Whew! So much to catch up on after Marathon Weekend! Yeah... I totally just handed rD $70 for a Millennium Falcon on a ribbon. Big SW fan here and I was never going to earn a Kessel the regular way, since I'll never travel to CA for a race, so I'm pretty jazzed about it.
I've got PHM in between, so if nothing else, that'll count as my other half.
So my Marathon Weekend plans were dashed after my flights were cancelled, and all other options proved fruitless. Sitting here bummed out, and daughter and I are looking at the Darkside as a possibility. I've never done any other runDisney event than Marathon Weekend. I know a half marathon weekend isn't going to match Marathon Weekend for the full pomp, but I was wondering what people think of it compared to Marathon Weekend, and the Darkside race in particular. I'm not especially a Star Wars fan, but then I'm not especially a Disney fan either (heresy!). I am a big runDisney fan, though, because I think they do an outstanding job of organization and entertainment. How do you think the Darkside stacks up to the other weekends in that regard?
I'm so happy to see you registered! I felt awful for you, reading about what happened for marathon weekend. I'm pretty biased, as I really do love Star Wars, but DS weekend ranks right up there with marathon weekend as favorites to me! As long as you don't actively despise SW, I don't think you have to love it to enjoy the races. The courses are different than MW, which is fun, and the 501st actors on the courses are amazing!
Since this will be my first Disney run experience can someone tell me how is the expo? Do a lot of you but stuff or just basically get your bib and leave? Does Disney give you any good swag in a gift bag of sorts/ A running shirt perhaps not cotton hopefully lol Just thought I ask.
It's the only expo at which I actually linger and shop - I'm not a fan of race expos, but I
am a fan of Star Wars stuff, so that helps, lol! I like the ambiance of this one, too. Star Wars music playing, characters making the rounds and interacting... it's a fun time! But you can also easily skip it all and just get your bibs and shirts and leave. You get a themed tech material shirt for the 10K and half, cotton for the 5K. That's it for free stuff.
This will be my first Disney Run, my GF and I are looking forward to it...
Any pointers on things I should look out for?
Planning on arriving Saturday morning and going straight to get out packets.
thank you
I assume you're running the half? Things to know...
It's an early start and a very early wake-up: buses to the races will likely start running at 3am and you won't want to wait long to get on one.
It's a LOT of people out there, both in the pre-race staging area and on the course.
There will be characters at the pre-race staging area available for photos - they get very long lines, so if you want to partake, be sure to get there early!
If you entered an estimated finish time of less than 2:45:00, you need to submit Proof of Time (PoT) by next Tuesday, Jan. 16.
runDisney does a great job of making sure there are plenty of water/Powerade stations on course.
Our FL weather in April is likely to be very warm and humid for anyone who doesn't live here and isn't used to it: the smart thing is to slow down, hydrate before/during/after.
LOTS of runners don costumes, but it isn't necessary!
A week or so before race weekend, rD will post an Official Race Guide: read it to learn about transportation, times, locations, rules, etc.
We'll also get our waivers of liability, which list our bib numbers. Your bib number will be assigned to a starting corral, and those assignments are based on your estimated finish time.
Remember, it's Disney: HAVE FUN!