Dark Side Half Marathon - 5k

 

Race day is finally here!

 

The alarm went off at 2:30am. Thank goodness Kellie was up because I did not want to get out of bed. I begged for 10 for minutes but was denied. We got dressed and managed to eat a half of a half of a bagel (Kellie says it was a quarter). The resort was eerily quite as we made our way to the buses.

 

The energy on the bus was AMAZING! Kellie was trying to appear tired but don't let her fool you.

We made our way to corral F (the last corral) and worked our way toward the front. Kellie is a social butterfly so we met some great runners. This certainly helped the time pass. We had front row "seats" for the pre-race fun. We also had a great spot to see some impressive costumes.

 

 

As soon as the first corral was released I could feel the adrenaline. Each corral was broken down into mini-corrals. This allowed for less congestion at the starting line. I was surprised at how quickly each corral was released.

 We started in the parking lot at Epcot which would also serve at the finish. After crossing the start line you make your way long some of the back roads but a majority of this race take place in Epcot. My job on this race was to keep Kellie moving at a good pace. She refused to believe me that there would not be a sweeper bus for this race.

 

We decided to make a quick stop in front of Spaceship Earth since our goal was to finish. No stopping for characters.

 

 

Well maybe we will stop for a purple droid and a Jawa!

 

 

Kellie had a personal record of 1:07. Congratulations!

Since my focus was on the 10k I just enjoyed the race and was thankful that I could participate.

 

After the race we went back to the resort with our goody box to grab a quick shower before heading to the Magic Kingdom. Celebration dinner was at Cinderella's Royal Table. A character dining experience should be on everyone's Disney to do list. We were treated like royalty.

 

Tip: Wear your medal all day. EVERYONE will congratulate you! 

 

 

 

It will be an early bed time because we will do this all again tomorrow!