Last night while the runners were in limbo and wondering what was going on, I was blissfully unaware of the situation and enjoying my baby shower here in Vegas. I got a text from Katie saying that she was relieved that she wasn't at Wine and Dine this year (she and Chris had to defer). I quickly went to Facebook and Twitter, because that's where all the real info comes from, right? HAHAHA This morning, my FB feed was full of status updates, some whiny, some positive, and some downright rude. What's a runDisney blogger to do other than give my two-cents?
First and foremost, I wasn't there. I didn't fly across the country. It wasn't my first half marathon. It wasn't my first runDisney race. That being said, if you were there and had your race cut short, I'm sorry that the weather impacted your race. I hope you still feel the seriously amazing accomplishment you were prepared for. You did the training, you toed the line, you were ready, and THAT is the accomplishment. The race is the icing, the fun part, the part people focus on, but all runners understand that the REAL work is done in the dark, in the cold, in the heat, on the treadmill. For that, I hope you are celebrating your accomplishment!
For all the critics of runDisney for cutting the course, and there were a lot of them, I'd love to hear YOUR solution! Storms, lightning, I'd rather be safe than hear about a tragedy happening on the course. And for those questioning why they would cut so much off the course (the race ended up being a little over 7 miles), you do realize it's a point to point course and logistically there are considerations that needed to happen. It's probably not so easy to just cut a mile or two. I think they did the best they could so that people could run a race, earn their bling, and celebrate. Personally I think it's naive to think they were only motivated by getting people to spend money at the finish line party. Last year, at the Wine & Dine "splash and dash", they did nothing to speed up the time you got to the party--in fact, the finish line was so understaffed I wasted at least half an hour waiting for my dry clothes. We stayed at the after party until 4 a.m. and the park was empty. I'm sure if they could control the weather, they would, but guess what, Disney really doesn't control everything!
This morning, I woke up to runners now criticizing the Wine and Dine runners for getting medals "they didn't earn." Really? I refer you to paragraph 2. Why would anyone poke at a runner who came ready to go, was evacuated, ran late, and had something beyond anyone's control change their plans? I hope that I'm only seeing a tiny bit of the runDisney family, but I keep hearing this over and over. For the record, I'm not a supporter of people taking the medal if they can't finish the race. It's not a popular opinion, but if you don't finish a race, you shouldn't get the medal. This case is different, though. These runners DID finish the race. There was a course, a start and a finish, and the runners went from that start to the finish and completed the race. It just feels different to me. This is probably the first time I've even voiced my opinion on the whole medal issue, and I avoid it on purpose--not my place to judge; it's just my opinion.
I hope the runners had a great race and enjoyed their weekend. You have a great story and experience that is very unique. Congratulations on your accomplishment--now celebrate! I suggest the food and wine at Epcot!
I had to kind of laugh last night at all the drama. Honestly, there are things in the world to get upset about, and things that you just roll with. This one was the latter. I do wonder how many of those people last night previously made the "you shouldn't take a medal you didn't earn" argument and if they actually stood on their pulpit and passed on the medal for the shortened course last night. I'm going to guess not. There was a time when I felt like it was silly for races shorter than a half to even give medals. In my mind, there was no challenge to those distances, so a medal wasn't "earned." Nowadays with prices so high, especially Disney prices, I feel like I paid for the medal and they sure as shootin' better hand it to me. Because you're right. The work is in the preparation. They day of the race is just the party.
ReplyDeleteYup...just roll with it. Not in anyone's control!
DeleteI feel that even the 5k can be an accomplishment. It was for me. So much struggle to even get here. To stand af that starting line and actually run.
DeleteThen the race itself was not my worst run ever but was challenging enough for me, physically. I feel I earned my medal no matter what the race itself costs. Even for a 10 dollar race I'd feel some way of showing your accomplishment is nice. Preparation is the hardest work, but for me the same went for the actual race :)
That said, I can't believe the rudeness of some people that the Wine & Diners didn't earn their medal. It was beyond their control, nobody cheated. Just because the organisation decided this, people should not be given their medals?
Complaining about postponing? I understand it's a bummer especially since the race already was late at night.
But be glad it wasn't cancelled completely. For one because you probably wouldn't get your money back...
I was in the race and while the weather caused the 45 minute delay, weather wasn't the direct reason, in my opinion, for the shorter course. I think they were more concerned about the last corrals not getting off until after midnight and finishing at 4 AM. The skies were pretty clear by the time we started.
ReplyDeleteI suggest Disney come up with better contingency plans and I hope they learn from this. Look to the Rock and Roll Marathon from yesterday as they shortened the course for those above a certain pace for safety reasons (heat aka Mother Nature) and are providing a voucher for a future race. It would add to the logistics but it would have been great to have the option to do the half or shorter with stricter pace requirements due to later start. Another thought is to start the race an hour early, maybe you have to alternate the route to do it, but then you have a cushion.
Last observation but the shortened course seemed to lead to a ton of congestion. I think most did like I did and decided to stop at almost everything. Mentally it was tough shifting from a half to a fun run as the goal changed at the last minute.
It definitely wasn't an ideal situation, and I'm sure there's room for improvement on runDisney's part. I don't think weather was the reason for the shift in course, it was the delay that was the reason--you're probably correct in the timing of it all. Congrats on the race, and sorry it wasn't the best situation. If it's any consolation, I hate running through Animal Kingdom, so I'd skip that part any day! :)
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