Katie Applegate (HF18527) –
Ok so after I posted about being worried about the Disney Half this weekend I figured I would give a review!
Overall, the race was not my favorite (Des Moines still has that title) but I enjoyed it for what it was. I got to the expo on Friday afternoon and all the 2022 race weekend merch was sold out. It was all very spread out, from the bib pickup to tshirts and expo in another building, and race merch in a 3rd building. I got a pin and a magnet that was half specific but would have loved the jacket or the spirit jersey (but I guess that’s just money I am saving). Race morning, I had no problems getting on the bus and getting to the race but it was a very early wake up (I got on the bus at 3am). The walk to the start line was a hike, probably a good 1.5-2 miles from where I was dropped off from the hotel bus. Plenty of portapotties and didn’t have a line for the bathroom.
I was very lucky and had under 2 proof of time and was in the first corral. I started near the end of the first corral and never once felt crowded and I did not have to wait more than 30 seconds for any character. I feel like the 1st corral was also not as packed since you did have to have PoT and they were monitoring the people going into the corral gates. The thing I was not expecting was how long you are running on dark roads for. They had some video monitors but not many. It was very quiet and dark in some areas and not much to look at. I’m still waiting for a few of my pictures to upload but almost all of them showed up yesterday but another downside of being fast/in the faster corral is that I ran the entire time in the dark and the pictures would have been better if the sun had been up. I stopped at 8 character spots and finished in 2:02. I do wish they would have had some more of the “big name” characters but I also know that would probably cause even more of a line I’m sure.
I did run this by myself and wish I would have had someone to share the experience with. It did have a lonely feeling on those dark roads and there really wasn’t a crowd built up anywhere while I was passing on. After the race I got a box of snack food and some power aid , took a couple picks on my phone, and headed out. There wasn’t much of an after race party and I don’t know if that’s usual or just due to Covid. So overall, I’m glad I did it, and one day I hope to do the dopey challenge just to say I did it, but honestly, don’t know if I would be inclined to do just the half again. It’s a lot of money and you really spend minimal time running in the parks. The course outside of the park was not scenic, but at least it was relatively flat. The weather ended up being really nice but I know that is never a guarantee. I’m glad I got it checked off, but I know I have other races I would want to do before I would consider doing another Disney race.
Photo and Post Credit Katie Applegate