runDisney 2024 Dopey Challenge Day 1 – 5K

 

My alarm was set for 2:00 am. I woke at 1:30 and lay awake for 10-15 minutes before I decided to just get up and get going.  Cat had said not to worry about waking her, just do what I needed to and she would go back to sleep if I woke her.  My goal was to be out the door at 2:40 am so I could be in-line for the first bus at 2:45 am.  I made some coffee, fixed a small bowl of cereal with banana and granola, and quietly sat in the entry way enjoying my coffee and cereal while pondering Dopey Day 1.

 

The night before I had laid out everything I needed to wear or take with me. The pre-planning and lists that I had made at home weeks before we left became very valuable.  I systematically went through my checklist for the 5k, packed my drop-bag and arranged my clothes and gear.  After I finished my coffee and cereal and took care of some grooming things, I simply put on my running gear, grabbed my drop bag, and verified that I had my watch, phone, and ID.  Then I quietly exited the room and closed the door.

A let out a sigh in the hallway.  Here we go, Dopey Day 1.  I looked at my watch, it was almost 2:45 am.  I needed to book it.  Down the hallway to the elevators, off the elevator and toward the lobby, through the lobby out the main entrance, follow the runDisney signs to the bus stop.

It took me a bit longer to get there than I anticipated.  There were about 10 people waiting and I quickly learned that the first bus had already come and gone.  Not really a concern, I had almost two hours before my corral closed.

 

The next bus eventually came, we all piled in and off to Epcot we went.  Arriving at Epcot there was a sense of calm excitement.  Runners stopped for photos in front of the entrance, I turned on my GoPro, and volunteers called out instructions to keep us moving.  We had about a half-mile walk to the runners’ gathering area, which would double as the post-run reunion area.  The area had entertainment, character photos, food trucks, a medical tent, hundreds of port-a-potties, and row of trucks for drop-bags.  I sat in awe on some bleachers for a while to take it all in.

 

As the time approached 4:00 am, I started thinking about all that I needed to do before I went to my start corral.  The start corrals were in a different area of the Epcot parking lot, about 100 yards away, and through a controlled gate where runners funneled through so that race officials could verify that each runner was wearing a race bib.  My start corral, corral C, closed at 4:45 am, if I missed that cutoff, I would have to move back to corral D.

 

I needed to go to bag drop area, decide how many layers I was going to wear during the run, decide if I needed extra layers while waiting in the start corral, put my heart rate strap on, make sure I got my water bottle out of my drop bag, and pack up everything I didn’t need in my drop bag.  Then I needed to stand in line at a truck to check-in my drop bag and start the long walk toward the start area.  Once in the start area, I needed to find the water table, fill my water bottle and mix in my electrolyte powder, use the porta-potty and finally head into my start corral.

 

I started that process around 4:00 am and entered my corral at 4:30 am.  runDisney operates like clockwork.  At 4:40 am, corrals A and B closed, and corral A runners were moved into the start queue and up to the starting line.  Shortly after corral A, corral B was moved into the start queue behind corral A.  At 4:45 am we had the national anthem and my corral, corral C, closed.  A few minutes later my corral was moved into the start queue and up into position behind corral B. By the time we stopped moving forward, it was almost 5:00 am and the final countdown for launching the first wave of Corral A had started.  “3 … 2 … 1” followed by fireworks and cheering.  Every two minutes of so, the countdown and fireworks repeated for each wave in each corral until it was time for my wave, the 3rd wave in corral C.

 

Once my wave was off, the task ahead was simply to enjoy a 5K run around and through Epcot. I ran an easy pace, kept my heart rate low, and stopped to capture video several times.  I finished the 5K just as the last wave of corral E was being sent off.   We crossed the finish line and followed the gauntlet of volunteers providing space blankets, medals, water, Powerade, bananas and snack boxes.  That few hundred-yard journey dropped us back at the bag drop off.  Since this was day one and I wanted to minimize any impact to the remaining three days, I quickly gathered my drop bag and headed over to the busses to get in line for the bus back to my resort.  Daylight was just starting to show as I got back to my resort.

 

Upon getting back to my room, I went through my post-run routine,  showered and then we headed off to Hollywood Studios for lunch.  I perhaps walked around Hollywood Studios a little too much, but it was a nice day to be out and about.  We headed back to our resort early afternoon because both Cat and I had to get ready for Friday’s 10K.

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