Disney World Dopey Challenge Recap

Once upon a time, I did this thing where I managed to run four races in four days, back to back. In January (2018) I ran the Disney World Dopey Challenge: a 5k, 10k, half-marathon, and FULL marathon in four back-to-back days of racing. Here I am months later, still trying to put my experience into words…

It’s several months after the 2018 Disney World Dopey Challenge and I have finally come to terms with the fact that it happened! I trained for 6 long months, and those four days flew by! And NOTHING WENT ACCORDING TO PLAN (a popular trend for my marathons)!

This race recap is long overdue, but it seriously took me this long (and two additional marathon training cycles) to process my thoughts on it!

In this recap, you’ll find my quick recap all about my Disney plans, prepping the week before, what I packed, and most importantly – how it went!!! If you’re considering running the Dopey Challenge, or any Run Disney race, I hope my experience helps! At the end of this post, I’m throwing in my training regimen and links to my recaps from my training. It’s about that time of year again where people are hip deep in training for the 2019 Disney World Dopey Challenge!

Things to think about prepping for the Disney World Dopey Challenge:

Finances
Consider charity running to raise funds for a great cause
Training plans (training calendar, fueling, hydrating, cross-training, recovery)
Training and Race day gear (shoes & clothes, hydration source, running watch)
Travel plans and reservations
RunDisney Race Day Packages (Runners and Spectators)
Theme Park tickets

Get Ya Money Right

Disney can be expensive all on its own. Planning for Disney to also run FOUR races – financially, I feel like they were asking for one of my kidneys and first-born child! I’m not in the business of counting people’s coins or telling them how to spend their money, and I’m definitely not saying not to experience Run Disney because of the costs. But, I want to keep it real with anyone considering it: DISNEY IS EXPENSIVE! RunDisney is even more expensive!

If you’re thinking about running the Marathon Weekend, these are some of the extras that you can plan for:

Race Registration – ranges from $80 for just the 5K to $585 for the Disney World Dopey Challenge.
Hotel – you can stay at a Disney resort or at a nearby hotel or Airbnb.
Transportation – Including flights, car rentals, Uber money, and gas.
Food, food, and more food – I mean, if you’re running all four races you HAVE to eat!
Race Retreat VIP packages – range from $120 to $230
Memory Maker picture packages
Spectator packages – there’s level to this!
Souvenirs and Expo items
Theme park tickets
Training gear
Enough running gear for four races
And, maintaining your sanity could come at HIGH COST!!!

These costs don’t even include the expenses that could pile up getting ready for these races! Keep that in mind when you’re thinking about running shoes, training gear, and (possibly) race day costumes!

My Game Plan

I had a massive internal debate on whether or not my family was going to attempt to experience all Disney has to offer in addition to my races. We were torn on whether or not to walk the parks, wait in line for rides, and expend a lot of energy during times I could be resting and gearing up for the next race. I also considered the option of getting to Orlando early or staying around post-marathon weekend. For me, the decision came down to how I decided to tackle my races. I knew if I wanted to sustain myself through each race in order to PR the marathon, I wasn’t going to have the energy for going all out at parks each day.

To run Disney or enjoy Disney

I was torn about going into these races with a competitive PR mindset because IT’S DISNEY! This is the place where dreams come true, where everyone’s inner kid gets to come out and play. If ever there’s a race to wear a costume, it’s Disney (and I’m all for a great costume)! I tried to read all of the blogs and reviews on the Disney World Dopey Challenge, and it seemed like every single one was from the perspective of Mickey Mouse’s biggest fan. They talk all about how magical the starts are, how characters are set up throughout the courses for pictures, how running through Magical Kingdom and taking pictures in front of Cinderella’s castle is magnificent, and how they had a costume ready to go for each race.

I’ll let you in on a little secret, I am not a diehard Disney fanatic! The opportunity for me to take on a goal I felt was extremely out of my reach is what attracted me to the Dopey Challenge. For me, these races were a huge declaration to myself that I could do anything I put my mind to. While I wanted this awesome experience of running through Walt Disney World, I also wanted to be badass and survive four back-to-back races. For me, survival meant skipping out on the parks! Crazy enough, when I asked my daughter if she was ok with that, she responded “I don’t want to stand in those long lines for the rides”. We were on the same page!

If you’re someone who wants to run the races and see the parks, no worries, it can be done! Many of the families I met there were doing just that. Go get it! Depending on how big of a Disney fan you are, this can really be a magical experience. The firework starts are as magical as people describe them. Cinderella’s castle during sunrise is spectacular. There are characters throughout the course! This experience can be whatever you make it!

Charity Runner

I had the honor of running on behalf of the National Down Syndrome Society. You can check out my Blog to see why I chose them; but honestly, they chose me and I am grateful for the opportunity to represent them and advocate on behalf of the NDSS. It was an experience and learning process that I will never forget. If you’re considering charity running, my only suggestion is to choose an organization that you are passionate about their cause and use this opportunity to spread their message while raising funds. I was able to raise slightly over $3,100. I’d also love to share my fundraising tips, feel free to reach out.

Planning and Packing

Planning the week for the Disney World Dopey Challenge was almost more nerve wrecking than training for the races! There are so many options on what to purchase, and with options come confusion! As a first time Disney runner, I had no clue what to actually spend money on and what to avoid; and if you ask people, everyone has a different opinion.

If you’re trying to go the parks, I would look around for package deals. If you’re trying to keep a budget, I would say splurge on the Memory Maker so that you can have all of your pictures, buy a couple commemorative items (I wish I would have bought a finishers jacket), and IF you still have a little wiggle room in your budget, get the race retreat package.

Since I ran the Disney World Dopey Challenge on behalf of the National Down Syndrome Society, they had a tent set up similar to what runners could expect in the race retreat area, but more intimate since we were a small group. I really don’t know what I would have done without this, especially since it was so cold – it gave us a place to congregate before the races instead of having to shuffle off to spend longer waits in the corrals.

The NDSS was amazing at helping prepare for Disney. They set us all up with a Facebook group, and I was able to get a ton of good info and tips to help me plan for Disney – what to pack, tips on staying warm, details on the extras like the memory maker, etc. The NDSS is full of amazing and supportive people, and I am beyond glad that I got to share this experience with all of them. They also set up a room block for us at the Coronado Springs Resort, so we were able to book rooms at a discounted rate (perks of charity running). And since I hit my fundraising goals, I got a couple of nights comped!

The Weather! Tip monitor the weather, make necessary adjustments, bring back up options!

Is it wishful thinking to hope for a beautiful 50-60 degree race the first week of January?! Florida had beautiful weather projections all the way up until the week before the race. Just our luck, that week, temps were projected to drop below freezing! Now, I get it. It’s winter, why am I complaining? Well because I live in New Orleans where 40 degrees and above is usually what winter looks like in these tropical areas! I was literally running in a sports bra and shorts for my last 20-mile long training run in December.

I think the worst part was the wait time in the corrals before the races actually got started. Over 25,000 people were participating in the Marathon weekend. That’s a lot of wait time if you are in the later corrals! TIPS:

Layer up in some old or cheap clothes that you don’t mind tossing off to the side once you start running and warm up!
Bring a foil survival blanket that you can get for cheap at Walmart or similar stores. Disney gives them to you after each race, but if you bring one you can wear it the morning of the 5k to help stay warm (if needed). Those things are actually really warm!

My Week

I woke up Monday morning with the dreaded itch in my sinuses. I immediately started praying to the sweet baby Jesus to ward off whatever illness was coming my way and started drinking Emergen-C. The plan was to fly into Orlando on Tuesday, spend Wednesday at the expo getting race bibs and doing final prep for races to kick off on Thursday.

We flew into Orlando on Tuesday evening, and by Wednesday morning I was down for the count! I was sick! 6 months of training and I woke up the day before the race feeling like death took over!

I spent Wednesday morning in an emotional funk. We went to breakfast and spent a good chunk of the morning in Urgent Care, I had a bad sinus infection and flu-like symptoms. The doctor casually prescribed me some antibiotics, told me I could run if I felt I was up to it, and wished me luck on my races.

I FELT DEFEATED

I left urgent care with this weight on my chest, utterly disappointed at the thought that I may not cross the finish line of the Marathon on Sunday if my health got worse. Then, out of nowhere, my voice of reason came to share the pep talks of all pep talks. My voice of reason just happened to be my partner in crime, my Daughter, Charm. My girl sat up in the back seat of the car while I was swan diving into a pity party and told me, in so many words, YOU GOT THIS MOMMA!

Charm told me that I would finish these races and that I would do great. She reminded me that I trained “forever” and that I WAS READY! She saw the best in me, as always. Because of her optimism, my entire mood shifted for the weekend. I went into survival mode and turned on the mindset that this was going to be HARD AF sick, but it was going to get done because I trained for it (physically and mentally).

The Expo

The Expo was hosted at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. I wish I could share a lot with you about the expo, but all I did was get in and get out so I could get some rest. I was able to move quickly through the lines, hop in to get all of my bibs (one for the 5/10k and one for the half/full marathon). Other than that, if you’ve been to one expo you’ve been to them all. They had vendors of all sorts set up selling awesome gear!

THE RACES

Each race for the Disney World Dopey Challenge kicks off at 5:30am! I’ll admit, the 5:30 starts brought me so much mental anguish. I was less than excited at the idea of having to wake up at 2:45ish every morning to get dressed, eat, get on the shuttle, and wait around in my coral for four days in a row. But, I also more than understood that it was necessary considering how many people were participating in events throughout the weekend, and the fact that these races run through parks that have to be opened for regular visitors.

Even though the wake up times felt daunting, each start was more than spectacular. Disney truly goes above and beyond to give each and every runner a magical start. Not only is there fireworks that go off at the start of the race, each coral and group within corals gets their very own magical firework start to the race. Every morning, each start made me realize that I am finally here and this is actually happening!

Corals – Hurry up and wait

There are a lot of people who participate in the Disney weekend, which means a lot of corals. If you’re in one of the later corals, you will have a long wait! Check out this runner info page for details on how Disney groups their corals and details on race starts.

Post-Race

After each race, you receive your medal, have the opportunity to take a photo, and receive a snack box before entering the area to be reunited with family and friends. Post-race festivities weren’t too exciting. People were linking back up with their groups, loading up on buses, and many were going to recoup for their next race and heading out to enjoy the parks.

IN-BETWEEN THE RACES

EAT, HYDRATE, and ENJOY YOURSELF! In my opinion, if you’re going to try to do parks, try to get them in on the days between the 5k and 10k; surely not the day before the marathon. But I know a lot of folks who hit up the parks every day, enjoyed themselves, and would do it all over again! Truly, it comes down to how you’re tackling your races. I met people who were there just for the experience, they didn’t care one bit about times or paces and planned to stop for pictures with all of the characters, walk whenever the mood hit, hop on a ride or two mid race, and just be a big kid running through Disney! I met people who had goals for particular races and plans to just give one or two races their all.

THE 5K

The morning of the first race, I woke up at 3:00am and my daughter was WIDE awake. Turns out, she hadn’t gone to sleep all night, instead she stayed up on her phone playing games – because “she was excited for me”. My family did not plan on coming to this race. It was early, the temps were freezing, and I was hopeful it would go by quickly. So when my alarm went off, I was not expecting my little one to greet me!

Charm popped up and was like “Mommy, it is go time!” Charm hung out in the bathroom with me while I got dressed, playing in the mirror and being silly. And right on cue, she gave me one more pep talk! That morning, Charm reminded me to enjoy my race and told me something I tell her every morning before school – GO DOMINATE THE DAY, MOMMY! She’s my life motivation! Even though she crashed and slept the rest of the day, my heart was so full that she held out on sleeping to bring in the morning with me (I’m not crying right now)!

After all of that, the 5k was my least favorite race.

It was horrible, and I was miserable. I don’t even want to reflect on it! Thursday, Jan 4^th was a blistering 28 degrees at 5:46am – when I crossed the starting line. Prior to the start, I had been standing outside nearly two hours. Even though I was layered up in leggings, multiple shirts, a hoodie, gloves w/ hand warmers, and a beanie, I was frozen all the way through. My fingers felt as if I wasn’t wearing any gloves, I was aching. Also, this morning, I was kind of lost and didn’t know where to go to find Team NDSS.

I just kept saying it will get better when you start running – that was a lie! 3.1 miles just isn’t enough time to warm up when you’ve been out there freezing for a couple of hours. At one point during the race, I took my gloves off and placed my hands on my stomach in hopes that my own body heat would help my hands warm up; no such luck. I took this race easy, pacing in at 10:17/mile and finishing in 33:18. When the race ended, I grabbed my medal and took my race pic, grabbed my snacks, hopped on the shuttle back to the hotel and didn’t look back to reflect. Once back in my warm sanctuary, I showered, took my antibiotics, ate my snacks, and drifted off into a morning/afternoon slumber.

Once I woke up from my Thursday rest, the family and I set out on a mission for food and supplies. The cold was playing tricks w/ my IT band so I needed something to roll it out with, and I was in need of better gloves! We drove all around town hopping from store to store in search for warmer layers, better gloves, and IT support.

Well, Florida isn’t use to these freezing temps either, so you know what they didn’t have? An abundance of warmer clothes and glove options! Finally, at a sporting goods store, I was able to find one pair of gloves (that fit); unfortunately, they cost about $50! I was also able to find a muscle roller at target. Lesson: travel with a roller.

THE 10K, Day 2 Race 2

Friday, Jan 5^th. 5:44am. 37 degrees. 9:49 pace. 1:02:28 finish time. Each morning I felt like I was stuck in one of those infamous movies like Groundhog Day, where the day just keeps repeating itself over and over! This morning, my family was joining me at the race! This lifted my spirit so much knowing they were coming out there with me! I layered up, ate some breakfast, got my little one together, and met up with the NDSS Team.

This was my favorite race! It was still cold, but it was 10 degrees warmer on Friday morning. I had on my new gloves with warm, plush lining! Unfortunately, this race was my daughter’s least favorite. Even with the increase in temp and the extra layers (sweaters and blankets) that we bought the day before, it was just too much time for my little one to be out there from coral wait to finish; lessons learned. I was able to warm up a couple of miles into this race, but my family was just sitting, waiting and cold. TIP: have your families meet you later so they aren’t enduring the coral wait times.

Being able to take my mind off of the coldness once I warmed up really allowed me to enjoy this race. I enjoyed running through the parks, seeing them lit up at night and as the sun was rising was awesome. The lights twinkling through the park before sunrise were amazing. I feel like I smiled this entire run. I snapped some photos and posted to my IG story, I enjoyed myself. One thing I couldn’t bring myself to do was stop to take photos with the Disney characters. Continuous stop and go is murderous on my legs, so I decided to skip the lines and just take mental photos!

During the 10k, I warmed up enough to take off my sweater and gloves. I was in such a good mood that I didn’t even notice I dropped my brand new warm gloves around mile 3. Slightly irritated, I decided to appreciate the universe in that moment and kept pushing forward. Mood: Pumped! Two races down, two more to go!

THE HALF-MARATHON

Saturday, January 6^th. 5:55 am. 39 degrees. 12:21 pace. 2:45:16. On the morning of the half-marathon, I finally felt like I hit my groove. Rolling out of bed was easier. Team NDSS had a pasta dinner the night before. Alongside my family, I was able to spend the evening with several families directly affected by down syndrome; including many self-advocates I had the opportunity to meet and learn from. It was an honor.

I started the half-marathon with the group of Team NDSS. We stuck together as a group for the first six miles. It was nice to run with folks and chat about their experiences with down syndrome and the loved ones they were running on behalf of. I split off from the group as we entered Magic Kingdom, they went to take pictures with characters and I went on a stroll around Cinderella’s Castle soaking in all of the glory that morning had to offer in that moment.

The half-marathon distance is special to me because…

I ran my first half with my kids of Youth Run NOLA. Before running with them, I never would have dreamed that I could complete a half and surely not a full or something as bat shit crazy ass the Dopey Challenge. I knew while I was running this half, my YRN kiddos were home getting dressed to go tackle their own half-marathon training in New Orleans. For the rest of this run, I thought of them. I thought of running next to Destiny – my half-marathon partner of three years; a kid of few words while running but has this amazing push to keep moving forward all 13.1 miles without stopping or complaining.

I strolled through the second half, walking when I felt the need and slow jogging to take in the Universe. I went live on IG to give all of my friends back home a glimpse of my reality. This race motivated me that the weekend was really happening and I was really going to finish – no matter how ugly the marathon got!

THE 25^TH WALT DISNEY WORLD MARATHON

Sunday, January 7^th. 5:57 am. 43 degrees. 10:32 pace. 4:42:18. While training, I wanted the marathon to be my race. I wanted to hold back on all of the other races and tackle the marathon with everything I had. Of course the universe had different plans. Come Sunday, I had no idea how this race was going to go. I was still loading up on meds, my IT Band was acting up in my left leg, and my ankles and Achilles were sore and tired; but I was ready. Mentally, I was all the way in the game.

Initially, my plan was to go out conservative and see what I had left in the tank after the first half. The pace for the first half was around 9:45. My legs were tired, but I was feeling great. Unfortunately, the brick wall came out of nowhere around mile 16. I could feel my left hamstring tighten up and it stayed that way for the rest of the race. From there on, my pace fluctuated between 10:30 and 11:50 for those last few miles.

The temp was warming up for the second half of this race. I was able to finally downgrade my sweater and toss it on the course. My gloves, hat, and neck-gaiter were long gone by the end of the marathon. During the second half, I felt like I wasn’t hydrated well. My muscles were cramping, and my hands were having trouble gripping the cups at the water stations.

The last 6 miles were definitely nothing but pep talk to the finish line.

This entire race I imagined it as a training run with all of my running buddies from back home. Keeping them in my mind helped me normalize the run. Every few miles I would envision running with another friend, but the last six miles were reserved for my little one.

In 2016, my daughter (then 9) ran her first 10k. I took this time to reflect on that run with her, telling myself I was just there to motivate her get to the finish line. But, really, she is always what motivates me to get there. I remembered her Wednesday morning pep talk, how she waited up all night into Thursday morning to see me off, and how everything I do is to show her that she can do anything no matter how big the goal is! She is why I finished that race, with a PR, with tired legs, and dog sick.

I managed to finish the race with a 30-minute PR from the first marathon I had run less than a year prior. After, I spent months training with survival as the primary goal, I thrived! In spite of it all, I left this race pumped to see how well I would perform at the marathon distance outside of this crazy weekend of races!

THE MEDALS

The medals are dope! Words do not do them justice! They are ginormous and heavy. Check them out:

RECOVERY

As to be expected, I crashed and burned after the marathon. The family and I went back to the hotel room, cleaned up, ordered a couple pizzas, turned on the TV, and I slept! I only woke up to grab another slice of pizza before drifting off into another coma.

I wish I could tell you about this exciting, magical experience at Disney where I ran through the parks in the morning taking pictures with all of the characters, rode the rides in the afternoon, and saw the fireworks show every night in front of Cinderella’s castle. Instead, my story is one of survival. A year prior, I didn’t have the self-confidence that I could accomplish something like the Dopey Challenge. In fact, I blatantly laughed at myself when I considered it. Fortunately, this is a story about believing in yourself, and pushing forward no matter what comes your way. I came, I saw, I conquered!

This weekend of races turned into what I call “My Year of Marathons”, blog coming soon!

Looking for details on how I trained? Check out these blogs:

This race recap is long overdue, but it seriously took me this long (and two additional marathon training cycles) to process my thoughts on it!

Things to think about prepping for the Disney World Dopey Challenge: