My Top 2 runDisney Race Tips (One Might Be Controversial)

Happy Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend registration day! I wish you great luck in your pursuit of runDisney glory.*

* And if you don’t get what you want, maybe this post can help you out?

I ran my first runDisney race in 2013, and I never looked back – I’ve run an additional 29 Disney races since, and I have no intention of stopping.

Over the years I’ve made a lot of mistakes and a lot of discoveries. For the most part, though, I don’t think any of them are earth-shattering, and a lot of them are specific to me – what pre-race fuel works best for me, for example.

Still, I have one or two tips that you might not have heard already… and in fact, one of which might be the exact opposite of what you’ve been told in the past. Let’s see what you think, shall we?

UNCOMMON runDISNEY RACE TIP NUMBER ONE: BRING A PLASTIC BAG

Are you a mutant with three arms? An alien with a prehensile tail? A land octopus? If so, this tip does not apply to you. If not, you may have noticed that you need to bring a lot of stuff with you to the start line… and you wind up carrying a LOT of stuff afterward.

Perhaps you are someone who always uses bag check, in which case you’re way ahead of me. If not, read on and I will elaborate!

To the first point, perhaps you’re thinking oh, I don’t need a bag for my race crud – I wear it or I pocket it. Fair enough. There are elements of my race costume, however, that I sometimes prefer to put on later. Minnie ears, for example, as they can start to press on the head after a certain amount of wear time. Or when I use those glow in the dark bracelets you crack to activate, I like to do that in the corrals. Additionally, I often bring a larger pre-race snack I don’t necessarily want to jam into my pocket.

That’s all down to personal preference. Where I really want a bag is after the race.

They hand you SO MUCH STUFF in the finisher’s chute, don’t they? Water. Powerade. A snack box. A banana. At the last few marathons they’ve been distributing Mickey ear hats. You might not want to immediately unwrap your medal. It’s a lot to keep track of.

For a long time I would solve this problem by heading to the merch tent in the finisher’s area and requesting a plastic bag there. Something about juggling all my goodies irks me, and the bag makes everything better. Then disaster struck at the 2023 Wine & Dine Half – they told me they had no bags left. Curses!

So I’ve started bringing my own bag. I just fold up a regular ol’ Walt Disney World merch bag and shove it in a side pocket. After the race, I unfurl it and shovel all my post-race snacks and drinks inside as I get them.

I wound up purchasing a hat after the 2024 Princess Half, and the merch tent had bags again, so it’s not like this is always a problem. But I like knowing I’m covered either way.

P.S. I know the bag can make your race outfit look a little lumpy, but I’ve done this while wearing a running skirt and it’s much less noticeable underneath. In case that’s a concern.

UNCOMMON runDISNEY RACE TIP NUMBER TWO: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, TAKE A POST-RACE NAP

I remember after I did the Dopey Challenge in 2015, I took a long nap before heading over to the Magic Kingdom. A woman on the bus congratulated me and told me her husband had also completed Dopey, except he didn’t take a nap. He headed straight into the parks.

And, yeah, okay, I get it. Who doesn’t want more park time? Add to that the oft-touted advice that you should keep moving after the race to prevent your muscles from locking up, and it seems like a no-brainer.

Reader, I have tried to live that life. I have tried many times. And it works great… up to a point. Those of you made of stronger stuff, who can get up at 2am and got to bed at midnight, I salute you. Alas, I am soft, like a marshmallow. Every time I try to power through, I wind up dragging in a zombie-like fog by late afternoon. One time I fell asleep on Spaceship Earth during a Wine & Dine Afterparty.

Also! In the modern era, it is important to keep your body’s immune system in tip top shape. I read SO many tales after the race that read along the lines of “I woke up shivering with a fever and powered through the marathon anyway!” Which, like… okay, I get it. We’re runners, not giver uppers. But also, a) you are clearly sick and b) you could get others sick. At absolutely bare minimum, couldn’t you at least wear a mask in the corrals?

Not only do I ask you to not be that person, I urge you to protect yourself from that person. A key part of your immune system operating at peak efficiency is that you are getting enough sleep. Sleep and rest are key to recovery. This goes double if you’re running any sort of multi-race challenge.

And thus I must implore you: take the nap. I know – you were told not to! But try it. Sacrifice a little bit of vacation quantity for better vacation quality. If you’re worried about keeping yourself limber, do some light stretching before and after said nap. Throw on some dumb hotel television and touch your toes. Pull up some yin yoga on Youtube. Then sleep!

GOT ANY FOR ME?

I’m always looking for new and unusual race tips, runDisney or otherwise – leave a comment or hit up my email/socials below!

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!