The Goofy Challenge - my race-cation! Part 1

RUNDISNEY IS BACK! The moment I heard whispers of races coming back to Walt Disney World, I was in! I immediately told my husband and I will absolutely be in for the marathon and princess weekend. My friend, Lauren, that I’ve known since I was 11 floated the idea of her doing her first half marathon and would I be interested in running two days instead of one. Well, twist my arm, I was now doing the Goofy Challenge!

After registration went smoothly and training went well, as best as can be expected it was time to leave for our magical miles! The last few race weekends I have left home on a red eye in order to get into Orlando around 6am without wasting the whole day. I will say, do not take the flight as a time where you should try a new melatonin gummy - that backfired! This was also the first time we rented a car instead of taking the magical express from the airport and if you can, I really recommend renting a car. We were in Disney in 20 minutes and driving to and from the races could not be easier!

We drove from MCO straight to the parking lot of the Contemporary Resort where we had brunch reservations at Steakhouse 71. The best part about driving straight there was that we had time to park, refresh and walk over to Magic Kingdom before it opened. Just being able to see the castle an hour after being on a plane was the boost we needed to get our day going. After riding The Little Mermaid and walking around, we left for our pancake breakfast at the Contemporary. Definitely put this on your list if you have never been before, it was so good!

Pop Century is usually my hotel of choice when I stay at Walt Disney World mostly out of tradition for me at this point but I find the buses always to be very on time and quick, and it’s the perfect price point since I barely even see the room. You’ll see that a lot of people line up for the expo hours before it opens but since I wasn’t really in the market to buy any merchandise, we decided to spend the morning relaxing and go once the crowds died down. We ended up waiting in an out and back for about 45 minutes but between making friends in line and the music, you don’t really even mind waiting. Getting your bib is always the easiest part of the expo and we didn’t wait at all, in and out and it was easy. If this is your first race weekend and you had issues printing out your waiver, don’t be upset! You’ll be able to do that at the expo and someone can help you!

As hard as it might seem, you NEED to go to bed early. As as hard as you might not want to believe me, runDisney wake ups are around 2am. Between needing to stretch, get dressed, drink enough fluids and walking to the buses, you don’t want to be rushed for time. The races start around 5am but ideally getting to the corral an hour early gives you a buffer to go to the restroom, make friends, and get to the front of your corral. Lauren and I woke up at 1:55am the morning of the half marathon. We put on resort TV in the room to allow the music to wake us up and get us pumped. We both had bagels that we brought from home, took some liquid IV and left for Lauren’s FIRST time running a half marathon. I was so excited for her because not only did she put in all the hard work and stayed so dedicated, I was just so thrilled to be able to experience running through the castle with her. Something about this trip brought us back to being kids again and it’s so special to share it with someone who has been with you pretty much your entire life. Ok before I start crying let’s get back to the race…

Like I said before we rented a car so this was my first time driving to the race instead of taking the bus and much to my pleasant surprise, we were in the Epcot parking lot in 6 minutes! Having the option to stay in the car for a little bit might just have won me over for future plans. I really didn’t know what to expect in a post covid time world with how this race would feel, would they have pre race entertainment like before and how the vibe would be. I’m happy to report everything felt just as normal as before with the exception of the new security protocol. You pretty much walk close to the entrance of Epcot and enter through some medal detectors instead of getting your bags physically checked like before. You then start an even longer walk and in fact, we walked right past the finish line! Seeing the finish line plus hearing “When you wish upon a star” as we walk by was almost too good to be true. The staging area has a DJ and some chances to snap some cute pictures, coffee carts and lots of dancing! You are sort of corralled here until an hour and a half or so before the race begins and then you start the 1 mile walk to the corrals. Yes, you read that correctly. This is why I mentioned getting there early, there are so many moving pieces and it’s not like you just jump off the bus and run. Lauren and I got to our corral early and were able to be in the front, which if my favorite place to be so I can see everything going on. They release us now into “staging groups” instead of lettered corrals and this year it was S1-S6. Everything felt exactly as pre covid times which was so comforting. Lauren and I decided to mask in corrals, bathrooms, and wherever it felt too crowded for our comfort. That’s the biggest thing I want to stress to you is please do what makes you feel most comfortable, we all have to just listen to what feels ok for us.

If you have attended Marathon Race weekend or the Princess Half Marathon weekend before, this half course is the same as it has been which I do enjoy because we were able to make it to the castle the it was still dark, and if you’re thinking about running your first runDisney - NOTHING is like running down Main Street and through Cinderella’s Castle, and is worth every single penny. 2022 made this my 12th race weekend and it absolutely never gets old. One concern for everyone was if there would be characters and race entertainment on the course. The answer is - YES! Although we had to keep a distance from the characters and stand in a designated spot, everything was the same from the amount of characters, bands and entertainment along the course and the amount of crowds cheering us on! Miles 1-4 you spend running down the freeway towards Magic Kingdom and you pass under the MK sign that is my favorite part of the whole race! Why do you wonder? Well mostly because they’re always playing “Mary Poppins” as a Monorail drives by and honks. It’s just so classic “Disney World” to me that I can’t quite explain it.

Mile 5 - 7 we spend in Magic Kingdom, running down Main Street through Tomorrowland, under the castle, we pass by Splash Mountain and we are out again. Try if you can to slow down, take your time and pause your playlist because this is the moment you’ve waited for. Stop worrying about your time goal and soak up all the magic.

Leaving Magic Kingdom you then run the long stretch past the Grand Floridian and make your way back to Epcot. This is when I hope you remembered to apply sunscreen and take in some fuel. In the excitement of getting to the castle, we tend to forget to fuel and could end up bonking by the end. Mile 8 Is when they will provide you with some Honey Stinger chews (this time) but it’s always best to pack one back up fuel choices just in case. Remember that the time limit for any runDisney race is a 16 minute mile so keep that in mind when you are taking your time for pictures. The balloon ladies are the last to start so from the moment they do, you have 16 minutes per mile to keep up. Once we got back to Epcot, the heat really started to set in. That’s what is tricky about Florida is that one day can be super hot, and then next you’re frozen. There’s still a lot of construction going on through Epcot but they did they best they could to preserve the vibe and views of Spaceship Earth as you run towards the finish!

Leaving the race we quickly got into the car, drove home to our hotel and immediately ordered some coffee and Mickey waffles! My best advice post race is to fuel, get dressed and get back out walking, ESPECIALLY if you’re racing the next day. Sit with your legs up for a bit, foam roll and do your best to keep the blood moving. The worst thing you can do is to sit and get stiff. While I don’t recommend going to a park after the half if you have the full the next day, I think Disney Springs for some shopping or taking a swim at the hotel is the perfect way to end the day. For dinner we did something light and just got sandwiches at the hotel. Nothing new will ever be a good idea the night before the race, so eater - beware! Fortunately at Disney there are a lot of options for salads, pasta, sandwiches and burgers wherever you are! Don’t forget to hydrate, get to bed early, ice your knees and have some carbs before bed! The nest day we woke up just as early to head out for the full, stay tuned for that next!