I flew out of LAX with American Airlines on a red-eye flight. I was hoping to get some sleep on the flight over, but sleep eluded me. Those airplane seats are just so uncomfortable. I'm glad that I'm at least a gold member with AA. I get to board earlier, not have to worry about overhead compartment space, and I usually get to pick one of the exit row seats. I liked that the Christmas tree was still up in the terminal.
LAX Christmas tree
1/7 Wednesday
I landed in Orlando pretty early in the morning so there was no line getting onto one of the Disney Magical Express Motorcoaches. There were only a handful of us on the bus. Soon I was dropped off at my resort, the all too familiar All Star Sports. I was not expecting to be able to check into my room so early in the morning, but they were able to get me into my room. I took a shower and a little nap before heading back out to the expo over at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
All Star Sports
I got in line for the race weekend bus for a ride to the expo. It's always nice not having to drive for the entire trip. As for the expo, everything was still the same as the previous year. I picked up my bib in one building, then you make your way over to the other building for your shirts and the expo. Before moving on to the building for the expo, they took a picture of you and your bib. We would learn later that this was their way of tracking us, preventing the sale of race bibs, and preventing people from turning the challenge into a relay.
I was out of gels and Shotbloks, so I bought two margarita Shotbloks from one of the vendors for the marathon. Before leaving, I also bought a nice cotton finisher t-shirt for the Dopey Challenge. There was a long line that wrapped back and forth just to pay for the merchandise! Only with Disney! Time to leave before I buy too much!
Bib pick up
After getting dropped off at my resort, I stopped by the End Zone Food Court to eat lunch before heading back to my room. I had the turkey with Muenster sandwich and some cole slaw. The sandwich was good, but the cole slaw was weird. Some of the cabbage was so hard that it felt like I was chewing on toothpicks.
Turkey with Muenster
After getting back to my room, I went through the expo haul and the 6 shirts that I had received for the entire race weekend. All of them were long sleeve poly tech shirts except for the 5k race which was a short sleeve cotton t-shirt. The cotton t-shirt was my favorite. I would spend the rest of the day mostly lounging in my room watching whatever I could find on TV.
Expo stuff
5k shirt
10k shirt
Half Marathon shirt
Marathon shirt
Goofy shirt
Dopey shirt
For an early dinner, I made the short walk of many walks this weekend over to the nearby McDonald's to pick up some food to eat back at the room. I got my usual Big Mac and 10 pieces of Chicken McNuggets. After dinner, I laid out my clothes for the next day and dozed off while watching some more TV. I had to sleep early since each race started very early in the morning.
Dinner
5k flat runner
1/8 Thursday 5k
Today was the first race of the Dopey Challenge. Just a little 5k, but man you still had to wake up early to catch the bus ride to the start and wait around before heading into the starting corral. It was pretty cold and windy waiting for the start of the race, but I did get to meet and talk to a couple of people that I would recognize and exchange pleasantries throughout the rest of the weekend. There was Bruce an older gentleman from New Jersey and Willy from the state of Washington. With the windchill, it was feeling like it was about 20 degrees. Next time I'll have to remember to pack my warm up pants. Most of us didn't check in our bags until almost the very last minute before heading to the corrals. Once in the corrals, I warmed up a bit by jogging around. When our corral was released to the starting line to wait for the gun, I ended up chatting a little bit with a guy named Ian who used to live in Walnut Creek but has since moved to Hawaii Kai.
The 5k started at 6:15am. It turned out to be a nice little brisk morning run once we finally got started. The first mile was a bit crowded as I did not push my way to the front. Seriously, why are there people walking in corral A and starting in the front? It's just not safe! I'm not even that fast and I was blowing by them as if they were standing still! Anyways, it was fine once I settled into a 7:20ish mile pace.
1: 7:46
2: 7:24
3: 7:21
3.1: 0:59
Finish: 23:30
After the race, a bunch of us that had done the Dopey Challenge last year were looking for the line where they would tag us with a bracelet. This year they were apparently tracking us by race photos and chip timing. We did not have to check-in with anybody.
I quickly made my way over to gear check to get my bag so I could put on my jacket. Then I went over to take a picture with the characters. By the time I was done with the pictures, the line for the shuttle back to the All Star Resorts was super long and growing. The line did move pretty quickly since they had many shuttles there to transport us.
Pluto
The last Disney World park that I had yet to visit was Animal Kingdom. Since I had purchased two park tickets for this trip, that's where I went. I figured that this was the best day to go since it was only a 5k in the morning. I must say that I was impressed with this park. I thought it would be a boring park compared to the other 3 parks, but there was plenty of things to do, ride, eat, and see!
Christmas tree at the Animal Kingdom
It's a moving tree!
Wilderness Explorer!
What a fun ride!
After saving the Iguanodon a few times on the DINOSAUR ride and riding the Expedition Everest, it was time for lunch. Every year I had to have at least one turkey leg, so I got that out of the way by getting one at the Trilo-Bites food stand. I don't like turkey meat, but the way they make it, it tastes more like delicious ham.
Turkey leg!
I was in line for the Expedition Everest ride again, but it broke down, so off I went to explore the rest of the park. I went to the Festival of the Lion King where I ended up sitting in the warthog section. They picked a volunteer from each section to make the sound of each animal. No wonder the front rows on the warthog section was wide open. Nobody wanted to make pig noises. It was a pretty entertaining show. Nobody seemed to know what a giraffe sounds like. I also went on the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. It was okay, but most of the animals were hiding or lounging around somewhere in the shade. I was able to get in one more Expedition Everest ride with my fast pass as the ride was back up. I got to see Russell and Dug, a couple of my favorite Disney characters taking pictures with some Wilderness Explorers. I then used my final fast pass to watch Finding Nemo The Musical. Boy it was a snooze-fest for me! I was knocked out for that show. Hope I wasn't snoring! :)
Sitting in the warthog section
Since I had more races to run, I needed to call it a day and get back to my room for some more rest. Back at my room, I answered an online survey so that I could use my receipt from yesterday for a buy one, get one free Quarter Pounder deal at McDonald's. Besides the 2 Quarter Pounders, I also ordered a bacon habanero ranch. However when I got back to my room, I noticed that the special Quarter Pounder was missing a bunch of ingredients, the most important one being bacon! I guess eating bacon before a race wasn't a smart idea to begin with anyways. :) I laid out my clothes for tomorrow's race before going to sleep.
10k flat runner
1/9 Friday 10k
I almost didn't wake up for today's race. I slept through both alarms, but managed to wake up with just enough time to change and head for the bus ride to the starting area. It was still pretty chilly, but definitely not as cold as yesterday. The saw the same people from yesterday hanging out at the same spot behind the gear check tents.
This time I made sure to make my way closer to the front. Yet I noticed a couple of the same slow runners from yesterday pushing their way to the front. What was their deal? Having positioned myself closer to the front, I was finally able to run more of an even race from start to finish. I was starting to feel a little sluggish during the last two miles, but all in all, it was a well paced comfortable race.
1: 7:36
2: 7:23
3: 7:35
4: 7:45
5: 7:51
6: 7:50
6.2: 1:36
Finish: 47:37
After crossing the finish line, I got my picture with Minnie Mouse since it was her race. I also got pictures with the other characters. Might as well. Then I took the shuttle back to my room. I ate the post race snack pack which appeared to be from the Princess Half Marathon. I noticed it was the same for the box from yesterday. I guess it was good to see that nothing gets wasted.
A box from the Princess Half Marathon?
After getting cleaned up, I hopped on the shuttle back to the ESPN Wide World of Sports to see if there was anything else that I would want to buy. I checked out the Disney themed New Balance shoes. Nothing was updated except for the year. I also checked out some of the booths that I had skipped yesterday. I was successful at not buying more Disney souvenirs. After getting back to my resort, I got on the shuttle headed for Downtown Disney to check out some of the merchandise and to eat lunch. There were some clever t-shirts that I thought about buying, but I have too many shirts from races than I know what to do with them.
Christmas tree at the All Star Sports
Each year I eat one meal at Planet Hollywood because they give me a coupon ($10 off) for staying at a Disney World resort. There was a lot of construction going on outside and around the restaurant. On this particular visit, I ordered their Stuffed Burger and added a Caesar Salad for an extra $6.99. The burger was stuffed with three kinds of cheese: Cheddar, Colby Jack, and Pepper Jack.
Caesar Salad
Stuffed Burger
After lunch, I walked over to Disney Quest to burn off some of the meal. I also came here because they included 2 day passes for staying at a Disney World resort. I played mostly old school games and Pop-a-Shot. The multi-player car racing games and newer games were usually occupied. After I got bored, I headed back to my room to rest up for tomorrow's half marathon.
Burger Time!
I laid out my clothes for tomorrow's race before going to the End Zone Food Court to eat an early dinner. I had the roasted chicken with some mixed vegetables, rice, and a dinner roll. Their chicken is one of my favorite items at the food court. After scarfing down the food, I headed back to my room so sleep early for yet another early morning bus ride to the starting area.
Half Marathon flat runner
1/10 Saturday Half Marathon
On the bus ride over to the start, I had a nice conversation with somebody that I've never met before. It was almost as if I was talking to an old friend. The weather was much nicer today.
In the starting corral I talked to a guy that was waiting in the same corner where I was sitting. He was running the Goofy and we talked a bit about race strategy for back to back races. We both claimed that we would not be running too hard in the half marathon.
Once the national anthem was sung and the fireworks went off, it was off we go! I intended to go out at and maintain an 8 min per mile pace. That would put me just under 1:45. The first three miles were a tad fast, but close enough since the legs were feeling quite good. Everything was fine going through the first 7 miles until starting with mile 8. This was the section where we head back to Epcot from the Magic Kingdom. During the last few miles, my legs felt heavy, but I wasn't running for a PR so I coasted to the finish line.
1: 7:51
2: 7:49
3: 7:47
4: 8:03
5: 7:48
6: 8:00
7: 7:55
8: 8:17
9: 8:14
10: 8:25
11: 8:44
12: 8:30
13: 8:37
13.1: 0:51
Finish: 1:46:50
After the race, I did the usual thing and got in line to take pictures with the characters before heading back to my room. I thought it was strange that they did not have Donald Duck there. They always pointed it out that he was the conDUCKtor for the half marathon, but at least they had Daisy Duck there.
Back at my room, I went through the post race snack box after taking a shower. I relaxed in my room until it was time for lunch. I strolled over to McDonald's and brought a bunch of food back to my room. Again I used last visit's receipt to get the 2 for 1 Quarter Pounder deal. I also ordered 10 pieces of Chicken McNuggets and a Filet o' Fish sandwich. I made sure to eat more this year because I think I didn't eat enough last year which led to my epic bonk where I almost passed out on the course during the marathon.
I stayed in my room to rest some more. I laid out my race clothes before going back out to the End Zone Food Court to eat dinner. I got the carved roast turkey plate. I've never had their turkey before and I usually don't care for turkey meat, but it was actually pretty good. It wasn't super dry as I had expected.
Marathon flat runner
1/11 Sunday Marathon
Thank goodness that this would be the last day of waking up super early to catch the shuttle to the starting area. "Groundhog Day" would finally be over today! The weather was perfect today, so I checked my gear bag and headed for the corrals. I liked that Disney had split up the roads to the corrals for people starting in the front corrals versus the later corrals. I remember when it was a slow crowded shoulder to shoulder cattle call to the starting corrals. Now it's easier with faster runners on the left and slower runners on the right. I used a portapotty one last time before heading into my corral. I ended up talking to the same guy that I had talked to yesterday while waiting in the corral.
The first 5 miles were pretty decent miles. They felt pretty good. I even got to see a couple of my friends as they passed me. At the Magic Kingdom, I pulled over to take a picture of the castle. It was lit up as if it was covered in snow. Then just as last year, I had a sudden drop of energy as I got on the race track at the Walt Disney World Speedway. I started walking and just went with what my legs would give me. We would reach the halfway point just after leaving Animal Kingdom.
1: 8:08
2: 8:18
3: 8:31
4: 8:46
5: 8:47
6: 9:22
7: 9:35
8: 10:06
9: 10:18
10: 11:23
11: 10:28
12: 11:19
13: 10:10
Just after passing mile 17, I saw a huge Baymax. That was pretty funny. The pain was still pretty tolerable at this point. The section through ESPN Wide World of Sports was one of my least favorite parts of the course. There was just too much concrete. One of my Disney loving friends caught up to me at around mile 21. We ran a little together. She actually pulled over to do some push ups before we climbed a pretty decent hill! I skipped the push ups as I'm always very prone to cramping in the later miles of a marathon. Then it was on to Hollywood Studios before heading to the finish line at Epcot. You can see the finish line from far away when you see Spaceship Earth. From there it was a quick run through the countries of Epcot before you finally hear the Hallelujah Choir with the finish line just around the corner.
Baymax!
My friend is a bad ass!
14: 10:42
15: 10:47
16: 12:04
17: 10:48
18: 10:36
19: 11:58
20: 10:53
21: 12:00
22: 11:06
23: 10:45
24: 11:25
25: 11:14
26: 11:02
26.2: 1:57
Finish: 4:32:29
Finished!
After crossing the finish line, they had people checking to see if you looked like the picture that was taken at packet pick up. Apparently if you did not look like the picture, you were not going to get any of the medals. That was Disney's way of making sure that the registered athlete was the actual person that ran all of the races. No more selling bibs or tag teaming for the challenges.
Per the routine one last time, I got in line for photos with the characters. I got pictures with Dopey and Goofy. It was a great feeling to be finished and better yet to be feeling physically good. Now it was time to go celebrate and eat lots of food! This year, I made it a point not to drink any alcohol until after the challenge was complete. That might have been the smartest part of my strategy this year.
Dopey!
Goofy!
Yo Adrian! I did it!
After getting cleaned up, I wore the finisher shirt that I had bought and made my way to my favorite restaurant, Raglan Road Irish Pub, over at Downtown Disney for lunch. On this visit, I found a seat at the bar, ordered a Smithwick's Ale and their Bangers and Booz. The beer was pretty refreshing and the Bangers and Booz was delicious. It was the perfect post Dopey Challenge meal! There was also live Celtic songs and dancing going on while I was eating.
Smithwick's
Live Celtic entertainment
Bangers and Booz
After walking around a bit after lunch, I got on a shuttle for Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort. I was to meet my friends there for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue, but I got there super early. So I made my way over to the check-in office and found a couch to sit down and charge my phone. I might have dozed off a bit. I guess I was a little tired.
Once my friends showed up, we all took a shuttle over to Pioneer Hall to see an awesome show. It was my first time. My friends have seen it many times and told me what to expect. They told me that the show was pretty entertaining but corny. It was just the way I liked it. My cheeks were pretty sore from laughing and smiling the entire time. As for the food and drinks, I started with a Yuengling beer. I had another later and ended with a sangria. We started off with salad, then there was smoked barbecued pork ribs, crispy fried chicken, corn, mashed potatoes, cowboy beans, and strawberry shortcake. All of which were some of my favorite foods. It was all you can eat for the duration of the show.
After dinner, we parted ways and I took the shuttle back to my resort. Tomorrow would be another day of celebration with copious amounts of food and drinks as we take our annual tour around the world at Epcot!
Hoop-Dee-Doo-Revue!
So Funny!
1/12 Monday
In the morning, I made my way over to Epcot right about when they opened. I went on the Test Track ride a few times. The whole ride experience had been modified a bit. There's now a lot more you can do to design your car prior to going for a test drive even though the ride would still be the same every time regardless of how you had designed your car.
Time for Epcot!
As I continued to wait for my friends to arrive at the park, I tried to ride Mission: Space enough times to take on all 4 roles, but I was only able to get Navigator, Pilot, and Engineer. I only needed Commander, but 3 times was enough for one morning before we started our eat-and-drink-around-the-world tour. Good thing I don't suffer from motion sickness.
Per the usual, we started our tour around the world with Mexico and made our way clockwise to the different countries. Here's what I ate and drank:
Mexico: Patron cranberry margarita on the rocks
Norway: Carlsberg beer
China: Tsing Tao beer
Germany: Bratwurst with sauerkraut, curry wurst chips, Altenmunster beer, wine flight
Italy: Chocolate and Rosé
America: Sam Adams seasonal beer
Japan: Asakusa, miso soup, green tea
Morocco: Casa beer
France: ???
UK: Guinness
Canada: ???
Patron Cranberry Margarita on the Rocks
Norway
China
My Disney World family
Germany
Currywurst
German wine flight
Chocolate and Rosé
My friend wasn't able to secure a reservation at Le Cellier Steakhouse this year, so we went to our usual backup spot, Teppan Edo, in Japan for a pretty early dinner. It's your typical teppanyaki restaurant. A waitress will take everybody's orders before a chef shows up to cook the food and provide a little bit of entertainment while doing so. I ordered the Asakusa which was the steak and shrimp, miso soup, and green tea.
Teppan Edo
After dinner, we had a beer in Morocco and a Guinness in the UK. I think we skipped France and Canada. The memory tends to fade near the end of the tour each year. :)
1/13 Tuesday
After checking out of my room, it was time to head home. But before heading home, I stopped by the End Zone Food Court one last time to eat lunch. I ordered the Beef and Blue Focaccia. Never had it before and it was not bad. After eating, I waited for the Disney Magical Express Motorcoach to the airport. This year I had a connection down in Miami before heading back to LAX.
Beef and Blue Focaccia
Bye bye Disney World... see you next year! The first time that I ran the Dopey Challenge, I really didn't want to do it again. But this year was different. I took on the challenge with some valuable experience and came out feeling pretty good. I actually want to take on the Dopey Challenge again in 2016! We shall see. It does cost a pretty penny. :)
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