If you want to see the 5K recap, you can find it HERE, and my comprehensive guide for the weekend is HERE.
2 down!! This morning’s 10K went “nuts for 6.2 mysterious miles led by super sleuth Chip and his trusty friend Dale.” I don’t know what it was about this course that made it one of the most fun 10Ks in recent memory. Maybe it was just how hard they continue to lean into this weekend’s theming. I was SO excited when I saw the books theme for the weekend way back before registration. And I could not be more thrilled that they’ve carried it so far into the events themselves.
Walt Disney World 10K – The Night Before
I was actually beyond exhausted after the 5K. I hadn’t slept enough the night before and then stayed up a little later than planned turning the white dress that finally showed up from Amazon at 7 o’clock last night into my costume. (Thank you, RIT All Purpose Dye in dark brown, tan fabric quilting square, and fabric glue. 😍) So I let myself sleep a tiny bit later this morning and got to EPCOT closer to 3:20 a.m.
Walt Disney World 10K – Arrival and Gear Check
Parked in the first row of Crush and made my way inside. Then did gear check again!! I’ve been loving doing gear check for even shorter distances lately: I don’t have to carry my car key, I can keep my comforts a little longer after leaving the car, you have a place to stuff all of the stuff that they hand you after the race, and it takes less than a minute to check your bag and the same to pick it up. We literally walk right through gear check when we’re exiting into the reunion area.
If you want to know more about gear check, you can find my guide HERE. But worth noting here that I carry a smallish Jansport into the race area, with my gear check bag in a pocket, and then stuff the whole Jansport into the gear bag when it’s time to hand it over. They way you aren’t carrying your stuff with those strings cutting into your arm, and it’s easier to stay organized.
Walt Disney World 10K – Pre-Race Characters
Walked over to pre-race characters from there. Today was Dopey (of course), Duffy, Fat Cat taking turns with Monterey Jack, and Chip & Dale together as the Rescue Rangers. (Chip and Dale were also out on the course as Chip & Dale…and as Rescue Rangers Chip & Dale…which was a little funny. But I’ll suspend disbelief a little more. 😉
We waited not too terribly long and got Fat Cat and then hopped right back in that line for not to terribly long again and got Monterey Jack. And then it was basically time to head to corrals. We already had Dopey, weren’t pressed for Duffy, and wanted Chip & Dale with our medals after the race, so we’d done everything we wanted to do.
Walt Disney World 10K – Corrals and the Race
As far as I know, no power outages or other major mishaps this morning!! Everything was well organized. We headed over to corrals a little while after they opened, used the last-chance porta-potties, and headed into corral. This morning we ended up starting right in the first wave of A, which was great. But then who but DETECTIVE GOOFY was on the course at what my watch said was mile 0.29 and the line was somehow already long, so we hopped in, barely into the first mile, and waited it out. I think this kinda threw off our timing for the rest of the race. Lines had gotten a little longer for the whole event even though we were moving at a decent clip when we were running. Still it was worth it for this guy.
And given that it was pretty steamy with the humidity, the frequent stopping to cool down was welcome. Slowing down was also a decent idea since we head into the half marathon tomorrow. I kept a comfortable 9:30-ish minute pace, stopped for the more special characters with manageable lines, and otherwise just enjoyed the scenery. I really like this general course map they’ve been using for the 10Ks. You get such a good tour of all of EPCOT and the Boardwalk area.
Walt Disney World 10K Course Map
Characters on the course included Sherlock Goofy, Safari Daisy, Agent P, Nick & Judy in their Zootopia 2 outfits, Chip & Dale, Miguel, Darkwing Duck, Rescue Ranger Chip & Dale, Mad Scientist Donald, Lewis & Wilbur taking turns, Jose, Mira (Disney Jr. detective character), Mirabel & Bruno (personal cameras only, no PhotoPass), and Mickey & Minnie at the finish.
Walt Disney World 10K – Medal, Giveaway Thoughts, and Gear Check
Walt Disney World 10K Medal
Finished feeling really good. I picked up my medal—and noticed the bit of cushion protecting the rest of the medal from the moving characters. Much appreciated since I know they’ve been having some issues with medals getting chipped in recent years!!
Then just grabbed my snack box and banana and water and headed to gear check to grab my bag. I noticed that they were handing out peanut butter & jelly Honey Stingers separate from the boxes. I don’t know if that was specifically because some people noted that including them in the boxes themselves at Wine & Dine was maybe not the best plan given some peoples’ severe allergies, but in any event I thought doing them as a separate, clearly marked option was a great idea.
Walt Disney World 10K – After the Race
We headed back to pre- and post-race characters to get our medal picture with Chip & Dale, then grabbed one with Duffy since the line wasn’t bad and who can resist him?? And then we were done!! Headed home, took care of the little Disney photography email that I send out every morning, and eventually actually rested a bit. I was so exhausted, I don’t think that little nap will affect how easily I fall asleep tonight.
Walt Disney World 10K – How I’m feeling so far
I was pretty open about my lack of ability to lock into a good training schedule leading up to these races. Life has been life-ing around here and the time just literally wasn’t there during the weekdays. I’m less trained for this Dopey than I have been in a long time. So I’m incredibly grateful to be feeling so strong on the courses. Even with these being the shorter races, I can already tell that my body is falling into a sort of muscle memory, and that, between that and not pushing myself too too hard, I’m feeling really good and actually enjoying the heck out of the weekend.
If you want to see the 5K recap, you can find it HERE and my comprehensive guide for the weekend is HERE.
Weather tomorrow looks like it’s going to be similar to today and tomorrow is a half marathon. Hydration is going to be so so important, and so is listening to your body. Florida weather is no joke, even in January!
* * * * * * *
Important Note: Sometimes, on my site, I will share products that I’ve personally used and that consistently work for me. If you buy these items through links on my site, I may earn a small commission. It won’t affect the price that you pay but it does help to keep the lights on around here so that we can bring you more like this, so thank you!
* * * * * * *
Please join me on Instagram for my day-to-day adventures living a mile from the magic.
* * * * * * * * * *
Planning a run while you’re here? You can find my complete guide to running trails on Walt Disney World property RIGHT HERE.
* * * * * * * * * *
If you’re missing home (or love someone who is) and are looking for a way to bring the magic home, I’d love for you to check out my photography prints, books, and calendars over at Thousand Circles Images. I’m also available for portrait sessions for families, couples, and individuals and especially love doing post-race celebration portrait sessions with runners!
