Walking the 1/2 Marathon

[mmm_texas]

I wish the official results told us start time (can one figure that out using Clock vs Net time?) so I could look at the balloon lady of my first name and my cousin's (who didn't use her Garmin to track in 2022) and see that.

If you know your start time, then you should be able to subtract the difference between net time and clock time to get your offset from the start time, then back that difference out from your start time to find the the clock start time. (Accuracy would probably depend on how precisely you clicked start on your own timer.)

[Edit to add]: I tried this for '23 Springtime Surprise 10 Miler, and came up with exactly 5:00 am (to the minute, anyway; I don't have seconds easily available for my start time).

 

[DopeyBadger]

Good question.
My bibs tell me I was in E this year and I was in "S4" last year for the Challenge. I don't remember what the corrals were like in 2022.

It's definitely possible corrals made a difference, though I chose the same estimated time as I always do, and of course, they could see my big ol' DNF from 2022.

I wish the official results told us start time (can one figure that out using Clock vs Net time?) so I could look at the balloon lady of my first name and my cousin's (who didn't use her Garmin to track in 2022) and see that.


I was running scared this year, though not running other than through the castle.

Clock time - Net time = How much time elapsed before you crossed the start line after the gun went off.

Example:

3:00:00 Clock time = The time on the clock read 3:00:00 when you crossed the finish line because 3 hrs had elapsed after the gun went off.

2:35:00 Net time = The time it took you to cross the start line to the finish line. This is your official time.

3:00:00 - 2:35:00 = 25:00 minutes. This means that you started 25 min after the gun start of the race.

A good way to see the maximum allowed time in that year is to look at the last 16 min/mile pace group as they tend to start near the balloon ladies.

In 2022, Dennis Holler started the race 53 min after the gun.
In 2023, Dennis Holler started the race 62 min after the gun.

That's an extra at most 9 min of time that 2023 runners had versus 2022 runners. So, 2023 was less likely of a race to be swept at dependent on starting position.

The 2022 race started at 5:15am. There was a 15 min delay because of traffic.
The 2023 race started at 5:00am.

Dennis Holler started 2022 at 6:08am (or about 10 min after you).
Dennis Holler started 2023 at 6:02am (or about 24 min after you).

You maximally had an additional 14 min on course because of your earlier start, which accounts for just over an extra 1 min/mile.

 

[GrownUpLilo]

I've walked 9 RD halfs. And a full. And Dopey.

(I have an ankle issue that makes running a no go for me)

My training pace was around 15:00 min/ mile and I found that with even a buffer of a couple corrals, or even starting at the front of the last corral, I was fine.

But, on races I was worried about time (due to my conditioning or corral placement), I didn't make any character stops or not till the way end when I saw a short line and knew I had time.

Also, Jeff Galloway taught me about the walk/ shuffle method, which is the walk/run method for walkers. I'll shuffle for 15 sec every 1/4 mile and I think that helps with the fatigue build up, especially at the marathon distance

 

[bumbershoot]

The 2022 race started at 5:15am. There was a 15 min delay because of traffic.

I was one on a bus from a resort where no bus came by for over an hour. We were told it was due to that.

Likely half dozen of the one and 6 of the other, but saying "no buses came for over an hour to Beach Club or other resorts, and that was disney's issue and fault but now I'll be in line at 2, not 2:30" tells the story for me a bit better.

 

[anastasiaw]

I walked this year's Princess.

I started at 5:38 am and finished in 3:40:18. I paid CLOSE attention to trying to take the shortest distances without too much weaving, and I am pretty sure I didn't have to use the bathroom once (thank you Tailwind Endurance "fuel"!), and I did 13.37 miles.

I started as close to the front of my corral as I possibly could. And doing that changed everything.

I generally don't worry too much about getting up front, but in 2022 I was swept while doing intervals. In 2022 I started at 5:58 am. I was swept with TONS of other people at the mile 9 marker, and I'd already done 9.3 miles.

(for a variety of reasons, some health-related as I'd JUST had coronavirus, some weather-related because it was hot, some runDisney-related because no bus came to Beach Club for over an hour and the event had already started by the time we had pulled up, and then I had to use the bathroom before starting. I was panicked and was never able to get my breathing under control, and then there was a medical emergency just beyond the mile 9 marker that they apparently didn't want everyone trundling by to see)

I'd had two bathroom breaks after I started, from what I recall. Looking at the time I'd been on the course when pulled, divided by 9 miles, I was going at a 17-minute 25-second-per-mile pace. My Garmin told me 16 minutes 50 seconds, because it was looking at what my feet were doing, but Disney cares about the measured distance between mile markers. 2 hours 36 minutes 41 seconds divided by 9 is different than divided by 9.3.

The half-hour difference in when I crossed the start line from 2022 to 2023, just by being in the front vs the back of the corral, made a HUGE amount of difference to me.

With Disney runs, the earlier you start the better. It's less crowded, you don't end up with as many very very tired people in front of you (solo people being solo don't make a difference, but groups do, or bunches of solo runners all getting tired at the same time and not realizing they've accidentally made a wall), and it lets you keep a straighter distance between mile markers.

This year was the first year I was ever able, because the later crowds weren't there yet, to actually run (JOG) through the castle. Yes, I said I walked the Half, but I had a bit of gas in the tank and I *could* so I did. It was thrilling. It was also my swan song for the Half distance and I wanted to make the most of it!




Yep.

I solved that by having a field on my phone for average lap pace. When I got to a mile marker I hit the lap button, and it recalculated to show me what Disney would see; how long it took me to get from one mile marker to the next. It was a more honest time, and it kept me on track. Despite having a Math minor from my original degree and just graduating with an Accounting degree, if I'm on my feet longer than 3 miles I can barely add 2 and 2 together reliably. So I had to let my watch do the math for me. And using average lap pace did it.





I really really encourage you to not worry so much about that in the future. You are one person, and I'm sure you would hug the right side of the path and I'm sure you made sure you weren't impacting others if you slowed or sped up, or moved out of the way of an obstacle. I'm sure you weren't a hindrance to others.

So please do what's right for YOU in the future, by being in the front of your corral. It made all the difference in the world to me this year. If someone behind me was faster, for a lot of the Half there was a huge wide road for them to maneuver in. If it was narrower, since I turn my head to both sides often I could see when someone was coming up, and I'd squeeze my arms in closer. I am also very aware of arm-swinging, and even when walking I use my arms like when I'm running/jogging, keeping them closer in and bent at the elbows.

You and I deserve to take up our space in the world and in our corral, and if that means starting at the front, on the right side of course, then that's what it means.

And if you have the means to do Club runDisney, start at the right, hug the side for a while, and do your thing. The B people are fast and strong enough to get by you.

I've taken part in Rock and Roll events, and when they were in Vancouver BC in 2015 I believe, I was assigned the last corral. One week or so out, they announced that those with an expected time of X or slower, and who were assigned the last corral, could start before anyone else. We could move up to a waiting area in front of the elites. We got to start half an hour before anyone else. Oh it was such a good way to start! At the 25-minute mark after we started, trucks came by with people with megaphones, telling us that the race had started and to move to the right. We did so. And zoom zoom zoom the elites went by. Truly awe-inspiring, to see their form, their speed, their just absolute beauty in their sport. Our presence didn't harm them. A bit later when the normal corrals had started and those runners had made their way up, you could tell the people who had paid attention to the runner info (they knew why we were already there) and who hadn't (they *****ed about us verbally). We still didn't impact them. We were still mainly to the right and they could easily move around us. Even with a situation like that, we deserved to take up the space that the event planners allowed us. Same with rundisney.

******
Back to the OP... I don't care about characters, so I really can't speak to that. Seeing them is fun, and seeing the joy others have with them is fun, but I'm happy to snag the occasional picture of them as I'm moving past them. If you're into characters AND will be doing the parks AND want the strongest chance of finishing, think about having your medal in pictures with characters during your park days, and just smile at the characters on the course rather than waiting for them.

Get to the corrals early. Get as far forward as you can. Be on the right so that faster people can pass you on the left, just like when driving. During training, work out the "fuel" that works the best for you. I used Clif Shot Bloks and Jelly Belly Sports Beans for YEARS, until I finally realized that I was using the restroom WAY too often. Each bathroom break slows you down in ways you don't even realize. Just pulling up your unders (if you wear them) and shorts, straightening a skirt or tutu or whatever, is exhausting and time-consuming. So I really looked into the fuels that people have fewer problems with, trained a lot with Tailwind, and it was absolute perfection for me.

Hope all that helps.

This is great to hear. Thank you for the tips. I’ve been a walker for years. I’ve walked a few races that were longer than 13 miles. But this January will be my first half at DL. While I’m training to do intervals, my pace is so slow right now, I feel like I’m better off walking. I’m hoping I can increase speed though and run even if it’s for spurts throughout the race.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

This is great to hear. Thank you for the tips. I’ve been a walker for years. I’ve walked a few races that were longer than 13 miles. But this January will be my first half at DL. While I’m training to do intervals, my pace is so slow right now, I feel like I’m better off walking. I’m hoping I can increase speed though and run even if it’s for spurts throughout the race.

I had a friend who would walk the half and the full at Disney and would finish with times that met or were faster than those of runners (or who were trying to run).
His "secrets":
1. He walked a brisk pace
2. He stopped for almost nothing. I believe he carried fuel and water. Maybe he occasionally grabbed water at water stops
3. He stopped for almost nothing, so no photo stops
This is the same guy who taught me that races are measured tangent to tangent, so "straighten" out the curves to minimize running any longer than the race length.
So it can be done with just walking. Go to a measured distance and see what your brisk walking pace is. For a lot of people, 14-15 min/mile can be done at a brisk pace that is maintainable.
As plenty of others have noted, you can theoretically do it with a 16min/mile starting at the back, with the balloon ladies on your heels. Buuuuut, do anything you can do to to create a buffer to the balloons, whether it is making your way to the front of the corral or adding some short run intervals so that you have some buffer for potty breaks or very short photo stops. You'd be amazed at how much buffer you can build up with joggling, say, 100 yards per mile and walking the rest. Every little bit helps.
Good luck. Have fun. YMMV

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I have been nearly swept a few times at runDisney races while in line for photos. I should note here that I know from training that barring injury on race day, I can easily keep up with the balloon ladies if worse comes to worse, so you should keep that in mind as I relate my experiences with how the sweep works.

Because I'm slower to begin with, I accept going in that photo stops run the risk of being swept, so I will skip a great photo stop if necessary for that very reason. I'm not fast enough to do all character photos and since I focus only on characters that I like, it works for me. When I have a list beforehand of what characters will be where along the course, I will decide to skip one character at mile 5 because I know that a character I like more will be at mile 8.

2018 Star Wars Dark Side 10K WDW: I was in line for a photo and the bikes came up and told us we were 5 minutes ahead of the balloon ladies. We could either stay in line, leave the line, or stay in line until the balloon ladies got there. But once they got there, we had to join them or be swept. As I was 3rd in line, I stayed, got my photo, and continued on my way. Due to the nature of the course, a few minutes later I saw the balloon ladies come to the photo stop and saw the buses pull up to collect all runners behind the balloon ladies. Finished the race just fine.

2023 WDW Half: Multiple warnings. Backstage at the MK, we were told that the balloon ladies were in Frontierland and we needed to stay with them when they got to the photo op or be swept. I stayed, got my photo, and continued on. A few minutes later, I was in another photo line when they actually cut the line for runners because the balloon ladies were very close behind. I stayed in line, got my photo, and continued on my way. Finished the race just fine.

More congestion in the parks, especially MK means less wiggle room.

You may need to decide that you will just have to skip photo ops along the course in order to finish. Sometimes that will mean passing up rare photos. But in many cases, the same characters, especially popular ones like Mickey and friends are in the parks afterwards.

When possible, I like going with or near a pace group so I have a rough idea of where I am in relation to the end. If I'm between the 3:00 and 3:15 half marathon groups, then I have some wiggle room. Between the 3:15 and 3:30, I have less wiggle room.

Ultimately, it's doable. But it's best to be at the front of your corral and know going in that you may need to skip everything but the race to get it done. Don't get me wrong. Race photos with characters are a lot of fun, but character interaction after the races in the parks are more fun because the characters will often respond to and/or make a big deal out of your medal.

 

[mollygirl13]

I did both MW & the Princess Half this year and was in Corral E. I made sure to arrive early to make sure I was at the very front of the Corral which created a good buffer from the Balloons & made sure I used the potties before we started. I jogged the first mile to create even more distance from the Balloons. Then I did the Jeff Galloway run/walk until I got the the MK, only stoping for a few seconds to take a photo at the MK toll booth & Cinderella Castle. Lines along the first half of the course were WAY WAY too long for the potties (I knew that from MW 2023) so I used the real bathrooms in Adventureland by Country Bears. No line and I was in and out in about 2-3 minutes. !!Reminder that potty breaks slow your pace (& even more so if there is a long line) so really plan those in when figuring out your pace, esp if you are in the last corral and have the Balloons close by. After Adventureland I continued the Galloway walk/run for a while and then power walked the rest of the Half.

All in all it was an amazing race and I planned it all well enough that I could have stopped for character photos and such but just wanted to keep on going! I am so glad I knew to get to my Corral early to be in the front, that lines would be long for potties along the way and that the Balloon lades are indeed REAL and sweeping happens. I even brought my own hydration and fuel so I didn't need to stop for those either. I think a lot of folks get fooled by the fact that it is Disney and think they won't get swept. I did MW 2023 with my friend who seriously mocked me for months before the Half because she truly thought I was making up the Balloon ladies. (was she ever shocked to see actual ladies carrying Mickey Balloons! I told her they were real!)

 

[bennifer]

I've walked for Disney races! My days of running are over. I walked the entire challenge for Princess 2020 and was fine. I did train and was able to stand in line for bathrooms and take off my shoe to stretch my foot numerous times during the half. I didn't even try for character stops. I tried and was swept during my second Disney half in 2022, but I didn't really train and I was mentally not able to complete it (physically, I know I could have, I was just in a bad place at the time). I skipped even trying this year, but I am signed up for the half in Jan 2024, am planning on walking the entire thing and am training.

 

[bumbershoot]

I should note here that I know from training that barring injury on race day, I can easily keep up with the balloon ladies if worse comes to worse

You reminded me of something that I should have mentioned about me.

I am not competitive. I'm barely competitive with myself. I do my best. Pretty much always. But I have a mental block about trying to beat someone.

Seeing someone pulling up in front of me when I don't want them to...breaks me down. I don't do competition well. I let them go.

Therefore, having the balloon ladies SO close to me for SO long in 2022 didn't work for me. I just mentally couldn't handle it. My legs didn't know how to go faster and my mind was unable to convince them to try. (it was also SO hot and my HR was SO high)

So. "Know thyself" is a very important aspect.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

So. "Know thyself" is a very important aspect.

Such a great point. My experience is just that. So while I can describe how the sweep works because I've seen it happen and been very close to the sweep point, I have not been worried because I know that I'm so close to the sweep point because I've been stopping for photos. I know full well that once I am past those points, I can focus on my pace without interruptions.

 

[Fire14]

Thank you for sharing your story.
Were you swept at mile 7 ahead in front or behind the balloon ladies? Did they pass you up?

Yes - I’m thinking about the 2025 race

I've been swept more than I care to think about, some by choice, some not. I walked the entire race and never did see balloons in 2020. 2022 I chose not to do half if I recall correctly. 2023 I was in Disability corral so we started after A corral. I pulled myself before mile 2 as heat was doing number on me plus I had major knee pain, My escort went on and finished race. I've only ever stopped for one Character and that was 2020 right before we went backstage and were almost finished. I do know starting w 2023 they were getting more strict about sweeping directly after balloons not 2-3 after.