Five years ago this week, I was running my first Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World, getting ready to run my first Marathon as part of the race weekend. This year I took part in the 5K (and volunteered for the half marathon and marathon).

The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend typically takes place in early January. Four events are offered: 5K on Thursday; 10K on Friday; Half Marathon on Saturday; and Marathon on Sunday. (Kids Races have not returned since the pandemic.)

For this race I decided to dress up as Train Conductor Mickey Mouse. I had the hat in my collection already and asked Arthur to design a skater dress inspired by the character. The Walt Disney World Railroad recently re-opened (12/23/22) after a long hiatus due to the construction of TRON Lightcycle, so it was good timing to dress up as this character.

Training & Goals
My knees continue to be a big problem, with pain hindering any progress I try to make in getting back into running. Regular steroid shots lose their effectiveness before I'm eligible to get a new one and they take longer to provide any relief. So it's not great. But I keep trying.

In the weeks before race day I didn't get out much -- Arthur and I were on a cruise and I only managed to get in one cruise ship run.

I had no goal in mind; runDisney races are for fun and the 5K is the most casual distance, with no timing and no hard sweeps (within reason). I just wanted to have a little fun!

Race Day: January 5, 2023
I left home at 2:32AM and had the car parked at Epcot by 3:23AM. The reunion area was already extremely crowded. I got into a very long line to have my photo taken with Mickey and had to head right to my corral as soon as I got my picture.

The character lines in the reunion area were very long; other characters were Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Daisy Duck.

The first runners started the race at 5AM. I was in corral C (out of A-D) and I guess I started in the second half of the group. It was 70°F with 100% humidity when I crossed the start line at 5:48AM.

Mile 1: 15:02 (untimed; Garmin data)
I expected I'd mostly walk this 5K, but I mixed in a few short jogs here and there as the field was so crowded. I was just trying to keep out of the way from other participants.

I saw one character stop here, Tarzan with Kala (switched out with Kerchak) just outside of Test Track.

Mile 2: 16:55
After little over a mile of running through the parking lot and back entrance roads, we passed under Test Track and entered World Showcase between Mexico and Norway. This mile took us around World Showcase with a quick exit via International Gateway. 

I saw two character stops in this mile: Mushu in China; and Genie with Abu in Morocco. I've never seen such long character lines in a race before. It was unreal.

Mile 3+: 17:03, 4:13
For mile 3 we entered World Showcase again, between the UK and Canada. The course headed towards Future World where we exited at Test Track. Here we ran by a backstage part of Test Track I'd never seen before. Somewhere around here we could hear a choir singing a medley of Queen songs. After turning under part of the Guardians of the Galaxy ride building, the choir was revealed, which was super cool. 

Max Goof was a character stop backstage during this mile. I've never seen this character before but the line was so crazy long I didn't stop. Chip 'n Dale as Rescue Rangers were stationed between International Gateway and the UK.

Sport Goofy was cheering on the runners as we approached the finish line.

After the Race
After collecting my medal, drinks, and snacks, I headed to Gear Check. I had dropped a bag with a change of clothes. I intended to head to my volunteer shift at Audubon Center for Birds of Prey after the race, and dropping the bag saved me some time. I headed over to the restrooms by the bus drop-off and changed into my volunteer clothes. I was able to head out by around 7:30AM or so.

Recommendation
With a good amount of characters, a fun theme park course, and ample perks, I always find runDisney races a lot of fun. Recommended.

Race time: 53:13 (Garmin data)
Race Amenities: Long sleeve tech shirt, finisher medal
Cost: $103.40

Over the Christmas and New Year's holidays, Arthur and I took an 11-night Caribbean cruise on the Norwegian Dawn. I did one 5K on the ship for a virtual race (Stress Buster), which I completed while the ship was at sea on Christmas Eve.

Garmin Set Up for Cruise Ship Running While At Sea

For this run I used my Garmin Forerunner 245. I added a custom activity, following this flow:

- Start / Stop button
- Scroll down activities to ADD and select
- Scroll down to Other and select
- Name your new activity (Cruise Ship Run) and save

At this point it's possible to customize the new activity. I customized my data screens to have the following options. On my first screen I had Laps (Other), Timer (default), and Heart Rate. My second screen showed Battery Percentage (Other), Lap Time (default), and Total Calories (Other). I left Heart Rate (default) as the last screen. 

I also turned off Auto Lap (because I would be manually clicking the Lap button for each lap). My last step was to turn off GPS for this new, custom activity. You can customize other options as you wish, like Auto-Pause on/off, Auto-Scroll on/off, etc.

Tracking a Run on a Moving Cruise Ship

During the run, it's important to click the Back (lap) button on the watch each time a lap is complete. On the Dawn I did this every time I passed the bar. 

Once the run is done, it's easy to multiply the number of laps done by the distance of the cruise ship's track.

On the Norwegian Dawn, the jogging track on deck 13 is 325 yards, or about .1845 miles. So 17 laps was good for a 5K!

Cruise Ship Run Data 

Once the run was complete, I double-checked my math to calculate the mileage I covered during those 17 laps. Using the Garmin Connect app, I edited the activity to add my mileage. I could also check my pace-per-lap time, and standard data like heart rate, workout intensity, and calories burned.

One thing that won't be available is a map of the run, because my GPS was not tracking. If you complete a cruise ship run while using your GPS, you might be surprised by what your map would look like. You can check out this post from DC Rainmaker to see: Fun with a Garmin GPS while running on cruise ships at sea.

This wasn't my first time running on a cruise ship. Back in 2017 we took another New Year's cruise where I had a couple of short runs on the track of the Norwegian Jade.

This was the fourth year I participated in the holiday-themed Naughty or Nice 5K in Lake Mary, Florida. You can see my other reports here: Naughty or Nice race recaps.

Training & Goals
After last week's Lake Eola 5K I wasn't feeling great. I took the week off from running. I also had some weird stomach bug that was bothering me during the last half of the week, which unfortunately continued through the weekend, making me keep it slow for yesterday's Reindeer Run and this race. I planned to proceed based on how I was feeling. Luckily, this is another walker-friendly race.

Race Day: December 11, 2022
With a race start time of 8AM and a driving time of about 15 minutes, leaving home at around 7:10AM worked out just fine. I had time to pick up my bib & shirt, take a few photos, and chat with run club friends. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see runDisney MC John Pelkey for the second weekend in a row (he was at OUC last week), working this local race. 

By the time I crossed the starting mat at 8:01AM it was 64°F with 94% humidity and cloudy skies.

Mile 1: 15:39
I felt alright here, running very little bit and trying to walk fast otherwise. I heard an American Kestrel calling and that distracted me greatly at the start of the race. After looking all around, I found it hovering over the path. 

About halfway through this mile a couple of cyclists were slowly making their way against the race flow on the path, and one of them yelled out "it's a bike path!" to which I shouted back "it's multi-use, dude!" LOL

Mile 2: 14:56
I found a rabbit -- someone to follow who was just a little bit faster than me. I had to run a few times to keep up with her.

Mile 3+: 15:07, 2:16
I didn't feel great in this mile but I kept up with my rabbit. I ended up passing her while pretending to run for a photographer.

After the Race
Santa and Mrs. Claus cheered the runners coming back, then mingled a bit for photos. There was plenty of water, bananas, bars, and munchkins for finishers. A photo booth took festive photos and a giant inflatable Santa overlooked the event. 

There was a kind of chaotic raffle after the run -- not all of the tickets were distributed, so very few of the called numbers were claimed. Exasperated, the race director started tossing out the prizes to the crowd, and the ensuing frantic grabbing was kind of funny. I managed to snatch a holiday themed potholder. 

As the event wound down, I asked John Pelkey for a selfie and he gladly obliged. During our short chat I found out that his wife plays my favorite holiday storyteller at Epcot, La Befana. In fact, his wife usually MCs Naughty or Nice but she was working so he stepped in. 

Recommendation
Back in 2016 I had been disappointed by the similar shirt and medal from the previous year, and guessed I wouldn't participate again. And yet here we are. This is a fun race with good support on nearby trails. Good amenities like the post-race snacks, photos with Santa, and giveaways make for a fun local race. Recommended.

Chip time: 47:53
Placement details: 18/31 in Age Group; 430th out of 578 finishers
Race Amenities: Last year's shirt (discounted entry), finisher medal, free photos & photos with Santa
Cost: $24.40

Branded photos (c) Almost There Photography

Arthur and I participated in the Reindeer Run at SeaWorld Orlando on December 10th. The untimed fun run is hosted by Orlando news personality Greg Warmoth and raises money for local pediatric health programs as well as Toys for Tots

Training & Goals
After last week's Lake Eola 5K I wasn't feeling great. I took the week off from running. I also had some weird stomach bug that was bothering me during the last half of the week, which unfortunately continued through to race morning. Arthur and I only planned to stick together and see how we felt about running. Fortunately, this holiday race through SeaWorld is very walker-friendly.

Race Day: December 10, 2022
We left home at 5:23AM and had the car parked at SeaWorld about an hour later. The last 20 minutes of that was a long slow merge into the parking lot.

While waiting for the race to start, we dropped off our Toys for Tots, and got our photo taken with Santa & Mrs. Claus. 

It was 63°F and overcast when we started our race at 7:20AM.

Waiting to start

Mile 1: 15:40
This mile took us around the parking lot. It was very congested for most of this mile. We ran a little but were mostly stuck to walking -- though I didn't mind as I was still not feeling great.

Greg Warmoth was cheering runners at the start of the run

Mile 2: 17:05
Most of this mile was still in the parking lot. Towards the end we entered SeaWorld via a back entrance at Sesame Street Land. This was our first time ever being in this theme park so we took it slow to take it all in. 

Mile 3+: 19:51, 1:39
This last mile was all inside SeaWorld. The race even ended inside the theme park. We had a lot of fun looking at all the park has to offer, admiring the holiday decor, and seeing some of the sealife that was on the course. There were a few photographers on the course towards the end and at the finish line. Arthur and I trotted to the finish but a couple of other participants stopped and started to turn around (to look for their friends I guess). Arthur and I had to split and run around them and I was pretty annoyed. I even muttered "don't stop at the finish line!" Ugh.

We could run to the side of the course to see these rays and sharks

We stopped for a selfie in front of the park's central lake

After the Race
There was a long chute to walk through when we were done. We were offered water, bananas, and sport and caffeine drinks before we reached the medals, which are tree-shaped cookie cutters on a branded lanyard (cute). Walking on, we were also able to get some yummy ice cream, sport gummies, and a fun elf hat. We stood in line for a bit to have our photo taken with Rudolph, then sat for a while at Bayside Stadium to relax and watch the beginning of the costume contest.

Recommendation
It's always fun to see runners and walkers dressed up in funny holiday costumes. We had a blast seeing SeaWorld for the first time and will probably do this run again. 

Garmin time: 54:15
Race Amenities: Long sleeve tech shirt, cookie cutter medal, super fun run through SeaWorld theme park
Cost: $72 for two bibs

Watermarked photos (c) BB Action Photography

More Funny "The Yogi" Tarot Card Spoof Gift Ideas

The Yogi Tarot Long Sleeve T-Shirt – Fun Yoga Tarot Card Mashup Design; Spoof Tarot Card Featuring Sukhasana Pose for "The Yogi"; Lightweight, Classic fit, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem. View on Amazon
The Yogi Tarot Tank Top – Fun Yoga Tarot Card Mashup Design; Spoof Tarot Card Featuring Sukhasana Pose for "The Yogi"; Lightweight, Classic fit, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem. View on Amazon
The Yogi Tarot Case – Fun Yoga Tarot Card Mashup Design; Spoof Tarot Card Featuring Sukhasana Pose for "The Yogi"; Two-part protective case made from a premium scratch-resistant polycarbonate shell and... View on Amazon
Womens The Yogi Tarot V-Neck T-Shirt – Fun Yoga Tarot Card Mashup Design; Spoof Tarot Card Featuring Sukhasana Pose for "The Yogi"; Lightweight, Classic fit, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem. View on Amazon

The OUC Orlando Half Marathon put on by Track Shack has been a local favorite for years. The signature event is accompanied by a 5K. I participated in the 5K event this year.

Training & Goals
My knees continue to be a big problem, with pain hindering any progress I try to make in getting back into running. Regular steroid shots lose their effectiveness before I'm eligible to get a new one and they take longer to provide any relief. So it's not great. But I keep trying.

In the month or so before race day I had been getting out to walk/run a 5K 3 times a week. I planned for easy 1:15 run / 1:45 walk intervals for the race. I had no concrete goal but hoped to come in under 45 minutes.

Race Day: December 3, 2022
I left home around 5:45AM and headed to a downtown parking lot I had prepaid $11 for. There were a lot of runners heading to the Library Parking Lot so it was a slow crawl for about a half hour before I got to the entrance, where I saw that the price to park was $10. What the heck?

I found a spot and headed over to Lake Eola at around 6:45AM, which was perfect for the 7:15AM start. I had time to use one of the park's restrooms and drop off my gear bag before heading into the start corral, hanging out in the back. The corral was very crowded and as the start time approached, lots of runners were trying to cram themselves forward. Both the 5K and the half marathon started at 7:15AM and I think some half runners who didn't get to the start in time were frustrated to be stuck with 5K walkers in the back.

It was about 63°F with 88% humidity and clear skies when I crossed the start mat at around 7:20.

Mile 1: 14:05
I'm not sure why but this run was a huge struggle. My knees weren't worse off than usual, but my lungs weren't having it. I was super discouraged since I've been getting out regularly. My runs have been short but I've been consistent. 

Mile 2: 14:51
Anyway, running on the streets of downtown Orlando was fun. Even all the brick stretches. Somewhere in this mile I saw my run club friend Tom and we exchanged encouragements.

Mile 3+: 14:29, 1:51
I was a little worried about missing the turn on the course when the 5K split from the half marathon, but the route was extremely clear. There were multiple volunteers standing by, clearly shouting out directions for each race.

Race announcer John Pelkey did a great job MCing the race and it was fun to hear him call out my name as I tried to run in for a strong finish.

After the Race
There was a long chute after the finish line, with lots of goodies like water, sports drink, full bananas, oranges, and granola bars available. Runners also received a food passport punch card to redeem snacks in the finish area. Before exiting the chute area we also got sport towels and a drawstring backpack to keep all of the free goodies on offer.

Attached to our bibs were tabs to redeem for chocolate milk and 2 free beers from local vendors. The food passport was good for four more treats: donuts or mac & cheese; beans and rice; a small cup of ice cream or sorbet; and a tequila sunrise. I picked up various other freebies from the vendor tents, including race staples like lip balm, a stress ball (which becomes a toy for the kitties) and a small hand sanitizer.

All these great after-race perks are perfect for a half marathon and really nice for a 5K runners! I got my bib at the bargain price of $26 by using a coupon from least year's Best Damn Race, making this one of my best value races ever.

Recommendation
Course support is amazing -- there are lots of road closures and crossings, all manned by law enforcement or volunteers. The organization is great and the after-party is high quality. Highly recommended. I hope to run the half marathon some day.

Chip time: 45:11
Placement details: 43/70 in Age Group; 648th out of 898 finishers
Race Amenities: Gender-specific tech shirt, finisher medal, lots of free swag and a great after-party 
Cost: $26

Branded & overhead start photos (c) BBAction Photo

Marathon Weekend 2023 at Walt Disney World is coming up fast! The event begins with the Expo opening on Wednesday, January 4th, and continues with races the following four days: 5K on Thursday; 10K on Friday; half marathon on Saturday, and the full marathon on Sunday! Hopefully your training is going well and you've already got your outfit figured out -- but if you don't, I've got some ideas for you, from my shop on Etsy. If you'll be buying from my shop or another independent artist on Etsy, be sure to check the delivery dates for your purchases before clicking BUY, as deadlines for many Etsy made-to-order items are approaching fast!

As you probably know, runDisney events have themes or mascots for each race and each challenge event. 

The overarching theming for the 2023 race weekend has a definite 1990s vibe, with its colorful geometric pattern designs. The theming comes courtesy of the weekend marking the 30th anniversary of the full marathon.

Each race has its own mascots; here they are for Marathon Weekend 2023.

Pluto for the 5K
Chip N Dale for the 10K
Donald and Daisy for the Half Marathon
Mickey and Minnie for the Full Marathon
and then there's Goofy and Dopey!

Pluto for the 5K

Dress up at Mickey's best friend and four-legged companion with fun all-over print costume pieces inspired by Pluto! Here are some pieces I've got in my Etsy shop.

Pluto Inspired Fab Five Pooch All-Over Print Costume Lightweight Unisex T-Shirt – Dress up like Mickey's best pal and Fab Five member Pluto the pooch with this fun all-over print costume piece. The design uses Pluto's iconic yellowish... View on Etsy
Pluto Inspired Fab Five Pooch All-Over Print Women's Lightweight Costume T-Shirt – Dress up like Mickey's best pal and Fab Five member Pluto the pooch with this fun all-over print costume piece. The design uses Pluto's iconic yellowish... View on Etsy
Pluto Inspired Fab Five Pooch All-Over Print Costume Women's Tank Top – Dress up like Mickey's best pal and Fab Five member Pluto the pooch with this fun all-over print costume tank top. The design uses Pluto's iconic... View on Etsy
Pluto Inspired Fab Five Pooch All-Over Print Costume Women's Crop Tank Top – Dress up like Mickey's best pal and Fab Five member Pluto the pooch with this fun all-over print costume crop top. The design uses Pluto's iconic... View on Etsy

Chip N Dale for the 10K

The mischievous chipmunks are a fun pair! Dress up as Chip or Dale with these pieces available in my Etsy shop.

Chip 'n' Dale Costume Chipmunk Inspired Dale All-Over Print Men's/Unisex Athletic T-Shirt – Dress up like a famous chipmunk with this fun costume t-shirt! The cute animal character shirt uses a cartoon illustration style inspired by the color of... View on Etsy
Chip 'n' Dale Costume Chipmunk Inspired Chip All-Over Print Women's Lightweight Costume T-Shirt – Dress up like a famous chipmunk with this fun costume t-shirt! The cute animal character shirt uses a cartoon illustration style inspired by the color of... View on Etsy
Chip 'n' Dale Costume Chipmunk Inspired Dale All-Over Print Women's Lightweight Costume T-Shirt – Dress up like a famous chipmunk with this fun costume t-shirt! The cute animal character shirt uses a cartoon illustration style inspired by the color of... View on Etsy
Chip 'n' Dale Costume Chipmunk Inspired Chip All-Over Print Costume Women's Tank Top – Dress up like a famous chipmunk with this fun costume tank top! The cute animal character shirt uses a cartoon illustration style inspired by the color... View on Etsy
Chip 'n' Dale Costume Chipmunk Inspired Dale All-Over Print Costume Women's Tank Top – Dress up like a famous chipmunk with this fun costume tank top! The cute animal character shirt uses a cartoon illustration style inspired by the color... View on Etsy
Chip 'n' Dale Costume Chipmunk Inspired Chip All-Over Print Men's/Unisex Athletic T-Shirt – Dress up like a famous chipmunk with this fun costume t-shirt! The cute animal character shirt uses a cartoon illustration style inspired by the color of... View on Etsy

Donald and Daisy for the Half Marathon

Mickey and Minnie for the Full Marathon

Just like the ducks, there are plenty of Mickey and Minnie themed outfits available for runners -- just search Etsy. We've got a lot of popular retro pattern designs that are perfect for the marathon and would work well for any of the other race distances; see some examples below. You can find the entire race weekend themed gear collection here: Race Weekend Inspired from WeRunForFun.

Retro Marathon Inspired Geometric Pattern All-Over Print Women's Lightweight Costume T-Shirt – This fun all-over print pattern t-shirt is perfect for celebrating retro 1990s style. The colorful pattern is inspired by the popular geometric style from the 90s.... View on Etsy
Retro Marathon Inspired Geometric Pattern Multi-Use Headband Tube Scarf Neck Gaiter Costume Accessory – This fun all-over print pattern design is perfect for celebrating retro 1990s style. The colorful pattern is inspired by the popular geometric style from the 90s.... View on Etsy
Retro Marathon Inspired Geometric Pattern All-Over Print Costume Women's Tank Top – This fun all-over print pattern tank top is perfect for celebrating retro 1990s style. The colorful pattern is inspired by the popular geometric style from the... View on Etsy
Retro Marathon Inspired Geometric Pattern All-Over Print Costume Skater Skirt – This fun all-over print pattern skater skirt is perfect for celebrating retro 1990s style. The colorful pattern is inspired by the popular geometric style from the... View on Etsy
Retro Goofy Inspired Icons Pattern All-Over Print Women's Lightweight Costume T-Shirt – This fun all-over print pattern design is perfect for celebrating retro 1990s style. The colorful pattern against a purple background is inspired by the popular geometric... View on Etsy
Retro Goofy Inspired Icons Pattern All-Over Print Men's Tank Top – This fun all-over print pattern design is perfect for celebrating retro 1990s style. The colorful pattern against a purple background is inspired by the popular geometric... View on Etsy
Retro Goofy Inspired Icons Pattern Athletic Headband – This fun all-over print pattern design is perfect for celebrating retro 1990s style. The colorful pattern against a purple background is inspired by the popular geometric... View on Etsy
Retro Goofy Inspired Icons Pattern All-Over Print Costume Women's Crop Tank Top – This fun all-over print pattern design is perfect for celebrating retro 1990s style. The colorful pattern against a purple background is inspired by the popular geometric... View on Etsy
Totally Rad Retro Pattern All-Over Print Women's Lightweight Costume T-Shirt – Dress in rad retro 1990s style with this totally awesome geometric pattern shirt. The pattern uses different bold shapes against a dark background. This fun all-over... View on Etsy
Retro 1990s Geometric Pattern on Dark All-Over Print Unisex Lightweight Costume T-Shirt – Dress in retro 1990s style with this totally awesome colorful geometric pattern on a dark background. The pattern uses different shapes and squiggly lines in bright... View on Etsy
Retro 1990s Geometric Pattern in Blue, Pink, Purple All-Over Print Women's Lightweight Costume T-Shirt – Dress in retro 1990s style with this totally awesome colorful geometric pattern in shades of blue, purple, and pink. The pattern uses different bold shapes and... View on Etsy
Totally Rad Retro Pattern All-Over Print Costume Casual Leggings – Dress in rad retro 1990s style with this totally awesome geometric pattern garment. The pattern uses different bold shapes against a dark background. These fun all-over... View on Etsy

Whatever you decide to wear, consider the weather and have options in case of extreme heat or extreme cold -- both are possible! I'll be running the 5K and as of right now, I've got some ideas... but I'm not entirely sure what I'll be wearing. Eek!

WVR's fourth annual club race took place on Sunday, November 20, 2022. The Central Florida Legends race event offers three distances: a marathon; a half marathon; and a 5K. All of the races take place on our beautiful mixed-use trails here in Volusia County with a start/finish at my beloved local park Gemini Springs. The park was closed for over a month since Hurricane Ian hit us at the end of September; it reopened only the Thursday before race day.

I volunteered for the inaugural event in 2019, and ran the 5K virtually. I participated in person this year for the 5K.

Training & Goals
My knees continue to be a big problem, with pain hindering any progress I try to make in getting back into running. Regular steroid shots lose their effectiveness before I'm eligible to get a new one and they take longer to provide any relief. So it's not great. But I keep trying.

In the three weeks before race day I had been getting out to walk/run a 5K 3 times a week. I planned for easy 1:15 run / 1:45 walk intervals for the race.

Race Day: November 20, 2022
I biked over to Gemini Springs in the dark at around 6:20AM. I picked up my packet and looked around to see if any help was needed but there were enough volunteers.

I chatted with some friends and loafed around until the marathon started at 7AM. More loafing until the half marathon runners began a half hour later. I took off my sweatshirt and stowed my bag just before the 5K started at 8AM. It was 57°F with cloudy skies as I crossed the start line.

Mile 1: 14:04
Most races from Gemini Springs head west out of the park and then south on the Spring-to-Spring Trail, but all distances for Legends head east out of the park. It's a simple out-and-back for 5K runners. The half and full have a small detour through Green Springs Park on the way out and keep on the trail for the entire way back. This year, flooding on parts of the trail meant the full had to be diverted for a small portion of the course.

Mile 2: 13:43
The course runs right by the road to my house, close to where the water stop was just into the second mile. I'm on this trail multiple times a week but I rarely go in the other direction.

Mile 3+: 13:46, 3:16 (my Garmin came in at 3.25 miles)

After the Race
There were plenty of treats for runners, including beer, pizza, chicken tenders, bars and bananas. I wasn't feeling great and it looked like it was going to rain so I headed out after watching the first few half marathon runners come in. The after party for this race is popular but I wasn't feeling up to it, unfortunately.

Recommendation
It's my awesome club's big race! It offers very good course support, excellent race management, a fun after party, and very good swag with unique age group awards. Highly recommended.

Chip time: 44:40
Placement details: 4/8 in Age Group, 118th place out of 172 finishers
Race Amenities: Tech shirt, nice finisher medal, swag bag and freebies from vendors
Cost: $30.24

Race branded photo (c) Almost There Photography
Friends photo (c) Marieann Bannan

My husband Arthur and I had volunteered for a few runDisney events before helping out at water stop #5 for the 2022 Wine & Dine Half Marathon this November, but I hadn't done any write-ups before. So I thought I'd post a little summary of what runDisney is like from the perspective of a water stop volunteer. 

First, a little background: we've previously worked water stops at the 2019 Princess 10K and Half, the 2020 Marathon, and the 2020 Princess 10K and Half. This was our first post-pandemic volunteer gig. This was also the first runDisney race following changes with volunteer staffing and management, where Disney (or other hired) cast members have taken over a lot of the posts previously worked by volunteers (like at the Expo, and course pointing). Volunteer staffing management also shifted from runDisney to Track Shack. (This is my very basic understanding of the changes; I may have gotten some details wrong).

With the reduction of available positions for volunteers, shifts were harder to come by. I am part of a Facebook information group for runDisney volunteers and there were even more disappointed would-be volunteers for Wine & Dine weekend than usual. Arthur and I were lucky to get our one shift. We were initially assigned to work different water stops, but an email to Track Shack got us sorted out so we could work together.

Credentials
Before showing up to the shift, volunteers need to pick up their credentials ahead of time. For us, that meant a mid-week visit to Track Shack in Orlando during the week prior to race weekend to pick up our badges and lanyards. Since Arthur's shift was changed to match mine after the badges were printed, he got a sticker placed on his badge to reflect his correct assignment. It's important to check that your badge credentials are correct before leaving pick-up.

Wake Up Call
Like runDisney runners, volunteers also face early wake-up calls to get everything ready for the race. We were to meet at the Wide World of Sports (WWOS) complex at 3AM in order to meet our bus. That meant leaving home shortly before 2AM! 

Check In - Site Arrival
Once we arrived at WWOS, we headed inside the main building to check in, where we showed our badges and ID.

There we also picked up our orange volunteer t-shirts (lightweight and soft, really nice this year!), safety vests (required for volunteers who are stationed on roadways), snack box (yes! volunteers get snack boxes, too!), and small bottles of water.

We ran to the restrooms to change into our shirts and then headed back outside.

Next it was time to pass through security, where our transparent bags were checked and we were wanded.

Although we arrived on time, we were surprised to be among the last to board our assigned bus! Soon we were on our way to mile 6.6, water stop #5, where a crazy mad rush of setting up tables and filling water cups would begin! 

Pre-Race Set Up
Setting up a water stop involves moving a lot of supplies around: tables, water bottles, sanitation equipment, cardboard garbage bins, rakes, cups and cup dividers, PowerAde mix, and more are all dropped off in a central location before the volunteers arrive. 

When we get to work, some volunteers move and set up tables, others use wagons to distribute packs of water, while others work on sanitizing the tables and setting up the cups, and another team works on mixing and distributing PowerAde. While we had some rain during set up (and the race), we were lucky that there was no wind. Wind poses a big challenge when setting up the cups! 

For this race, we didn't have enough time to set up all of the water and PowerAde cups that were on our plan; in the end we were missing a couple of layers of water or PowerAde cups by the time runners started coming through. Luckily, though the weather was warmer than ideal, the plan called for extra cups that were not needed in the end, so we could serve all runners who came through. 

In previous races, we've been done with our set up before the runners come through, leaving time for all of the volunteers to take a little break, drink some water and have a snack and/or visit the restroom before the real work begins. Before runners came through for the 2019 Princess half marathon, we were very close to a character stop and even had a chance to get our photo taken with the villains before handing out water to runners.

Our 2019 Princess half marathon volunteer spot was close to a character stop

Water Stop Volunteer
When you think of water stop volunteers, you might not think about the early wake up call, and all the pre-race work. You might only think about the volunteers standing before long tables full of cups, holding water in their palms for runners to take as they pass by. Seeing all of the athletes and handing out water is certainly the best part!

On Sunday, for this race, we were busy filling cups until well after the race began, and there was no time to take a breath until it was all over. Many volunteers continued to fill cups as the first wheelchair athletes and runners started to come through. Arthur and I started handing out water right away, and Arthur even handed out the first few cups before things really got moving. 

The early runners are fast, and come through sporadically. There are a lot of bike marshals with the early runners and wheeled athletes. After about a half hour, the pack becomes less loose and it can get a bit crowded handing out water. We were standing in a spotlight, with the runners back-lit, so it was really hard to see when someone would point to one of us for a cup (usually a great thing to do so the volunteer knows you're coming in for a grab). 

Once the sun started to come up, runners came in really thick and we had a blast making eye contact with the athletes, seeing all of the fun costumes, and watching the rest of the race field run by with lots of Disney joy.

After the Race
The runners came in the thickest right at the end. This time, we were just outside of Hollywood Studios, and probably just before a sweep point. Once the Balloon Ladies came through (effectively the pace-setters for the end of the race), there was a surprisingly large contingent of athletes walking behind them, with bike marshals encouraging everyone to catch up or risk being swept. We even saw a couple of golf carts taking runners to the next bus. And then it was all over! In the past, we volunteers had been tasked to do a bit of clean-up: taking down and stacking tables, clearing cups. But this time, all of that was taken care of by Disney castmembers, and we were really done. We finally had time for a quick restroom break -- and a photo! -- and then it was time to board the bus back to the WWOS for check out!

New this year, volunteers received their gift immediately after the shift. In the past, we'd get single day Disney World passes for each water stop shift. These would arrive in the mail some two months afterwards. This time, however, we recevied a single day, after 1PM Disney World pass as our gift. We also received a cute bento box as part of our thanks.

Next up, we're signed up to man a water stop during the 2023 Marathon Weekend full! We're looking forward to seeing the runners on Sunday, January 8th!

Ted Lasso fans can dress up in Team Lasso style with officially licensed gear from Zazzle. Sport shirts and leggings, as well as other apparel and gift items, can be found with a variety of different patterns and designs inspired by Coach Lasso, AFC Richmond and the Greyhounds, and other characters and themes from the extremely popular comedy show with heart.

Carry the enthusiasm of Coach Lasso with you on your next run, or inspire others in earnest style at your next race event! Ted Lasso running gear is a perfect gift idea for the running Lasso fan in your life!

You can find the entire collection in the official Ted Lasso shop on Zazzle. Some of my favorites are below.

Ted Lasso T-Shirts for Running

AFC Richmond Red and Gold Banner Athletic T-Shirt

The name AFC Richmond is featured diagonally across this sport t-shirt. The greyhounds logo and a wing logo appear in gold on either side of the bold AFC line. The design is shown here on a Sport Tek Competitor moisture-wicking shirt.

AFC Richmond Team Chant #COYGH Athletic T-Shirt

This bold design combines logo style graphics from AFC Richmond with a chant for the team: #COYGH which stands for Come On You Greyhounds. This is a fun simple monotone design that looks great on the silver Sport Tek shirt shown here.

AFC Richmond Big Greyhound Team Logo Tank Top

Here the large greyhound logo of AFC Richmond is featured in the center of the top, in this case a poly/viscose blend flowy tank top.

Be A Goldfish Positive Mantra Athletic T-Shirt

In the game of soccer (or football, or futbal), it's not a bad idea to be a goldfish. Ted's fun story about the memory span of a goldfish and why this is an animal players should try to be, especially if they are down in the dumps about recent events. This is a fun and motivational design for runners of all levels!

Ted Lasso Sport Capris and Leggings

Leggings in two different styles, capri or regular length, are also available. These are made from a comfortable moderately compressive fabric blend of 88% polyester and 12% spandex.

More Officially Licensed Ted Lasso Sport Capris and Leggings

Ted Lasso | Tea and Biscuit Icon Toss Pattern Capri Leggings – Check out this Ted Lasso biscuits, tea, love, and money icon toss pattern. View on Zazzle
Ted Lasso | AFC Richmond Logo Stripe Pattern Leggings – Check out this AFC Richmond logo colorful stripe pattern. View on Zazzle
Ted Lasso | He's Here He's There Playbook Pattern Capri Leggings – Check out this Roy Kent quote playbook pattern. View on Zazzle
Ted Lasso | Face and Ball Diamond Pattern Leggings – Check out this Ted Lasso face and football diamond pattern. View on Zazzle
Ted Lasso | Fútbol is Life Stripe Pattern Leggings – Check out this "FĂștbol is Life" athletic stripe pattern. View on Zazzle
Ted Lasso | Face and Ball Diamond Pattern Capri Leggings – Check out this Ted Lasso face and football diamond pattern. View on Zazzle
Ted Lasso | Believe Sign and Ball Toss Pattern Leggings – Check out this Ted Lasso "Believe" sign and football toss pattern. View on Zazzle
Ted Lasso | AFC Richmond Logo Stripe Pattern Capri Leggings – Check out this AFC Richmond logo colorful stripe pattern. View on Zazzle