Disney Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon Trip Report (Day 3) Nov 11th 2012

Today we slept in until 10:30am today as we were out until 4am at the Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon Finish Line Party.  We headed over to Epcot as it was the last day of the Food and Wine festival.  It was really busy!  We ate lunch at La Cantina in Mexico which was delicious then wandered around World Showcase.  We tried the drinking chocolate which was very good.  We were still pretty tired and my feet were sore so we headed back to the resort for a nap.  We had Dinner at Chef Mickey's see pics below, and headed back to Epcot to finish the other half of World Showcase.  I tried a Cosmo Slush from the France palvillion which was really good but very strong!

Disney Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon Trip Report (Day 2 - Part 2) Nov 10th 2012

Tonight was race night!  I left our hotel room to board the bus at 7pm. 

Me before the race

I was lucky as the bus was just pulling up as I arrived.  I was worried how long the wait was going to feel between when I arrived at Wide World of Sports and the 10pm start, but Disney did a great job of keeping us entertained. 

The DJ

All the port a potties!

I was able to sit on the grass and rest my feet before I lined up in the corral.  I had brought some Rice Krispies to snack on during the wait as well.  I should have lined up for the port a pottie a little sooner as I had to wait 1/2 hour before entering my corral.  When I got to the port a pottie, no toilet paper!
We lined up in the corrals around 9:30pm.  First I turned the wrong way and ended up in corral D.  I quickly realized my error and made my way to corral C. 

I worked my way up as close to the front of the corral as possible.  I was able to get a clear view of the start.  As each corral started the others moved up.  each corral had their own fireworks!

The Hosts

The first park that we ran though was Animal Kingdom. 

In front of the Tree of Life

 I really enjoyed running through this park as it is my favourite park.  It did get narrow in some spots but this was the only park we actually ran through the park and not the majority of it being backstage. 

Just outside of the Animal Kingdom

We then made our way to Hollywood Studios.  We entered behind tower of terror and ran mostly backstage with the exception of sunset boulevard and through the Osborne Lights.

The Osborne Lights!

I really enjoyed running through the Osborne Lights.  We then made our way to Epcot by way of the Boardwalk.  Running along the Boardwalk was nice and made the go by quickly.  I felt bad for anyone staying at the Yacht and Beach Club as I am sure we were loud running by.  We ran through the International Gateway into Epcot.  We ran backstage and then crossed Future World.  Steven had found a spot to wait for me to cheer me on.  This was a nice surprise as I was not expecting this.  We exited the park on the other side of Spaceship Earth to find the finish.  At mile 13 there was smoke and a laser show and then you made a sharp left turn to the finish!
The finishing corral was very congested.  Runners were suppose to continue through, but I don't think this was happening.  I had to really look to find someone handing out medals!  I grabbed a water and a box of prepackaged food and made my way to the finisher photos.  Then there was the long trek past the bag check and to the exit to grab my drink.  It was a long walk to the front of the part to meet Steven.  They were doing a bag check for all the runners so I was very glad that just had my water belt.  I met up with Steven and hobbled on to Spaceship Earth after I changed into my sandals. 

Me after the race!

After Spaceship Earth we rode Soarin and then left the Finish Line Party as I was exhausted.  Steven has arrived at the Finish Line Party at 7pm, so he had got his moneys worth for the ticket.  (More on this in a guest post from him in the next couple days)
Some General remarks on the race:
The Good:
- Lots of Volunteers (nice, friendly Volunteers, was complimented on my weight loss from viewing my Driver's License picture!)
- Lots of water stops
- Lots of washrooms
- Napping in the afternoon before the race was definitely was a good choice!
The Not so Good:
- Not as many characters along the course as I thought there was going to be
- The finishing chute was very chaotic and disorganized
- Would be better to have run with someone else, would have added to the fun
- Always feels like you are running at a start of a race as there are s many people around you.  A lot of walkers.

Disney Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon Trip Report (Day 2 - Part 1) Nov 10th 2012

Today we went to rope drop at Hollywood Studios. We went to Toy Story and grabbed fast passes before heading over to Rockin Roller Coaster.  We then went over to the new Start Tours.  Star Tours made me feel nauseous even though it is now smoother then the old version.  We then went back to ride Toy Story and caught a showing of Beauty and the Beast which is my favourite stage show in all of Disney.  We then rode Rockin Roller Coaster for a second time.  It was then time for our lunch reservation at Via Napoli in Epcot.  We headed over there on the Friendship Boats.  We ate too much and then headed back to the room so I could rest before the 1/2 Marathon in a few hours.  Steven headed over to the race expo again to trade my race shirt in for a smaller one and it fits perfectly.