Brief 2018 WDW Marathon Weekend Expo Recap

I ran my first marathon, at Disney World, on January 7, 2018. It was one of the four races in the Dopey Challenge. The marathon was the 25th running and it was the 5th year of Dopey. Anniversary years mean special medals, and the bling from this series is indeed awesome.

The first part of any race weekend at Disney is attending the expo to pick up essentials (bib(s) and shirt(s)) and other goodies like souvenirs, running gear, and race nutrition. I attended the expo on the first day, Wednesday. The expo opened at 12PM; I arrived around 11:30AM. Most of my time was spent in lines. It was crazy busy!

First there was a line to pick up bibs.


Then there was an even longer line to get into the merchandise hall.


There were some photo ops along the way.




And special merchandise included runDisney themed Mickey Mouse cupcakes (it was delicious).


I got my bibs (2 for Dopey and one for the Castaway Cay Challenge) and my shirts (6 (!!) for Dopey and one for the CCC). In the official merchandise area I stood in another long line to check out. In the expo hall I got some gels for the half and full, and picked up some freebies too (including obligatory GoGoSqueezes).

I survived! Next up: 4x crazy early, crazy cold race mornings -- so Dopey!

Comments

Be the first to comment

Comments with links or HTML will be deleted. Your comment will be published pending approval.
Your email address will not be published

Race Report: 2018 WDW Marathon (Dopey 4/4)

The 2018 Dopey Challenge concludes with a full marathon! My first 26.2! This MAGICAL course takes runners through all four theme parks in Walt Disney World, plus the ESPN Wide World of Sport complex. For my first full marathon I decided to wear a shirt with my name boldly printed...

15 Budget Virtual Races with Swag To Run In July 2020

Due to pandemic-related race cancellations and postponements, 2020 has seen the rise popularity of virtual races.  Are you looking for your next virtual race?I found the following virtual races that offer different levels of swag at budget-friendly prices. These might have additional fees, like a sign-up platform fee...

Race Recap: Star Wars Dark Side 10K 2018

Woo hoo, it's 10K time in my favorite race weekend! This was my third year participating in the Dark Side races and my second consecutive Dark Side 10K. I ran this race as a generic Dark Side nerd, with a Death Star Mickey ears hat, a Darth Vader...

List: Virtual Races with T-Shirts & Medals to Run in November 2020

Due to pandemic-related race cancellations and postponements, 2020 has seen a rise in popularity of virtual races.  Are you looking for your next virtual race? Local race companies are starting to run live events in many locations, with added safety...