Dopey dopey dopey…each time I say “no more!” and inevitably I’m always planning the next one. Post-race amnesia is so real. I’m already looking at ways to improve for 2025 and beyond. We registered for Dopey in April, and spent lots of time tinkering with our training schedule. I love using the Galloway training plan, because the build is so gentle and slow. I have been injured before from overtraining, and I find the Galloway plan perfect.
2023 kicked my butt in so many ways:
- 2 intraovarian platelet-rich plasma infusions.
- 3 IVF cycles. One completely failed. Two were successful.
- 1/3 of my uterus was obstructed with scar tissue, so they had to burn it out of me. Ouch!
- 3 re-orgs at work within 6 weeks
- Multiple rounds of layoffs at work, but thankfully I was not directly impacted
- Bought a house
- Helped extended family with some significantly high-stress projects
- Took on an extra class (20 more students) on top of an already intense 2 class (40 student) load…for a total of 60 students in one semester. In addition to my full-time job of course.
- Sprained the same ankle twice, two months apart
External stressors definitely impact a heavy training season. The training isn’t easy either, but after many years of racing and two Dopeys under my belt, I felt like I had enough knowledge to adjust my training plan. I moved my training schedule around work travel, surgery recovery times, last minute work commitments, etc. A big part of running and racing is making it all work around your normal daily life. This year, my life was just on spin cycle for 12 months straight but I made it work. I ended up skipping a lot of my weekday maintenance runs for deskside cardio aka a stressful job. I got in my long run and simulation miles, but did not really optimize for speed or endurance…just completion. That would eventually come to bite me in the butt on marathon day.
To lighten the mood, I decided to throw in some running costumes at the last minute, which helped me shift gears from a stressful 2023 to the start of some positivity in 2024. I really did not want to do any major sewing for the race since it is very time consuming, so instead I made some no-sew tulle skirts, grabbed shirts and accessories, and assembled my own costumes. I put together Daisy Duck, Indiana Jones, Minnie Mouse, and of course, Dopey. At the last minute I decided to throw on a green bow on the purple hat to dress it up a bit. I was pretty proud of what I came up with!
The merchandise expo and bib pickup
I remember the sinking disappointment we felt in 2022, when we showed up to the expo on Wednesday and there was NOTHING left. So, this year we decided to fly in the day before. This year they implemented a virtual queue, so on the morning of the expo you open up your Disney World app and try to get a good spot in line. We ended up really lucky with an early spot. We arrived about 15 minutes after opening and unfortunately, a lot of Dopey jackets were already gone, but there was plenty of other merchandise left. We put our annual passholder discount to work and bought Dopey jackets, marathon jackets, two different Dopey t-shirts, annual passholder t-shirt, magnets, and pins. We were pretty happy with our haul and headed out for a relaxing day.
Race weekend strategy
We’ve learned a number of lessons after every Dopey and race we’ve done. This time around, we did some things differently:
- We did not travel with non-runners. This one is a luxury!
- We had annual passes so we did not feel pressured to spend all of our time in the parks.
- We purchased groceries and brought plenty of hydration products with us.
- We laid out our race gear ahead of time.
- We went to bed at 4pm and set an alarm for 1am every race day.
- We stayed at a resort right outside the park entrance.
- We made sure to be at the parking lots between 3-330am.
- We pre-packed all of our race nutrition ahead of time, so there wouldn’t be any fumbling or guessing before we left for our races.
5K
There is no time limit for the 5K and plenty of character stops for photos. I typically don’t wait for a photo because I am worried about time. One day I will stop during the 5K for photos, but I really wanted more solo photos instead. I also really just wanted to get a good warmup run to the weekend, enjoy the race, and enjoy Epcot before the madness of race weekend.
Afterwards we headed over to Chef Mickey’s for the first time. It was a great experience. Highly recommend!
10K
This was the first time I ever “rope dropped” a race, meaning I showed up in time to be one of the first people through security. The day before, I noticed that there was a really long line for Dopey photos so I (regrettably) skipped it. I decided to show up as early as possible on the 10K day in hopes of getting a photo with him. He was not there, but Chip and Dale were!
The morning was very chilly. I was glad to have a long sleeved shirt and a wool hat on. The weather, although cool, stayed perfect the entire time. This is probably my favorite distance during marathon weekend, which probably says something about what distance I should really be focusing on! It is also a great distance for photos, because there are plenty of photographers and not as much congestion. If you are slower, you’ll get more solo photos just as the sun rises.
Half marathon
I had been looking at the weather reports daily for a week or two before the race, and had heard that there may be a thunderstorm. When that happens, you have to brace for 1 of 3 scenarios: either the race is cancelled, delayed, or shortened. As I mentioned earlier, we went to bed at 4pm everyday for a 1am wakeup, so we were going to miss the announcement either way. I laid out my clothes, hydration pack, and nutrition the night before, assuming the race was going to happen. If it didn’t happen, I would just make up the miles like I did during Dopey 2017.
Sometime around 9pm I roused to grab a drink of water. I decided to peek at my phone. Based on the weather pattern, they sent out official announcements that they shortened the course and the races were going to start a smidge earlier. I thought about what to do but not too hard, because I had to get back to sleep. When we woke up, we decided to grab some miles before the race start (since doing them after the race would put us squarely in the storm).
We drove to Epcot as early as we could. Instead of heading to the start corrals, we found some quiet lanes and began doing laps. A ton of other folks were out there, getting their miles in too. Loops and loops and more loops. Whatever gets it done! It reminded me of the loops I ran around Bluff Lake back home. The loops never end.
I got about 3 miles in and as we walked to the start, other runners created makeshift running tracks. Instead of standing around in the corral, I decided to continue running laps. My watch eventually hit 6.1 miles, which meant after a 7 mile shortened half marathon I would have a total of 13.1 miles.
It was rainy and wet for most of the race. I ended up packing my earphones away because I didn’t want them to get damaged. I also carried my Minnie Mouse ears with me so they wouldn’t get wet and damaged, and just slipped them on and off for photos.
Once we got back into Epcot and World Celebration, the course got cut again – so I didn’t get a chance to go around World Showcase. Luckily I got those in during the 5K and 10K. They did cut all of Magic Kingdom, which wasn’t a huge deal for me personally but I could see how other folks would be upset. Although I lost the mile around World Showcase, I still finished with enough miles on my watch to have finished a half marathon. A part of racing is just dealing with the obstacles as they come. There’s only so much you can control!
Full marathon
Oh, the marathon. 26.2 miles. Oh so difficult, but even more so after a 5K, 10K, and half marathon. There is usually a ton of pressure already, but to have it be the end of Dopey?? Intense!
A few days before I had decided to rope drop security again, and head early to the corral. I never do that, because I figure that I’ll have plenty of time. This year, I felt a little undertrained due to my stress levels and wanted to stack the odds in my favor. I showed up as early as possible, and squeezed up as close as I could to the front of the corral. I stood around for about 90 minutes, tried to shake my legs out, and keep my nerves calm. I saw a 6:15 pace group, and decided to stick with them. I was really proud of making it to the start line, despite all the hurdles that came my way in 2023.
I tried my best to give myself enough space and time between me and the balloon ladies, who are the official pacers for last place finishers at Disney races. I was really worried about getting pulled from the race, so I did my best to ensure it wouldn’t happen. Showed up early, check! Found a pace group, check! Front of corral, check! I was hoping for a smooth day. Once the race started, I figured that I’d eventually hit my stride and get into a comfortable enough pace to follow the group. Turns out they were always a step or two ahead of me. It felt like a lot of effort keeping up with them, and I knew that if I kept pushing it, I would not be able to keep it up for 26.2 miles. The course would narrow at times, causing some congestion. Sharing the narrower-than-usual roads with walkers and runners became increasingly difficult, since people following the pace groups would need to run on the left side and walk on the right side. There ended up being a lot of zig-zagging around the course, which no one particularly likes. One thing I did appreciate about them was that whenever we passed by a sweeper bus, they would have us point and yell “Not today!”.
A lot of the marathon course is on the internal roads and highways within the resort. My ankles were pretty aggravated with the banking (sloping) in the roads. Somehow this year just felt so much harder than previous years. I don’t know if it is because I knew more of the park, or because I had done the race before. Sometimes the novelty of a race helps keeps things fresh. I chatted with other folks who also agreed that this year’s marathon seemed more difficult than usual.
As a back-of-packer, the fear of the balloon ladies and the course bikers are all too real. This year the bikers seemed to be a little more forceful than usual. They’d circle and say “30 seconds ahead of the balloon ladies” “45 seconds ahead of the balloon ladies” etc, all the way up to 4 minutes. After that 4 minute mark they’d leave you alone. Well, they were a constant fixture in my race unfortunately, and sometimes I just had to put in my earphones and do the work. Between miles 4 and 8, the skies had somehow opened up and rain just being pouring. I put away my earphones and hoped that I wouldn’t end up with any blisters or hot spots. This was the least dressy of the days, and I stuck to most of the fabrics I was used to. I KT-taped and used blister bandages. Aside from that there wasn’t much else I could do.
The rain came pouring down and pretty much freshened me up for Magic Kingdom, which is the first time I pulled off the race for a bathroom break. I prefer to use the bathrooms in the parks because they are infinitely cleaner, and give me clear location goals throughout the race. Aside from amazing bathrooms here, it was the first time I felt like I had truly gotten emotional running down Main Street and Tomorrowland. We’d made such great memories there, and had overcome so much to get to the start line. A few times I almost started crying, but quickly tried to stop so that I wouldn’t affect my pace and breathing. It was around here that I was unable to keep up with the 6:15 group. The rain wasn’t letting up and I wasn’t about to sacrifice my earphones, so I tried to count out my 30 second intervals. (Note to self: that doesn’t work out as well as you think it does.)
After leaving Magic Kingdom, you hit a quiet zone around construction areas and the golf course. It continues raining and drenching us. I feel the squish between my toes. The rain eventually stops and I dry off, and then it starts warming up. The roads are not super exciting. The next big milestone is Animal Kingdom. The roads there are long, boring, and of course banked. Right outside Animal Kingdom you start seeing runners coming out of the park, which gave me a sense of exactly how much farther to go. The crowd got pretty thick on the two-way road, and I kept my eye out for my husband and his pacing group. I didn’t really see him and didn’t have the energy or time to pull out my phone to see his location, so I kept going. Anywho, the roads there are VERY boring. I was so excited to enter Animal Kingdom, and had even recognized a few places I had been to during my steamy trip in August. This is the park where the faster runners can get on rides, like the Triceratop Spin or Expedition Everest. I was not fast enough to do those rides. Maybe someday, with better training and a better corral placement. Anywho, as you know…always hit the bathroom when in the park! When I came out, I happened upon the 6:30 group so I tried to stick with them for as long as I could.
The road leaving Animal Kingdom isn’t so bad, unless you start dwelling on the dreaded Blizzard Beach parking lot. The nicest thing you’ll see on the way out of Animal Kingdom is the animal food prep group’s punny signs, a donkey, and a python. I love how happy they are, a total contrast to how awful I probably look! Blizzard Beach is just one giant parking lot that you loop. It’s terrible, but not the end of the world. Unfortunately, as soon as I entered it and saw the giant loop, I also saw the balloon ladies right at the end of the loop. How did I fall so far behind? I began really worrying at that point. I used to think that if you made it past the mile 16.5 point you were safe from being swept. Blizzard Beach was mile 19, and the bikes began circling us like sharks. Right as I was starting to exit the Blizzard Beach parking lot, security began diverting the course. A fair amount of panic settles in because, well…I am still 6.2 miles from the finish, and I’ve already gone 20 miles and I don’t want to get pulled so far in to the race.
After exiting the parking lot, there’s a few more lovely highways and banked roads. My ankles are annoyed, but my mind is too distracted by the thought of being pulled so close from the finish. There’s an on-ramp to Hollywood Studios, and right as I make the out-and-back, I see security bikes beginning to divert more runners. It’s even closer to me. You can see the busses, ambulances, and cleaning crew not that far behind. There are drivers who are honking, but when you are in that marathon haze, you’re never quite sure if they’re honking to motivate you or to tell you that they are annoyed at the road closures. (For any readers who care: short taps are motivating and long horns are demotivating.)
I love running through Hollywood Studios during Star Wars weekend, but during marathon weekend you are only in the park for a blink of an eye. I see some Photopass photographers and immediately try to straighten out my clothes and face. I know I look haggard, but it’d be nice to get some photos of me during this victory lap. All the while the bikers are still there…not circling us this time, but just riding off to the side. We exited Hollywood Studios and follow some walking paths between hotels, which feel like much longer stretches than Blizzard Beach. Entering the Boardwalk gives some emotional relief, since there are folks who are out cheering and you can just see Epcot around the bend. Once you’re in Epcot though, the party is on! The bikers are still there and can still sweep you, but there are huge crowds cheering and calling bib names out. I see runners who have emptied their tank…running their first marathon…running after tragedy and hardship. I see first time Dopeys, Dopey regulars, amazed spectators, all of it. I see fatigue, joy, disappointment, happiness. I get a second wind for a hot minute while running through World Showcase, but then get tired again entering World Celebration. I pass by the final Joffrey’s coffee stand, my last chance to grab a cold brew and comically large donut. With the balloon ladies still in sight, I kept one thought in my mind that a friend had said on a recent podcast: “The best souvenir is the race medal.” I skipped the coffee and donut and vowed to train better next time so that I could stop for one. I came down the finisher’s chute, pained a few smiles, and suddenly it was all over. I made it! A 26.2 mile march to the finish line. By mile 1 I knew it was going to be a struggle, but I put my head down, stuck to the plan, and did what I was told (by the incessant beeping of timers and alarms). My plan wasn’t great, but it got the job done. After I grabbed my medals and my finisher’s ears, I headed down to the family reunion area and made the mistake of sitting down and not stretching. Actually I spent most of my time on the ground crying because I was still feeling really overwhelmed by the panic of the bikers and balloon ladies. The bikers really did circle us like vultures out there. I probably cried on and off for about two hours before I was just exhausted from everything.
As I continued getting dropped by pacing groups, I thought how wrong people were to dismiss 6+ hour marathoners. We were out there hustling. Yes, the marathon is the same distance for everyone, but running a 3 hour marathon is very different than running a 7 hour marathon. Some will say that we could be better trained for it. “Better trained” is completely subjective though, isn’t it? I did my miles and my time, and this was all my body could do that day. I couldn’t keep up with them at all. Seeing all the buses (and seeing the crying people on board those buses from a distance) I kept thinking that my Dopey story couldn’t end this way. I couldn’t get swept. Not after all I’ve been through to get to the start line. Not after all the surgeries, heartbreaks, difficulties, trials and tribulations. I tried to mentally prepare myself for a DNF (did not finish), telling myself that it was possible to do the work and still not get the job done. Such is the story of some of my life’s journeys. However, on this day, the work paid off. I was proud of sticking to my plan until the very end, in the face of nearly certain failure. I’m relieved to have finished Dopey, even if it were by the skin of my teeth.
I’m going to spend more time doing strength training and speed drills to make sure I keep a safe distance from the balloon ladies next time!
48.6 total weekend miles
3.1 – 51:12 – 15:46 min/mi
6.2 – 1:30:42 – 14:17 min/mi
13.1 – 4:34:49 – 20:48 min/mi (adjusted 13:00 min/mi on official course)
26.2 – 7:03:34 – 15:48 min/mi
Post-race
I didn’t have a whole lot of energy to go out and celebrate unfortunately, so I ended up having Earl of Sandwich(es), taking a salt bath, and then lounging for the rest of the day. My friend gifted the Disney Marathon Weekend Loungefly bag, which I absolutely love and will use forever and ever in the parks! The next day, we hit all four parks for medal photos…definitely a new personal record!
Amara in Training 