This is a continuation of my RunDisney Springtime Surprise 5K: Expo and Preparation post.
On race day, I woke up at 2:30 a.m., got dressed and ate breakfast. We were waiting for the bus out front of the Disney hotel at 3:15 a.m. As expected, the bus was fairly full, but it accommodated everyone waiting. Phew!
When we got off the bus at Epcot around 3:45 a.m., there were so many people!
The Epcot ball was glowing and the outfits people wore were so creative. Great people watching!
Tip: If you see a bathroom on the way to the race area, take advantage of it! You’re likely to only see porta-a-potties for the next few hours.
After taking pics in front of the Epcot ball, we went to the race festivities. They had characters you could take pictures with (after standing in long lines), tables, a stage with music, tents (they may have served food?), port-a-potties, meet-up markers and more.
From what I could tell, this area was for anyone (runners and non-runners). But only runners were allowed into the corrals area.
Although we still had about 1 hour until the race started, the lines were long and so we bypassed most of this and went to the race corrals. We were in our corral by 4:15 a.m.
Tip: They close off the corrals at certain times or if the corral is full. So, don’t wait too long to get to your corral or you might be bumped back and have to wait even longer to start.
Your bib number has your race corral letter on it. Your corral is selected for you based on your estimated 5K run time. My dad had corral A, but my mom and I had corral B. So, he stayed back in B with us to be together; you can move down corral letters but not up.
The corrals had A LOT of people in them. I don’t know how many hundreds of people run these races, but everything was so well organized, and everyone was just so happy to be there.
We waited a long time in the corral so I sat down to rest my hip.
It started raining (thanks Florida), so we huddled under a foil mylar blanket until it stopped. Not what it was meant for, but it kept us dry!
When it was near time to start the race, they let corral A into the starting area, further broken into groups to start at intervals. Every time a new group went, they let off fireworks.
By the time my group in corral B got to the starting line, it was about 5:15 a.m. Despite lots of waiting, the RunDisney folks really were very efficient.
And then, we were off and running!
I put my phone in my belt bag around my waist to ensure I fully paid attention to the experience, so I don’t have photos from during the race.
However, RunDisney has photographers along the routes to take your photo. The photographers were in bright green 1-person pop-up tents (similar to this green pop-up tent –>), so they were easy to see, if you were looking for them.
Tip: When you run past a photographer, make sure they can see you AND your bib number to make sure you get photos of you during the run. If your bib number isn’t visible, you won’t get your photos. Connect your bib number to your photopass account to see your photos!
After running a bit through the parking lot and some behind-the-scenes areas, we entered Epcot directly into Mexico. We ran around the Epcot World Showcase, some more back lot areas, under the ball and out to the finish line.
The people watching while running was fascinating. My absolute favorite was the runner dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow in full Jack garb running zig zag in Jack’s flouncy hands run. Obviously, I’m not a fast runner so he zoomed on by, but I literally laughed out loud.
Along the way, there were a few stops where you could get in line to take photos with characters. A big surprise was that Jessie was in America, so I had to wait in line for her! My costume inspiration.
Other characters were Edna Mode (The Incredibles), Russell and Dug (Up), Zee (Antz) and Sadness (Inside Out).
The lines for the characters were quite long, but the photographers moved efficiently. You didn’t need to scan a wristband because again, you’ll get your photo if your bib number is visible. They would take a photo with your phone camera too.
Although your run time isn’t tracked, we stopped at 3 of the 5 character photo opportunities, because we were nervous about how long the run would take.
Tip: After the run, we found out the 5Ks have plenty of time to complete the course. If you’re in an earlier corral, you should have no issues finishing. The RunDisney folks give the later corrals time to get photos too. As long as you stay in front of the “balloon ladies,” who pull you off the course, then you’re fine.
We finished the 5K, grabbed some water, gatorade, our medal and a post-race snack box. We were back on the bus to the hotel just as the sun started to come up.
My hip was definitely hurting by the time we got back to the hotel. I was grateful for motrin and my 11-inch massage stick, which they also sold at the expo.
I had brought epsom salt to do a bath, but unfortunately my hotel room had a stand-up shower. I’ll plan better for that next time.
Tip: During the Springtime Surprise weekend, you could bring your medal to the DisneyWorld parks. If you got your photo taken by Photopass photographers, they’d add something extra to your photos. Only some of the photographers knew this though, so keep asking if one doesn’t know.
Overall, would I do it again? Despite the crazy early wake-up times, absolutely! I run one annually if I didn’t have to plan or pay for it (wink wink mom). Yes, RunDisney is “just a run,” but of course Disney put its own magical spin on it.
What an overall amazing experience! Thank you mom and RunDisney!
Have you run a RunDisney race? Virtual or in person? Which one? If so, what was your experience like and do you have any tips for others? If not, would you run one? Do you have any questions I can try to help answer?
Thanks for reading!
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