I know it's been a week since the race, but I haven't had internet in that week so blogging was put on hold. Luckily, internet is back and thus, I can finally write my review of the race!
Let's take a look at the expo first, shall we?
I personally liked the expo a lot more this year. Registration and packet pick up were set up in a tent on one of the fields. This provided everyone (runners, volunteers, and vendors) with a lot more space. Official merchandise was in the packet pick up area, but I just browsed through it in favor of getting something at the vendors tent.
At packet pick up I got my bib, my commemorative bib (yes 2 bibs), my race pin (was extra on registration), and the race necklace (also extra at registration). My running buddy, Carrie, and I checked our bibs to make sure they were working and then headed over to the expo tent where we picked up our packets, I picked up some new headphones, and we looked around. At that time we didn't have enough time to buy anything so we looked and left, but came back a few hours later to get what we wanted. I ended up with a new race belt (I left mine back in Cali), a race shirt (Royalty Rules the Road), a coffee cup, and the second pin. I liked that our actual goody bag only had a handful of things in it (like our race shirt) and the flyers you normally get were left online... it was just so green!
Overall, I did like the expo. The flow was a lot better since they spaced it out and I hope they do the same thing next year. They were also doing a better job at crowd control when it came to packet pick up so that really helped. As you can see above, they still had the footmen and this year they added the carriage. Only, the carriage never made it to the race course, unlike last year.
The only thing I didn't like was more on merchandise's side. I wish they would have a small tiara that you could pin around a pony tail, not the big light up one they were selling. I also think that the necklace and original pin should have been kept for those who ordered them online. The online sales did say they were sold out, but they magically happened to be at the expo...
On to the race...
Originally, Carrie and I were going to walk to the corrals, but decided against it once we saw how laid out Port Orleans really was. We would have been waking up at the same time either way... so we took the bus to Epcot and walked with everyone else to the front (notice the grammar mistake in the sign above?). It was early... like really early, but we eventually made it to the start.
Fairy Godmother set off the runners this year, just as she did last year. There were fireworks for each corral and while I appreciated that I got some for my corral, I realized the fireworks had another benefit. I could hear when the next set of runners had started thanks to the fireworks! Don't know if that was part of the plan, but strategically it was smart.
There didn't seem to be as many characters stops out this year, but they did have my favorites...
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| All of the villains... even though Cruella is hiding... |
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| Buzz! |
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| Pirates (My favorite) |
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| And of course... Fairy Godmother |
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| King Mickey! |
Physically, the race went well for me. I was running Carrie's speed as it was her first (and she did awesome). I ran the hills I walked last year, which was my personal accomplishment of the race. We finished just around 3 hours, which was Carrie's goal, so overall a great race. I think I actually ran more than I did last year and I know I definitely didn't stop so much.
After the race my quads tightened up a bit, but weren't too bad. They were sore for a few days, but never so much that I couldn't work or anything. My ankles got super tight and they tried to get me to stop walking after the race, which of course we spent at Epcot. My ankles have me worried for future races when I might be going faster and harder, but I guess that's something I'm going to have to tackle when I get there.
On a personal level, I was so excited when some of my former coworkers came out and cheered for me! It gave me the push I needed for the end of the race!
RunDisney really does provide runners with some magical experiences. Carrie didn't believe me when I told her how awesome it is to run down Main Street to the castle with crowds cheering you on... I can assure you now that she does though!
