Marathon Weekend 2021

[disneydaydreamer33]

SAFD:
- yearly high school cheerleading competitions at Disneyland- doesn't hurt that we won first two years in a row in our division
- Staying in the Lion King rooms at Art of Animation for my kids' first trip to Disney
- Eating at CRT and the kids being sooo excited to tell Princess Ariel that their Dad's name is Erik just like her prince
- First runDisney race- Princess half 2016
- First couples Disney trip 2017
- First marathon 2018
- Returning to Disneyland for the first time since I was a teenager in 2018
- Having a magical day and getting to ride RotR THREE TIMES with my kids in February.

 

[Baloo in MI]

SAFD:

- As a kid seeing the Electircal Light Parade for the first time at Disneyland.
- First time I went on Space Mountain, still my favorite ride in Disney.
- Seeing my two daughters walking hand and hand when they were 2 & 6 up to the food court at Pop Century on the first morning of our first trip as a family to WDW. My older daughter was about 10 feet in front of us and my younger daughter ran up to her and took her hand then they just walked together. A moment I will hold on to forever!
- My younger daughter getting picked to do the lion roar in the Lion King Show. She was about 4 or 5 and pretty small. the performer told her what she needed to do and then said he would help her (I know she would need NO HELP! Then she let out this huge roar and shocked the performer and the crowd. Great moment!
- runDisney memory: finishing my first Marathon in 2015 and my first Dopey in 2016.
- runDisney memory: the first time I entered Main Street during the race with all the holiday decorations, the castle lit up and the huge crowds it was a little overwhelming!

Cool question! Love reading everyone’s memories.

 

[JediKnightXan]

SAFD

I got married at Disney World back in May of last year, one of my best life memories by far!

Its very fun reading every ones experiences and memories, thank you for sharing!

 

[PrincessV]

I had a trip planned for June with my family, but will be cancelling. Even if they reopen, it’s too much of a risk. The grandparents are high risk, running around in 90+ degree weather in a mask, going on vacation at the first reopening during a pandemic sounds like the beginning of a disaster film...

I cancelled my summer trip, too. I'm local enough that if things look good (low crowds, social distancing) I can hop over for a few hours, but days of mask-wearing and trying to avoid other people in the parks doesn't sound fun in any weather, let alone the infernal heat of summer.

 

[PrincessV]

SAFD: All of them. Except maybe the parts where someone was overtired/overstimulated/angry/sad lol!

 

[lhermiston]

For your debating pleasure (or just to enjoy Tom's amazing photography that I shamelessly try to rip off recreate) ...

https://www.disneytouristblog.com/ride-rankings-disney-world/

 

[Barca33Runner]

For your debating pleasure (or just to enjoy Tom's amazing photography that I shamelessly try to rip off recreate) ...

https://www.disneytouristblog.com/ride-rankings-disney-world/

I like that everyone can have their own favorites (and that a lot of them don’t match my own). Was kind of shocked to see an attraction that I have never even thought to experience and have no desire to experience in the future listed in the top 5.

Not a lot of surprises, but Nav‘i River Journey seemed a bit high for the prevailing opinions on it and RnRC seemed low (I think that gets skewed by respondents who don’t do thrill rides). Fun read.

 

[lhermiston]

I like that everyone can have their own favorites (and that a lot of them don’t match my own)

Maybe "debate" isn't the right word. But, I'll be interested in seeing how this list matches other people's expectations. Much of the top 10 was in line with my personal favorites, with a few exceptions.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Maybe "debate" isn't the right word. But, I'll be interested in seeing how this list matches other people's expectations. Much of the top 10 was in line with my personal favorites, with a few exceptions.

I got a little, um, perplexed when some of the Dis Unplugged group did a bracket style tournament from each park recently and demerited Splash Mountain in their MK bracket because of their fear of the drop and then turned around and raved about Everest in the AK bracket.

Everyone experiences things differently I guess.

 

[shellott-hill]

Some disappointing news in the West...

they have officially cancelled the September Half Marathon in Canmore this year. This has always been one of my favorites. It has always been a good fitness test to see how I am progressing for January/February races in WDW. It will be sorely missed this year.

I guess I will need to reuse my January 2020 Half as PoT for January 2021.

 

[pluto377]

So many great memories!

Mine are-

-Not sure what year, but maybe 1986 when my family stayed at Poly. We had a room that overlooked the monorail track and I spent any time in our room counting and recording how many went by. I also remember my dad ordering the "King Kameamea" (spelling?) breakfast and me, my mom and sister being grossed out.

-1994 Christmas trip with my sister and parents. We ate at V&A before it was no kids. We also saw the Christmas parade on Christmas! So amazing!

-1998 Just a few days after my grandfather died my mom, sister and I decided to go on our planned trip for 4th of July. We drove down in my sister's tiny Mazda Eclipse (from NY!). It was our first time staying on property since the Poly trip and we were at the then Dixie Landings. We had so much fun and it was a nice way to not think about the sadness of the preceding days.

-2009 First RunDisney event- the marathon. Had a great trip with the hubby and was so excited for us to finish our 2nd marathon together.

-2011 Babymoon trip. Staying at Beach Club in a room with a beautiful view was such a joy. I would love to stay there again, but it's usually waaaaaay out of budget.

-2012 to present- we've been every year except 2013 and I have such great memories with my kids. From them enjoying my favorite rides to eating fun meals to having fun in the pool, it's all been a blast. Overall I mean. There's also been plenty of meltdowns and family drama.

-2019 First solo trip to complete Dopey. I wasn't sure how I'd feel going solo, but it was AH-Mazing! I loved being able to do whatever I wanted, take tons of sitting breaks, eat only snacks and not have anyone crying. Finishing the marathon was very emotional for me. I had a bad day and had to walk the last six miles. I felt like a failure. But DH was texting with me, pushing me on and telling me how amazing I was for taking on this challenge. That got me through.

I can't wait to get back. My kids have been talking non-stop about their "next trip" during quarantine. They've already decided we're going back to AoA (stayed at POR this year) and will be in a Cars or Nemo room, lol.

I wish I knew for sure if W&D was happening this year as I'd like to sign up for MW if it's not.

 

[SarahDisney]

Forgot to mention one of my favorite memories from my last trip ...
- My sister, who knows nothing about Star Wars, getting picked as the rebel spy

 

[osufeth24]

stupid question alert.

Since we got canceled for the star wars run (would have been first rundisney event), we may end up signing up for this . Generally would would the resorts become bookable for that time frame with possibly AP prices?

 

[rteetz]

stupid question alert.

Since we got canceled for the star wars run (would have been first rundisney event), we may end up signing up for this . Generally would would the resorts become bookable for that time frame with possibly AP prices?

2021 rooms are bookable now by phone but for a package you would have to wait until they are released online which is usually June.

AP pricing wouldn't come out until probably closer to the fall if it happens.

 

[The Expert]

A little late to SAFD, but here goes:

General
- Hands down, visiting every single Disney park in the world with my husband, in a single trip for our 25th anniversary in May 2019. I'm SO HAPPY we did not put this off as I'm honestly not sure if it'll ever be possible again. I can't wait for these memories to start popping up on my feed in a few weeks!
- Introducing my nieces and nephews to Disney with our DVC over the years. One of my nephews is 23 and got married in November, and his bride walked up the aisle to a beautiful piano version of the Fantasmic theme song.

Running
- Coast to Coast and Castle to Chateau in 2017 (I did Princess, Tink and Paris)
- Finally getting my Kessel Run medal in 2018
- Finishing my first full marathon (in record heat) in January

 

[BigEeyore]

For your debating pleasure (or just to enjoy Tom's amazing photography that I shamelessly try to rip off recreate) ...

This is definitely not the list I would have come up with, though the top two would top my list. Some of the biggest misses - Buzz Lightyear's space ranger spin getting ranked at 72 (that is one of our faves, always fun) and RnRC at 41 are both ranked way too low. On the flip side - the Navi river ride is a massive disappointment and doesn't deserve to be ranked so high. Also, although I enjoy getting to sit in the AC and having THAT song stuck in my head all day, giving the American Adventure show the #5 spot is a little generous! Fun list though, thanks for sharing!

 

[jeff_h]

I have a question for the slower runners and walkers:

DW is thinking about entering the 10k with me (we aren't getting to town in time for the 5k) but she is not a runner and we would plan on walking and would probably finish around 1:45-1:50. There's a notice on the runDisney site that a 16:00 pace must be maintained or the participant could get swept up and transported to the finish.

I looked at the results from last year and there were a lot of participants who finished after that cutoff time. I told DW that I don't expect that we would be directed to leave the course, but she's concerned and doesn't want to just take the word of her DH.

So if we would finish a bit slower than the cutoff for the 10k, should we just skip it or go ahead and register since there are so many others who are also in that category?

Thanks!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

How could I leave out DATW?? The Irish car bombs and the look we got from Mary Poppins was worth the price of admission.

Goof Trooooop!

It was also quite funny when Goofy wanted the PhotoPass CM to scan his MagicBand since the rest of us were doing it. One of those quiet Disney moments that are fun too.

Sigh - I miss WDW.

And Disneyland as well for me. Excited to go back when the parks reopen.

 

[SarahDisney]

I have a question for the slower runners and walkers:

DW is thinking about entering the 10k with me (we aren't getting to town in time for the 5k) but she is not a runner and we would plan on walking and would probably finish around 1:45-1:50. There's a notice on the runDisney site that a 16:00 pace must be maintained or the participant could get swept up and transported to the finish.

I looked at the results from last year and there were a lot of participants who finished after that cutoff time. I told DW that I don't expect that we would be directed to leave the course, but she's concerned and doesn't want to just take the word of her DH.

So if we would finish a bit slower than the cutoff for the 10k, should we just skip it or go ahead and register since there are so many others who are also in that category?

Thanks!

This is a tough question.

The way the sweeping works is that the sweepers (who are riding bicycles) start behind the last people to cross the start line and maintain a 16:00 min/mi pace. If you fall behind these bicycles, you risk being swept off the course. If you're not the last people to start the race, you get a little bit of a cushion. How much of a cushion depends on where you start. Corralling for the 10K is based on your projected pace (entered as part of registration). If you put down a pace of 16:00 min/mi, you'll be in the last corral, but you can still get a bit of extra time by starting towards the front or middle of the corral (I'd advice middle because there will be faster runners and walkers in the corral and you don't want to get in anyone's way - and once you do start the race, stay to the side and leave plenty of room for people to pass, because there will probably also be faster people behind you).

I have yet to finish a runDisney 10K in less than 2 hours, but that's because I stop for a lot of pictures and characters. If I ran the whole thing straight, I'd probably finish closer to 1:15-1:20 (maybe less if the crowds permitted it). But I get extra time because I start towards the middle (I usually put down something in the range of 11:00-12:00 min/mi for my projected pace, since that's my regular running pace and the pace at which I will be trying to run in between character stops) so that extra cushion I have allows me to finish at a slower pace than is officially allows.

This is a personal decision that only you can make, but the short answer is ... it is possible to finish in a 1:45-1:50 time, but you're also risking being swept if you fall behind the pacers. There's no guarantee that you can finish in that time.

 

[lovingeire]

I'm horribly behind on this thread. Quarantine life has me a little stressed! I mean, teaching my kids is another story. (And I'm a teacher!). I miss the people who love, teach and support my kids on the daily!

For this week’s Sundays are for Disney ... what is the most quintessential Disney parks experience? In other words, if you brought a first timer to Disney, what would you do to show them “THIS is Disney”?

For me it would be MK! A day isn't a perfect MK day without the trolley show. Then we'd head straight to BTMR, my fave, after maybe a stop at Starbucks.

I hope everyone is faring well and staying healthy. In light of recent events, our very topical Sundays are for Disney is: what would you do with a fully functional, but totally empty Disney park? Assume all the rides are working automatically, restaurants are stocked, surfaces are decontaminated and fireworks shows go on as scheduled.

See below, because...yes!!!!

Spend the night in the Castle and then go for an early morning run around the MK!

And Ariel & Prince Eric and Merida would be out to greet me on my run. Yep, life would be good!

Now, off to catch up on the rest of the thread I hadn't quoted!