2017 WDW Marathon Expo

After many a delay on I-95 on Thursday on my journey down to Florida, I finally arrived that evening around 8:00 PM. I had originally planned to go to the expo that evening, but had to settle for the following day. Friday rolled around and it was sunny and beautiful outside…far cry from the coldness I left up in Maryland the day before. I arrived early to Wide World of Sports around 10:00 AM, and joined the throngs of runners eagerly awaiting to pick up their bibs and race goodies.

The lines to get into the HP Field house wrapped around several times outside, but the lines moved fairly quickly (even though we were all asking where we could get our Fastpasses!)

Once inside, I made a beeline for the Goofy Challenge bib pickup, got in and out in two minutes, then proceeded to explore the expo with Jess, Kristin, and Jackie!

The New Balance shoes were so en pointe this year. In stead of being character themed, they were ride themed!

 

The official weekend clothes were really cute, but soooo expensive. The marathon jacket was so sleek in its red and black!

The Dooney and Bourke bags were also on sale. The pattern is too cute! (I wish the bag was in black, though.)

 

There was also a plethora of race banners with the courses on them. I found these to be a perfect combination!

Happiest Mickey ever!

I often don’t purchase official race merch, due to pricing; the race shirts that we get with registration suit me just fine. I was a big fan of the colors this year, especially the royal blue for the marathon!

 

The runDisney booth had their medals on display, and I caught a glimpse of the Princess Half Marathon weekend medals!

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As the sun began to set on Friday, all eyes began to turn towards the radar. There had been talks about calling the WDW Half due to impending storms. If runDisney made the decision to cancel, it would be the first time in 24 years that runDisney had cancelled a race. Additional communication was sent out to runners in the afternoon and early evening hours with regard to monitoring the weather, and around 10pm, the race was called. 

What happened on Saturday would forever make its mark on the running community, and in runDisney history. Stay tuned…

WDW Marathon Weekend Corrals and Waivers

Ladies and gentlemen, runners of all ages…

It’s that time of year. I’m not talking about Christmas or other wintery holidays…

It’s runDisney season!!!

We have about 17 days until the Super Bowl of runDisney occurs down in Walt Disney World. WDW Marathon weekend is in its 24th year, and will encompass four races and two challenges throughout the weekend: WDW 5K, WDW 10K, WDW Half Marathon, and WDW Marathon; Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge, and the Dopey Challenge. 2017 is special in that we will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the half marathon!

 

XX = Roman numeral for 20, for those that are confused by the design.

Yesterday, the corrals and waivers were released, and runners will be able to access their bib numbers and corral placements. Now, for those that are seasoned runDisney veterans, they’re already out and cruising towards Magic Kingdom (i.e. they already know what to do). If you’re a newbie, don’t panic! I’m here to help make this as painless and simple as possible. Here is what you do!

 

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1. Click this link. It will take you to your waiver: WDW Marathon Weekend Waiver
2. When you arrive to the page, enter your last name and DOB.
3. Your waiver will pop up. If you have a printer, print it out and sign it. If you don’t, you can print it out at the expo.

Your bib number will be at the bottom of the page, along with your age and shirt size. Using this bib number, look up your corral for your race: Now, for those running the challenge runs (Goofy and Dopey), things are a little different for you. I consulted by BRF, Jess, for this information!

“Goofy and Dopey bibs have two corral letters, right? Or is that just Dopey? -me

“Goofy only has one so you are in the same corral for half and full. Dopey has two bibs: one for the 5k and 10k, the other for half and full. You are in the same corral for half and full for Dopey. You’re also in the same starting corral for the 5k and 10k for Dopey, too, but you don’t find that out until the expo :)” -Jess

So there ya go. Dopey = 2 bibs, 2 letters. Everyone else = 1 bib.

5Kers…You’ll notice there is no timing chip on your bib. It’s an untimed race, but you are still in a corral. Just run to have fun!

One last note: no matter if you print your waiver now or at the expo, you better make sure you have your ID with you when you retrieve your bib and race packet. Have it out and ready to go so you’re not fishing around and fumbling with your stuff when you get there.

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Personal notes:

-I’ll be running the Goofy Challenge this year! I’ll be in Corral J for both races.

Looks like a Reese’s Cup to me!

 

-I will be driving to Florida instead of flying.

-I’m tinkering with the idea of a WDW Marathon Survival Guide. For those that have read my Princess Half Survival Guide series, you know that it is catered to those that are first-timers/newbies. Are there any topics that you would like to see me elaborate on/write about that are tailored for the WDW Marathon weekend?

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Happy training and traveling! Have a great holiday season!