From what I'm reading, I feel like some of the people who are feeling disappointed with the DPHM are people who do a lot of runDisney races. Like, maybe all of them. At least one per year for several years.
And I can understand that if you frequently run races that send off runners with fireworks and feature marching bands and drum lines and Disney characters along the route- then variations in the number or frequency of those things are going to matter more to you than they will to someone who is not accustomed to those things. Or if you have run the course with fewer participants, you will be more sensitive to the impact of changes in runner density.
This was my second trip to Disney World, and I went with a family, half of whom go to Disney at least once a year, a few people more frequently (they are Disney travel agents) and the other half for whom Disney is not a regular vacation. And I could see there were marked differences in the expectations and excitement over a lot of things throughout the weekend. And it seems similar to the experiences I read about here with regards to the PHM experience.
Eventually, someone in our party pointed out to the veteran "Look, we don't get to come here every year. We're going to want to do different things. This is what is important for us and it is just as valid as what is important for you." And I felt a lot better. It was my vacation just as much as it was theirs, and I was happy someone else was gently reminding our more seasoned friends that we were really excited to be there and do things that maybe were not considered special anymore by the frequent fliers.
This was my first half marathon. I did not run at all before we decided to do the PHM, it was the reason I started to run. I trained diligently, I got a POT that put me in corral F. My friends and I were really excited to be running, we were in F, G, and J corrals and we all had a great time on Sunday. We expected it to be crowded- especially the girl in J- circumstances had prevented her from making the race she had planned to run for POT so she didn't submit one, and she was sort of expecting to walk through the castle in a horde- but we all were able to run freely the whole time. I ended up running nearly every split much faster than my training pace (I had negative splits all the way to mile 7)- although I didn't even think about the fact that moving around runners added distance, I think I added a 0.6 of a mile total- and my GPS would announce miles well before I could see the markers. There were times when there was absolutely no one to my right or left, and I never had to walk. So I had a lot more room than I was expecting. My finish time was a PR. I didn't stop for characters, but I hadn't planned to. For the three of us, this race at least, we really wanted to just run around Disney World. And I got exactly what I wanted. The moon was HUGE and just setting above the trees as we ran down the highway in the first 2 miles. Through the Magic Kingdom sign- I passed a man there running in jeans and a t-**** trying to turn his jeans into cutoffs- not sure what he was thinking. Our friends found the perfect spot at Ticket and Transportation Center to wait for us (much better than trying to get a spectator spot at Magic Kingdom- especially since the 3 of us were so spread out in pace- she waited for all of us to pass, then hopped back on the monorail to Epcot to get a great spot at the finish line) I was so excited to see them I feel like I blinked and all of sudden it was mile 5 - somewhere in there I ran under an overpass that had Kristoff, Anna and Elsa above it making it snow- and I was running through the Magic Kingdom. It had just become light outside and I ran through the castle without having to slow down, got a jump shot in front, back through Frontierland. The only other princess I saw besides Anna and Elsa on the route was Belle with Beast on the way out. (Alice in Wonderland was in the MK too, but not technically a princess) But I was actually more excited to see the family from the news- the father who was pushing his daughter in the wheelchair the whole race- just getting their picture. Down the back stretch the sun was rising behind the palm trees at the Polynesian, which was so pretty. Lots of funny spectator signs from guests at the Grand Floridian, Contemporary, and Shades of Green. When we came back to the hairpin where you could see the beginning part of the course on the left ~mile 10- we passed the balloon ladies and waved. They were followed by like 10 black vans, which kind of looked like a funeral procession. Then we got to the hills- I thought there was only 1- there were 3! But the Army guys were great- one was running backwards saying "You've got to work for this picture, come on!" Then after the photo was snapped he yelled "Now, go get those five seconds back!". Passed another marching band and some kids handing out twizzlers on the way into Epcot, got a picture in front of Spaceship Earth. Waved to my family at the finish line and doing so made my headphones fly out of my hand, so I had to run back and get them and Goofy was helping me along. Not a graceful finish but a memorable one.
And maybe if I'd done a dozen runDisney races this wouldn't seem so cool. But I haven't and it was awesome. And we met a lot of great people walking around the parks afterwards- they'd see the medal and say "Congratulations". Best reaction was on Monday- I hadn't worn my medal that day but my friend had, to Hollywood Studios, and she showed it to the Green Army men- who went nuts over it- "called" over other Green Army men to look at it- pantomimed that if he'd tried to run that distance he'd puke. She got a great picture. I was jealous. Definitely take your medal to Studies in future. Plus the Stars Wars fireworks- oh my God, they are awesome!
So, as someone who experienced the race in it's current incarnation for the first time, for whom this is my only runDisney experience, it was totally worth my time and money. We had a fantastic weekend (1 kids race, 2 people in 10K, 4 in the Half (one was a GSC)). If you are contemplating running it for the first time, I would bear in mind while reading about other's reactions that expectations and opinions about the same experience can vary widely depending on what you have to compare it to.
PS:
Also, for me, shopping at the Expo was not really on the agenda (the t-shirt I got with registration and my medal were plenty of souvenirs for me)- I would have happily grabbed my bib and left. But it was of interest for some of my companions. Due to flight times, we didn't arrive at the Expo until 1:30 on Thursday. I was expecting bedlam, from what I'd read here. Nope. There was NO ONE in the bib pickup, we walked right up to the desks. Same with picking up shirts and bags. The Official Merch had all the "I Did It" shirts- with the map on the back. Magnets. Long sleeved shirts. Only thing we couldn't find were 1XL and 2XL sizes. If you wear a small or medium, they had everything. We didn't even have to wait in line to try on the shoes. All the Raw Threads merch was there- it had a long line at first, but that disappeared when we made a second lap and my friend bought the Mama Bear shirt. I would have had a far less pleasant experience if I'd tried to get there early.
. I met a ton of nice people and I was just really impressed with everything. It's hard to feel spoiled when you are running and gross and sweaty but that's how I felt with all the water stops and volunteers cheering us on. I didn't have my best time but I stopped for a few characters along the way. I was able to finish feeling strong. I loved being able to get ice and Powerade and the snack box, even if my two year old stole my goldfish. I can see where there are negatives to the event but since it was my first time I was able to just get caught up in the excitement. It was a perfect start to our family vacation. It might be a few years till I can do another one but I can't wait. Thank you to all of you on here I appreciated reading your tips and input!
