The final event of the runDisney Wine & Dine race weekend is the half marathon.  It takes place on Saturday night at 10:00 p.m.  The starting line is at the ESPN Wide World of Sports and the race ends just outside of Epcot.

The day of the race I ran the 5k in the morning, went back to my hotel to shower and quickly drove to the expo to pick up my half marathon bin and race shirts. I ran into Brittany and Kendrick, Mark and Caryn there doing the same thing before our breakfast reservation.

After that I spent time with the Mickey Milers at breakfast at Kona in the Polynesian Village Resort. We had a 10:40 reservation but didn’t eat until close to 11:30 and left there close to 1:00.  My plan was to go back to the Expo and do a little more shopping.  Find a light meal and rest in my bed or maybe nap prior to heading to the starting line. That was my plan. What I actually did was meet Brittany and Caryn at their room to get the wine glass she bought for me the day before and then I went over to the Expo where I saw Dale, Jennifer, Robert and Donna.

I didn’t have a lot of time there because it was closing at 3:00 so I quickly shopped for a shirt with a wine glass design and found something at Raw Threads. I can always rely on finding something at Raw Threads and not have an issue with wearing it for the first time on a race day.

After the Expo I went to Disney Springs to do some shopping for the kids. There is still a lot of construction going on there but what is completed looks nice. There are pedestrian bridges that cross over the street from parking lots to Disney Springs.

It was very hot out so I was sure to hydrate. I picked up an ice tea from a shop and then refilled with water at Ghiradelli.

I was on a mission to find Tsum Tsum’s for the kids. So after going to World of Disney I was told they are in Once Upon a Story.  I found some for the kids, and made my way back to my car so I could rest in my room.  On the way back I got a message from Dale inviting me to join them for dinner at their hotel, Riverside to have pasta at 6:00 and then we can take the bus from there. That was a good plan so I could leave my car there for when we return after the Wine & Dine after party.

So after a quick rest to recharge my phone and my feet I got dressed and went over to Port Orleans Riverside to meet everyone for dinner. We got pasta with broccoli and shrimp and oil, which was just right for prior to the race. Then we all used a bathroom and went to the bus. We got in line at the perfect time because the line got very long and we were able to take the first bus to ESPN. Good thing because we were stuck in traffic for a very long time. This was very similar to when we were on the bus for Tower of Terror two years ago.

When we arrived we went through bag check and then found the rest of the Team Shenanigans members and the Mickey Milers. The Team Shenanigan members were dressed as Spaceship Earth and the characters within the ride.  It was an awesome costume idea!  We took pictures with everyone and then I needed to go find Diana and Christina.

 

As I was about to connect with them there was lightning in the distance and a strange change in the weather. It started to get very windy and the temperature dropped a noticeable 15 degrees. Suddenly everyone started to leave the runners gathering area and we were told that we were being evacuated and moved to shelter in the Wide World of Sports complex due to severe weather in the area.

This was a first for me and I think it was actually a first for runDisney to have to do this. We all shuffled from one area to the Stadium and the Jostens center to wait out the storm and wait for instructions. Diana and I decided to go to an area where we could actually see outside so we could watch the storm. We also wanted to find a bathroom. Since the women’s bathroom line was so long people started to use the men’s room. Then we were lucky to bump into Chip and Christina so we sat down and waited for further instructions. While we waited we kept checking the radar to see what all of the concern was about because nothing was really happening where we were.

After about an hour we saw people moving back towards the corrals so we followed the crowd. It was finally time to race, but we were hearing people talking about modifications to the course. Then I received alerts via Twitter that the course is going to be shortened. The section leading from ESPN to Animal Kingdom was being eliminated.  With the humidity being so high and it being so warm and late I was relieved.

So finally at 11:10 we were released from the starting line and onto the course. We ran from ESPN onto Osceola Parkway towards Hollywood Studios.  From there we ran towards the back stage area of Hollywood Studios and then into the park.  There was a lot of zigging and zagging inside the park and I was so teased to see the Osborne Light Spectacular.  Just when I thought we were going to see them we were in a different direction.  When we finally arrived at the Osborn Light Spectacular we spent a LOT of time in there taking in all of the visuals.  I noticed that there were hidden Mickeys in the lights and a cast member said there were over 40 of them scattered throughout the lights.  Diana and I started to look for them as we were taking a million pictures.  I didn’t want to leave the area!  Knowing that this was the last time they would be displaying these lights I wanted to enjoy them as long as possible.  But we were in a race and had to get going so we could finish and then I was going to attend the party afterwards in Epcot.

We used a “real bathroom” before leaving the park since we knew that after finishing the race it would be a while before we could get to one, and the continued on to exit Hollywood Studios.  We ran towards the path that connects the Boardwalk Hotel and Hollywood Studios (miles 23-24 during the full marathon) and made our way towards the Boardwalk.  The path was extremely crowded with people.  It was practically impossible to run in this area.  We did the best we could to zig and zag between everyone but couldn’t really run again until we got over the bridge near the Swan and Dolphin hotels and towards the Beach and Yacht Club. The end of the race runs through the back entrance of Epcot, back stage and then past Spaceship Earth and back stage to the Finish Line.

I was glad this race was cut short.  It was extremely hot and humid (even at night) and when we finished it was past 1:00 a.m.  I think if our corral was released at the original start time we would finish close to when we did with the shortened route; but we would have felt more worn out and affected by the heat and humidity.  There was a lot of water support on the course, which helped.

Diana was heading back to her hotel and her family because they were here for their vacation; and I went towards the exit area of the runner’s zone to find my Mickey Miler friends Dale, Dave and the gang so we could go to the After Party.  I saw my friend Anne as I waited for the gang and we got a photo together and then I finally hooked up with Dale and Dave.  After receiving our free drink from Disney we went towards the entrance to Epcot where we had to go through a bag check AGAIN.  This process took quite a long time and was frustrating since we had already been checked at the beginning of the race.  This was a situation we went through last year as well.

After we got through security we began our trip around the World Showcase.  We first met up with Brittany, Kendrick, Caryn, Dave, Susanna and her husband, Mark and Chris.  Then we decided to head to Canada for the filet mignon.  After that we headed towards Ireland for the seafood shepherds pie.  Then we headed towards France, Morroco, Japan, America and then to Germany to try to find some of the other Mickey Milers and get some German beer. We had a Shöfferhofer Zitrone Weizen-Mix, which is a lemon flavored beer and was quite delicious!  Dave Dunkowski got a the beer flight from there but I just got one of the full size drinks.  Stephanie Grace and her husband Shane found us and we hung out for the rest of the nigh then walked towards the exit of the park.  It was close to 3:40 and the party ended at 4:00. We caught a bus back to the hotel and then I hit the sack for the night.  I had a flight home at 12:40 so this would give me the chance to get at least 4-5 hours of sleep.

I had a great time and a fun weekend with friends a love the runDisney races.  Being back home now I have to step up my training for the Dopey challenge taking place in less than 60 days!