So, 11 years ago I ran the inaugural 10k and Dopey events. A challenge that includes running a 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon on consecutive days around the Disney Parks down in Florida. Back then it was an amazing and challenging experience. Last year, during my daughter’s first official Half at Disney, similar to what happened to me when I ran my 1st half at Disney, she saw during the half and the following day all the participants for Goofy and Dopey challenges and said, Why not?

Here, we are now running the event. So, my friend Jamie from InsaneRunning, my daughter Bianca and her boyfriend Calvin, my daughter’s friend Sidney, and her dad are tackling the different events this weekend. Now, with all that said, this was going to be Bianca’s 1st Dopey and multiday event challenge. Now for Calvin, he must be already an InsaneRunner, because it was not only his 1st multiday event challenge, it was going to be his 1st attempt at the full marathon distance. Is that crazy, or what?

The sign-up:

We new that the signup was going to fill fast. The Dopey Challenge filled up last year within the hour, so for this one we all took some time and waited behind our computers and as soon as the sign up page was open, we were in the web page trying to get in. This really felt like the equivalent of the virtual version of Black Friday before the doors opened at Target, Walmart or Bestbuy. Or like watching a bid on Ebay go up of something you would like to purchase and you are in hope that you do not get outbid at the last second. We were very fortunate and got in. It was little bit expensive but I have to say it was worth it. The event filled up and stop allowing sing up for the Dopey Challenge within 45 minutes from what we were able to tell.

The Preparation:

For these back-to-back events, I treated them as an Ultramarathon training plan. Since we knew the time and pace were not as important as feeling well and conserving energy, we focused our energy and effort on endurance and recovery. To learn how to run with tired legs, we planned to do normal short runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays while focusing on some Friday, Saturday, and Sunday longer runs. This is with Saturday and Sunday having back-to-back, slow, longer runs. Another aspect was to test the recovery between runs to figure out what works best and extra for me how my sugars were held during and after the long runs. The fueling plan remained the same: every ~4 miles with some carbs and adjusting bolus as I go, depending on my CGMS readings. For recovery, I was making sure to pay more attention of the kind of food I was eating and added the vitamin and protein shake after the long runs. Making sure there was a combination of protein and carbs that would allow me to sustain recovery and be ready for the next day.

The Expo:

As mentioned in the previous Disney Dopey event post from a few years back, the shows and events were extremely well organized. I traveled on Tuesday and stayed at a hotel at the park premises to take advantage of all the preparations around the area. Different from my 1st Dopey, this time, I was planning to drive in the morning since that was going to give us additional time to relax and not feel rushed to get to the event area in the morning. After picking up Bianca and Calvin from the airport the next day, we went directly to the Expo to pick up our bibs for the event.

It was great to see many runners and participants, including Josh from the TUFF running group from the Raleigh area. Also, while waiting in line, we met with a few other runners who were tackling the Dopey Challenge from NC.

Picking the bib and timing chip was very easy and well organized, similar to the previous years. For Dopey, there were two bibs, one for the 5k and 10k, the other one for the Half and Full. I picked all the technical shirts up, a total of 6 nice running shirts, and because this was going to be a one-time adventure for Bianca and Calvin, some additional commemorative pins for the event. The Expo was huge and pretty nice, with speakers, including Galloway, an Olympian who is most known for his walk/run distance running method. Not many new products but nice to see the different products and items I use during training and runs.

While waiting to get in to see some of the event merchandise, which was in a different building in the ESPN complex, some decided to take a nap and practice recovery for the events. Hmmm, we have not even started. Are we already resting? It is going to be a very long four days. Nah!! Long but fun four days.

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The Pre-Event prep:

That night we checked the hotel cafeteria/restaurant/food court area for food availability in the morning. When we checked in we were fortunate to ask for a microwave for the room. There were still some available. That was going to make life and morning prep super easy. Given that during previous events, we had to go to the main cafeteria to use the microwave to prepare the oatmeals and coffee for the morning events. That was adding time needed to walk there and wait for availability, now we can focus and relax getting ready in our own rooms. I bought some milk to take to the room for the oatmeal and coffee in the morning. Even though for shorter runs, fuel was not necessarily needed, for this 5k and the 10k event, it provided an excellent opportunity to rehearse the routine to be ready for the half and full. I did a final check on the equipment, shoes, running shirt and shorts, body glide, bib, and cap. There was no music since it was going to be a super short event, and I was planning for us three to run together.

The Event:

The next morning, 1st event day, the wake-up time was around 2:45 AM. This is early enough to be able to take my time getting ready. I prepared some coffee (Milk and some instant espresso, the closest thing to a latte) and instant oatmeal since it was going to be just a 5k. At the starting waiting area there were tons of people for the Dopey challenge, but also many families with their kids just doing the 5k. There were only like six big corrals holding all the runners, A through F. We were on corral C, not the fastest, but early enough for us.

Different from last year’s half at Disney, which was cut short due to a storm, this time, the weather was great, the mid-40s at the start for basically all 4 days, and we had plenty of time for all the events to take it easy, take many walk breaks, and take pictures. And that was what we did with a time of close of 35 minutes for a 5k. We headed out at an easy, sustainable pace and stopped to take pictures with some of the characters along the route and enjoyed the event, music, and show. Even with the wide roads at the beginning, there were a lot of people, some running, some running/walking, and others just walking. There was a lot of maneuvering to keep a steady pace for the 1st couple of miles, even at 12:00 pace.

The 1st mile or so is on a street course, then come backstage at Epcot. Getting into the park from one of the hidden entrances backstage into the park and making one loop around Epcot Center is very scenic and entertaining. The water and aid stations are well-manned and awesome. The time went fast, and in no time, we were now at the finish line.

Post Event:

After the event, we grabbed water, Powerade, and the goodies box, which included some Skittles, Tostitos, mini toast, cheese, a granola bar, and a wipe. There was also the traditional banana at the end. We took some pictures, met with Jamie for a little bit and headed back to the hotel to start the day with easy walking around Epcot.

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Month/Year	Event	Location	Type	Time
Jan-25	Disney 5k	FL	5k	31:29

Course:  Street/road-wide course, mostly flat, and one loop around Epcot Center, very scenic. The water and aid stations are well-manned and awesome. Due to the amount of runners and picture opportunities I will not consider this event an event for a PR for time. But if this is your first 5k (Expensive 5k if it is your 1st) and you just want to finish, I recommend this one 100%.

Weather: Cloudy and wet. Temp was around 48° with some humidity.

Expo: The Expo, similar to last year, was one of the best ones I have ever attended.

T1D: Sugars within running range but on the high side. No issues during the race.

Post: Banana, water, and snack. Normal breakfast and lunch afterward. Some walk but mostly talking it easy.

Learning Points:

• Running a huge event has the disadvantage of lots of walkers.
• Running at Disney Park is an experience in itself.
• Running for fun will yield a good adventure experience and pictures