Official 2020 Star Wars Rival Run Weekend - CANCELED

[cincystamper]

Training is okay. Been delayed the last week or so with serious chest congestion, but got back to it this morning with a 3 mile run. (Training for the 10k.) Because of weather and timing, I've been doing everything on the treadmill. Been working a lot this year on my mental training just as much as my physical training and I know it's going to make a huge difference on race day. Feeling confident and strong! Not too happy with my pace, but from experience I know I'm faster outside. I have a live 5k in two weeks so I'll use that to gauge how my actual pace is doing.

 

[fatmanatee]

They proved in the inaugural year that running it in reverse isn’t feasible and leads to unprecedented bottlenecking.

Digging back and looking at the course now: https://www.kesselrunner.com/2016/03/the-dark-side-race-maps-star-wars-half.html?m=1

Where did the bottlenecking happen? I know it was mentioned earlier but kinda forgot. I wonder if there's a way to avoid that while maintaining some semblance of this route but prob not.

Also, I'll be honest... if I have a choice of terrible bottleneck+GE vs. no bottleneck+no GE... I'd prob take the first option. Seems insane but I'm not gunning for a PR here. That said, the bottleneck is a separate issue from the bigger problem of GE crowds.

 

[disneygirlsng]

Digging back and looking at the course now: https://www.kesselrunner.com/2016/03/the-dark-side-race-maps-star-wars-half.html?m=1

Where did the bottlenecking happen? I know it was mentioned earlier but kinda forgot. I wonder if there's a way to avoid that while maintaining some semblance of this route but prob not.

Also, I'll be honest... if I have a choice of terrible bottleneck+GE vs. no bottleneck+no GE... I'd prob take the first option. Seems insane but I'm not gunning for a PR here. That said, the bottleneck is a separate issue from the bigger problem of GE crowds.

I heard the boardwalk path through to HS was awful.

 

[fatmanatee]

How's everyone's training going. I've been lazy lately but since new years done 2 or 3 5-7km runs a week (lost 3kg to). Just need to start increase distance for my half marathon training

There has been no training, lol. I took a break after the Chicago Marathon and it's gotten colder since then and so far this year there have been only a couple of reasonable days and I haven't taken advantage of them. Definitely back at it sometime this month though.

 

[fatmanatee]

I heard the boardwalk path through to HS was awful.

Yes, I think that was it. It's interesting bc that's between mile 2 and 3 for this map, right? Earlyish, but some time for runners to spread out. I remember the boardwalk from 2017 and it wasn't bad then, but obviously that year it was much further into the race. IIRC there was a waterfront path kinda late in that race that was a bit clogged, something that would have been worse if it was near the beginning.

 

[camaker]

Yes, I think that was it. It's interesting bc that's between mile 2 and 3 for this map, right? Earlyish, but some time for runners to spread out. I remember the boardwalk from 2017 and it wasn't bad then, but obviously that year it was much further into the race. IIRC there was a waterfront path kinda late in that race that was a bit clogged, something that would have been worse if it was near the beginning.

It wasn’t a matter of being a bit clogged early in the race. I was in Corral B and got through ok, but the later corrals had runners packed shoulder to shoulder and barely able to make progress walking, much less running. RunDisney took a major beating over the conditions. There’s no way they try that again.

 

[drummerwife]

I’m a middle to back of the pack runner and the bottleneck on the path was so bad that not only did you have to walk, it completely stopped at times. This was made worse by runners from earlier corrals that had stopped for photos yelling at everyone to “make way runner coming through” like there was any place for us to move to!

 

[PrincessV]

The forest battle from Return of the Jedi recreation, the different Star Wars characters on the course, including some nice backdrops. And the cosplay groups provide some incredible photo stops. In 2018, I got a photo with cosplayers dressed as Rey and Kylo Ren together (never happening in the parks) the Emperor, Vader, Guard, stormtroopers, and Imperial officers all together.

I love running through World Showcase with Star Wars music playing.

CHILLS!!!!!!!! Seriously, all of the above is why I looove this race weekend! It's a SW geek's dream race, lol!

A late opening might help, but everyone's been getting there way early for boarding groups and there's no indication that they'll arrive later because the opening is later.

And if the race were to start in GE, they'd actually need to do the start area & corrals in DHS' parking lot - I just cannot see that being feasible with the early crowds for ROTR.

How's everyone's training going.

I've been recovering from Dopey and a bad cold, so it's all been short runs for me lately. I'll start building back-to-back-to-back mileage again next week.

Where did the bottlenecking happen? I know it was mentioned earlier but kinda forgot. I wonder if there's a way to avoid that while maintaining some semblance of this route but prob not.

In the half, starting from a rear corral, it was the entire course, but epically bad on the BW path. EPICALLY. The 10K was actually even worse.

... the later corrals had runners packed shoulder to shoulder and barely able to make progress walking, much less running.

I’m a middle to back of the pack runner and the bottleneck on the path was so bad that not only did you have to walk, it completely stopped at times. This was made worse by runners from earlier corrals that had stopped for photos yelling at everyone to “make way runner coming through” like there was any place for us to move to!

Yep, agreed on all counts. It was TERRIBLE in the rear corrals. I'm used to tight conditions in rD races, but this was another level entirely. Pushing, shoving, no room to go anywhere, all to the gentle refrains of "MOVE! RUNNERS COMING THROUGH! BALLOON LADIES ARE COMING!!!!!" Add in the bus fiasco and I finished thinking (and wrote to rD), "It's a good thing I love SW so much and will try again for that, alone. Otherwise, I'd never consider this race again after that experience."

 

[cel_disney]

CHILLS!!!!!!!! Seriously, all of the above is why I looove this race weekend! It's a SW geek's dream race, lol!


And if the race were to start in GE, they'd actually need to do the start area & corrals in DHS' parking lot - I just cannot see that being feasible with the early crowds for ROTR.


I've been recovering from Dopey and a bad cold, so it's all been short runs for me lately. I'll start building back-to-back-to-back mileage again next week.


In the half, starting from a rear corral, it was the entire course, but epically bad on the BW path. EPICALLY. The 10K was actually even worse.



Yep, agreed on all counts. It was TERRIBLE in the rear corrals. I'm used to tight conditions in rD races, but this was another level entirely. Pushing, shoving, no room to go anywhere, all to the gentle refrains of "MOVE! RUNNERS COMING THROUGH! BALLOON LADIES ARE COMING!!!!!" Add in the bus fiasco and I finished thinking (and wrote to rD), "It's a good thing I love SW so much and will try again for that, alone. Otherwise, I'd never consider this race again after that experience."

The bus fiasco was equally unforgettable...I still have moments of PTSD trying to get all 4 of us ‘home’ from the 10K that year!

 

[quandrea]

You guys are making me nervous. Dd ran the half back in 2018 and all was well. Was this just last year?

Just reread. See it was 2017

 

[rsimon]

Deleted - wrong race probably..

 

[PrincessV]

The bus fiasco was equally unforgettable...I still have moments of PTSD trying to get all 4 of us ‘home’ from the 10K that year!

No joke. I drove to the race... getting from the finish back to my car involved 2 hours, a bus from WWOS to AK, a bus from AK to EP, and a mile and a half trek across the EP parking lot.

You guys are making me nervous. Dd ran the half back in 2018 and all was well. Was this just last year?

Just reread. See it was 2017

2016 was the one we're talking about, with the insane course congestion and parking/bus issues. It was the inaugural Dark Side race weekend and they learned a LOT from the mistakes made then! I've done every SW WDW race weekend and haven't seen anything like that first year since, so no need to worry.

 

[ars0525]

They can't have runners go thru HS right away in the race & stop in GE. How many would stall out taking pictures / hanging out in a pretty empty park & just take the bus ride later when the balloon ladies sweep them? lol

Honestly after going to HS for a Star Wars day in mid-January & seeing the crowds for a 7am opening (we got there at 5:45) I don't know how they could use any of HS as part of the courses. Unless they run in a back entrance & out a back entrance the crowds of people will still be waiting out front for park opening.

 

[fatmanatee]

You guys are making me nervous. Dd ran the half back in 2018 and all was well. Was this just last year?

Just reread. See it was 2017

The one I ran was 2017 (with the boardwalk closer to the end instead of the beginning). Bit of confusion all around. 2016 was the disaster race.

 

[osufeth24]

I don't care where we run through. I just wanna be able to have a chance to get on RotR after the 10k race

 

[Princess Michele]

I am trying to plan my day after the 5K race and need a little help. I know the first corral will start at 5:30. We put down a run time of 14 minutes/mile so I know we will be towards the back of the corrals. What is an average time that the last corral would start for the 5K? Thank you.

 

[Novatrix]

I don't care where we run through. I just wanna be able to have a chance to get on RotR after the 10k race

I think Disney has now added another coveted time based reward to the running community!

-Qualify for Boston Marathon
-Proof of time for a better starting corral
-Run fast enough to still have a shot at a Boarding Group for RoR

#runninggoals

 

[PrincessV]

I am trying to plan my day after the 5K race and need a little help. I know the first corral will start at 5:30. We put down a run time of 14 minutes/mile so I know we will be towards the back of the corrals. What is an average time that the last corral would start for the 5K? Thank you.

I didn't run the 5K last year, but I started in corral C for the 10K and started the race at 5:51am. I would guess that you're likely to be in the last corral, assuming they do only 3 corrals (which has been the trend for 5Ks lately), starting around 6am-6:15am. At one time, it was taking an hour to get all corrals through the start, but lately it's been closer to around 45 minutes.

 

[tigger536]

During marathon weekend I ran the 5K twice, once from the front of A and a second time from C (no we didn't take two medals). I just looked and my garmin says I started the second round (from towards the back but not the very back) of C at 6:27 AM. So about an hour from when A started. The corral was still open when we got back around to it.

 

[Princess Michele]

I didn't run the 5K last year, but I started in corral C for the 10K and started the race at 5:51am. I would guess that you're likely to be in the last corral, assuming they do only 3 corrals (which has been the trend for 5Ks lately), starting around 6am-6:15am. At one time, it was taking an hour to get all corrals through the start, but lately it's been closer to around 45 minutes.

During marathon weekend I ran the 5K twice, once from the front of A and a second time from C (no we didn't take two medals). I just looked and my garmin says I started the second round (from towards the back but not the very back) of C at 6:27 AM. So about an hour from when A started. The corral was still open when we got back around to it.

Thanks for the replies. Depending on what time HS opens we may still have a chance to get a BG for ROTR then. We are trying to ride it on Thursday for the first time and either Friday or Saturday as a backup. With APs blocked on Friday I am thinking that crowds might be lower than Saturday.