One piece of runDisney advice that you always hear is “take it easy at the parks the day before a race”. This is the thing that I struggle with the most – I love being at the parks so much that it’s difficult for me to leave and go rest, even when I know I’m going to have to wake up in the middle of the night multiple days in a row. The day before the 10k, I had to see Rivers of Light (article on that coming soon!), even though that meant only getting about 3 hours of sleep. I got up at 2:30 a.m. to make sure I was on one of the first buses. My costume for the 10k was another mashup – Leia Poppins. Two ladies that I adore, and I’d never seen them done together.
Dark Side 10k
The pre-race area was much like the day before, with the same characters and backdrops. I decided to get in line for Jabba the Hut, since a lot of the other lines were really long. The line moved quickly since this isn’t an actual character, and I even ran into some friends who were waiting in the next line over.
After that, I stopped by to say a quick hello to my teammates from Team Shenanigans, and then I was off to my corral. I would be starting in B (corrals were A-F), and I was initially disappointed that I didn’t get there in time to be toward the front. However, I ended up having a really fun experience because of this! Due to the new system of releasing the corrals in mini waves, volunteers split the corral in half, and I was directly behind the ribbon they used to separate us from the front half! I helped carry the ribbon to the starting line (they even told us to step up to the line), and I was on the very front row when we were released! It was SO cool to start a race and have absolutely no one in front of me! I probably took off too fast, but I couldn’t contain my excitement.
The race started in the parking lot of the TTC. We ran through the back side of the Magic Kingdom toll booths (I always love seeing that sign!) and down World Drive. There was some construction, and I found some areas to be a little dark, but the first three miles passed quickly. I didn’t stop for any characters, because they were all repeats of the day before. There was a marching band playing Star Wars music, R2-D2, the Emperor’s Chair, and Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger. Finally I found a character that hadn’t been at the 5k: Darth Maul! I’ve gotten pictures with him before, but I was so relieved to have found a new character that I decided to stop.
We entered Hollywood Studios by Tower of Terror, and in the Fantasmic area, there were lots of cosplayers! They were amazing. I snapped a few selfies and then hopped into a line to get a picture with Jango and Boba Fett. Coming down the street to head out, there were some storm troopers with a very minimal line, so I stopped again.
We headed out of the studios and down the path to the Boardwalk. I stopped again to hop on the speeder bike (I can’t resist these – I wish they’d make a ride using them!).
The sun was beginning to rise at this point, and it was beautiful! Some of my teammates were cheering at the bottom of the bridge, and seeing them (and getting one of Anita’s legendary caramels) was just the boost I needed.
Chewbacca was in the same spot as he’d been the morning before, right before the gate to enter World Showcase, but I didn’t stop again. I ran the short distance through Epcot and toward the finish line.
This is the second runDisney 10k where I have felt like the first 3 miles were fairly boring, but the second half was a blast. After finishing the race, I rushed back to my resort so I could quickly clean up and head off to breakfast with some teammates.
Dark Side Half Marathon
I got to bed slightly earlier the night before the half. My family stayed at the Magic Kingdom to watch Wishes one last time, and I headed back (I was a little sad to miss it, but I got to hear and see part of it on my walk to the bus stop).
Before I knew it, it was 2:00 a.m. and my alarm clock was going off. Today I’d be running as Belle Fett – complete with a wig. I wasn’t sure how 13.1 miles would go in a wig, especially with the heat.
I got to the pre-race area and immediately headed for the Boba Fett line. That was my mandatory photo stop of the day! After that, I met up with some other ladies who were also doing mashups with Boba Fett – there were some great and extremely creative costumes! After standing in an extremely long line for the porta-potties, I headed into my corral – I was starting in D this time.
This was a new race course for runDisney. We started in the same place as the day before, and ran past the marching band and the toll booths. Then we headed down Bear Island Road. I passed up R2-D2 again, and then in the midst of mile 2, we encountered a battle. There were lighting effects coming from the woods on either side, sound effects, and music. In the dark, it really looked and sounded like a battle – it was awesome!
Around mile 2.6 were the Ewoks again! I didn’t stop, but I was happy for friends who had missed them at the 5k. My first photo stop ended up being the trash compacter backdrop. I spotted some teammates exiting it while I was in line, so I caught up to them when I was done, and ran with them for a little while.
We briefly ran through Animal Kingdom – we entered backstage and then ran through Asia and back out by Dinoland. There were a lot of cosplayers in the backstage area where we exited. I was disappointed that we didn’t get to run by the Tree of Life. Running by it at Wine & Dine while the Awakenings played on it was such a cool experience!
Next up: the Animal Kingdom parking lot! There was a photo op here for the Hoth ice cave. I love this one! My teammates weren’t going to stop, so I broke off from the group to get in line. I’m endlessly entertained by this picture!
The next few miles were on the highway, but I did run into Mulan Fett, which was as good as a character stop!
We passed Darth Maul and entered Hollywood Studios at the same place, and I was disappointed to see that the cosplayers weren’t there today. The storm troopers were in the same spot, and there was no wait, so I stopped. Then it was on to the Boardwalk, which is always a boost because of the crowds.
We entered Epcot and I stopped for my own photo shoot with the Belle & Beast topiaries. I enjoyed running around World Showcase, and I made one last character stop before the finish line – cosplayers dressed as Chewbacca and Princess Leia.
At the finish area, volunteers were passing out cooling towels and insisting that water or Gatorade be opened and runners start hydrating before leaving.
Thoughts on running in a wig: it was HOT. Several times, I lifted the back and attempted to dump some water on my head during the half. I also left it unsnapped for part of the race because it was so tight (I have a large head, okay?) that it was giving me a headache. I also had a slight mishap when I tried to take my headphones off to enjoy the music in Epcot. My headphones got caught in the hair and I couldn’t get them out. I had to just run with them tangled in the wig for the last portion, but luckily you couldn’t see it in the pictures. Would I wear a wig again? Absolutely! It was fun and added so much to the costume.
If you’re a Star Wars fan, I highly recommend this race weekend. The costumes are fun, the camaraderie between runners is a lot of fun, and runDisney listened to complaints and improved this weekend over last year. My only complaint is that I would like to see more variety in characters from day to day. There are so many to choose from! Overall, I loved the race and hope to be back again next year!
