fbpx

Tag: Jingle Jungle 5K

runDisney Wine & Dine Changes Confirmed

March 11, 2016

Isn’t he expression that rumors are usually true, correct?  Well, I think it is most of the time.  This time it was true.  All of the chatter surrounding the changes with Wine & Dine were confirmed today when runDisney announced their new race challenge taking place during Wine & Dine race weekend.  They are adding a 10K, in addition to the 5K and half marathon and the challenge is completed when you run the 10K on Saturday morning and the half marathon on Sunday morning.  It’s called Lumiere’s Two Course Challenge.  This being a Beauty and the Beast themed challenge.

The biggest change, besides adding a 10K to the weekend is that the half marathon is no longer taking place on Saturday evening. The fun about that race weekend in the past for me had been the night race.  I still haven’t had a spectacular experience at that race weekend because the first year I ran it, it was pouring rain so most of the characters weren’t out for pictures, and we didn’t stick around for the after party because of the weather.  The second year I ran it (last year) it was cut short due to the bad weather in the area.  But I did stay for the After Party with Dale Martin and Dave Dunkowski and had a great time!

The 10K is beginning at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, and if you do the 5K, it will take place on Friday morning at 6:30 a.m. at Animal Kingdom.  The 5K used to take place at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.  That was nice because i was able to fly in on Friday night, pick up my bib Saturday morning before the race and still participate in the race.

This year they are changing the Wine and Dine Half Marathon to begin at 5:30 in the morning and then you will attend the Post Race Party with your $15 gift card at the Epcot® Food & Wine Festival on Sunday night from 8:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.  Friends and family members who want to attend the Post Race Party will have to purchase tickets separately.

If I do decide to register for this challenge, which I am already leaning towards not doing, I won’t be able to run the 5K, which is also called the Mickey’s Holiday 5K instead of the Jingle Jungle 5K, and I won’t be participating in the Post Race Party because I will have to fly home Sunday immediately after the half marathon.  This trip would mean two very early wake up mornings and then fly home.  So it’s not as appealing to me.  It’s basically a carbon copy of Princess weekend.

They are also changing the course; but the actual course is yet to be determined.  Especially since Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be under construction due to Start Wars and Toy Story lands.  And there are no longer the Osborne Lights, which was the highlight of that night time race.  So for me, the draw just isn’t there.  I know I love my Disney races and it bugs me to think that I won’t register for this race and miss out on an inaugural challenge.  My kids have that Monday and Tuesday off from school and it sure would be fun to try to make a mini vacation out of it; but I’d be waking up early for two of those mornings and I am just not sure we will be shelling out the money for this weekend.

I also have to mention that there are kids races taking place at ESPN Wide World of Sports both Friday and Saturday morning.  The expo will open Thursday morning and will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  The hours have not been posted yet.

I am disappointed that this race is no longer a night race. With the Tower of Terror 10 miler no longer being offered (or at least until further notice), there are no more night races.  I enjoyed a night race.  That is what made the Wine & Dine half marathon fun.  It was different.  It was fun running at night, and I liked doing the 5K that morning and then running the half marathon that night and then staying for the Post Race Party until it closed.  I was up for 24 hours and it was FUN!

So what do you think about the changes?  Will you still attend the races?

runDisney Wine & Dine changes?

March 9, 2016

Tuesday, March 8 was supposed to be the early Annual Pass and DVC member registration date for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon taking place in November.  March 8 was also the date that the NYC marathon announced who will be chosen from the lottery for the NYC Marathon, also taking place the same weekend of Wine & Dine.

I was concerned about registration for Wine & Dine because I didn’t know if I was going to be selected for NYC and if by chance I was, I didn’t know what time I would receive that email.  Well, as of Monday  runDisney had a “special update” that the registration was being pushed off for a week, and then later on that was changed to 2 weeks.  The dates are now March 22 for AP and DVC members and March 29 to the general public.

This is the actual announcement:

rdupdate

“We are putting the final touches on the 2016 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend, which will now open to Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members on March 22 at noon ET and general registration will open on March 29 at noon ET. Also, registration for Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend will now open for AP and DVC Members on April 5 at noon ET and general registration will open on April 12 at noon ET.”

So what is going on?  Why are they pushing this date?  According to all of the chatter going on in social media, the rumor is that they are extending the weekend to include additional races or an additional race.  During the Wine and Dine race weekend which includes the Mickey’s Jingle Jungle 5K (which I did for the first time last year) on Saturday morning and then the Wine & Dine Half Marathon that Saturday night.  People are always looking around just prior to registrations to get the early registration link from Active.com, and this image happened to circulate around social media.  It came up prior to the announcement from runDisney so the rumor going around is that runDisney may be adding a challenge to the Wine & Dine race weekend.  This would include the addition of a 10K to the weekend.

active

 

So now the challenge, another Inaugural event!  If I keep joining in on these firs time events in hopes of being a “legacy” runner with these events, I am going to go even more broke!  Well, I didn’t get into the NYC marathon and now I have to wait and see what runDisney announces for Wine & Dine weekend.  Add to it, the fact that my kids have that Monday and Tuesday off from school and now I want to make this a family trip!  But with the recent increase in price with the park tickets, we just can’t afford to go as a family of 4 to the parks.  But we could make a weekend of it and enjoy the local attractions, perhaps a water park and being out of CT for a weekend.  Decisions, decisions…..

Will you be participating in a new event if runDisney adds a challenge?

 


runDisney Jingle Jungle 5K

November 24, 2015

This year I did what I considered to be my first runDisney 5K race during the Wine & Dine race weekend.  I participated in the Jingle Jungle 5K race Saturday morning.  I consider this my first 5K because I typically don’t sign up for 5K races during the runDisney race weekends.  The reason for that is because I usually have to fly in the day before the bigger race or the challenge races so I can’t get the time off to participate in the 5K which takes place on the day I am flying.  With this race it occurs on the same day as the half marathon.  The first 5K race that I did run was during the Dopey Challenge last year, but I considered that different because it was the Dopey Challenge.  How does that make sense?  I don’t know but it does to me!

I also wanted to participate in this race because it starts at 7:00 a.m. (one of the latest start times of a 5K race in the runDisney series), and because it runs entirely through Animal Kingdom.  In most of the runDisney races I participate in we run through Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom and ESPN Wide World of Sports.  But not as many races go through Animal Kingdom besides the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, a few miles during the full marathon and the Jingle Jingle 5K.

The morning of the race I set my alarm for 5:00 and was ready and in the car before 6:00.  Because my flight got in after the expo closed on Friday night I knew I would have to pick up my bib at the information tent at the race start.  I had to be sure I brought my license with me or else I wouldn’t be able to pick up my bib.  So when I arrived, I got a great parking spot and walked right over to the information booth and signed a waiver and picked up my bib.  Then I looked around to connect with my other racing buddies.  I spotted the Mickey Milers and their amazing costumes, said hello to them and then found Diana, Christina and Diana’s daughter Kenzie.  This was going to be Kenzie’s first 5K.

milers

IMG_5455

Since this was Diana’s first race with her daughter and they were in corral C I told them I’d stick with the Mickey Milers and hang back in corral D.  She wasn’t sure how long it would take them to get through the race and they were planning on stopping for every picture.

I went to my corral and reunited with the Mickey Milers.  The team was easy to find with Bill Taylor’s “Elf” costume!  Everyone was so creative with their costumes.  I went with my low key approach but should consider stepping it up next time if I decide to do that race again.  I also ran into Mike Rahlmann and his family in my corral so we got a picture together of course!  I always try to grab a picture with Mike when we see each other at our races.

06

Jocelyn and her daughter (left), Pam and Mallory, myself and Mike from the Be Our Guest Podcast

The race started at 7:00 and we passed the start line at 7:10.  The first section of the race went around the outside edge of the Animal Kingdom parking lot and then we entered in through the front gate.  From there we walked towards the Tree of Life, towards Everest and then back stage before we went back to the finish line.

5kmap

There were several character stops along the course and I was happy with the amount that was out there for the 5K.  There was Rafiki, Timon, Chip and Dale, Donald and Goofy, Pluto, and a few others that I didn’t snag pictures of.

It was a very very warm and humid morning so I am glad we took it slow and walked this race.  If this was any indication of how the rest of the race weekend was going to be, we were going to be up against some dangerous heat and humidity for the half marathon.  I was sure to drink a lot of water after the race so that I would be hydrated for the rest of the day.   I finished the race in a little over and hour which was perfect.  We were done by 8:15 and I had time to go back to my hotel to shower for our 10:40 Mickey Milers breakfast reservation at Kona at the Polynesian Village Resort.

I was also glad to see that starting in the last corral and walking the entire race I finished in a little over and hour and there are no sweepers at that race.  My mom is participating in her first runDisney 5K during marathon weekend and had been worried about not finishing the race in time.  There will be plenty of time to enjoy the 5K course through Epcot and even take pictures.  This race was a good way for me to estimate the pace and timing for our January race.

I really enjoyed this race and would consider doing it again.  The downside to it is that you have to wake up early for the 5K race on the same day that you will be starting the half marathon at 10:00 that same night.  If you are good about going back to your room and taking a nap then that works out great.  But like me, I enjoy the social events that take place during the short trips that I have there so I generally don’t take the time to go back to my room and rest, let alone nap.  So I ended up staying up for 24 hours straight.  But again, it’s fun, I see my friends, have a great time and I’m at Disney so sleep isn’t necessary right?!

Skip to content