and 2008, but really don't have the desire to train for another marathon since I've started doing half marathons. I had signed up for text alerts for my leg 1 runner, so I knew about what time to expect her. When it was close to the ETA, I made sure to keep my eyes on the end of the road, and was able to spot her fairly easily due to the small number of runners. I understand why there are so many fueling stations in the second half of the course, but it was a bit ridiculous to me as a half runner. I made a point not to take any gels since I didn't need them and didn't want to deny someone behind me who might need one. I was really happy with my consistency doing two halves back to back, and I'll be sad if they don't do the event again.

[Drince88]

I guess 400 teams were just the wrong number for effective communication throughout the whole transition time. Not THAT many fewer than the W&D (540) that they should have changed the plan up, though - but I guess a wider range of finish times for the first runners.

[adriennek]

I enjoyed watching the runners around mile 19 (which would be 6 for relay runners?) while we were in stop and go traffic. I have to admit that I lost it though while on the bus. There was this creep that would shut up about how slow people were going and how those people walking were not marathoners at all. Anyhow, he went on and on until I couldn't take it anymore. I finally had to say my piece and put him in his place. I ended up going too far and cussing this guy out (not too terribly) and reminding him how easy it is to judge while sitting on his duff in an air conditioned bus (with a few colorful words added in there). His comments were so insensitive and I was tired from my half the day before, I just couldn't control my tongue.

And this is one of the reasons I like you so much.

I wanna hear what you said to him... I can wait to hear it in person sometime, you don't need to post it. But I totally want to hear this...

I guess 400 teams were just the wrong number for effective communication throughout the whole transition time.

I was really surprised to hear the stories coming out of this event, that it was so inefficiently run by Disney. But it comes down to numbers: 800 registrations doesn't justify the added expense of the relay. They lost money on it.

[stan4d_steph]

I was really surprised to hear the stories coming out of this event, that it was so inefficiently run by Disney. But it comes down to numbers: 800 registrations doesn't justify the added expense of the relay. They lost money on it.

Well, I didn't see it as a massive disaster, but I guess I was in the minority. Or clueless.

[fairestoneofall]

AdK-Yes, I'll tell you the next time I see you. It's too much to type and the words are too colorful for this forum. I had to apologize to my sister, her roomie and my friend when we got off the bus. I told them that I hoped that I didn't embarrass them and that I was sorry for my outburst. My fried just said that I was just saying what everyone else was thinking. My sister told me she was actually looking at her watch, taking mental bets as to when I would open my mouth and the fury would flow. I guess I'm predictable like that.

ETA- And I hope the continue the event and improve on it. I'd love to do it in the future.

[AVP]

I was really surprised to hear the stories coming out of this event, that it was so inefficiently run by Disney. But it comes down to numbers: 800 registrations doesn't justify the added expense of the relay. They lost money on it.

But didn't they deliberately cap the registrations to a small number for this first race? The event sold out - they made as much money as they allowed themselves to make.

Someone (I think was Alex) suggested that this was was more a "proof of concept" to check the impact of adding another few thousand people to the marathon course.

22441 people finished the half marathon
13519 people finished the full marathon

Assuming the half marathon event was capped around 24,000 people and the marathon capped at 14,000, that's a 10,000 runner difference between the races. If Disney can add 10,000 more people to the first half of the full marathon course, and another 10,000 to the second half of the full marathon course, that's another 20,000 half marathon registrations they can squeeze out of the same course they've already set up. Clearly there are additional expenses involved, but the BIG ticket items - event infrastructure, road closures, finish lines, etc - are already in place.

Now, there are definitely some issues to face regarding how to feed 10,000 more people onto the marathon course at the midway point to avoid overcrowding that course, and I don't think that 10,000 more runners in each half is feasible, but Disney is surely trying to figure out how to increase race capacity. The half marathon course really can't handle any more participants, so they're capacity locked unless they figure out some options. I've heard a rumor that runDisney is trying to figure out how to add a parallel course to add capacity to the Disneyland half marathon, and it wouldn't surprise me if similar discussions are going on regarding the Florida event.

AVP

[AVP]

Well, I didn't see it as a massive disaster, but I guess I was in the minority. Or clueless.

I don't think it was a massive disaster at all, and I personally think the format is salvageable with a bit more planning. I will be sad if this is a "one and done," because I think this really appeals to the "social athletics" trend runDisney is marketing to.

[stan4d_steph]

I don't think it was a massive disaster at all, and I personally think the format is salvageable with a bit more planning. I will be sad if this is a "one and done," because I think this really appeals to the "social athletics" trend runDisney is marketing to.

It certainly seemed like a lot of people I ran into in the parks were really interested in the C&D medal and saying, "Oh I want to do that next year."

[fairestoneofall]

It certainly seemed like a lot of people I ran into in the parks were really interested in the C&D medal and saying, "Oh I want to do that next year."

Me being one of them! We saw a C&D team at DHS shortly after the event and stopped them to admire their medals and talk about their experience. They said that they would do it again and they were sure that Disney would work out the kinks.