The Turtle Krawl 5K claims to be the largest 5K in Brevard County Florida. The race takes place on a barrier island, in coastal Indialantic, and runs through residential streets as well as along a seaside roadway. Proceeds from the race benefit the Sea Turtle Preservation Society.

Training & Goals
I really like the cause this race supports so that was my primary reason for running. Swag included a sweet turtle tech shirt and awesome optional medal which also made me want to run this one. My only goal was to have a good tempo run as part of my ongoing half marathon training.

Race Day: September 10, 2016
So Indialantic is pretty far from home, which meant I had to leave home pretty early to arrive in time. I was on the road by about 4:45 and the drive in was smooth. I arrived in time to park along the main beach drag, run to packet pickup (which was incredibly well-organized and fast), run back to the car, and then run back to the starting area. The race used chip-timing in a D-Tag that was attached to the back of the bib and had to be transferred to our shoes. Interesting method!

The temperature at the start of the race was a balmy 77° with a stifling 94% humidity. I had thought a seaside race would provide a nice ocean breeze. Instead this felt like the hottest race of the year so far and it ended up hitting me hard in the last mile.

Mile 1: 9:55
I lined up around the 10 minute mile pace sign. In other races I have had to bob and weave a lot at the start, but the lineup for this very large race was almost perfect and I could run at pace from almost the start. Everyone lined up as they should and it was great. I felt really good during this first mile and didn't stop for any walking.

Mile 2: 10:19
There were several groups of volunteers out on the course with professional-looking spectator signs that were fun to see and helped motivate us runners. "You run better than Congress", "If you fall down, I'll stop your Garmin", "Worst Parade Ever", etc. I took one small walking break during this mile but I started feeling bad about halfway through.

Mile 3+: 13:11, 3:14*
Yikes, somewhere in this mile I suddenly started feeling extremely fatigued and had to slow down. I took a lot of walking breaks and ended up walking almost the entire last half mile. I did manage to pick up my feet to "finish strong" -- at least I ran over the line. It was a disappointing finish.

After the race I took one of the provided ice-cold cooling towels (oh so nice) and sat down with a bottle of water and a half banana. I overheard other runners complaining about the heat and being disappointed with their own slow times. After eating and resting I felt much better. The post-race amenities included a huge spread of muffins of all types, all neatly labeled with flavor and allergy information (vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, etc). A few vendors were there giving away swag like sunglasses and water bottles. Later in the morning there was going to be a public sea turtle release.

I'm not surprised this is the largest 5K in Brevard County. It was very well organized and supports a great cause. I'm not sure I'll run this one again just because of the distance from home, but otherwise I would recommend this race to other runners for sure.

Chip time: 35:27
Placement details: 47th of 156 in Age Group, 730 out of 2255 total finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included an awesome tech shirt, and a cool (optional) finisher medal. Cold washcloths at the end. A huge spread of fruit and muffins at the finish line.
Cost: $45.00 including $15 for optional medal

*I often forget to turn off my Garmin after a race, so the final time is skewed.

Report written September 28, 2016

Finisher photo (c) TriHokie Images

The Front Running Sports Anniversary 2 Miler was my first 2-mile race. The race started at Front Running Sports in Lake Mary and was a simple out-and-back along the Florida Trail mixed-use path.

Training & Goals
I went in considering this to be a tempo run (running at a "comfortably fast" pace) as part of my current training plan. I hoped for a sub-20 finishing time.

Race Day: Monday September 5, 2016
This race took place on a Monday -- Labor Day. I borrowed my parents' car to get there (THANKS MOM & DAD!). There was a very light drizzle shortly before race time. The temperature at the start was 77°.

Mile 1: 9:03
There wasn't too much jostling at the start of this relatively small race, even though the trail was pretty narrow from the start.

Mile 2: 10:06
In the second half of the second mile I leap-frogged with a running buddy I've met at a few local races (HI TOM!). He ended up finishing before me, bummer! Bigger bummer: I came in 4th in my age group (awards were given 3-deep). HOWEVER, I was quite pleased to come in at under 20 minutes as hoped!

Chip time: 19:18 (new distance = PR)
Placement details: 4 of 11 in Age Group; 87 out of 165 total finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a nice soft cotton shirt and a finisher medal for everyone.
Cost: $16.50 including $3 processing fee and 10% discount coupon.

Report written September 12, 2016

Finisher photo taken from Front Running Sports' Facebook page.

Track Shack's Celebration of Running kicks of the running season in central Florida for a lot of runners. This year there were 1820 finishers. The event is the first in Track Shack's annual Running Series which has been around for 39 years! The race benefits the Track Shack Foundation.

Training & Goals
I had no special training and no particular goals for this race. On August 1st I started a training plan for a couple of upcoming half marathons and this race fit into the schedule.

Race Day: Saturday, August 13 2016
Arthur drove down to Orlando with me for this race. We arrived in time and found a fine parking spot at a nearby business. Before the start we were treated to a live version of the Star Spangled Banner. The singer flubbed a line a bit but she pressed on with appropriate mumbling before getting it back. Oops. It was 77° with 89% humidity at the start of the race. Ugh!

Mile 1: 9:47
I had crammed myself into the starting area around the 10 minute mile pace sign. I started out very slow, though, dodging walkers and slower runners. I picked up the pace a bit too much once the crowd thinned out which wasn't a brilliant idea.

Mile 2: 10:03
A lot of this race was on brick roads in a suburban area of Orlando that I'm not really familiar with. We runners had to look at our feet and watch our footing for much of the run.

Mile 3+: 10:22, 2:20*
I'm not surprised by the slower pace here. The humidity got to me and instead of taking walk breaks throughout the entire race I seem to have used them all during this last horrible mile. My Garmin's data shows the race was relatively flat throughout, but for some reason I'm remembering a big hill at the end. Huh? After the race I enjoyed my beer and a few other treats. Arthur and I headed to First Watch for a proper breakfast (and I had a sneaky change of clothes in the restroom) before heading to Disney World for more fun.

Chip time: 32:00
Placement details: 33/148 in Age Group; 604 overall out of 1820 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a nice lightweight tech shirt and a flashy medal. There was a nice spread at the end of the race and all runners got one free beer with a ticket on our bibs.
Cost: $33

*I often forget to turn off my Garmin after a race, so the final time is skewed.

Report written September 11, 2016

Suck It Up Buttercup is a somewhat "hilly" midsummer race in central Florida. It kind of sucks, but for some reason I had a lot of fun!

Training & Goals
No special training and no particular goals for this race. I didn't imagine I could PR in the midsummer heat.

Race Day: July 10, 2016
The start/finish line for this race was at Gemini Springs, so I rode my bike there in the wee dark hours in order to arrive in time for the 6:30AM start. It was 79° with 89% humidity and sunny at the start. This was a gun start / chip finish on an uncertified course.

Mile 1: 10:16
For a hot July race, it was pretty crowded at the start! A 5K race started at the same time as the 10K so there were a lot of runners and walkers crowding the course at the beginning.

Mile 2: 10:12
Shortly after the first mile marker we split from the 5K route. This was very clearly indicated.

Mile 3: 10:26
It was a lot of fun running through my neighborhood. The "hills" weren't too bad!

Mile 4: 10:20

Mile 5: 10:35
There were four water stops and I stopped at all but the third one. Support during this race was great. Course marshals and local police made everything very clear and safe.

Mile 6+: 10:06, 1:36*
I was feeling really good during the second half of the race and thought I might be headed for a PR going into the final mile. A local resident had a water sprinkler skewed to shower over the sidewalk so I took a quick detour to cool off on my way to the finish line.

My Garmin came up a bit short on distance so I may have started recording the race a bit after the actual start... and I'm not sure if I should count this time as a personal record. My Garmin never matches 100% with chip timing (as is normal for consumer grade GPS watches) but I'm usually a bit over distance, not under. For now I'm calling it my 10K PR. My next 10K is a partial trail race at the end of September and my next road 10K probably won't happen until October. I did use this race as my proof of time for the Disney Wine & Dine races -- I sure hope that works out!

Chip time: 1:03:29 (1:53 PR)
Placement details: 12 of 42 in age group, 100th overall out of 338 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a ladies tech shirt and a finisher medal for all.
Cost: $35.00

*I didn't start my Garmin at the right time/place, so my data is a bit off.

Report written July 29, 2016

Race photo (c) Almost There Photography

After running the Remarkable River 10K on June 12 I started texting with Arthur to let him know about my PR and that I was going to stay for a while to watch the awards and enjoy the breakfast buffet. He asked me if I heard the news. There had been a mass shooting at an Orlando club.

There was no official announcement at the race (appropriately, in my opinion), but I overheard the news spreading among the runners. Some were making plans to go donate blood.

Final Mile Race Management put the Orlando United 5K race together in a remarkably short amount of time. Cooperation and help came from many, including the host city of Lake Mary, the t-shirt and medal providers, race photographer, DJ, timing company, pace team, and more, all who donated their services. Race proceeds were sent to the One Orlando Fund.

The race sold out within a couple of days. A virtual option was offered, with thousands of participants signing up from all over the world.

Training & Goals
I had no particular goals except reflection and support for this amazing summertime untimed race for a good cause.

Race Day: June 25, 2016
Arthur came to spectate. We arrived in good time and found a parking spot close to the starting area. It was 79° and sunny when the race started. The race DJ hit a gong 49 times as we got underway.

Mile 1: 10:30

Mile 2: 10:48

Mile 3+: 10:53, 2:13*

After the race, the top 10 male and female finishers received awards. A symbolic check was presented, representing $95,000. Eventually the total donated to the One Orlando Fund would top $100K.

GPS watch time: 34:24*
Race Amenities: Beautiful cotton tee and finisher medal for all. Awesome atmosphere for an outstanding cause.
Cost: $33.61 including $3.61 Active.com fee.

*I often forget to turn off my Garmin after a race, so the final time is skewed.

Report written July 29, 2016

There are three events in the Remarkable River Racing Series. The first event was a 5K at the end of February that I did not attend. I ran in second event, the 10K (which was accompanied by a 5K); a 15K/5K race will take place on September 25th. The racing series benefits the non-profit Building Remarkable Communities charity, a Volusia county group that works to eradicate domestic violence.

Training & Goals
Summertime is the off-season for racing. It's hot, it's humid, and it's the time of year when running in Florida really sucks. My goal for the summer was just to maintain fitness and be ready for race training when I start up at the beginning of August. I joined the West Volusia Runners club and participated in the Summer Challenge to run 100 miles with the group from the beginning of May through to the end of July. Certain races could be applied to the Challenge's miles and this was one of them. I was looking forward to running my second 10K race with no particular goal in mind but a hope to PR.

Race Day: June 12, 2016
The race took place in Port Orange and with an early start time of 6:30AM, I had to get up pretty early to make it to the starting line on time. I got very lucky with a nearby parking spot, picked up my packet, and dropped off my goodies in the car. I headed back to wait in the miles-long portapotty line. I kept looking at my watch -- I thought there was no way I'd get my business done before the gun went off. Luckily the line moved quickly and I managed to hop out and get ready to race with about 90 seconds to spare. I had a moment to snap a quick photo before being funneled into the starting area and heading out to run. It was 73° with 100% humidity and a light cooling coastal breeze at start time.

Mile 1: 10:01
The race starts out following the Halifax River along Halifax Drive. Watching the sun rise over the water was a nice race perk. Before the M1 marker the 10K runners split from the 5K and took a jog into the neighborhood before heading back to follow the riverfront.

Mile 2: 10:27

Mile 3: 10:37
The turn-around was a cul-de-sac where Riverside Drive dead-ends.

Mile 4: 10:31
Except for a brief jog into a residential street around M4, the course was a straightforward out-and-back run.

Mile 5: 10:40

Mile 6+: 10:46, 2:30*
I was very happy to cross the finish line with a nice 3+ minute Personal Record (PR)!

Chip time: 1:05:22 (3:05 PR)
Placement details: 8/25 in age group; 111th overall out of 261 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a ladies tech shirt, finisher medal, generic goodie bag, and a motivational book. Another outstanding hot breakfast buffet from Aunt Catfish's on the River.
Cost: $33.61 (used $5 coupon; includes $3.61 Active.com fee)

*I often forget to turn off my Garmin after a race, so the final time is skewed.

Report written July 29, 2016

Featured & running photos (c) Almost There Photography

The DeBary 5K is sponsored in large part by a local contracting company, DBK. Proceeds go towards DeBary Elementary School and the Kruid Foundation. The 2016 race was the 2nd annual.

Training & Goals
I had just come back from a 10-day holiday in Costa Rica a few days before race day, and I wasn't back into any kind of structured running regimen at all (I managed one weak 2-mile run while on vacation). With our summer heat I figure I won't be getting any PRs until the fall at best, so my goal was to finish within a reasonable time and have fun.

Race Day: May 21, 2016
As I was getting ready to bike to the start, I had a funny feeling I was forgetting something. Bib, check. Phone and holder, check. Bike lock and keys, check. DBK is just a short ride away and I left home at around 7AM, about a half hour before starting time. It wasn't until I got my bike secured that I realized I forgot my Garmin! Oh no! Racing without my little pace buddy was no fun at all. Hopefully that won't happen again. It was about 72° at the start but the sun wasn't beating down on us just yet and there was a cool(ish) breeze. There was a great atmosphere around the start with the race emcee and DJ and others leading dances and other antics. The race party was well stocked with bounce houses and a huge water slide set up, food vendors, a face painter, and free beer for runners at the end of the race.

Mile 1: 9:43*
How fast am I going? Am I going to PR? I feel like I'm going incredibly slow. It's okay, I won't PR, no problem. Should I slow down? I have no idea. Haven't we run a mile yet?

Mile 2: 9:46*
I feel like I'm running too fast. Slow down... That's too slow. Or is it? I have no idea. Should I take a walk break? Have I been running 4 minutes? 8 minutes? 24 minutes? I have no idea. Haven't we run two miles yet?

Mile 3+: 10:16*, 2:11*
Could I still PR? I have no idea. I feel like I'm pushing... but I think I've taken more walking breaks than I should have. Oh, I can hear the race emcee... Finishers are under 31 minutes -- okay, that's clear, no PR! I can still finish strong. Let's go!

Arthur and I had plans to go to Disney for the day (typical race day --> Disney fun day!) so I only had time for a quick selfie with the mayor of DeBary before I headed home!

Chip time: 31:06
Placement details: 14 of 45 in age group, 121th overall out of 491 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a ladies tech shirt, finisher's medal, nice swag bag with rubber DBK mascot and other nice goodies.
Cost: $25.00

*I used my phone to track the race but I started and ended the timer with a large buffer since it takes me a moment to get the phone into and out of my arm holder.

Report written May 31, 2016

Featured photo & running photo (c) Almost There Photography

This race was held to support a great cause and took place right here in my hometown of DeBary. Kids Beating Cancer supports kids fighting cancer and other diseases. The race was held in conjunction with the grand opening of a new local medical center. There was also a health fair and I was impressed with the number of tents and vendors at the event.

Training & Goals
This was my return to racing after my first half marathon two weeks prior. I took it easy getting back, with just three training runs of 3, 3, and 5 miles between April 17 and April 30. This was an untimed fun run so I had no particular goal except to finish and get in a good training run.

Race Day: April 30, 2016
It was a short drive to the event, which had a late start time of 9AM. It was sunny and 73° when we got underway. Since the race was untimed, the info below comes from my Garmin.

Mile 1: 9:29
I went out pretty fast (for me) but due to the heat I took my regular interval walking breaks every 4.5 minutes.

Mile 2: 9:57
About halfway through the race I really felt the heat and decided since it wasn't timed and there were no awards for the race that I shouldn't push myself too hard. The blazing sun and heat from the late start made this race rather unpleasant overall and had me questioning any future summer races! Luckily the start time for most races is much earlier (and therefore cooler) than 9AM.

Mile 3+: 11:12, 2:01*
I have no idea how many people finished before or after me. Sorry to say I'm not a fan of untimed "fun run" races and will look to avoid them in the future, though I can't regret signing up for a race in my hometown that supports such a great cause.

Cumulative time: 32:40
Race Amenities: Swag included a nice cotton tee & nice goodie bag with lots of goodies. The race was accompanied by an interesting expo.
Cost: $23, including $3 processing fee.

*I often forget to turn off my Garmin after a race, so the final time is skewed.

Report written May 31, 2016

I had registered for the Star Wars Dark Side 5K back in September 2015, and soon after regretted not registering for the 10K, and then later for the half marathon. The races all sold out quickly so I was out of luck. Or was I?

On February 18th, Arthur and I visited the expo for the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend. I wanted to see what the expo for the Star Wars races would be like and become acquainted with the layout of the venue, ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World. We were fairly shocked at how crowded the expo was, but it was really fun to see all the vendors and merchandise.

As we were leaving the expo, we saw that the Star Wars Dark Side medals were on display, so we stopped to have a look. And that's when we learned there were some bibs available for all of the Star Wars races, if we signed up right away. It didn't take me too long to decide to run the half marathon. Arthur would be back from his conference so he could come cheer me on (and carry around all my stuff). Of course in time I regretted not signing up for the Dark Side Challenge (running both the 10K and the half), haha! Maybe next year!

Some proceeds from the Star Wars Half Marathon Dark Side races benefitted Noah's Light Foundation, which supports pediatric brain cancer research.

This was a point-to-point USATF certified course starting in the Epcot parking lot and finishing at the Wide World of Sports.

Training & Goals
I looked at some half marathon training plans and put together my own schedule based on Hal Higdon's Novice 1 plan. With just eight weeks from registration to race day, I jumped in at week 4 of the plan. It wasn't too difficult as I was already training on my own for my first 10K -- which was coming up in mid-March.

For both the 5K and the half marathon I had aimed to stop at as many photo opportunities as possible, but after Friday's 5K I realized that stopping and standing in line wasn't really for me. I also abandoned my planned costume, a cotton blend C-3PO shirt and gold sequined skirt, for a traditional running outfit of tech shirt and lightweight shorts.

I had registered for the race past the deadline for submitting proof of time. This put me, by default, in the last starting corral. I had read that it might be possible to get a new corral assignment by begging and pleading at race relations during the expo. I printed out proof of time from my 10K race and brought it to the expo. I think I was the first visitor to race relations for the weekend, and I lucked out in getting a corral reassignment by simply asking nicely. I was put in corral F, right in the middle of the pack (I was previously in L). This good fortune solidified my desire to race the race, though I figured I would stop for selfies at the mile markers and maybe some other spots if there was something special to see. I was also planning on running my usual race intervals of 4 minutes 30 seconds running with 30 second walking breaks (during training I typically run 4/1 intervals). I didn't have a goal time in mind, though based on my 10K time I hoped to finish in about two and a half hours.

Race Day: April 17, 2016
Arthur and I left home at about 3AM in order to get me to the starting line in time for the 5AM start. I had read horror stories of the traffic situation for the 10K the previous day, also a point-to-point race, but I didn't heed the advice of many to plan on arriving up to 2 hours before race time. I didn't need to take pictures before the race and it wasn't fair to Arthur to leave too insanely early. 3AM was insane enough. Traffic, however, was pretty intense once we reached WDW property and a couple of slow traffic bottlenecks gave us a bit of a panic before we ended up parking in a perfect spot at a very reasonable time.

Arthur accompanied me into the secure area briefly before it was time for me to head to the corrals. I waited in a very long portalet line before the trek towards the starting area.

5AM came quickly and the corrals moved up in rapid succession, with about 4-5 minutes between mini-fanfare starts for each group. I discarded my throwaway hoodie and was pleased to see it was collected along with other discarded clothing items, hopefully all on their way to be donated.

According to my Garmin we were off at 5:22AM, which wasn't too bad at all. I had read that the later corrals can start up to an hour after corral A. Now that is a lot of waiting around!

Waiting among a sea of people in corral F

Racing conditions were very good, with a temperature of 64°. Humidity wasn't too bad at 73% and there was a pretty good breeze which made it feel quite pleasant. I think we really lucked out with the weather for this half marathon!

Cad Bane (Clone Wars) at Mile 1 | Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious at Mile 2 | Count Dooku at Mile 3

Mile 1, 2, 3: 10:20, 10:32, 10:58 | 5K split: 33:59
I am so impressed with people who can write up race reports that include details of what they were thinking and how they were feeling during each mile of the run. For me, much of this half marathon was a big happy blur. I had so much fun and I can't believe how fast it went by. Especially the first three miles -- yikes I went out fast!

These three miles in the dark took us through Epcot, past the Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Boardwalk hotels, and towards Hollywood Studios. The flames around the lagoon were lit up and Star Wars music was blasting as we ran around part of World Showcase in Epcot. A lot of people complained about course congestion around the Boardwalk area but I didn't find anything worth complaining about. Sure, there were a lot of people, but I could hop onto the grass to pass walkers and I didn't mind slowing down where the course narrowed. The tunnel under the Buena Vista Drive overpass was themed as Darth Vader, with his creepy breathing sound, red lights, and a fog machine.

General Grievous (Clone Wars, etc) at Mile 4 | Jabba the Hutt at Mile 5 | Boba Fett at Mile 6

Mile 4, 5, 6: 11:17, 11:07, 11:17 | 10K split: 1:09:56
Throughout the race I hardly looked at my watch and as I went on I couldn't believe how quickly each mile marker seemed to come up. I also couldn't hear my watch beeping at all, so my normal intervals were all screwed up. I missed seeing most of my splits. I did stop at each mile marker for a quick selfie and took sporadic short walking breaks throughout. If you look at the pace data on my Garmin race summary you can see that walk breaks increased after the first few miles.

These miles (still in the dark!) took us through Hollywood Studios and then some highway miles on World Drive and Osceola Parkway on our way to Animal Kingdom. It was fun to run by Kylo Ren who was holding court on stage in front of the Chinese Theater in Hollywood Studios. As we ran out of the park, a big bunch of characters from the 501st Legion were available for photos.

As soon as we hit World Drive we were greeted by the Timber Creek marching band playing the main Star Wars theme -- very cool! Somewhere around Mile 6 we could see the leading runners already heading back on the other side of Osceola.

The Seventh Sister (Rebels) at Mile 7 | Darth Maul at Mile 8 | General Hux (The Force Awakens) at Mile 9

Mile 7, 8, 9: 11:46, 11:50, 12:06 | 15K split: 1:47:36

Here we ran a bit more on Osceola Parkway and then all the way around Animal Kingdom's massive parking lot on our way into the park. We ran in via DinoLand U.S.A., through Asia and past the Tree of Life before exiting the park and heading back out on Osceola Parkway. Leaving this park there was another large group of characters from the 501st. I high-fived a Stormtrooper as I ran by. Disney PhotoPass photogs captured a couple of shots of me running through Asia... and for some reason they don't have watermarks. Win!

Kylo Ren at Mile 10 | Darth Vader at Mile 11 | Captain Phasma at Mile 12

Mile 10, 11, 12: 11:42, 11:53, 12:00

We ran through another big chunk of the Animal Kingdom parking lot on the way back to Osceola Parkway. In a couple of spots along the way there were big screens showing scenes from the various Star Wars movies, and a DJ in the middle of the highway pumped us up playing pop and rock tunes.

At Mile 11 runners on the other side of the highway were at about 5.75 miles. There were portalets in the middle of the highway here and I saw a couple of people who started in a much later corral come out of the stalls and resume the course on our side. I'm pretty sure they cut the course and I just looked on in shock without saying anything. There were timing mats at every 5K so they would have skipped two, which is clear to see in the results. Mile 12 took us to a dirt road to access the finish area at ESPN's Wide World of Sports (WWoS).

Mile 13+: 11:41, 3:49*
This is the only marker where I didn't take a selfie. I let a Disney Photopass photographer snap me and since I'm not springing for any downloads, the photo I'm sharing here still has Disney's watermark on it. The other two shots are also from Disney photogs on the course (in Epcot, I think).

The course narrowed along the dirt road into WWoS. During some later walking breaks I had texted with Arthur to see if he had arrived at the finish. He let me know he was at the Final Mile viewing area, where we saw each other! That was a great motivator for that last half mile.

And then, before I knew it, I passed under the finish line, over the last timing mats, and through the chute. I got my medal and grabbed a water, a couple of bananas and RunDisney's standard snack box on my way to reunite with Arthur. I did it! :D

Take-aways:
I can't believe how fast this race went by. Though I was a bit sore afterwards, and the stairs onto the bus that shuttled us back to Epcot were no fun, I feel like I had a lot of "gas left in the tank" after this race. I am really glad that I decided to run it rather than bounce from photo op to photo op. I am looking forward to running more half marathons. I'm signed up for the inaugural Lumiere's Two-Course Challenge in October and I'll do the WDW Half Marathon in January, but I'd really like to run a small local half for time -- I think a crowded Disney race is always going to be part parade.  :)

Chip time: 2:32:12
Placement details: 338th of 1750 in age group, 5030th overall out of 18171 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a short sleeve ladies tech t-shirt and a neat medal. Big fun race weekend expo. And the course of course! Running through Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom with Star Wars characters, music, and theming!
Cost: $199.00 (no Active.com fees since I registered at the expo)

*I often forget to turn off my Garmin after a race, so the final time is skewed.
Report written April 28, 2016

The Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon Weekend had finally arrived! I was so excited for this weekend for such a long time. I registered for the 5K back when it first went on sale in September 2015. At that time I hadn't even run my first race at all, but I thought a Disney race would be super fun and I knew they had a reputation for selling out. The Star Wars theming and the fact that it was an inaugural race weekend were also very appealing. Arthur and I both signed up for this race and were looking forward to running it together.

Very shortly afterwards, I started to regret not signing up for the 10K race instead (or perhaps as well). When I signed up I wasn't even sure I'd stick with running, but I knew that Disney races were relatively walker friendly (especially the 5Ks). As the weeks went on though, I started to love running more and more, and I knew I could be ready for a 10K by the time race weekend came around. A couple of months later I regretted not signing up for the half marathon itself! Of course that did end up happening eventually... read about that in the half marathon race report.

Sometime in late fall, Arthur got invited to an important work conference that would take place over most of the weekend. So I'd be running the 5K by myself. This was a huge bummer but I still tried to look forward to the weekend.

Some proceeds from the Star Wars Half Marathon Dark Side races benefitted Noah's Light Foundation, which supports pediatric brain cancer research.

The race would take us from the Epcot parking lot, through parts of World Showcase and Future World, before returning to the parking lot to finish the 5K race.

Training & Goals
This weekend was all about the half marathon. I had been training for that race since mid February. I had also been regularly running 5K races for several months prior to this race, and had very happily finally run a sub-30-minute race the week prior.

Disney 5K races are true "fun runs" -- they are not timed. So my only goal here was to PR in fun. Prior to the actual race I had the idea I would stop for every character photo opportunity, in both the 5K and on Sunday during the half marathon. That strategy did not hold (read on...).

I dressed up as Rey from The Force Awakens in a costume I pieced together from thrift store finds and some fabric scraps. I had other ideas about this costume (a mashup of Rey with Mr. Ray from Finding Nemo) but they ended in disaster and should rather not be spoken of again. The Rey outfit as I ended up wearing it was far from ideal and my sash flopped around in a rather unsightly fashion. My running photos are not good. Not good at all.

Race Day: April 15, 2016
The race was set to start at 6AM and it was suggested we be ready in our corrals at least 30 minutes prior to race time. I left home at 3:45AM to get to the Epcot parking lot in time. Parking was uneventful and I was able to get into my corral, E (second to last) in plenty of time. Unfortunately I didn't realize there would be character photo opportunities before the race so I arrived too late to have my picture with any of them -- the lines were already closed by the time I got there.

It was a warm 70° and muggy at the start. The runners in corral A started on time at 6AM but the rest of us were sent off at regular intervals. Each corral had a separate starting fireworks blast. According to my Garmin I crossed the starting line at about 6:24AM.

Lined up at the front of corral E, looking back at a ton of runners!

I did my best to be at the front of the corral for the start!

Mile 1: 12:58
Participants were walking from the start so I did a lot of dodging around folks for this mile. Because of this my GPS data is a bit skewed, but it's still funny to see -- check out my Garmin Dark Side 5K summary. You can see I stopped briefly at the first photo op on course -- a disembodied Scout Walker leg shrouded in smoke. There were no cast members or photographers here, so I asked the runners behind me in line to take my picture.

Mile 2: 28:29
My slowest mile ever! I stopped (turned around actually) to have my photo taken with R2D2. It was first depressing and then alarming to see all of the runners passing those of us who stood in line to have our photo taken with the droid. It was shortly after this, back on course, that I passed the official Mile 1 marker. I was among run/walkers from corral F now. But I like to run, so I did my best to slalom around everyone and that was a lot of fun. Though I really liked getting my photo taken with R2D2, I decided stopping for photos might not be my thing after all.

Running through Japan on the way to Morocco

We entered Epcot at Mexico and shortly passed another photo op - Sabine and Ezra from Rebels. They posed in front of a Tie Fighter. I snapped a quick photo on the run and kept going. We exited the park briefly by France and passed another photo op, this time with Chewie. I can give him a hug any time I want at Hollywood Studios so I snapped a quick selfie. We passed the Mile 2 marker shortly after.

Mile 3+: 13:55, 8:38
Back in Epcot to finish World Showcase, race through part of Future World and then back to the finish at the parking lot. Before Spaceship Earth I stopped to take a selfie in front of a couple of Stormtroopers. Another runner offered to take my photo and though I didn't really want to, I thought it would be rude to refuse. After she snapped a couple of terrible shots of me she asked me to return the favor. I did so and was about to run off when another runner asked if I'd also take her picture. What the what? I said, "Sorry, no time, gotta run!" and took off. Maybe well over an hour into a 5K it was stupid to want to keep running, and I felt bad afterwards. But I think it's not unreasonable to take the photo of just one other person per op during a race. Sorry random runner, I hope you found someone to snap your picture!

A quick selfie at Mile 3 and then on to the finish for a ridiculous 5K PW (Personal Worst!) of 1:04:00.

I got my banana and RunDisney snack box and sat down on the asphalt to rest and text Arthur. After sitting for a while I saw that again I was missing photo ops -- many of the characters and scenes from before the race were available again! Argh! I got in the huge line for a pair of Stormtroopers and got my picture taken with them. By the time I was done there was hardly anyone left and all of the other characters (and photographers) had gone. I had to ask fellow runners to take my picture at the remaining non-character photo ops. There were less than 50 runners left by this point and I thought it was a bummer the characters (Darth Maul, Captain Phasma, etc) couldn't stay out for a few more minutes so we could all get pictures.

After getting my photo with Han in carbonite I headed back to the car. I had breakfast and a quick change of clothes at Art of Animation resort (the best food court!) before heading to Hollywood Studios for a celebratory Darth cupcake and a few more character photos.

Before heading home I stopped at the expo to see Jeff Galloway and RunDisney nutrition expert Tara Gidus give a brief talk on first half marathons. And a couple more photo ops. :)

Garmin GPS time: 1:04:00. Strava accounted for all of the stopping and gave me a bit better time of 35:47 for 3.5 miles.
Race Amenities: Swag included a cotton shirt and a rubber medallion. Lots of opportunities to get free stuff at the huge race weekend expo. And, of course, running a super fun Disney course through Epcot with Star Wars characters, music, and theming!
Cost: $80.38 (including $5.38 fees from Active.com)

Report written April 23, 2016