After work, I got dropped off at the Hilton LAX Airport. That way I didn't have to worry about waking up extra early to catch an early morning flight out of LAX the next day. I would hate to have been caught in some morning work traffic and miss my flight!
1/4 Wednesday
I woke up early, dropped off my room key at the front desk, and walked over to terminal 1 to catch my early morning Southwest Airlines flight to MCO. There would be a quick stop at Austin Airport. There wasn't a plane change, but they allowed us to get off of the plane to use the restrooms in the terminal. I was able to catch a few Z's during the cross-country trip.
On my way to Walt Disney World
Belvita cranberry orange breakfast biscuits
Once we got into MCO, I made my way over to side B and floor level 1 to catch the Disney's Magical Express to my hotel. Unfortunately they didn't have my transportation information on my magic band or for my reservation number. However the cast member assisting me was able to get me on the bus since I had paperwork showing that I was staying at the All Star Sports resort. Per the usual, the line for the All Star resorts was exceptionally long.
Long line for Disney's Magical Express
Disney's Magical Express
Once boarded on the bus, it was a pretty comfortable ride over to the hotel. Since I had checked-in online, they had already texted me my room number before my arrival. Still I made a stop at the front desk just to make sure that they had my flight information so I wouldn't have an issue when it came time to leave. After taking care of that, I made my way over to the home run hotel. My room was on the third floor.
Home run hotel at All Star Sports Resort
After dropping off my bags, I made my way over to the pick-up spot for the expo shuttle. The shuttle would stop by the other All Star resorts to drop off and to pick up more passengers. It was a pretty short drive over to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. A lot of people were taking pictures at the different race banners, but I made a bee-line for the packet pick-up over in the HP Field House. After picking up my bib, taking a pic with my bib, and picking up my gear bag with my race shirts, I made my way over to the expo at the Jostens Center.
Going to the expo
Packet pick-up at HP Field House
Dopey Challenge packet pick-up
Over at the Jostens Center, I visited all of the vendor booths including the official runDisney race merchandise area. I won some apple slices at the Chiquita booth. There were some shirts that looked pretty cool, but I couldn't justify buying yet another shirt. However I did stick to buying the "I Did It!" shirt for the Dopey Challenge. Most of the people there were clamoring over the runDisney sneaker ornaments that had Walt Disney World Marathon weekend and the year on it. On my way out, I talked a bit with the guy at a travel agency booth that was selling packages for the Disneyland Paris races. Park tickets were required with his packages, so I probably will book everything on my own again.
Expo at the Jostens Center
Won some apple slices
Official merchandise
I did it!
After I was done with the expo, I got on the shuttle to go back to my resort. Back at the resort, I took a picture of the race schedule that was displayed in the lobby just in case I forget when to wake up for each race. I then stopped in the End Zone Food Court to eat dinner. I was too lazy to make the walk over to McDonald's. Their food cost more than McDonald's and they're not that much better. However I do like their baked chicken.
Race schedule
Baked chicken
Reconstruction
Back in my room, I went through my race packet and expo haul. I'm starting to get tired of those Go Go Squeez applesauce! They don't taste very good. It was pretty cool to get a luggage tag that resembled the actual medal for the half marathon. It was a nice touch for the 20th anniversary of the race. The shirts for this year were again pretty standard with a slight variation of the design.
Go Go Squeez
Stuff from the expo
Luggage tag for the half marathon
After going through my stuff, I laid out my flat runner for the 5k before going to sleep. With the time change and the travel day, I was tuckered out. Plus it would be an early morning wake-up alarm to go catch the shuttle for the first race of the Dopey Challenge.
5k flat runner
1/5 Thursday
I got up pretty early to catch the shuttle to the starting line at Epcot. One of my favorite movies was playing on TV while I was getting ready. The event guide said to get on the bus no later than 4:30 am, so I got on at about 4 am. Once we were dropped off, we all walked over to the staging area. I milled around near the post race shuttle pick up spot until the corrals were opened. Once in the corrals, I warmed up a bit so I could stretch out the IT band a bit.
Serendipity
5k start line
The race started promptly at 6 am. My goal for the race was to run it in about 24 mins. My legs were definitely feeling much better, so I ended up running the first mile a bit too fast. I got caught up with the flow as a bunch of us passed the slower folks that were lined up in the front. I dialed it back a bit during the second mile, but I was feeling pretty drained. During the last mile, I was running on dead legs. I tried to speed up, but I couldn't sustain the pace. All in all, I made my goal, but I did it the hard way by running positive splits.
5k finish line
Finish: 23:56 (7:43)
Click here for my Garmin data.
After crossing the finish line and collecting my finisher medal and a post race snack box, I made my way over to the line for a photo with Pluto. After getting the photo, I made my way to the line for the shuttle back to the All Star resorts. However the shuttles were not yet running as there were still runners that have not yet started. This year they implemented mini-waves inside each corral in order to spread people out. This was done to alleviate the congestion inside the park. From what I've heard, it drastically improved with the congestion. However they should then move the shuttles to another location or change up the course so that it doesn't overlap with the bus routes. Once the course was cleared, we were finally able to board the shuttles and be on our way.
Pluto!
5k medal
After taking a shower, I ate the dried fruit and tortilla chips inside the snack box. I would save the rest to take back home for my coworkers. I would then proceed to lounge around in my room watching TV until it was time to go get lunch.
Post race snack box
For an early lunch, I walked over to McDonald's. I found that very few people make this short walk. Most people come here by car. Their Christmas tree was still up. After looking over the menu, I ordered their Grand Mac combo meal. I never had it before. Apparently it was one of the newer sizes of the Big Mac. It was the same burger as the regular Big Mac, but they used the larger 1/4 pound patties. There was also the Junior Mac if you wanted something smaller than the Big Mac.
Christmas tree still up at McDonald's
Lunch at McDonald's
I had registered to volunteer for the evening expo shift from 1:30 pm to 7:30 pm. So after eating my meal, I walked back to catch the expo shuttle. After I checked in and got my volunteer shirt, I was assigned to work the 10k packet pick-up. We first went up to the volunteer break room in the Champion Stadium to wait for the start of our shift. We had the option to eat our meal now or store it in the fridge for later. I ended up eating a ham & Swiss cheese sandwich and a cookie. Whatever we didn't eat we could put back on the table that would be free-for-all.
When it came time, we all walked down to the packet pick-up area. At first I had a station, but I was then made a general floater because another volunteer had a disability and needed a station where she could sit. I ended up answering general questions and filling in whenever another volunteer went on a break.
Volunteering for the expo night shift
Early lunch box volunteering
After my shift was done, I checked out and caught the shuttle back to my resort. Since I had eaten two lunches, I didn't bother with dinner since I was not hungry at all.
Before going to bed, I laid out my flat runner for the 10k.
10k flat runner
1/6 Friday
The starting time for the 10k was 30 minutes earlier than yesterday, so I had 30 minutes less to sleep. However the routine was pretty much the same. I made sure to get a little bit closer to the front of the corral this time.
10k start line
The race started promptly at 5:30 am. My goal was to finish in preferably under 50 minutes. I ran at a more even pace during the first 5k although I had the same fade during that third mile. I came through the first 5k at about the same time as I had run the 5k yesterday. I ran with the same rate of leg turnover for the second 5k, but I knew that my legs just didn't have the same power per stride. I fell a little short of my goal, but I was still happy with the progress that I've made with the condition of my right hip and left foot.
10k finish line
Finish: 50:14 (8:06)
Click here for my Garmin data.
After collecting my 10k finisher medal and another post race snack box, I made my way over to take a picture with Minnie Mouse. I then got in line to take the shuttle back to my resort. This time there wasn't an issue with having to wait for the course to clear before we could leave.
Minnie Mouse!
10k medal
Back at my room, I again ate the dried fruits and the tortilla chips after taking a shower. Once again I lounged around until it was time to go get lunch. Before walking over to McDonald's, I filled out an online survey about my visit yesterday and turned in my receipt for a buy one, get one free Quarter Pounder sandwich. I'm lovin' it! :)
Lunch at McDonald's
I again volunteered for the evening expo shift from 1:30 pm to 7:30 pm. This time I worked the marathon packet pick-up. I was paired with an older gentlemen. It was really cool to talk to him and his friends that were all volunteering as a group. He was a retired medical doctor. He told me that he would be volunteering for the remaining races in the finish line medical tents. The volunteer room wasn't as nice in the HP Field House. During my break, I got one of the boxes that had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It turned out that the sandwiches were Uncrustables. They were pretty good. I ate them along with the cookie. The rest I put on the table for others to take.
After my shift was over, I took the shuttle over to the Contemporary Resort to eat at The Wave... of American Flavors with my friends for dinner. I accidentally walked right by the entrance and went up the escalator to the floor where the other restaurants were located. I was then directed back down the escalator where I found my friends. I started with an Odwalla all natural lemonade with wild berry foam. Then for my meal I ordered their grilled pork chop. The lemonade was good on its own, but the wild berry foam made it a whole lot better! I must say that they have a really good pork chop. It came with a sweet potato purée, winter greens, pancetta, and autumn-spiced fruit preserves. The flavor combination was great and the meat was nice and juicy!
The Wave... of American Flavors
Lemonade with wild berry foam
Disney drinks
Grilled pork chop
While we were eating, we all got our notifications that the half marathon had been canceled. There would be lightning early in the morning, so the main reason for the cancellation was to not endanger runners and everybody involved in setting up the race. Once we were done with our meals, I got a ride back to my hotel with my friends since they were also staying at the All Star Sports resort. The rain started coming down during the drive. We came across several road caution signs showing that the half marathon had been canceled.
What I would've worn for the half marathon
1/7 Saturday
With the half marathon canceled, it felt good to sleep in and catch up on some sleep. My friends picked me up and we met up again at The Wave, this time for brunch. On the drive over we saw a bunch of runners running their own half marathon. The rain was coming down pretty hard when we arrived at the Contemporary Resort. Once we were seated, we all decided on ordering their breakfast buffet since it pretty much included everything that was on the menu. That was perfect for anybody that was indecisive. I ordered their lemonade (a drink was included with the buffet), this time without the wild berry foam.
Plate #1
Plate #2
After we were done getting our grub on, we then went to Disney's Hollywood Studios. It was raining off and on. I was the only one without a hoodie, but I did have with me my small emergency umbrella that I had bought during one of my trips to Honolulu. It does the job in a pinch, but if there's high wind, I'd be out of luck!
A hoodie kind of day at Disney's Hollywood Studios
We got in line for the Tower of Terror. There was one among us that had never been on the ride. For me, I find it to be such a fun, thrilling, but not-too-scary kind of a ride. It's one of my favorite Disney rides!
Waiting in line
Tower of Terror
We then rode the Rock n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith. It's one of Disney's faster roller coasters. It's definitely a must ride especially if you're a fan of Aerosmith. They play parts of their famous hits during the ride. I always find myself singing along.
Next we got on the Toy Story Midway Mania ride where I was beaten pretty soundly. I made a late surge to close the gap, but I really need to work on my accuracy!
Toy Story Midway Mania
Toy Story Midway Mania
Then we rode Star Tours. Ever since being the rebel spy the first time that I rode it, I've never been the spy ever again. I love Star Wars, so this is a must ride for me. I would have no problem riding this over and over all day.
Star Tours
Most of the group were done with the park for the day, so my friend and I went to ride the Tower of Terror one more time before going to the expo. After that we walked over to the Boardwalk and tried to catch the expo shuttle to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Unfortunately we were informed that the shuttles were stuck in heavy traffic, so we ended up hailing and sharing a cab ride over with a bunch of other people that needed to get to the expo.
At the expo, my friend picked up her race packet and I picked up my half marathon medal and a generous race refund via a Disney gift card. They didn't have to do that with the cancellation being an act of God.
Half marathon medal
Half marathon refund via Disney gift card
We went over to the Jostens Center to check out what's left of the official merchandise. While waiting in line for my friend to pay for her items, I happened to bump into a local Floridian that I had met several years ago. What a coincidence! She was with her twin sister and would be running her very first marathon, so I wished her good luck.
The traffic in and out of the parking lot was indeed horrible, so horrible that the resort shuttles were still unable to run. Instead of sitting in the parking lot or in traffic, we decided instead to eat at ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill. I didn't really see anything on the menu that I really wanted to eat, so I ended up ordering their chicken sandwich. It came with chips and a cup of cole slaw. It was one of the more bland and basic looking chicken sandwich that I've eaten. It tasted okay at best. I skipped on the slaw as it didn't looking very appealing.
Chicken sandwich
By the time we were done eating our food, the expo had closed, and the traffic had eased up. We took the shuttle back to the All Star Sports resort. Back at my room, I rested and watched some NFL playoff football.
We met up a few hours later to eat dinner at the End Zone Food Court. The place was a mad house! The lines for food and the cashiers were pretty long. I didn't want to make the walk over to McDonald's, so I ended up getting the carved turkey dinner. I'm not a fan of turkey, but they actually make it pretty good here!
Carved turkey dinner
After we were done, we went our separate ways. Back at my room, I resumed watching the NFL playoffs. After the games were over, I laid out my gear for the marathon tomorrow. I would be wearing the traditional classic Marathon Maniacs yellow and black race gear.
Detroit Lions vs Seattle Seahawks
Marathon flat runner
1/8 Sunday
I got up early for the morning shuttle ride over to the start. I met up with my friend before we got in line for the shuttle. When we got there it was a little chilly, so we sought some relief from the wind sitting next to the gear check tents. We met up with her friend there. Since I was starting in an earlier corral, I checked my bag and left for the corrals a bit earlier than them. I saw my usual Disney friends while waiting in the corral. We were hit with some gusts of cold wind while waiting for the start. My friend stayed warm while wearing her Eeyore onesie! Smart!
First half
The legs felt pretty good at the start so I took off. However by the 5k mark, they had started to fade again. I held it together until I got to the Magic Kingdom which was about mile 5. My first stop was at about mile 5.5 in Tomorrowland to take a picture with Buzz Lightyear. I also stopped to take a picture of the Frozen characters at the castle before heading through the gate and mile 6.
Buzz Lightyear
Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa
Then it was off to the Animal Kingdom which was at about mile 12.5. Along that stretch, I pulled over to take a picture with Vanellope von Schweetz and Wreck-it Ralph. There was a short out and back at about mile 10.5 where I was unsuccessful at trying to spot my friends. It would have been easier to run with a familiar face at that point. It was a bit easier once I reached Animal Kingdom. There was plenty of distraction while running through the park. I reached the halfway point at about Dinoland, USA as we were about to leave and head for the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Second half
It was a long stretch on the Osceola Parkway over to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex which included a couple of freeway overpasses. We would arrive there at about mile 18. Besides running on the springy track and the warning track in the ballpark, this has always been my least favorite part of the course. I was able to take a picture with Sadness and Joy without having to wait. At about mile 19, my legs were starting to cramp up on me. Luckily they were passing out the usual bananas. As I was leaving the complex, I was passed by a dude dressed up as Elsa. It was one of the better Elsa costumes that I've seen on a girl or a guy!
Sadness and Joy
Then it was time to head towards Disney's Hollywood Studios where there would be the usual chocolate being passed out. I don't usually take any, but this year, they also passed out crispy M&M's! I would not pass on them! However instead of eating them, I put them away in my pocket to save for later. Before leaving the park, I got to see a fellow Marathon Maniacs friend that I had met while running the Hatfield and McCoy Marathon. It was nice to see her volunteering at the aid station and also to get a warm hug from her!
Crispy M&M's!
Next and not least, it was time to head for the final park and the finish line over at Epcot! As I was running through the Boardwalk, my right Achilles tendon was getting pretty tight and achy. My friends were there cheering. I pulled over to say hi and to take a quick breather. I took the loop around the Epcot World Showcase rather slow. I wanted to get the race over with, but I also didn't want to rupture the Achilles tendon. So I ended up jogging and stopping at a couple of character stops with Belle in France and Mulan in China. I was too lazy to pull out my phone for them to take an extra picture. I ended up running the final mile as my slowest mile. It was all good since my goal was only to finish in about 5 hrs.
At the Boardwalk
Marathon finish line
Finish: 4:46:08 (10:55)
Click here for my Garmin data.
After crossing the finish line, I collected my awesome marathon medal and headed to the area for extra medals. After they confirmed that I was the same person that picked up the race packet, they proceeded to give me the half marathon medal. I declined and told the volunteer that I had already picked mine up at the expo yesterday. I then got my Goofy and Dopey medals. The medals were pretty nice this year and a tad bigger than last year's. I can't wait to see what's in store for the 5th year anniversary of the Dopey Challenge! Knowing Disney, it's should be a year that you would not want to miss out on!
Marathon medal
Goofy medal
Dopey medal
Dopey medal collection
Well this year's Dopey Challenge was cut shorter with the half marathon being canceled. It's such bad timing for the 20th anniversary of the half marathon to be canceled! A lot of the runners were calling it the inaugural 35.5 miles Grumpy Challenge. :)
After collecting my gear bag, I headed over to the line to get my annual photo with Dopey. I saw my friend walking by while waiting in line. I called out to her, but the music was too darn loud, so she didn't hear or see me. Bummer. I would find out later that she had finished 6 seconds behind me! After the photo with Dopey, I got in the shuttle line to catch a ride back to my room.
Dopey x's 4!
I totally vegged out back in my room. After getting cleaned up, I watched a bunch of TV including the other NFL wildcard games. It was still pretty blustery outside, so it took me a while before I got myself back outside to go get some food. I made the walk over to McDonald's and decided to eat my meal there instead of bringing it back to my room. When I got there, I came across a black cat enjoying some french fries in the parking lot. Does that count as good or bad luck? :) Continuing my goal to eat less red meat, I ordered their artisan grilled chicken sandwich, 10 piece McNuggets, and french fries. Man, I love their fries!
Dinner
Back at my room, I started dozing off while watching Rocky 4. Whatever he hits, he destroys! I must break you! Another year of the Dopey Challenge and another year of feeling older... and this year, it didn't even include a half marathon! :)
If I can change and you can change... everybody can change!
1/9 Monday
In the morning I made my way over to the Animal Kingdom to get in some rides with my friends. They were only going to be there for the morning as they would have to leave for the airport to catch their afternoon flight. After getting through the entrance, I walked up to the Tree of Life and took a picture of my Dopey medal with the tree in the background. It took a few tries before I finally got the phone to focus on the medal instead of the tree. Then I walked over to Expedition Everest. I was able to sneak in a ride before meeting up with them. We went on it again. It's my favorite Walt Disney World ride!
Animal Kingdom
We then went on the Kilimanjaro Safaris. The ride experience this time was much better than the last and only other time that I've been on it. It was pretty hot last time and practically every animal was hiding from the sun and sought shelter in some shade. This time the weather was pretty cool and almost all of the animals were outside where they could be seen. However the lion was nowhere to be seen, although we were able to see one lioness laying around. We even got to see the new baby elephant.
Hippos
After our safari, we went to the Dinosaur ride to get in one of the time rovers and go back in time to bring back an Iguanodon. The ride reminds me a little bit of Test Track in Epcot and the Indiana Jones ride at the Disneyland.
Dinosaur
We then set out to find some turkey legs for lunch. We first went to the Trilo-Bites kiosk because that was the last place where I bought one. We had to ask a couple of cast members for the new location. We ended up finding it at Yak & Yeti Local Foods Cafe. It was very easy to miss! It was to the far right and around the corner of the Yak & Yeti Restaurant. It was just a couple of windows across from a bunch of tables. The turkey leg came with a bag of Lay's potato chips. I started coughing while I was trying to eat it. A piece of turkey must have tried to go down the wrong pipe.
The infamous turkey leg
Picked clean!
After lunch, my friends left to head to the airport while I headed back to ride Expedition Everest again. Such a fun ride! Afterwards, I bought a Mickey's Ice Cream Bar. I enjoyed the ice cream bar on my way over to catch the Festival of the Lion King.
Expedition Everest
Mickey's Ice Cream Bar
I got in line just as it was almost time for the next show. Once again I found myself seated in the warthog section! I normally fall asleep at shows, but not this one! This is my favorite Disney show. It's very entertaining and the Lion King was one of my favorite Disney animated movies.
Festival of the Lion King
After I was done watching the show, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt some serious fatigue set in. The lethargy made me think that I was coming down with a cold or just plain getting old. So I made my way out of the park and got in line for the shuttle back to the All Star Sports resort. On the way back to my room, I stopped by the End Zone Food Court to buy some drinks. Along with a bottle of good old water, I got an Odwalla Strawberry C Monster which had a ton of vitamin C. I had my transportation notification hanging on my door when I got back to my room. Unfortunately despite providing that information during check-in, it was missing on my notification. I took care of it by calling the phone number that was provided on the notification.
Loading up on fluids
Before going to sleep, I went back to the End Zone Food Court to buy some more drinks. I bought another bottle of water, cranberry apple juice, and an Odwalla Mango drink. I saved the mango drink for tomorrow morning.
1/10 Tuesday
Time to go home! I had to wake up pretty dang early to catch the Disney's Magical Express to the airport for my early morning American Airlines flight home. I was cutting it pretty close as I didn't have to wait very long before the driver showed up. During the flight I alternated between watching Finding Dory and napping. The movie was okay, but I felt the story was too long and dragged out.
Finding Dory
When I landed at LAX, I made my way to the median to wait for the LAX Flyaway bus for a ride over to Union Station. Originally I was going to catch an Amtrak train from there over to Fullerton, but this time I decided to take the Silver Streak bus home instead. From the Pomona Transit Station, I took the Foothill Transit bus line 286 for the remainder of my trip home. I think I might take this route again if I don't feel like driving and leaving my car at the airport.
LAX Flyaway: $9.75
Silver Streak: $2.45
Foothill Transit 286: $1.25
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